Overland Track, Tasmania

The highlight of our recent visit to Tasmania was to complete a bush walk, the Overland Track and we did it, sixty-five kilometres in six days!

We had to book the walk months in advance as they limit the walkers allowed onto the trail each day. When we booked we weren't even sure we would make it to Tassie in time as sailboat travel can be unpredictable, but, luckily we did and all the advance logistical planning paid off. It's not an easy place to get to. The walk is done one-way, in season and we had to start at Cradle Mountain and finish at Lake St. Clair. The track traverses an alpine area in the northwest area of the state. There were many buses to book, a ferry and hotels for the start and finish dates. Walk fees were also quite expensive, $200 each and another $30 each for park passes.

It was tough and the weather was wet and miserable. At least it wasn't snowing which it was the week before we walked it and it wasn't too hot, the week following us had temperatures into the 30's. Looking on the bright side, all the rain we had showed the rain forest to its best advantage and the waterfalls and creeks were in full flow. We carried all our food, clothing, supplies, tent, sleeping bags, cookstove and fuel in our backpacks. There are huts available on the track, but, you're not guaranteed a bed, so still have to carry a tent. Luckily, due to the strict access restrictions, we were able to get a bed in a hut for each night, a relief to be able to dry out in readiness for the next day. The huts sleep 20-35 people and are just basic dormitories. Each hiker is carrying 15-25 kgs each of gear, so, it does become bedlam when everyone is trying to pack up in the morning.

The first and third days were very hard, the other days were easier, but, not easy. The first day we had to get to the track from Launceston, then walk 10.7 km. It also had the most elevation and was almost vertical in places. Near the top there were chains to assist in your passage up and over the sharp rock. We were rewarded at the top with spectacular views of Cradle Mountain, Crater and Dove Lakes. The walk down to Waterfall Valley was almost as difficult as the up. On arrival at the hut, we were really wondering whether we'd taken on too much, but, we knew the worst was over, or, so we thought at the time.

Day 2 was only 7.8 km, Waterfall Valley to Lake Windermere. An introduction to the varied terrain on the walk. Many sections with wet and slippery tree roots, long sections walking through sharp rock falls and other rocky areas  that were like walking through a dry riverbed, lots of mud, many puddles and running water. This was interspersed with sections of man-made boardwalk over the marshy bits and often wooden steps. It definitely wasn't a 'walk in the park'.

Day 3 was very tough, the longest day's distance, 16.8 km with a very long, steady climb at the end. Once we arrived at the Pelion hut, we had a spectacular view across the buttongrass meadow to Mt. Oakleigh.

Day 4, just 9 km, but, a 300m climb over 4 km, to Pelion Gap. Here, we should have been able to see Mt. Ossa, Australia's highest peak, but, a dense, grey mist enshrouded the mountain tops and we only saw brief glimpses.

Day 5, 9.6 km, the coldest day and we were wet through at the end of day. Glad to arrive at Bert Nichols hut. As the days passed, you tended to end up with the same people in the huts each night. It became quite a convivial atmosphere and we met other tourists from the Netherlands, Italy and France. Many locals were also on the track. We met up with one friendly Australian group: Phil, Sophie, Mel and Abby. They really made our trip. On the second night out, when they learned it was our wedding anniversary (46!), they presented us with a camper's dehydrated apple pie to celebrate. I know this doesn't sound like much, but, it was delicious and very welcome. To give up food rations you've carried a long way was really something special. Maybe they also took pity on the two oldest people on the track that week.

Day 6, 9 km and mostly flat terrain. Our legs were tired, but, we had to make our ferry booking at the Narcissus hut which would take us to Cynthia Bay, the Lake St. Clair visitor centre and the end of the track. The morning was misty, beautiful and the sun came out, finally.

This is the end of the track, at Lake St. Clair, the deepest lake in Australia.

The last day was the only sunny one of the entire week. We were exhausted, but, elated, we can't believe we actually finished it. We were able to soak up some sun and bask in our accomplishment while waiting for the bus which would take us back to Hobart. We also managed a burger, chips and ice cream, who cares about fat and calories at a time like this!

We encountered some wildlife along the way, many cute wallabies.

We saw our first wombat.

Unfortunately, there were not many birds, but, we did see our first currawong. These birds are incredibly intelligent and can open zips on backpacks to find and remove snacks!

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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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Cardiff

In the past, we've visited quite a few areas of Wales: we've climbed Snowdon, sailed 'The Swellies' (got to love that name) in the Menai Strait, walked on spectacular beaches, visited enchanting Portmeirion and many other coastal villages. What we've seen so far has only whetted our appetite for more though. Wales is a fascinating country with plenty of history and natural beauty. Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, is only a one hour train journey from Bristol and we recently went for a visit, planning to walk the six mile circular footpath around Cardiff Bay.

Alighting at the main train station meant an additional walk of about one km, through some rather depressing housing estates, to the waterfront where things improved greatly. The waterfront area is still under development, but, the scale of the development is quite staggering. They've actually enclosed Cardiff Bay from the sea with a man-made Barrage and lock system. As a result, the Bay is now fresh water. You have to wonder about the environmental impact of this and there was significant controversy at the time (mostly about construction cost, not environmental impact), but, the Bay was probably always brackish anyway as two significant rivers, the Taff and Ely, drain into it. There is a fish ladder so the fish can still bypass the locks and get in and out. For humans, it has become a lovely place for sheltered sailing, walking and cycling.

First on the path was a mixed area of new bars, restaurants and entertainments alongside the old Pierhead Building, built in 1897.

...behind which was the new Wales Millenium Centre.

We then made our way along the barrage, with the sea on one side and the Bay on the other.

Along the way was a large display of picture boards noting that Cardiff was the departure point of Captain Scott's ill-fated expedition to be first to the South Pole which resulted in death for him and four of his crewmembers. His expedition ship left from this point on June 15, 1910.

At the end of the Barrage, past the locks, was part of the old harbour complex consisting of a rather nice Custom House, now converted into two restaurants and beside it, in an enviable location, a very beautiful  ruin, just waiting for someone to purchase it and hopefully make a go of it.

Heading back to town, we came across the Cardiff International White Water centre.

If you're not familiar with this type of complex, they consist of a man-made 'river' of white water to learn and practice moving water skills in a controlled environment. The level, force and path of the water can all be adjusted. We got there just at the right time to see groups coming down in all types of craft.

This open canoe came down backwards with a kayaker on guard.

Their second attempt was better.

This raft smashed into the barrier at the top, went vertical and then right over spilling the people into the water. When this picture was snapped, a couple of people were still underneath the raft, not a fun place to be.

This raft executed their transit perfectly which resulted in relaxed-looking big smiles all round!

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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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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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