October 17 to 19 Wales south coast - Laugharne

 

Roadworks everywhere - and houses on the move!

I'm surprised we didn't see more car crashes.

Our journey south took some interesting turns due to an accident on the road which had traffic at a standstill and banked up for a long way. Impatient me decided we’d take a detour to avoid the traffic crush - but I missed a turn off. The end result however was an unexpected but delightful drive through ‘country’ Wales.  

Lots of Rowan trees along the road but we couldn't pull over

Along the road I started to see stands of trees with bright red berries which I think were Rowan trees, Sorbus aucuparia. These trees are surrounded by some interesting mythology and folklore in many northern countries.   It was thought to be a magical tree which gave protection against malevolent beings.  The tree was also called ‘wayfarer's tree’ or ‘traveller's tree’ because it supposedly prevents those on a journey from getting lost - it didn’t work for us obviously!  It was said in England that this was the tree on which the Devil hanged his mother. 

More devilishly narrow roads

Llyn (Lake) Celyn - a reservoir 

The water level was pretty high - these people will be surprised when they return to their car!

Despite the meanderings and to cut a long story short we eventually made it to Laugharne and our caravan park (Ant Hill) after dark under a Hunters moon also called a Supermoon. The Hunter’s moon is so called because it is the time of year when leaves start to fall and animals have stuffed themselves with food to last over winter so they are nice and plump. Ancient communities would increase hunting at this time of year - or so the story goes. The next full moon is the Beaver Moon (worth investigating if you are into moons).  The moon aside ,we were relieved that we had arrived as we were both exhausted.

Laugharne (pronounced Larn) lies on the estuary of the River Tâf, and a number of other rivers, and after rain it floods. We saw the effects of that after just a small amount of rain – the beachfront flooded and some cars were under water. It was a rather memorable place for me. It was here that renowned Welsh poet Dylan Thomas spent much of his relatively short life. Eighty years ago (minus 1 week) he wrote a poem to mark his 30th birthday and to celebrate Laugharne which he loved. We stopped to read this poem under the lowering walls of an old Norman Castle built in the C12. He described Laugharne as a “timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town". I absolutely agree.  Dylan was a prolific and published poet from childhood. At age 14 he wrote a romantic poem to the moon, maybe a full moon like the one we saw. 

Clown in the Moon

“….. I think, that if I touched the earth,

It would crumble;

It is so sad and beautiful,

So tremulously like a dream.”

This is a perfect place for a hopeless romantic.

Laugharne Castle

Flooded beachfront at Laugharne

During the Medieval period, Laugharne Castle and other fortresses in this region were built to protect the waterways of South Wales against invasion but human presence in the region dates back tens of thousands of years. Excavations have found evidence that the caves in the cliffs acted as temporary shelter for groups of hunter-gatherers moving through the landscape over 50,000 years ago. And later findings of a range of flint tools indicate a series of occupations during the Stone Age. These discoveries suggest that the township is probably the oldest still-inhabited settlement in Wales.

Other significant places like Pembroke Castle, which we didn’t stop to explore, have layers of British, Norman, Welsh and Roman history that I simply don’t know about but from what I gather it is pretty complex dating back 2000-odd years.

Adorable squirrel

We took advantage of a fine day to do some washing and were watched! From the window of our van I saw a gorgeous little squirrel feeding on fir cones. We were then back on the road all clean and fresh ready to explore this southeastern region of Wales – very beautiful.  

Intriguing clock tower

Old watermill in Machynlleth taken as we whizzed past; sadly no place to turn around

The hedges are so neat and here's why - lots of haircuts

Pembroke Castle

Tenby - a popular beachside resort town 

It was fairly busy in the off-season so I shudder to think what it would be like in summer!

We stopped for a pie overlooking the water - great spot for a food van (run by a New Zealand couple!)

Fishguard - one of my favourite spots 

Not a lot of wriggle room particularly in a campervan! We just held our breath with fingers crossed

Don’t you just love a track like this - here they call this a road!

After a wonderful day of sightseeing we returned to our campsite as the sun was getting lower in the sky. Southeast Wales is pretty stunning.

Wales - first glimpses 14 - 16 October

Getting to Wales is best left undescribed except to say 'motor ways'! but we eventually got to Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey – after a few nasty experiences with THOSE narrow high-hedged lanes and feeling completely lost.  The caravan park was one of those holiday parks with onsite caravans dotted over the hills, seemingly miles from the amenities block.  We were closer but it was still a long walk and totally unlit after dark - not a place we would recommend. Next day we did a circuit of the island promontory of Anglesey before heading south for Abersoch – aber in Welsh means the mouth in this case, of the River Soch.  

Think of all those wee chimney sweeps

Quaint lanes (AKA roads!) and villages

The delightful holiday spot of Porth Llechog

The welcome sign at the caravan park

Beautiful vistas as we drove south to Abersoch on the Lleyn Peninsula past the Snowdonia National Park with its many peaks. The caravan park – Tyn-y-Mur, is perched on a hill looking out over valleys and sea. We were the only ones there. Quite lovely – despite slightly inclement weather. 

