Another chapter closes...

We're closing another chapter in our travels and are leaving the UK for a while to resume the cruising life full-time. So, you won't be seeing any more medieval-era pictures for some time to come.  Dunster, Somerset is a fine place to end this chapter of our journey. It's a medieval village, located within the boundaries of Exmoor National Park. It has lots to recommend it for a day trip. In addition to Dunster Castle, it has a medieval dovecote, tithe barn and yarn market among other attractions. Unfortunately, our luck with the fine autumn weather ran out and it was a grey, murky day for our visit, not great for photos, but, we enjoyed the visit very much, in spite of the weather.

The village was built around Dunster Castle which was built shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066 (it's mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086). Of course, there have been many renovations over the centuries and today the Castle looks like this, mostly the result of Luttrell family occupation from the 14th to 20th century.

Due to the weather, visitors were sparse, just the way we like it and we did a quick tour of the village sites. The castle sits atop a 200 foot hill and it's a steep climb up. Today, it looks to be in fine shape and it is open to the public although we didn't go in. The daylight was short and we had a country walk in mind.We descended back down to the village and visited a welcoming tearoom for a hot cuppa and light lunch before heading out on our walk.

This was a short circular walk, only about five miles, but, it was straight uphill for about 700 feet (213 metres) for the first half to the top of the hill, which took a while and then straight down again. We went off behind the castle and skirted through a deer park around the lower slopes of Gallox Hill before heading up a steeper incline. We were heading ultimately for the ruins of an Iron Age hill fort at the top, known as Bat's Castle.

Once at the top, the views would have been spectacular, over the castle and village and across to the Bristol Channel and beyond. It was quite misty though and most of the view had to be imagined rather than experienced. At the top, it was a typical Exmoor landscape with low-lying gorse bushes spread across open heathland. The damp wind was up and blowing strongly, very atmospheric. The ruins of the hill fort's ramparts and ditches were clearly obvious. It was also prime country for wildlife viewing. Deer were there, but, camera-shy and we only got a glimpse.

More friendly were a group of wild Exmoor ponies. We sat with them for a while and enjoyed a flask of tea before heading back down.

Here's a mum with two photogenic foals.

The way down wasn't that obvious and at one point we took a wrong turn for about half an hour and had to climb back up again to resume the right path. Daylight was waning quickly and we got back to the village only just before dark and in time to catch our bus/train back to Bristol. Travelling back, in the dark, with rain lashing the windows of an overheated bus gave us time to reflect on this bittersweet ending to our time here. We've enjoyed it very much.

Now, another chapter in our travels is starting. As you're reading this, we've just arrived back in Perth, Western Australia and are back aboard Gjoa. Summer is just starting here and we're expecting temperatures in the 30's. We won't be doing much walking in that kind of heat! More to come...

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Bristol - Best for Last

We thought we'd walked just about everywhere in Bristol. Now that we're winding up our stay here, we found that, actually, we'd saved the best for last, the walk from Clifton to Westbury-on-Trym, about eight miles. Starting at the Clifton Observatory, we headed across Clifton Down with its spectacular cliff-top views of the Avon Gorge and Suspension Bridge. We could see all the way to Avonmouth, where the River Avon meets the Bristol Channel and where most of the modern-day port operations are located. Bridging two areas of the Down was this delightful woodland trail through ancient trees. The morning was crisp and bright, just right for enjoying a walk through the autumnal splendour.

We continued through a pleasant suburban neighbourhood and came across this charming little thatched cottage with what looked like a kangaroo? and a fox on the roof.

At Stoke Bishop, we entered St. Mary Magdalen's Churchyard. We took the easy route through the open gate, but, if it had been locked this ancient stone stile would have provided access.

This nautical gravestone caught our eye. A real anchor and schackle had been embedded in the monument. Curious as to whether we'd found the grave of a noted sailor we looked him up. A google search didn't unearth anything maritime of note for Sir Edward Payson Wills, First Baronet of Hazelwood and Clapton-in-Gordano.

