One aspect of Cornwall we really wanted to see more of during this trip were the engine houses which once fuelled a mining revolution. Prior to their introduction, or more accurately the steam engines housed within, the depth at which mineral extraction could take place was limited by fairly primitive Read more…
On our way back from the Lizard Emma demanded we stop in at the Chocolate factory near Mullion and who was I to say no. My only condition was that afterwards we headed further down the road for our first ever visit to Mullion Cove itself. The name was a Read more…
Nestled amongst the trees of Castle Woods sit the substantial and imposing remains of Dinefwr Castle itself. Though there has been a defensive structure on this site since the days of Rhodri the Great (820 – 878) the present stone buildings date from around the first half of the thirteenth Read more…
Last weekend we popped backed to the Midlands to visit my parents and collect those all important Christmas presents, payment for which was taken in full by having to endure hours upon hours of reality television. Thankfully the full impact of such an assault was lessened somewhat having spent Saturday Read more…
As promised I’ve put together this follow up entry for those who enjoyed our visit to Penwyllt quarry a couple of weeks ago and wanted to see a little more of what remains today. The site is, not unsurprisingly, rather large and we only managed a brief look around some Read more…
Time, or lack of it, has always been the chief protagonist in every bloggers failed attempt at regular posting and alas I too have fallen victim over the past couple of weeks. Posts have remained unwritten, photos unprocessed and comments unanswered but hopefully that will change given that, somehow, we Read more…
September 1st, 2014 marked the centenary of one of the best-documented extinctions in history – the demise of the Passenger Pigeon. From being the commonest bird on the planet 50 years earlier, the species became extinct on that fateful day, with the death in Cincinnati Zoo of Martha – the Read more…
Written on 01/10/2014, Isle of Mull Walk number seven in the essential ‘Walking in South Mull and Iona’ booklet grabbed my interest from the very start. Anything whose description includes the words untamed, hard going, fossil tree and steel ladder was almost purpose built to awaken my inner-child and today Read more…
Written on 28/09/2014, Isle of Mull Having recently purchased for myself an army surplus camouflage jacket there were really only two ways that things could have gone down. Either I’d end up sitting in hides talking loudly about past sightings but lamenting the lack of birds currently on view, or Read more…
Drive into Llangollen from the English border and it’s hard to miss the imposing ruins of Castell Dinas Bran. Sitting atop an outcrop of rock high above the Dee valley it’s widely regarded as one of the most spectacular sites in Britain and is a place that has always fascinated Read more…