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A Stroll on the Beach at Sunset, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
Sunset at Widemouth Bay Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
A Stroll on the Beach at Sunset, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
A Stroll on the Beach at Sunset, Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 20 – Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
There seems to be a recurring theme here. Minutes after arriving at Bob and Ann’s and we were off out for a walk. After a couple of hundred miles driving I was more than happy to take in the evening sea breeze. And what a glorious sunset it was too.
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Sun dog at Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
Sun dog at Widemouth Bay Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Sunset & Sun dog – Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
Sunset and sun dog at Widemouth Bay, Cornwall. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 20 – Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
There seems to be a recurring theme here. Minutes after arriving at Bob and Ann’s and we were off out for a walk. After a couple of hundred miles driving I was more than happy to take in the evening sea breeze. And what a glorious sunset it was too.
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Snowdonia
Llyn Padarn, Snowdonia Vacation Day 19 – Another day of driving – destination Wales
We had to be in Bristol at 2:00 p.m. on June 24 for a meeting. So we said farewell to Uncle Keith and Scotland and headed South. We decided to overnight somewhere in Wales. There was nothing for it but to try and plot a picturesque route. We decided to drive past the Lake District and down to Wales and through Snowdonia. It sounded like a good idea, and it was.
Lanie who often calls me “Gare-bear” did not appreciate me singing “Gare-bear goes under the mountain” as we drove through a long Welsh tunnel. I’m sure the views of the Welsh hills and mountains made up for it though. Maybe my singing would have been more appreciated if I’d tried for the more appropriate ‘Men of Harlech‘.
A while after passing Mount Snowden I vaguely recognized a lakeside view, which was quite impressive as I’ve never been here. I had recognized Trawsfynydd from pictures I’d seen while producing training and promotional materials for Nuclear Electric back in the eighties. If I remember correctly, Trawsfynydd was the only inland nuclear power plant in the UK. Although I never visited the Trawsfynydd plant, I did spend time at the very similar power station at Dungeness.
Because we hadn’t booked any accommodation we kept an eye out for B&Bs as we drove, but nothing enticed us. I decided to head for a largish seaside town in the hope that a selection of hotels and B&Bs would be available. My Welsh geography is a bit shaky, but I was pretty sure Aberystwyth would fit the bill.
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Rough Island from the Mote of Mark
Rough Island across the river Urr. Hestan Island can be seen in the distance. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Lanie on the Mote of Mark (Hike: Kippford to Rockcliffe)
Lanie on the Mote of Mark, between Kippford and Rockcliffe. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 18 – Our last day with Uncle Keith and another hike…
The day after tomorrow we have to be in Bristol for an afternoon meeting. Then we travel on to Cornwall. So tomorrow we are heading back down south. In the meantime, we went on another short hike taking in the Mote of Mark. After the Mote of Mark we went down to Rockcliffe and spent a pleasant hour or more relaxing on the beach while Lanie did some beachcombing and hunting for crabs.
The walk back to Kippford was along the coast, a lot less hilly, and easy-going. Once more Uncle Keith impressed Lanie. This time there were no donkeys, but, he showed us a house with a garden decorated with flotsam. Back in Kippford we had some very nice ice cream to round off the hike.
Hike at Mote of Mark. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Rough Island across the river Urr. Hestan Island can be seen in the distance. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Rough Island across the river Urr. Hestan Island can be seen in the distance. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Looking across the river Urr. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Dumfries Solstice Sunset
Lanie and Ginger watch the solstice sunset. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Barbecue, Badminton, and another Walk
Lanie and Keith getting more exercise Vacation Day 17 – In the evening we went to the house of one of Uncle keith’s friends for a barbecue.
Walking the dog
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Ginger Grouse
Ginger Grouse. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Pubs are a great hiking amenity in the UK
Being thirsty we visited a local pub after our hike. Ginger had to try this drink, and the bottle came all the way back to the US with us. The drink was surprisingly good, but I wasn’t tempted to have one. Instead, I had a half pint of bitter and a packet of crisps.
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Lanie Meets Some Scottish Donkeys
Lanie & Uncle Keith feed the donkeys Lanie never bothered to ask Uncle Keith why he’d brought carrots on a hike
About halfway through our Breakfast in America: Balcary Bay hike, we found some donkeys running free. Lanie was in her element, and thanks to Uncle Keith she was able to feed the donkeys. They were “Soooo cuuute…”
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Balcary Bay Hike
Lanie, Heslan Island, Balcary Bay in the background Vacation Day 17 – A hike at Balcary Bay and the Solway Firth Coast
My uncle wanted to take us on a hike. We’ve been on hikes with him before… We protested about how out of condition we were, however, as Uncle Keith had a foot injury I reckoned we would be okay. Injury or not, Uncle Keith did well, and it was quite a hike for us as out of condition as we were.
We saw one of Britain’s only poisonous snakes, an adder. It tried to get away as soon as we approached it, and despite my best efforts to circle around and get a picture, it was too quick and hid in the long grass.
Once we got to the top of the cliffs there was a marvelous view. Checking the horizon, I was pleased to be able to point out the Isle of Man – just visible in the haze.
Lanie never thought to ask why Keith had brought a bag of carrots, she soon found out though.