Further along we entered Blaise Castle Estate, 400 acres of parkland which includes Blaise Castle House, a grade II-listed 18th century mansion house, Blaise Castle, a folly built in 1766 and Blaise Hamlet, all now owned by Bristol City Council. The walk through the forested parkland was easy and led us past numerous stone footbridges, crossing a healthy-looking brook and along to an old abandoned water mill. We came out onto a large, manicured lawn and the impressive Blaise Castle House. There is a museum inside, but, we didn't go in.

We left the estate through a turnstile and went a few hundred yards down a very busy road to reach Blaise Hamlet, an incredible oasis completely surrounded by modern Bristol. Once you entered through the gate, it felt like time had stopped at a point about two centuries ago. The tiny village green was surrounded by nine thatched cottages. Everything was very calm and green and there were no views of anything modern. The cottages are occupied by some lucky tenants who probably have to put up with some bad tourist behaviour, but, when the tourists aren't there what a place to live. On our visit, we were the only tourists and it was magical place.

It seemed to be the day for unusual housing finds. Travelling back through the estate parkland we came across a rather unique gamekeeper's hut in the woods. Vacant and mostly a ruin, it was fascinating nonetheless. It looked to have stone walls overlaid with vertically split logs.

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Offa's Dyke Path

On yet another glorious autumn day (how much longer can it last?!), we headed out to walk the southernmost ten miles of the Offa's Dyke Path, another of the fifteen National Trails in England and Wales. Starting out from Bristol, we took the bus to Chepstow, the southern terminus. Chepstow is also the start of the Wales Coast Path which incorporates another of the fifteen National Trails, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Chepstow, as detailed in the previous post, was a great destination in its own right, but, our day's walk beckoned and so we quickly headed out of town.

We hadn't given much thought to the rather unusual name of the path, but, it turns out that 'Offa' was actually a person, an Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from 757 to 796. The 'dyke' part of the name refers to an earthen bank and ditch that he ordered built. It was about 150 miles long, 20m wide and 2.5m high and was dug by hand and completed in the eighth century. Nobody really knows why it was built and from the portion we viewed it didn't seem like it would have been very effective to repel Welsh invaders, if that was the intent. The National Trail, 177 miles long, mostly follows the route of the dyke and the current English/Welsh border.

Along the way, views of the River Wye were spectacular...

...as was this view of the ruins of Tintern Abbey, from the Devil's Pulpit lookout.

The trail was varied: from shady forest paths...

...through to imposing country estates.

We were only out for a day's walk, so left the path at the village of Brockweir where we could catch a bus back to Chepstow. Unexpectedly coming across this 14th century monk's house was a great end to another great day out. Later, looking it up online for more historical information, imagine my surprise that you can rent this property as a holiday let! From the website, it looks like they've done a fabulous job on the interior. Have a look, The website states that it is a:

"...truly historic building, which once belonged to the monks of Tintern Abbey, and which is believed to be the oldest house in the Wye Valley, this beautiful property bears witness to the passage of many centuries. Originally a 12th-century monks’ hall with an ‘undercroft’ below for animals, and extended in the 14th-century, Monks Hall has recently been carefully renovated and furnished to provide a romantic, atmospheric place to stay."

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Chepstow, Wales

We were heading out for the day to walk the southernmost ten mile portion of the Offa's Dyke National Trail (more on that in the next post) and started with a bus from Bristol to Chepstow. As the bus wove its way over the Severn River Bridge we seemed to cross the England/Wales border multiple times and we realized we weren't sure which country Chepstow is in. Actually, it's in both. The main town is in Wales, on the western bank of the river Wye, while the adjoining villages on the eastern bank of the river are in England. The town turned out to be a delightful surprise, worthy of a visit in its own right, having been a medieval port with a walled town and the oldest surviving stone castle in Britain.

The dramatic castle ruin is perched on the limestone cliffs overlooking the River Wye.

Seen from the town side, the castle looks more intact.

The riverside area adjacent to the Castle had interesting sights as well. This elegant cast iron bridge was built in 1816.

Across the river we could see the Gloucester Hole, an enlarged natural hole in the limestone cliff opposite. Forming a natural warehouse, cargo used to be unloaded from ships anchored to the wall. It must have been a nightmare for ancient (and modern) boats trying to navigate this river. The tides are the fastest on earth and can rise 13 metres (43 ft.) in just four hours. The tides at Chepstow and the Severn Estuary are second in height only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada. The river 'reverses' and changes direction of flow four times a day.

