So, the “busy” part of going on a ‘busy season exchange’ arrived over the last two weeks. So despite getting out and about and exploring the countryside these past two weekends, my working week has been a little hectic and I have neglected to write a post. However, given I am on a train off for another weekend of exploring, I have no excuse for not writing (despite being half way through a good book!)
On my May Day long weekend I was fortunate enough to pop over to Wales, the home of dragons, castles, castles and more castles, and some beautiful coastline. I am certainly learning lots about the history of the UK, with the Roman conquerors, Vikings, and even the English invaders in Wales. Along with this history you have folklore, with dragons featuring prominently in Wales!
I was able to see MANY castles this weekend, including Conwy castle, Harlech castle, Dinefwr, Aberystwyth castle, Llansteffan castle and Carreg Cennen castle. Carreg Cennen was my favourite with its more remote setting , perched high up on the hill with the ruins free to wander and climb on. It even had an underground cave and passage you could explore. It also had very few tourists which made it special wandering through the ruins.
We also stayed at Aberystwyth (I never managed to get my tongue around these Welsh names!) which was a very cute seaside town, called the Wales equivalent of Brighton (but much smaller). It had its own ruins, a beautiful sandy beach and biting wind which didn’t make the water very inviting!
We unfortunately spent too little time at Snowdonia National Park. A beautiful rocky area with plenty of hills and mountains to climb! The towns were gorgeous, set on rivers with quaint shopping strips, cute bridges and the odd waterfall! They historically had done slate mining in the area, but don’t do it anymore, though you could see evidence of it. No matter where I travel, I still learn about mining!
Last weekend I decided to get off those bus trips and stretch my legs, joining a walking trip of the Peaks District. This region is a short 50 minute train trip out of Manchester with plenty of walkable hills and sweeping views of the green rolling hills. Being blessed with beautiful weather even meant I could work on my English tan! Saturday was spent exploring the moors, crossing over boggy moors, walking a little way along the Pennine trail, and along rivers or scrambling down beside waterfalls. An enjoyable excursion. Sunday was glorious and we hiked up Mam Torr, along the ridge of mountains surrounding Hope, our town where we stayed. It was an easy but beautiful walk. Our full day walk was done by 1pm because of our brisk pace, meaning I was able to get back to Manchester and cook dinner for the week, which turned out to be a very fortunate decision given busy season arrived!
This weekend I’m up north along the border with Scotland, exploring Hadrian’s wall from Carlisle. Watch out for the next instalment – the wall built to keep out the rabbits!!
Down Under Drifter 