Looking out across the Solway Firth to the Lake District
Clover
Lanie, Heslan Island, Balcary Bay in the background
Heslan Island, Balcary Bay on the Dumfries coast
Irish Sea on the Dumfries coast
Irish Sea on the Dumfries coast
Lanie getting closer to the sea
Lanie through the (broken) Window
Balcary Bay Hike 4.6 Miles, 570 ft. of elevation -
Twighlight on the River Nith
Sunset across the River Nith. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
An evening visit to Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle Vacation Day 16 – Scotland, and some time with my uncle
We drove around the Lake District for a while before heading to Scotland. My Uncle has moved since our last visit, so instead of having to travel all the way to Glasgow we only had to hop across the border and head west towards Dumfries. We had just enough time to unloaded our bags before we were off out again to take in some of the local scenery.
After looking at the castle we decided to take a short walk along the coastal path to a nearby parking lot while my uncle went back, collected the car, and drove round to meet us.
It was a simple plan, duly executed, except when we got to the parking lot the car was there, but there was no sign of my uncle. Somehow we’d managed to lose him! As we walked the coastal path I’d noticed a second path and I guessed he’d decided to come and meet us, and had taken the other path. We waited a good long time for him to give up looking for us and return to the car. It was getting dark and cold when I went back along the path to find him. I was right. He’d taken the wrong path, and I soon found him.
Caerlaverock Castle
Lanie at Caerlaverock Castle
Lanie at Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle
Behind the scenes at Caerlaverock Castle
Sunset across the River Nith. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Grasmere in the Lake District
Grasmere – The Lake District. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 16 – Having taken our leave of Penny we headed North.
By fitting in a couple of days in Wales we’d lost some time we’d planned to spend in the Lake District / Scotland. We debated on the drive up whether to spend the night in the Lake District. We decided to stick with the plan and go straight to my uncle’s house. That didn’t mean we couldn’t spend a couple of hours driving around the Lake District though.
We stopped at Grasmere for a walk and a more relaxed view of the Lake District scenery.
Next stop, Uncle Keith’s.
Some Family Pictures
Lanie at Grasmere
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Saying Goodbye to Penny
Ginger and Penny Vacation Day 16 – We set off to Scotland via the Lake District
Another long driving day today. We aim to be staying with my Uncle Keith in Scotland tonight.
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‘Clay Day’ in Wales
Clay Day in Wales. Copyright © 2014 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 14 – A drive across the country
In the morning we took the boat sailing and went down towards East Somerton. I decided to cut the trip short as I was concerned about turning the boat around at the narrow staithe in the windy conditions. So we went back to the boat yard, dropped off the boat, put our lives in the hands of the GPS and headed of to Wales. To the uninitiated, that’s driving right across the country at one of the widest points (unless you are venturing into Cornwall). When Ginger’s contacts in the UK heard she would be in the country various ideas were put forward to enable her to meet up with some of them, and that’s how we ended up headed to Wales.
We found our destination – almost. The GPS wasn’t good enough to get us to the exact house and we couldn’t find it. So Ginger called Penny, our hostess for the next two nights, and Penny stood in the street outside her house waving so we wouldn’t miss it. Penny was very kind. She’d never met us, and hadn’t heard of Ginger, but she agreed to put us up for a couple of nights after one of her customers persuaded her to invite Ginger to a ‘Clay Day’ so they could all meet up. Lanie went off for the evening to spend some time with Penny’s granddaughter. Ginger and Penny talked. And talked… Lanie came back, and they still talked. And talked… In the end I had to remind them they had to be up early for the Clay Day. As for me, I took advantage of Penny’s Internet connection to catch up with some work.
Vacation Day 15 – Clay Day
I made myself scarce most of the day, getting a load of work done via the Internet. The great thing about working online is you can take your office with you when you go away. It’s also a big disadvantage as well though – as you are never totally out of ‘work mode’. I probably worked an hour or two most days, and put in a couple of full days too. I don’t quite think that everyone we stayed with – friends or family – realized that we had to keep working even though we were on vacation. That’s the trouble with running your own businesses, we still have to keep working and earn the pennies!
During the day I took some pictures of Ginger and the Clayaround Clay Day group for Ginger’s website.
Next time we come to the UK, we’re going to have to plan things much more carefully as Ginger could have been kept quite busy meeting customers and business contacts. Unfortunately, we just didn’t think of setting aside any time for that on this trip.
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My first ‘real’ pint in three years
My first real pint in three years Copyright © 2014 Ginger Allman, all rights reserved. Vacation Day 13 – We went to the Nelson Head for dinner
The beer and the food were very good. The beer was so good I had to try another pint. Sepia seemed to be a very appropriate treatment for this picture with all the old guns and such adorning the ceilings and walls behind me. The Nelson Head on TripAdvisor.
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Gary and Ginger on the beach near Horsey, Norfolk
Gary and Ginger on the beach near Horsey, Norfolk. Picture by Lanie Another of my favorite pictures of our vacation
Lanie borrowed my camera and took these pictures. I really like them.
Gary and Ginger on the beach near Horsey, Norfolk Picture by Lanie
Gary and Ginger on the beach near Horsey, Norfolk Picture by Lanie -
Lanie on the beach near Horsey, Norfolk
Selfie – Lanie on the beach Vacation Day 13 – Too windy for sailing
We went up to Hickling Broad and sailed back under the jib, and then motored to Horsey Mere. It was too windy to try sailing with an inexperienced crew – I didn’t want to put them off sailing. Also Broads hire yachts are not very suited to single handed sailing, so I couldn’t manage it easily in a wind on my own. We moored at the staithe and had a look at Horsey windpump. In the afternoon we walked to the beach where Lanie had a great time just running around. She chased a seal along the beach, and tried making a tidal pool. If it wasn’t for the coldish and very strong wind it would have been excellent sitting on the beach.