The western edge of Snowdonia National Park

The next day we drove back down to the village and took a leisurely walk topped off by a simple brunch overlooking the wee harbour. It was quite delightful. 

It was a challenge to read Welsh signs so translations were a welcome sight

Abersoch at low tide

Double yellow lines didn't mean no overtaking!

It was a very friendly village

On the western side of the peninsula is Porth Neigwl, ‘Hells Mouth’. Here the gales scream in from the Atlantic and have caused a number of fatal shipwrecks. It looked very innocent the day we visited with just a light fog rolling up the beach from the west but I can well imagine it in ferocious weather. 

Quaint roads - when there's no traffic!

Lots of unripe blackberries and other berries. Bottom L: Caught this little guy chomping on this Cruciferae/mustard plant.

The dunes are home to the protected Mason bee, Osmia xanthomelana, the rarest solitary bee in Britain. It builds nests of mud on eroding sand dune faces. Local authorities here are working to protect this vulnerable and endangered bee by creating suitable open habitat and by managing the grazing levels to provide sufficient pollen. The hedgerows along the path to the beach were dense with fruit and flowers so more power to the bees. 

Heading towards Hell's Mouth  

A thoroughly gorgeous place to visit but all too soon it was time to move on further south through Wales. Next stop Laugharne (pronounced Larn) on the south coast of Wales.

October 10 – 13 from Scotland to Wales

With great memories of touring Scotland and Ireland in a campervan in 2018 still semi-fresh in our minds, our plans for this trip in the UK were to follow suit and meander through Wales and Cornwall.  It turned out to be vastly different to that rather idyllic 2018 trip for a whole range of reasons - roads, a crummy van, too many people in most places, few places to park  – so I will spare you those grizzling details and tell you about the highlights. 

The Alauna Aura depicts a little of the history & development of Maryport

Maryport

Lakes District - a few shots taken from the moving van 

I was keen to see the Lakes District which we reached via the delightful little port of Maryport. Maryport was largely uninhabited until the arrival of the Romans around 70 AD and the town was later established ~122AD as a command and supply base for defending the western extremity of Hadrian’s wall. Then it was on to the Lakes District - it was very disappointing.  What we saw was lovely but I thought it would be relatively quiet - it was off-season right? Hah! The villages were wall-to-wall people and the traffic almost bumper to bumper - but we weren't there to see or wander the villages, cute as they may have been (from a moving vehicle). Maybe an exaggeration but the traffic made it difficult to find a spot to enjoy the scenery - that's if you could find a place to pull off the road.  The visit was capped off by not being able to park the van anywhere overnight. It was either in a 'cow paddock' or a layby. All the caravan parks in the district were onsite only. 

Being us, we were very anxious to escape tourist-ville milieu so I searched my maps and found a spot which looked remote - the Isle of Walney, a wee island off the west coast of England in the Irish Sea at the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula (Cumbria). We were away from it all in a sense! A delightful place with a caravan park where we spent a few lazy days soaking up the tranquillity, space and the views - and they had a bar and restaurant on site! And just 1km or so down the road was the South Walney Nature Reserve where we spent many hours exploring of course.   

Away from it all on the Isle of Walney 

Isle of Walney - red arrow us, black arrow Piel Island

There were Grey Seal pups just hatched on the beach so we kept well away but we walked over dunes and around wee lagoons, popping into bird hides. All along the way were flowers and berries, ferns and bushes. My directions might be a bit off but to the west, 14km out in the Irish Sea, we could see a huge wind farm (~90 turbines) and further out a couple of gas rigs (but thankfully they were lost in the sea mist). 

Further along this beach was the nursery for the seal pups - we kept well away

Taking a side loop to check out a bird hide

There were few track markers so we just walked and hoped for the best

At last, a blue post

The blue post signified that we were on the blue loop through the reserve (there were 3 loops of varying length) - at times we had no idea where we were as there were no paths and the posts were few and far between. Not to worry, it was a true breath of fresh air.

I ate my fill of blackberries

And to the east is Piel Island, a tiny speck of land, home to Piel ‘Castle’ built by the monks of Furness Abbey in C14 but the history dates back much earlier. The tiny island is not accessible by land (except on foot at extreme low tide) but we got as close as we could via a man-made spit to tiny Rao Island. And then? .... that was it. During ‘the season’ and at odd times, they run a ferry across because 10 people live there - plus there’s a pub so people visit! 

Piel Castle across the tidal flats - great setting for a movie!

Piel Island viewed from Rao Island on a very wet day! The torrents came moments after this pic

Piel Island at first light on our last day on Walney Island - I went to pick blackberries for breakfast

We were a little reluctant to leave our Walney hideaway but we wanted to reach Wales so off we went looping back north then east then south to Lancashire and then further southwards.

Sadly heading off the island