Cardiff and Beyond

I have been chilling out for the past week, enjoying a slower pace of Cardiff and Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve's lovely home in Tenby. I am also writing this with a cat in my lap who is licking my cardigan and purring like mad. Apparently after 4 days of being stared and glared at by said cat, I am IN! Woohoo!
Now, I drove down to Cardiff on Saturday, after stopping in at Hay on Wye and Tretower Court and Castle. I found the castle by fluke. I was driving along, looking for somewhere to stop for lunch when I saw the sign. So I pulled off, parked up and went for a walk around the grounds and buildings. It was apparently where The Libertine with Johnny Depp was filmed. It was a lovely little find. I ate my lunch in the gardens, did a bit of sketching then continued on my way down.
I found my way into the city with little fuss. I did have a minor problem with figuring out the speed limit but otherwise, all went well. I checked in to the hostel and headed out for a walk. First stop was the castle. I

was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to see everything in the castle but the security guards were really friendly and signed my ticket to say I could come back on Sunday without having to pay for another ticket.
The castle is great. When I turned up it was Victorian Day so all the people working at the castle were dressed up in Victorian clothes and plays were being preformed about the Green Man, Summer and Winter.
The castle closed at 6pm so I headed back to the hostel and met up with the other girls who were staying in the dorm. It was a couple of Canadians and an American. The Canadians were very relaxed but the American, while I am sure she was a lovely person, really grated on my nerves. You know when you meet someone and they instantly get your back up. That was it. We all headed down to the pub which is in the hostel and grabbed a drink and a bit to eat. It was nice to meet some more travellers because I have been feeling pretty bummed out about travelling on my own. I am quite sick of it. I want to have someone to share things with.

The next day, my room mates were all heading off which meant I had the room to myself. I didn't know this before I arrived but Cardiff is the home of Dr Who. There is a Dr Who museum with a whole bunch of props and costumes from past and present Dr Who's. It was very cool. I had a lot of fun with the interactive section that you start off with. You move from room to room and a story is developed where you have to help the Doctor escape from a prison. Afterwards you move on to the museum section. I must have spent two hours moving around, reading all the plaques.
The museum is down at Cardiff Bay. It reminded me a lot of Auckland Viaduct with the restaurants and overpriced food.I got myself a bit lost trying to get there but this lovely Welsh lady saw me staring around then back to the map and asked me if I needed help. She was heading in that direction so we walked together. She was incredibly friendly and more than happy to show me the way.
On the Monday I was completely over travel and needed a break from tourist stuff, so I grabbed some lunch, sat in the park and read a book. That night I went and watched the Celtic Dragons play Surrey. It was a great game and it was special to get to see Jenna. I cannot explain how lovely it was to finally see a familiar face. The game was intense and the Surrey defense players were getting pretty irate by the end because they really had little chance against Timmy (a 6'4 GS).

The next morning I headed down to Tenby to see Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve. I arrived a few hours early, so headed down to South Beach at Tenby and read a book. It was a beautiful greeting I received, made even more lovely when Mark stepped out of the car as well. They have really looked after me and it was a great chance to relax. I wasn't having to rush off to do something, it was the perfect time to plan my next steps and get to know my Welsh family connections.
I did have a day out at St Davids (yes, without the apostrophe), the smallest city in the UK, I believe. It is only a city because it has a cathedral but other than that, there is only one main street with a few shops and little else. However, there is a fantastic set of ruins beside the cathedral called the Bishop's Palace. I spent around 4 hours in the city before heading back to Lydstep in Tenby.
Today, Aunty Linda, David (my cousin) and I went out to Tenby for a bit of lunch and a brief walk around town. It is such a stunning seaside town and the views from the cliff tops are impressive.
I have really enjoyed my time here. It is amazing how much Aunty Linda and I have in common from taste in movies and books to our love of scarves. 
Tomorrow I am heading off to Ireland and I love that both Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve have told me at different times that if anything goes wrong they will be there, coming to my rescue. Can't ask for more than that. Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve have also kindly said I can leave my car at their house while I am over there. Perfect!

