8th April 2017 Lancaut in the Wye Valley

Sorry we’ve been away for so long but a change of country (we’re in Wales not England, that sort of counts) is a large upheaval. We’ve been gathering some miles under our boots and now have a series of walks to show you, the first being literally from our doorstep. We are now within walking distance of the spectacular Wye Valley, a truly stunning natural area which ends in Chepstow.

Cool gnarly trees

Our first walk starts at the bottom end of Offa’s Dyke path. This is a big ditch which was designed to keep the Welsh out, or in, depending on your perspective. Our walk took us north down a small back road towards the A38. A quick dash across the road and the path took us past the National Diving and Activity Centre. I would give this a review but there’s no way on God’s green earth you’ll get me underwater in a stinking old quarry.

Under the arches leading down to Lancaut

Next we skirted St Mary’s church in Tidenham. Then the path follows the old train line to Tintern. There is a tunnel which burrows under the hills and exits into the Wye valley just before Tintern. You can see the boarded up entrance but unfortunately there is no way to get in. Probably wouldn’t have made for particularly interesting pictures anyway.

Ruined church at Lancaut. Chuck beat us to it.

After a jaunt across the fields we reached the road down to Lancaut, our destination. There are a few paths down and you can take your pick. There is also a large wooden owl at the top. Just because.  Lancaut is a small peninsular in the Wye valley. There were some sheep and a farm and some nice views. Tucked away near the water there is a small ruined church. It was a good place for a picnic.

Some light scrambling on the route back

The route back involved getting from sea level back to the top of the cliffs. At one point there is some scrambling across some rather large rocks. If you are taking a dog ensure it is big enough not to slip between the cracks. Thankfully Chuck managed just fine. Once atop the cliffs it’s a walk back down the hill again and into Chepstow. All that remained was a drink in our new favourite pub, The Three Tuns. That gives me an idea for a pub review.

Atop the Wye Valley

2nd July 2016 Ifracombe

Sometimes you miss what is right under your nose and the world really is on your doorstep. Today we walked right from our front door and within half an hour I was walking down a road I had never been down before. Today was also different in that our walk was linear. It finished in a different place to where we started and we came back using the bus. Usually I avoid public transport like the plague. I like being out in the country due to my highly misanthropic nature and public transport is my idea of hell. Today however it showed us a marvellous way to march further afield.

Less than three miles from home and I've never been here before.

I won’t detail the exact route today as if I publish where I live you might come round and pinch my washing. The final destination was Ilfracombe and this is where we caught the bus. As the sky seems to have taken up raining as its new hobby we stuck to the small country lanes. These are ideal when the weather has been bad and also if you don’t have any mud proof footwear. It’s also a good way to start out navigating for yourself. Footpaths can move and can be hard to find sometimes. Roads are far more dependable and easy to navigate. The only downside is traffic but if they are hidden away enough cars are few and far between. The roads we were on were quiet enough and narrow enough to let Chuck off the lead for the majority of the journey.

A different perspective of the local countryside.

The area we walked in was largely free of any settlements other than a few farms and hamlets. These roads don’t really go anywhere in particular so are ideal for wandering around. The main roads around tend to follow the valleys so you don’t get a sense of the scenery. As we walked along I was amazed at how stunning some of the views are just a few miles from my house that I have never seen before.

Vicious guard dog.

After a few hours walk we came to the village of West Down which is quite near to the A361, the main road to Ilfracombe so the volume of traffic increased slightly. West Down has a church, a pub and a shop so is an ideal pit stop if you need one. We didn’t however so we cracked on. We crossed the A361 and headed towards Willingcott. This also has a pub but we skirted around the village on the No. 27 National Cycle Trail. This is on the route of the old Barnstaple to Ilfracombe railway line. It is now paved cycle/walking route which is a popular tourist route.

West Down. Not sure why I photographed the church instead of the pub today?

Past Willingcott it is downhill almost all the way to Ilfracombe. There are series of reservoirs and dams just off the path leading down to Ilfracombe. Obviously, one member of our group wanted a swim so in he went. From here it was just a few miles into Ilfracombe. A point to note here is that this is a shared walking/cycle path and it slopes quite steeply downhill. Despite all the warning signs telling cyclists to slow down and sound their bells, you will get lycra clad Bradley Wiggins wannabes flying towards you at 40mph from behind you. So make sure you are ready to send them flying into a hedge and then point out the signs telling them to sound their bell and slow down if they get upset about it.

