A few days in Devon

Back in England, prior to heading to Spain, I took the chance to head down to the coast of Devon for a few days out of busy London.

Dawlish is a major coastal town. Dawlish Warren is the main beach, but at the western end of the town, there is a cove with a beautiful red sand beach..

Slapton is a cute little seaside on a long shingle beach. The road runs between the beach of a fresh water lake.

And the town that really caught my eye was Salcome. A lovely sailing and fishing hub.

I arrived back in London to catch thr summer blue supermoon rising over Perivale Park.

And find a latest Banksy…

That brings me up to date, dear friends and followers.

In a few days, it will be another ferry trip . This time to Spain and beyond.

The adventure continues!

Exploring Ireland – the Connamarra

On.my 2018 trip.along the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland’s West Coast. I didn’t see the Connamarra due to the persistent rain.

This time, I struck it lucky. The weather gods smiled on me.

The Connemara was an impenetrable part of Ireland, the soggy peat bogs, mountains, and wild coast meat it remained largely undisturbed. For many there, Gaelic is the first language, and traditional practices like cutting peat for fires still persist.

These days, beautiful beaches, deep fjords and beautiful beaches attract many visitors.

The little quays giving shelter for small fishing boats, many just open boats give the impression of older times.

As did the cut peat bogs and laughing donkeys.

The Connamarra National Park is a place favoured by walkers for its remnant forest.

The villages are quaint.

As was the little hostel I stayed in.

Exploring Wales – 4

The Welsh are proud Celts and there is much to be proud of.

Off the ferry I headed inland to find one of the oldest trees in the UK and amongst the oldest trees in the world.

I have become fascinated with Yew Trees. These amazing trees live thousands of years, and left alone may even be immortal.

In St Cynog’s church yard in Deffynnog are ancient Yew trees 3000+ years old.

I was in awe standing in the shelter of these ancient living organisms.

After enjoying the company of this old tree it was time to head into the highlands.

Beautiful winding roads through the highlands. And a stop at the Devils Bridge waterfall.

The misty drizzle had set in by the time I reached the Red Lion Hotel in Pontrhyfendigaid.

With fine weather forecast it was a chance camp near the coast at Aberystwyth.

Along the coast road, the view was breathtaking. Especially watching the Red Kites hunting over the fields.

And then to put the icing on the Welsh cake, I found the little village of Tresaith with its little beach and waterfall.

It’s not easy to find, the roads to the beach are steep and there is little parking but worth an effort.

There was even a bar where I could buy a cold Welsh Lager!

It was beautiful to visit Wales. Beautiful countryside and friendly people.

Back in the UK and Europe

Dear friends and followers,

It’s hard to believe I left Australia over a month ago, and have been travelling around the UK and Ireland.

I’m back in London staying with my sister, so it’s time to get my blog up to date.

Mmm, I think I may be becoming a lazy social media content creator (is that the right term) since creating an Instagram account. (@piecemealadventurer)

London does have its own beauty, as the view from the balcony at the Tate Modern shows

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate what a great art city London is. Melbourne, my hometown is no slouch, but the breadth of art in London makes one feel spoilt.

There is the public art around the streets:

In London, suburbs like Ealing there are wonderful galleries doing exhibitions such as Grayson Perry’s tapestries.

Or The Expressionists at Tate Modern:

And the work of the Barbadian, Taveres Strachan at the Heyward Gallery;

Above the arts precinct, there was the sign

And on a hot day every young person was at home with art.

The Winter Solstice, Celebrations by Port Phillip, and on bikes in the Yarra Ranges.

The Strawberry Full Moon hung high in the sky, overlooking the Solstice Celebrations.

The sky sure had a wintery feel, looking across Port Phillip to the City of Melbourne.

But in the old ship building shed us locals celebrated the coming of winter.

On the Sunday, my motorbike club, the Moto Guzzi Club of Victoria, conducted its winter breakfast in the Yarra Ranges.

I rolled the mighty Breva out of the shed in the morning twighlight on a cold, clear winter morning.

I was riding through the city as the sun rose and three hot air balloons drifted overhead.

The BBQ was already under way as I arrived at the Badgers Creek Weir picnic ground.

A small group of local residents are waiting for to share.

While the BBQ was attractive with the temperature of 2c, the pot of soup was where I headed.

The best thing was that for the motorbikes built on the shores of Lake Como in the Italian Alps, the temperature was perfect, and all the bikes ran perfectly.