London Paddington station during rush hour
The trip I did last year took quite a bit out of me as I took the car from the deepest and darkest :-) parts of Wales right down the M4 to central London. Now this wouldn’t be otherwise to bad but for the whole visit being very active and at the end of it was completely exhausted. Not to mention the cold I was nursing at the time.
These photos were taken on a hike to Pentre Ifan this last weekend.
Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire
Carn Ingli in Pembrokeshire as seen from Pentre Ifan
Fullers Falls - Sgwd y Pannwr
This hike is worth talking about as it takes you round some spectacular views in the Brecon Beacons.
When I did the hike round Cwm Gwesyn the guide books told us about waterfalls but you saw was actually very small - especially compared to the waterfalls seen on this hike between Ystradfellte and Pontneddfechan.
One of the highlights of the walk is the fact that you can walk under one of the waterfalls names Waterfall of the Snow.
Gospa Hamer, žena vrtnarja v majhni južno-valežanski vasici, naj bi ponoči sanjala o dečku, ki se je izgubil slab mesec poprej. Ko se je le opogumila in prepričala moža, da ji pomaga, se je 2. septembra leta 1900 skupaj z nekaj sorodniki odpravila na lastno iskalno akcijo. Ko je skupina z gospo Hamer na čelu prispela do grebena nad jezerom Cwm llwch, okoli pol kilometra zahodno od vrha gore Pen-y-fan, je gospa Hammer naenkrat zakričala od groze.
My original plan for this days hike was Y-Garn but that soon changed once I reached the peak and gazed upon the inviting summits of Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach. As if that was not enough and after all the struggle of descending off Glyder Fach I made a silly move and ascended up Tryfan. Now for those who haven’t been up this mountain I must tell you it more resembles a high stack of very big rocks that in many cases precariously lean on each other.
This is marked as the toughest walk in the Brecon Becons & South Wales book and it turned out to be living up to its name. The most difficult part was trying to not get lost on Bryn Rhudd at the same time as not loosing interest in the walk as well. The views on there are almost desert-like, nothing but dried grass and boggy moors. Even the sheep are sensible enough not to stray that far from the valleys.
The Sunday between Christmas and the New Year I spent hiking around Pembrokeshire and this time I went for walk no. 12 (Around Ynys Barry) taken from the book mentioned in some of my previous posts There is a local attraction called the Blue Lagoon that is just a few minutes away from the Aber Eiddy (also known as Abereiddy) car park where the walk originates from. The lagoon is actually an old man-made slate mining pit.
After all the worries about traveling from Haverfordwest to Stansted the 5 1/2 hour trip went fine. Blue skies in most of the Wales part, the first snow on the M4 spotted about 6 miles west of the exit for Slough .
The roads are gritted and the only delay was on the M4 exit for the M25 . It looked like a Smart car caught fire. It was being extinguished on the side of the motorway just as I was passing by.
A shark in the big tank in the London Aquarium
Not feeling very well in the morning of the last day, this cold has been getting the better of me and running around London does not help it getting any better. Drugging-up with anti-inflammatories not helped either.
The London Eye - close to the top
First port of call was the London eye I booked the previous day on-line. Looks amazing when standing underneath it and the views of London once you are right at the very top are stunning.
The Cabinet War Rooms
I started the day a bit more relaxing by taking a slow breakfast at the local Starbucks at London Bridge station opposite Guy’s Hospital. A friend told me I had to try the frappucino and their panninis. The guy at the counter asked me twice if I was sure about the frappucino? It is apparently and ice-cold drink and it was the middle of December plus I was bearing a very deep and cold-ridden voice so I wisely opted for a warmer beverage - in this case for a mocha.