Just call me Indiana Deb

I am in Cardiff. The sun is shining, the weather is warm... I might even have gotten a little bit of sunburn today – or it might just be wishful thinking – who knows! I have been keeping myself busy for the last few days doing this and that. But the thing that I am most proud of is my spur of the moment decision to go Cave climbing and abseiling in an old slate mine. I was up in Pen Y Pass when I made this decision. I had rolled on up... hmmm... possibly an exaggeration there. Pen Y Pass hostel is quite literally on the side of Snowdon Mountain, so it would be fair to say I drove tentatively and with the desperate hope that my car wouldn’t decide now would be the moment to conk out – no rolling. Anyway, I got to the hostel and was absolutely stunned that nothing else was there except for the hostel, a small cafe the hikers use and the car park. That was it. No reception for phones, no internet. It was an interesting start. When I first pulled in I was told that check in was 5pm so, I jumped back in the car as it was only 1.30pm and headed down the hill to the Snowdon town. Parking is very expensive, I think, but I suppose hikers who are out all day wouldn’t mind so much but I was only there for a few hours and it set me back 6 pounds. So, I parked up and headed over to the train to see when the next one was leaving. These trains are old-school, Victorian designs, used to haul people up to the summit of Snowdon Mountain. It is convenient for me as I didn’t have 7 hours handy to climb up and down the mountain. I have seen enough news events back home to know that a) one does not set off to climb a mountain in the afternoon when it takes 7 hours (if you are super fit), 2) one does not set off to climb the mountain without adequate resources, maps etc and 3) one does not set off to climb a mountain without telling someone. I refused to be that stupid tourist that we always see back home that went up and got stuck on the hill and mountain rescue had to go and get. So instead I paid my ridiculously high fee of 27 pounds.

The train boarded at 2pm and the ride takes an hour up. It clunked and creaked, carting around 80 of us slowly up the mountainside. The views were spectacular, as you can imagine. Gorges rose up before us but as we continued to climb they were slowly drawn down below us and we could see into them. Again, I met some rather dower older people complaining. It seems to be a bit of a theme while I am travelling at the moment. The older generation seems to be really discontented with everyone who is not them basically and nothing is good enough and not like the old days... blah blah blah.... ugh! In the words of the angry, barely able to understand, teenagers here ‘It’s doing my head in!’ Eventually we reached the top and it was bitterly cold. I stepped off the train and into the biting wind. I looked at some of the people and really had to wonder what was going through their heads when they made the call to go up the mountain because, here I was in proper mountain jacket and water and wind proof pants and there they were, with light cardigans or wraps – oh and my favourite, babies! Who does that! Who brings their baby up a mountain wearing summer gear and a jumper. It made me mad to see that. Common sense is apparently lacking with some people. I walked up the last few feet to the very summit of Mt Snowdon and stood in awe of the sight laid out before me. I could see out to sea, almost to Ireland, I could see across the skies to England too. I was told later that I was very, very lucky because a lot of people who climb Snowdon end up not seeing a thing as the mist rolls in. I think because it was so damned windy, the clouds were blown clear.

As you can see in the picture, I was a little shocked by the cold. I deemed it necessary to go ninja, with only my eyes peaking out because I could barely breath through the freezing winds. Satisfied that I had seen the top of the mountain, I had taken obligatory photos, and was suitably cold, it was time to head back to the hostel where a hot meal was ordered, a wine was nursed, and a warm room waited. The next morning, having see the advertisement for this underground caving, I gave a call, booked a place and headed out to the meeting point. As you know, or maybe not, I have never, ever done anything like this before. I mean, sure I have abseiled and rock climbed – who hasn’t at their school camps – but I had never said to myself, ‘You know what would be fun, to go deep under the earth and abseil into pitch darkness or climb the walls of a mine over a vast, freezing lake with only a little head light’. But it appealed to me right then and so I did it. I kitted up. I looked very sexy in my wet weather pants, gumboots, jacket and hardhat – fashion statement I was not. There were only three of us going, so we jumped in the back of the truck and headed off to the start point.

