Corsham Court

Saturday 19 May - After being cooped up in the house and in Bristol for the past week it was a relief to get out of the city and do a bit of exploring. We drove to Corsham to see the Manor house there, Corsham Court. There was a lecture on so we were unable to visit the interior of the house but we had an very enjoyable stroll around the gardens. The estate is populated with a number of peacocks and we could hear and see them as soon as we arrived. It became a bit of a game to spot the peacock in whichever part of the garden we happened to be. The gardens themselves were formal with lots of summer houses, urns and follies. There was a lovely box hedge garden with some interesting sculptures and some very lovely meandering paths. Surrounding the house are a number of old yews which have grown together to create one continuous living mound. We explored the yews and the stable area of the estate before heading into town to visit the farmers market and shops. From Corsham we drove to Lacock for lunch at King John's Lodge and then over to Bradford on Avon for a stroll along the canal.

The Devil in Wales

From Portmeirion we made our way along the coastal roads of Snowdonia National park and over to Aberswyth. From there we took a small scenic road to the Devil's Bridge where we stopped for a quick lunch at the nearby tea rooms before venturing along the path to see the three bridges and the the Devil's bridge waterfall. The three bridges cross the ravine and were built one on top of the one another at various times. Legend has it that the smallest and oldest bridge was built by the Devil in order to gain an old Welsh woman's soul. However, she tricked the Devil and kept her soul and the devil never returned to Wales. From the three bridges a steep and many staired path winds down the ravine and offers a number of views of the impressive waterfall. We made our way cautiously and very slowly as I don not move very quickly in my current state. I was hoping that all the stairs might induce labour but we made it back to Bristol without incident

Welsh Weather in an Italian Villa

Monday 7 May - Day two of our adventure in Wales began with an early breakfast at the B&B and checkout, then we were back on the road and heading to nearby Portmeirion. As the crow flies the town is only about 3 miles away but due to the coastal inlets and marshes we had to drive about 17 miles to get to it. We took a private toll bridge across one marshy inlet which was a single lane bridge of dubious construction and cost 50p for a day long ticket. We made it safely to Portmeirion, an italian villa/village built on the coast. This ornate and colorful construction boast a beautiful garden, a hotel, a number of follies, towers and domes all brightly colored and ornately decorated. It was grey and drizzly when we arrived and the shops and cafes were just opening. We wandered around the village then walked past the hotel with its folly of an old boat to follow the the coastal path. The ocean was choppy with waves and frothy with foam. The trail looped us back to the village by which time there was some sunshine making the village look much more Italiante and inviting. We wandered around some more, enjoying the gardens and visiting some of the shops before getting back on the road.

The Snowy Summit of Snowdon

Back at Llanberis station we learned that the train was delayed by half an hour so we had to wait around for a bit hoping that the grey clouds would not turn into rain. However, we were lucky and the journey up to the summit was pleasant and dry. The trains are small and ride on a rack railway line so they do not move terribly quickly but make their way steadily up the mountain. There were excellent views of the surrounding mountains with their craggy peaks and slate covered slopes. At the summit we had excellent views all around and even had some snow falling on us while there was sunshine all around. We spent 30 minutes at the peak before hoping back on our train and making the return trip. Once back at the station we made our way to the B&B, stopping at the Royal Goat Inn along the way for a dinner of welsh lamb casserole.

The Castle at Caenarfon

From Llanberis we drove to the neighboring town of Caernarfon. Luckily the sun made another appearance and we stayed relatively dry as we wandered around the quaint medieval walled city. Caernarfon has a large impressive castle, best seen from across its small harbor. There were lots of little cafes and shops throughout the town and we enjoyed some lovely local ice cream before heading back to Llanberis to catch our train.

A Weekend in Wales

Sunday 6 May - Ian had a real itch do something this weekend so we booked a last minute trip to Wales. We left Bristol around nine and 4 hours later finally reached our first stop, the Snowdon Mountain railway station in Lanberis. We were a bit annoyed that the drive up had been beautifully sunny but began to rain as soon as we arrived at our destination. We bought our tickets for the next train to the summit which wasn't leaving until 4.30. To while Away the time we wandered around a nearby castle ruin with views over the local quarry.

A Wander through the Woods

Saturday 5 May - We have been trying to go for a walk in Prior Wood for the past 3 weeks, however, the weather has not been cooperative. Luckily this weekend we had a car booked for the Bank holiday and the weather was more obliging. We drove over to the Wood and spent a couple of hours wandering around its paths, admitting the bluebells, wild garlic and other flowers and squelching through the muddy rain drenched paths in our wellies.