So I decided to go on a week long tour of the good bit of the south, namely, the southwest. First though, a stop off at Cardiff to see an old friend.
As Cardiff had been explored before, and I had the car, first on the list of places to go was a pilgrimage to Barry Island, the place where every Welshman should be scarred with. Not quite sure why it is called an Island, as it was inside a cove, but those southern welshies are fairly off most of the time, like those Taven Ferry folk. Apart from children, dodgy amusements, fish and chip shops, and a dirty beach, there really wasn’t much there. Some nice photo opportunities though, soon to be on my public Picasa profile. After a scramble up the headland, we decided to go and find a real beach!
The first one we hit … had a power station firmly attached to it. Nice. So biting the bullet we continued westward, edging towards Bridgend. Luckily, before we hit that town a sign for Southerndown Beach. This was a brilliant little surfer beach and had some excellent photo spots from atop the cliffs and within the ruined castle on the opposite hilltop. (Photos https://picasaweb.google.com/Carlc75/Cardiff)
Finally, we head back to Cardiff for food, narrowly missing the general 10pm restaurant deadline by a mere 45min, we opted for Dominos pizza. Dropping the car off in a 24hour place, I then endured the scariest walk of my life to the flat. Cardiff is scary compared to little old Lancaster, deserted hilltops, dense woodland, etc.
After that, I left for Cornwall! First stop was Newquay and a cliff walk from Watergate Bay to Porth, which was stunning! If you want to learn to surf, this seems like the place. Next day I moved towards a small village called Treen, near Penzance, via most of the southern coast. Amazing little village called Mousehole, where on the beach people had stacked rather flimsy towers of beach rocks, ready to be washed by the tide. It was like an art installation, but seemed so natural. (Photos https://picasaweb.google.com/Carlc75/Mousehole)
Treen has a history about it, near its headland is what is called the Logain Stone, which you can rock with your hands due to fine balance! Or you used to be able to, until some chap from the navy in the 1800s decided he wanted to prove the navy could topple it. After much complain by the local tourism industry, he paid to have it put back, but it has never rocked as easily since, which is something I can attest to after daring the rather leery scramble to the rock. (Photos https://picasaweb.google.com/Carlc75/LogainsRock)
Next day found me at Lands End, doing the usual touristy stuff, but I did get some dirty looks off passers by as I did some undaring bouldering to get a good photo. Then to St. Ives to wonder the streets. (Photos https://picasaweb.google.com/Carlc75/LandsEnd)
Today back to Newquay, and a day at the Eden Project (Photos https://picasaweb.google.com/Carlc75/EdenProject). Brilliant place, if a little inundated with small children, but then, it is for them. Big kids have to fit in I suppose! After chilling out in Watergate Bay again, Im in the pub writing this (Cornish Ale has nothing compared to Lancastrian). Tomorrow, I go bouldering at Carn Brea. Woo. Then back into the Shire.