First issue was the truck ride itself. It was in the back of flatbed truck with canvas roof and seats along the sides like the old army vehicles. I was quite keen to jump in because it always looked like fun. Turns out it is also really, really bumpy. I had to keep my eyes up and out the front window because it made me feel quite sick but the two others with me were really chatty so I had to keep looking at them. It was a bit hit and miss for a while there. We jumped out at the base of an old slate mine. It was abandoned in the 60s but had been in operation for around 100-150 years. It was very remote with only a small strip of houses remaining of what would have been a lot more in its heyday. We hiked up hill for around 25 minutes and then the real adventure began. Lights were switched on the helmets. Then we had to go was crawl on hands and knees along the rocky and trickling river, and through a small gate in an otherwise locked up mine entrance. I was the first one through, proud to say. Then we were off. The guide hoofed off into the distance and said to us: take your time, watch your feet. It was such a thrilling start, ankle deep in running water, the old following the old rail tracks, leaving the light behind and becoming solely reliant on the small LED on the helmet to guide the way. It was humbling to think about the miners having to do that day in and out. The tracks led on for around 80 feet (so the guide said) but when you can’t see the end, can’t see more than a few steps ahead, it seems endless.

At the end of the tracks was a boat over a very deep, flooded, drainage hole that had been created to divert the river. It was incredibly deep and cold. We jumped in and began to paddle across the cavern to the other side. Next we headed deeper into the mine and it was time to do some climbing practice in the play area. My first real challenge and I won’t lie. I was more than a little nervous. I could feel the adrenalin pumping and the mind saying NOOOOOO! But another part saying, if you can do this, you can do it all. It seems to be a mantra for me this trip. I don’t want to regret not doing things. I don’t want to come out at the end of the year and say, ‘I really wish I had done that’. So a deep breath, letting the other two go first, I slowly made my way out. I had a brief moment of what I like to refer to as Dad genes which is when you see someone else do it and you have to try and beat them. It was a stupid moment to have a ‘Dad genes’ moment and it quickly came to an end when I was stuck, clinging to the side of the rock face above a freezing lake, saying in a tiny little voice ‘Help.’ John and Lucy, who had just done it, coached me on where to stick my food around the corner. Yes, AROUND the corner. I couldn’t see around the corner, hence my problem and death grip on the rope and rocks. Once safely back on flat ground I had a completely vapid moment where I thought, I kid you not, I hope I didn’t break a nail. This was swiftly followed up with a mental kick to myself. I had just, in my head, climbed Mt Everest and I was worried about my fingers. But I was so pumped full of adrenalin and shaking I think it was a defence mechanism to focus on the mundane.
I really thought, that was it, that I had finished the climbing for now but then we had to do it in reverse. When the guide first said that, I thought, ‘Or not’ but then again, ‘No regrets’, and so I did it, twice more. We also had a go at postman walking which is where you have two ropes, one at your feet over the lake and the other at shoulder height and you shuffle across. We also had a few goes at zip lines. First time I zip lined, I got 2/3 of the way and stopped so had to pull myself the rest of the way up. Next time I got 3/4 of the way. I was so close, my feet were practically there, so with a little pull, I did it. Woohoo! It was then time to head into the mines proper.

Over the next two hours, I climbed three stories up and across to the cave’s roof and then abseiled down into the pitch black, all the way down into the heart of the mine. Next we climbed up a hill of slate, crawling through a hole at the top and walked up fast flowing underground river. Keep in mind this is all down in near darkness. We had a break in a section of the mines where we could go off and explore without fear of being lost. Next we climbed up a mini waterfall. The guide made us turn our backs so we couldn’t see how he did it, then we had a go. It was my turn to go first again and when you got to the top I had a crawl through another hole. The last thing we did was to climb a ladder made of rungs that were stuck in the cave walls. High above was light and sky. We were climbing up an air vent. I had a few small issues on that last part because my legs wouldn’t quite reach some of the rungs and I really had to stretch (ie grab my foot and force it higher than it would go naturally) but I got there. Throughout the whole experience we had what is called a cow-tail harness and I think that helped a lot. A cow tail is where your harness has two carabineers and ropes so every time you move forward you take one off and connect it to the next section before taking off the second one, so that you are always attached to something. Finally we reached day light and I was stunned at how far up we were, practically at the top of the hill. We made our way back down which took around 30 minutes at a dawdle. We were knackered and stopped to take photos of the abandoned buildings that use to be the miners houses etc. All up we were out adventuring for 5 hours – 4 of which were under the ground. Still can’t believe I did it. I was so tired but exhilarated. I headed back to my car, stripped off the wet gear, got some dry socks on then headed down to the next hostel at Kings YHA. I grabbed a meal and then I slept like a log. Absolutely and utterly knackered.