No. 27 Cycle Route. Keep watch for potential Wiggins'.

I’ll not dwell on Ilfracombe. You can have an ice cream, look at Damien Hurst’s statue of something pretentious and then place a bet in William Hill and that’s about it. Oh and there’s a Co-op. The best thing about Ilfracombe is the view walking in. It’s like a George Seurat painting. It looks nice overall but look too close and you’ll just see spots. 

Is it a fish? Is it a dog? No, it's just Chuck in his natural environment.

Top tip, check the bus timetable before leaving and also check if weekend timings are different. Also if you have a dog ensure your bus company takes dogs. Our Waverider buses charge £1 for a Petexplorer ticket. Despite never having been on a bus before, Chuck seemed to cope quite well with it. This was a great way of seeing more and going further than if we had walked back. Is there anywhere near your house that you’ve never been? A road or path you’ve never explored? Let us know if you manage to get a new perspective of your surroundings in the comments below. See you next time.

26th June 2016 The Crown Inn and Lodges Crowntown, Cornwall review.

Well I hope you all enjoyed our little daily blog last week? I know I promised a blog from Tintagel but the weather and the traffic were equally appalling so we never actually made it there. We just trudged home behind the caravans and through the roadworks. But I realised I never really mentioned much about where we stayed, so I thought that would be a good post this week.

The lodge we stayed in. It was called Bramble.

The Crown Inn is just outside Helston and is aptly located in Crowntown. The pub itself is of the old fashioned family run variety. There doesn’t appear to be much brewery involvement here and the menus are printed by the pub. The drink selection isn’t huge but it’s very reasonable. They have mini bottles of wine for £3 a pop and Plymouth and tonic is £4.10 which is OK.

Blue steak. How it should be.

The food is home cooked and is generous. Well, it certainly is if you have the 16oz steak. I’m always slightly annoyed by these unnecessarily large meals. I always worry there must be a lot of food going to waste, a real pet hate of mine. I know that sounds hypocritical then ordering it but I ate every last bit. Bea had the ribs, which if I’m being honest was a much better than my steak. I’m not putting the steak down, it’s just that the ribs were something special. The breakfasts were also very generous. I asked for as much bacon and eggs as possible and I got four rashers with a good portion of scrambled egg which I thought was fair.

The ribs I had food envy over.

The rooms are actually in little chalets at the back of the pub. I really liked this idea as it keeps you away from any noisy drunks and it feels very holidayish. Our room was spacious and well kitted out with a spare bed, a kettle, an iron and a shower which was alright, no more. The bathroom floor was carpeted which I thought was a bit unhygienic. The beds were large and really comfy and it felt airy and fresh compared with and air conditioned hotel room. I’m not convinced they’d be that warm in the winter but that is pure speculation.

I got an extra bacon each day from my generous wife.

My one big qualm with the rooms is that there is no internet. No wifi. No phone signal. The wifi in the pub wasn’t great and trying to publish a blog with large photos every day was a hair pulling experience. It was only £80 a night but I expect at least some contact with the outside world. Overall though these are some very minor points in what was a great stay. We felt very welcome by family running the pub and they were very accommodating of Chuck which is always a plus. It’s also in a great central location for South Cornwall. I’d certainly book here again. If you want to check them out you can do so here. What are your main criteria when choosing a place to stay? Let us know in the comments. See you next time.

16th June 2016. Daily Blog from Cornwall Day 4. Land's End.

Today we went somewhere I’d always wanted to go, Land’s End. I don’t know why I was so excited about it and I’m not really sure why someone decided this was the last bit of England but off we went anyway. We parked in Porthcurno which as well as not being listed on my Sat Nav was a whopping £6.50 to park. No valet service. No security. Just a bit of tarmac.

The beach a Porthcurno. Yes this really is England.

The beach here is breathtakingly beautiful though. Big waves. Clear water. You could see the pattern the waves had made in the sand under the water. At the top of the cliff is an open air theatre set into the side of the rocks. We didn’t go in but I’m sure it would be great to see a performance here. 

Another secluded beach. You really can take your pick.

There is another car park up here but I didn’t see any prices. Just a man with a bucket so probably even more expensive.