The town itself was not to be outdone. The town gate and part of the wall is still intact.

The high street was busy with many small specialty shops. Civic pride was evident everywhere. Something we've not seen in any other town are the plaques set into the pavement giving the history of the use and occupancy of the shop it marked, so interesting and what a great idea....

Some of the art installations were also unique...

Many narrow, quaint streets were just waiting to be explored.

We didn't spend as long as we would have liked in Chepstow, our day's walk was beckoning, but, it was such an interesting place we may come back to have a better look!

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West Somerset Railway to Minehead

I don't know about you, but, I'm a sucker for anything steam-powered: boats, cars, farm machinery, but, especially trains. So, when we learned of the close-by West Somerset Railway, well, we just had to visit the longest (twenty miles) steam heritage railway in England. The train runs between the village of Bishops Lydeard and Minehead. There are eight additional stations along the route, all renovated to the period.

It's mostly a volunteer-run organization and you could tell it's a labour of love by the effort put into keeping the various locomotives polished and painted until they gleamed.

Coal-fired (you can just see the fire's glow in front of the engineer below) we chugged away from the station in a cloud of smoke. We sat in the car directly behind the locomotive to be sure we got the full physical effects of the steam powered motion and sound. It was 'interesting' to feel the train lean significantly when the track curved, no modern leveling devices on these trains.

Our journey was a return trip to and from the seaside town of Minehead. The two hour stopover in the town was an added bonus. It was a cold day with a biting wind, but, it's never too cold to have a fish and chip feed on the seafront, although we skipped the traditional whipped ice cream cone crowned with a Cadbury Flake. We had to leave room for the cream tea included as part of our ticket for the return journey.

After the fish and chips, we wandered around the town and were interested to note that it's the start of the South West Coast Path, 700 miles from Minehead to Poole, maybe someday...

Today, we only completed the first 1/4 mile!

The lifeboat station was a fantastic building, but, a very long way from the water.

We wondered how this pub got its name...

...and enjoyed the old houses with October gardens still in bloom.

Back on the train for the return trip, the afternoon cream tea was very generous and tasty, but, unfortunately not very elegantly presented, no white linens and china cups/saucers on this trip. Tea in a paper cup just doesn't taste the same does it? It was still lovely though and made us remember when we used to travel weekly on the Art Deco 'Brighton Belle' Pullman train back in 1971, London to Brighton in one hour. It was a bit rough around the edges then, just a year before it was retired (built 1932, retired 1972), but, what an experience it was for two teenagers! It seemed the height of luxury with white tablecloths, a little lamp on the table and impeccable food service all enjoyed along with the passing scenery. Apparently, there is a project underway to restore the Brighton Belle, not a steam train, but, all-electric and fabulous, let's hope it happens. It will be a train journey not to be missed.

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A day out in Malmesbury

We'd heard good things about Malmesbury, Wiltshire and as it was close by, we decided to go and have a look at this medieval market town. It was a very pleasant day out. Malmesbury Abbey is one of the highlights. Founded in 675 it has had a continuous history since then. Æthelstan, the first King of England, was buried here in 939 (he was disinterred in the 11th century and reburied nearby).
Although it's now mostly in ruins with only about half of the building still standing, there is an intact section of the nave which is still in use as a church. Unusually, it also has a small cafe in the nave as well and it was very nice to be able to sit and enjoy a cuppa along with the ambience.

There were 'newer' delights as well, like this charming hotel and restaurant which looked very inviting. Adjacent to the Abbey, it was built in 1220 as the Abbey guest house. It's now The Old Bell hotel and claims to be the oldest hotel in England.

We walked the circular walk by the river and encountered many other intriguing sights, like this old archway, probably 12th century, on the site of a medieval hospital, chapel and Almshouse complex.

The plaque, above and to the left of the arch, dates from 1694.

The old Silk Mills complex, built 1793, has been turned into modern flats without compromising the architecture.

It also seems the residents have a sense of humour. Along a public footpath, attached to a rather ordinary suburban house, we came across this art installation. Look closely at the figure perched on the lintel.

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