Everything after that pales really. I spent the next morning at Powis Castle and gardens which were beautiful. It was a good chance for me to stretch my muscles because to be fair, my body and mind learnt that morning that it had muscle that had previously been dormant – it was not a happy body but it was a good ache that says you did something good before driving on to Brecon YHA. I was in no hurry and neither was my body. Oh, but I did encounter another grumpy old mare. This one was a real shocker. She went to sleep at around 9.30pm, so I sat in the dark with my lap top on, before eventually calling it quits. Just after midnight another girl arrived and the old mare went nuts. She told the poor girl that she shouldn’t be arriving at this time of night and that she should have gone somewhere else. I told the girl that it was fine, and she could turn the light on then I shut my eyes and tried to sleep. The girl left the room to change and switched the light off and the old mare started grumping at me about how rude it was, and she had paid for her bed. Yeah, and so had I and so had the other girl. Grrrr. This was going through my head as I lay quietly pretending to sleep, when what do I see but a flashing before my shut eyes. Bloody grump had a flashlight and was shining it at me repeatedly to see if I was awake. Nope, sorry, pretending to sleep over here. Next morning, after the young girl had left she continued her grumping and I said to her that she shouldn’t be complaining. It was a Friday night and if she wanted a quiet night’s sleep then staying in dorm room was not for her. It really pisses me off.

That morning I headed into Hay on Wye and spent a few hours being ridiculously geeky, so excited t

o be in a postage stamp sized town with 26 bookshops! Be proud of me. I only bought one book. One! That is a massive accomplishment! From there I headed down to Cardiff and this is where I have been for the past few days. I have been to Cardiff castle and around the central city. Today, the sun shone and it was so hot that I walked around all day in a singlet. I might, might, even have gotten a bit burnt. I thought that was quite exciting! Sun burn! Who would have thought!!! I am off to watch Jenna play in the semi-finals for Wales tomorrow. I can’t wait to see her. It will be so nice to see a familiar face.

Making time...

I have arrived into Wales! Right now, I am chilling in the lounge of the youth hostel and it is niiiiiiice. I am listening and talking every now and then to this older woman who epitomises that stereotype of sneering old lady who remembers the good old days when children were caned and disciplined... She even told one child in the room who, admittedly was being rude, that children should be seen and not heard! Wow! Okay...

Anyway, enough of that. I have just had two lovely days with Jill and Andrew and the kids. They were so accomodating and took me out to a fantastic national trust house and an old industrial era cotton mill. I learnt quite a bit and really want my own loom and wheel. It looks like great fun! And finially, my deep seated curiousity over how to loom has been laid to rest. That is actually a huge relief. It has bugged me for ages! Not to mention the fqct that I got to witness Andrew maiming a mannequin at the mill. Brilliant!
I also got to see Lymm sans snow. It is like a mini cockermouth really. It's a sweet place and I can understand why Jill and Andrew live there.
Today, I have been quite busy moving about. First stop when I left Lymm was to Chester which is

mini-york woth its walled city and white and black houses. I had a look into Chester Cathederal. It is no YorkMinster but it is quite lovely - more raw, less grand. It looks like a medieval church and the gardens were green and peaceful. From there I headed down to the river Dee to hunt out the castle which I found but had no interest looking inside. It was such a beautiful sunny morning that I perched myself on a bench and had the soup that Jill kindly gave me. From there I found the Roman amphitheatre and began to trek back to the car via the main shopping street. There were lots of boutique shops that will require further investigation on the way back through, not to mention going to Chester Zoo.
I left Chester at around 1.30pm and headed down to Conwy in Wales. I was surprised at how close Chester is to the Welsh border and there is nothing huge to signify the cross over, just a simple understated sign welcoming me to Wales.
The countryside is lovely and green with huge hills and valleys.
My first look into Conwy was of a massive castle... And I do mean MASSIVE. It is another walled