The cliffs around this part were amazing again. They looked like a giant had stacked up rocks on top of each other. We dropped down to the beach at Porthgwarra to let Chuck cool down in the water. We realised on the way back however that there is a £1000 fine for dogs on the beach. Be aware this is not very well sign posted.

Chuck showing two fingers to 'the man'.

The rest of the way to Land’s End was very similar but the different rock formations had been carved in different ways depending on which direction they faced. You can see the Land’s End hotel from several miles away. It is a vast complex. Land’s End proved to be a bit of a disappointment. On the map it’s labelled as ‘Legendary Land’s End’. It was a bit of a mini theme park. There was a Shaun the Sheep experience and King Authur experience, it was all set up for kids. Ice cream was £2.50 a scoop. Thankfully you could still have a free photo by the famous sign but you had to pay if you wanted to change the letters.

Obligatory photo. No, I'm not from Abu Dhabi.

England vs Wales was on the telly in an hour so we set off to a village called Sennen Cove in the hope the match would be on there. Coming down the hill we recognised the place from a photo we’d seen yesterday in a gallery in Penzance. The pub was great. The food looked amazing and there was space for us to sit and watch the football. And England won.

Because it's just not magical unless you're fleecing tourists.

The route back was across the fields. It wasn’t very well signed however. We came to a farm which the footpath went straight through and the farmer seemed a bit miffed we were there. I showed him  on the map that the path went straight through the farm. He put me on the ‘right’ path and off we trotted. This is a great walk but don’t get too hung up on Land’s End. If you’re 8 years old I’m sure it’s great. Otherwise just enjoy the scenery. We’re off home tomorrow but we’ll be stopping into Tintagel. See you tomorrow.

15th June 2016 Daily Blog from Cornwall Day 3. Penzance and St Ives.

Today we’re having a slightly more sedate adventure than usual. We are covering the seaside towns of Penzance and St Ives. We started in Penzance and then took the 25 minutes train journey to St Ives.

Yeaaahhhh! Penzance!

We parked in Tesco which thankfully is far away enough from the town centre to have no parking restrictions. Free parking for the day. Result. It is also lined with palm trees which is cool. It is about 15 minutes walking to the station from here. We got our tickets already which were £8.90 return for the two of us. We’d been recommended not to drive to St Ives as the roads are terrible and parking non-existent.

 My best photo of Penzance.

Penzance was not really being shown off in its best light as we wondered round. It was a very cloudy day and the threat of rain was constant. However we could tell that it was probably very nice in the sun. The water was crystal clear. There is a small harbour but its not particularly pretty.

 Waiting for the train in The Fat Fish.

We turned into a small park but this too was nothing to write home about. We went through the town centre which had some nice little boutique shops and a lot of charity shops. We did go in a great pet shop which had some really great natural dog treats for bargain prices. Chuck loved this shop and it was difficult to keep his inquisitive little nose out the different bags.

Much nicer than Penzance harbour I think?

The trains leaving Penzance are few and far between so we had an hour to kill. We went into a café by the station called the Fat Fish. This is a great place to wait. They do take away type food and breakfasts and are also licensed. I had a pint of Cornish Rattler which was delicious.

 Waiting for the rain to stop.

The train journey to St Ives involves a change at St Erth. From here it’s an old fashioned bus type train into St Ives. The view is obscured a lot of the way but glimpses of the coast do peak through occasionally,

  Back streets back alright.

St Ives is very small but somehow we managed to spend five hours getting round it. We did consume quite a lot of food and beverage in this time though. There are lots of narrow streets full of art galleries and artisan food shops if you like spending money.

 St Ives Head. Does that need an apostrophe?

After going up onto St Ives head though, shopping, eating and drinking is all that’s left to do really. Thankfully the town provides well for this. We found a great gin bar called ….. We decided to eat here too as the food sounded good. We weren’t disappointed. It really was pretty special. My only regret is that we had to rush it slightly to get the train. It really needed to be savoured. Oh well. Tomorrow the tourist trap that is Land’s End.

14th June 2016 Daily Blog from Cornwall Day 2. Falmouth.

 Today our destination was Falmouth. We started about two miles from the outskirts at a pretty little place called Maenporth which is just a beach and a café. As with so many beaches round here it was no dogs allowed. It was £3 to park all day which was OK.

The car park. £3 regardless how long you're here so get your money's worth.

