Iona heads west, into Wales….

Having had a lovely stay in Oxford and Bath, Iona headed further west over the Severn Bridge and navigated the ever-changing Welsh speed limits until we settled in another great campsite in Pontcanna, Cardiff. As it was still only mid-afternoon, and the sun was attempting to appear between the clouds, we explored Pontcanna, an area with an affluent feel to it.

On our perambulation, we passed an Indian Restaurant and found a local Co-Op, where we purchased a few essentials before finding a pleasant pub, The Robin Hood. As we settled down to enjoy a pint, the clouds won out in the battle of the elements, and soon, the rain descended. Fortunately, the pub had an awning out front under which we had chosen a seat, so the turn in the weather did not dampen our spirits!

We asked the barman if he could recommend a good Indian restaurant, and he suggested the Cinnamon Tree, the very place we had walked past earlier. On our arrival at the restaurant, we were shown to a table and offered a drink and some popadums. Our choice of meals was perfect, flavoursome, and enjoyable. Afterwards, we had a reasonable stretch of the legs to aid our digestion as we returned to the campsite.

The following day brought clear skies and warm September sunshine, which made our 50-minute walk to Cardiff Harbour very pleasant. En route, we saw many of the famous sights. Finally, we arrived at the much-renovated harbour area, where we walked around the various new and reinvented dockland structures, admiring the efforts to give the area a new lease of life.

Cardiff Harbour

The next stop turned out to be a lovely field in the village of Oxwich on the Gower Peninsular. It was run by a lovely family and situated at the back of the village on an elevated part of the hill, providing a view of the sea and adjacent headlands. After the heavy rains departed in the late afternoon, we walked down to the fantastic beach and joined a few others enjoying an early evening stroll.

The next day, we embarked on a 45-minute walk around the lanes at the rear of the village. Had it not been for the typical high hedges one seems to encounter in Wales, we would have had a lovely view down over the bay! However, we enjoyed the walk and rewarded our exercise with a double-scoop ice cream cone from the beachside shop. We ended our day with a pint at the Oxwich Bay Hotel before returning to Iona to settle in for the night.

Our next stop was a minor indulgence, as we had booked a night in a hotel at the Golf Course on the outskirts of Tenby! Despite arriving about two hours ahead of schedule, the room was ready, and we could check-in. We then walked into town to visit the famous seaside resort, and our initial impressions were very favourable. The place has been kept very tidy, and most buildings appear to have been painted recently.

Typical Tenby

After a delightful meal in Salty’s restaurant down on the beach and a good night’s sleep, we checked out and soon returned to town to see the areas we had missed the day before. Then, at around two in the afternoon, it was time for our next journey up to New Quay on the West Coast, where we had arranged to stay a night with our friends Andy and Fiona in their lovely cottage, which is one of four old renovated buildings, located at the end of a very rough, single track mile long access road! In the evening, Andy drove us into New Quay, where we sat on the seafront and enjoyed a beer and a chat before returning to the cottage, where Andy prepared an excellent paella, which was washed down with a pleasant choice of wines and accompanied by some great catch-up chat before heading off for another good night’s ‘kip’!

In the morning, we enjoyed a light breakfast before we said our farewells and set off to Devil’s Bridge in mid-Wales, where we found a great campsite set in a lovely woodland setting and checked in for three nights. Later in the afternoon, we did the 45-minute gorge walk, during which we descended and ascended some 300 steps as we enjoyed the sight and sound of the fabulous waterfall. The beer at the Hafod Hotel at the walk’s end was extremely welcome indeed!

Next up was a trip on the steam train from Devil’s Bridge to Aberystwyth and back, a trip of three and a half hours including the ‘turn-a-round’ time. The outward journey was great as we were seated in an open carriage with the opportunity to get photos of the trip. However, unfortunately, we were sat behind an egotistical, self-important woman who managed to hog the limelight and get herself in almost all our photos as she lent way out of her seat and pointed at every passing tree, leaf, cow, sheep, hillside, or whatever happened to catch her attention! She also took photos of absolutely everything and I found myself feeling sorry for whoever she was going to inflict these poorly constructed and randomly focused images on!

The Steam Train

The return journey was also a tad disappointing as the open carriages were full by the time we boarded and we found ourselves in an enclosed carriage which was very warm and offered no opportunity to take any meaningful photos. However, despite our trials and tribulations, we really enjoyed our experience, and due to some sterling perseverance on my part, I did manage to get some good snaps! Tomorrow we hope to see some Red Kites being feed mid-afternoon before we move on to North Wales and our next adventure….