Caenafron

city though perhaps town is more accurate regarding size. It is very impressive, looming over the water and me, as I drove across the bridge.
The hostel is on steep hill but that is not too much of an issue with the car. I am really glad that I didn't have to lug my backpack up it. It was bad enough with a bag of groceries.
Day two saw me heading out to Caernafron (not sure how to say or spell it in Welsh). It took no time at all to get there and once parked outside the castle I spent the next three hours within its' walls. The castle is impressive in stature and itis clear to see why people flock to it. You just stand there and look up and up and up. It has been lovingly looked after in modern times but it has a long and bloody historyof which I would love to be able to saymore but it was surprisingly lacking in information stands. I think that is a real shame. I know there was something to do with Edward I and Henry VII and VIII but not much more. Mostly I spent my time wandering from tower to tower, up and down narrow winding stairwells that had been walked over so much in the last 700 yeard that there were permanent grooves and dips in the stone. After a few hours, one packed lunch and some serious butt exercise, I had had enough.
I went back into Conwy with little intention of looking inside Conwy castle. I really couldn't do another

castle today. Instead, I walked a bit of the walls, took some photos of the castle from outside then walked down to the bridge for a gander at the suspension bridge built in the 1800s. I love the huge cables that sweep down and up to hold the bridge. It is certainly an inspring piece of architecture.
By then, I was tired and all I wanted to do was rest. I did the steep climb up to the hostel and here I have stayed. Plans for tomorrow include driving to Snowdon and climbing/training up the mountain. Should be fun!

The madness of Ace Hostel... oh, and York

Oh my god! What have I gotten myself into?!!! The Ace hostel, a hotel/hostel with stunning interior, comfortable beds, clean sheets, ‘free’ wifi (that doesn’t work) and it is built right beside a bar that parties till 3am with a deep base speaker system that quite literally shakes the windows and walls of the rooms.

My first day in York was great. I drove down from Consett. It only took 2 hours thanks to the beauty of the M1 south. I jumped on and I was away. I am glad, however, that I have had practice driving around first or I imagine it would have been a hell of a lot more daunting. Anyway, I arrived into York at noon, parked the car behind the train station and headed off into the walled city.

There is something very special about York. It reminds me quite strongly of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley (especially the Shambles), and the place feels like the history that it is so proud of.  The buildings are not particulary tall and most of them do not even follow a straight line, so really, what is not to love about the place.

 My first stop was to figure out where the hostel was, and once that had been accomplished, it was time to investigate. I started walking and quickly found myself smiling, staring at the wonky buildings (you know the ones where the second floor is actually bowed in the middle and sort of hangs out slightly over the pavement below), before stumbling across York Minster. Now, I went to York when I was 15 but I do not remember York Minster. It is awe-inspiring. It reaches up to the skies, grand and powerful, demanding everyone to pay attention to it. It was a shame that it cost 9 pounds to go inside, but I parted with the cash and was glad I did. It is valid for 1 year. Woohoo! Looks like I will have to pop down to York again.

I stepped inside, and as I say everytime I enter one of these grand old buildings, I looked up, and up, and up and up and up. It is... without words. I joined a tour guide who took us around, explaining the churches history and some of the glass windows. It says something when the only take the windows down once every 100 years or so for a good cleaning. The guide said that the central tower weighs the same as 5 jumbojets, and was so heavy that they had to reinforce the foundations. Still, it’s pretty impressive that it had only in the last 30 years begun to move slightly and it has been standing since the 13^th century. 

I was a bit bummed out when they told me that under the floors is the original Roman foundations of the Roman palace. They were only discovered when they pulled up the floors around 30 years ago. Obviously they have been recovered. Sigh. I would have loved to see them. The only thing that is see-able is a Roman column outside and a statue of the Roman emperor Constantine. Anyway, enough lamenting. I spent a few hours in the Minster before heading back to the car to collect my bags and check into the hostel. By that time, what had been a beautiful day, turned and it started raining. This didn’t really deter me because if it did, then I would spend most of my time indoors. I won’t melt. I have a waterproof jacket so into the rain I went!

 My next destination was the museum gardens. In retrospect, it might not have been the smartest move because in the process of taking photos of the ruins a stray drop got in the lense of the camera. I panicked and tried to blow it off and managed to create a layer of condensation inside the lense. Stupid, I know. I put the camera away then and made my way back to the hostel again to dry out the lense.