We set off along the coast path to Falmouth. It’s quite steep but there is plenty of foliage between the cliff and the path so dogs can run free here. There are some nice views through the foliage but much of the view is obscured until you arrive at Swanpool beach which is again dog free. Chuck was starting to get upset.

Swanpool Beach. Again no dogs. Totally speciesist.

The next mile or so is promenade with hotels on one side and beach on the other. It is a typical English seaside place. This is definitely the quiet end of Falmouth. There are no shops this side but on a plus note I couldn’t see any parking restrictions here so it’s probably free. But don’t use this in a court of law in case I’m wrong.

A buildingy thing. Probably should have saved this for Instagram.

We passed around Pendennis Point next which features a hilltop fort. We didn’t go up to the fort as it’s paying attraction and I assume it was also ‘no dogs’. But there are plenty of mini forts on the water front to explore for free and Chuck finally got to go in the water. He met Bill here too, a golden Labrador who latched onto any stick Chuck missed.

Chuck swimming after sticks.

Coming back off the point you get an amazing view from above Falmouth Docks. These are so old fashioned. The cranes look like they should be museum pieces but are still being used. There are several large dry docks here too.

Smaller castles are free. Great for those on a budget. Or tight.

Falmouth town centre is much better than your standard seaside town. There were lots of great looking places to eat. It was too early at the time but we came back later on after the walk. We had a drink in one of the harbour front pubs of which there were many. I got to witness two OAPs nearly coming to blows over who was next to be served at the bar. There’s something you don’t see every day. It was more foul mouth than Falmouth. Ha ha ha!! Sorry.

Dry dock. Holds 230m litres of water apparently.

We took a direct route out of Falmouth back to the car along a footpath which cuts through a housing estate and back into the country. After about a mile through fields we got back to the car. We then drove to Sainsbury’s which has unlimited free parking and is only about a twenty minute walk from the centre. Top tip free parking hunters.

A great place to watch old people fighting.

We ate in a place called The Meat Counter. If you are a vegetarian you might want to skip this part. It looked a bit hipster from the outside but I’ve never had such high quality meat for such a low price. There are boards displaying where their meat is sourced and how it’s aged on the walls. A double burger was £10 and a 250g steak was less than £15. Although how big that is in English I have no idea. The food was delicious. The only slight let down was that the drinks seemed to have some sort of American theme so lots of Sam Addams and stupidly sweet cider. Worst of all, NO GIN!

Waiting for meat.

Falmouth is great to see the way we did it. I think you’d struggle to fill a day here unless you like shopping for dust collecting ornaments. There is a museum about shipping and the like but I’m not sure if it’s a day filler. Tomorrow we’re off to Penzance and possibly St Ives too via the train.

13th June 2016 Daily Blog from Cornwall Day 1. Lizard Point.

Good morning. I’m currently sitting in a small lodge in The Crown Inn just outside Helston in Cornwall. We’re on holiday for a week here and I thought it might be an idea to try and get out a little daily post about the area. Yesterday we went to Lizard Point.

The weather didn't start great.

We started the walk from Predennack which is a farm with a National Trust car park, suggested donation 50p. From here we walked across Lower Predennack Downs and The Lizard Nature reserve into Lizard. As you can see it was very wet when we set off.

Lizard, has the those shops that sell nothing you would ever need.

The sun was out by the time we got to Lizard though. Not much in Lizard itself unless you’re hungry. We carried on down to the lighthouse. It’s £3.50 each to go in but we have Chuck with us so we couldn’t. Not that I felt the need to spend £7 looking at a big lightbulb.

I can see the big light bulb from here.

Lizard Point itself is beautiful. It has a lot of little tat shops selling tat but these are ramshackle enough to be in keeping with the character of the place. There is an old lifeboat station down on the beach. The fauna is almost iridescent. It is quite spectacular.

The most southerly point of mainland Britain. Obviously requires tat shops.

We walked back along the coast path. The cliff views are stunning. The path is initially quite upsy-downsy but it flattens out again. There is another car park at Kyance Cove if you don’t want such a long walk. I didn’t clock the prices tough.

The cliffs on the walk back.

There’s a delightful little beach and café down at the cove. But be aware there’s no dogs allowed so please boycott it. Also there is a lot of aircraft noise from the nearby airfields at Predennack and Culdrose.

Cornwall's beaches are totally racist against dogs.

Tomorrow we’re off to Falmouth. Hopefully I can give you another report but I am relying on Cornish internet so no promises. Until then.