The weather cleared up again, so me and another girl who was staying in the hostel decided to go on the ghost tour. It was great fun. The guide was a proper story teller who did all the voices and actions. He told some gruesome tales. Apparently York is the most haunted city in the world. One story was of when York Minster was being built. The head stone mason at the time had a dog called Jacob. The younger stone masons didn’t like the head mason so the kidnapped his dog and walled it up alive in one of the columns. The head mason was distraught that his dog was missing and offered a reward for the return of his dog but it was too late. The story goes that inside York Minster near the west entrance you can hear a dog barking softly every now and then as it waits for its master to come back. How horrible is that! Another story was about how during the plague, a woman and her child were locked inside the house when the mother got sick. The mother died but the little girl survived but was locked in the house. No one would go near the house of a plague victim so she starved to death. People have apparently seen her sitting on the edge of the bed in one of the rooms of the house, bent over crying, and at other times, looking out the window as she would have done at the time, begging, hoping that someone would help her. So sad.

The tour finished at around 9pm and we headed back. I did a bit of sketching, a bit of reading and fell asleep.... only to wake to boom boom boom boom – over and over. It was loud and constant until 3am or so.

Day two in York: I was up at 7am, showered, dressed, fed and out the door by 8.30am. Nothing was open, but it gave me a chance to go back to the museum gardens and get a few more shots of the ruins of St Mary’s abbey and the hospitum. I walked around the shambles then went back in the York Minster for round two. I saw all of those things that I missed the day before, including the Orb. The Orb is a big bubble dome in the back of the minster. At the moment they are cleaning one of the main windows and as they clean parts of it, they place certain frames at ground level for people to see up close. 

The detail in the glass is amazing. It is hard to imagine how they do it, not to mention that they were created hundreds of years ago. They were very talented artists and I feel very lucky to have been able to see some of the panes up close, because like I said, they only take them down every 100 years or so.

I made a brief trip back to the car to a) check it was still there and b)put more money in the meter, then it was back into the heart of the old city to Jorvik.

I have been looking forward to Jorvik for a while now. I love anything to do with Vikings. It is just like I remembered, only now, there is more technology and interaction with the information. Had to crack up over the fossilised poo.  Some poor Viking has been immortalised through his or her bowl movement. It is not the way I want to be remembered 1000 years from now – immortal poo! Hahahaha. Although the price of entry was pricey at 10 pounds, it is another one that is for a years entrance. It is a bit of money making exercise, charging a year’s membership for people who are only there for a day. It’s a bit cheeky.

By the time I had seen all I could in Jorvik, I found a carvary for a hot roast sandwich and a seat. I had been walking around and standing for about 5 hours and my feet were killing me. A brief rest and then I sojourned back towards York Minster. On the way I finally found the entrance to the Holy Trinity Church – a medieval church tucked away down a narrow corridor.

I went inside, stunned at the simplicity of it and asked if I could take some photos so that I could sketch it up later. They were more than happy for me to take photos and one of the guides went one step further. You know in the middle of the churches the podium that the priest stands on and looks down from (not sure what it is called) – he let me climb up into it and take some photos from up high. I felt really privileged. Everyone else in the church was looking up at me and I could only smile.  The entire length of the floors are covered with seating with high sides. Apparently the booths had high sides to help stop some of the draft as they sat in the church listening to the sermons. The booths are the same ones that were there in the 1400s. I couldn’t/still can’t get my head around that. And it was right there for people to touch. And there I was standing up on the lecturn(?).

Outside of the church was something that mum would have jumped at the chance to do. They had brought in a bunch of birds of prey. They had a range of owls and hawks. For 3 pounds you could hold one. I wasn’t fussed about holding one, but they were so beautiful that I got some great photos. You could get really close to them. There were a few baby owls. The youngest were 4 weeks and then 6 weeks. They were sooooo cuuuuuute! I wanted one.

Back at York Minster I sat inside and did a bit of sketching before I felt over the day. It was time to call it a day.

So here, I am, writing my blog, trying to figure out how to load it on to the internet... hmmmm...

Making the most of the weekends...

I am feeling like crap right now. I have succumbed to a cold that is threatening my ability to go out. However, not to be undone by a bug, I have already been out today any way and now, I am exhausted. So, here I sit, on the couch in my PJs at 6.15pm on Saturday night, with absolutely no intention of going out, or for that matter, standing up. I thought that this might be a good time to update what has been happening in the last few weeks.

Obviously, I am still alive – go me! This might not sound like much of an accomplishment but if you had seen the kids that I have been teaching for the last few weeks, you would be. I have one more day and then I am free of that place – never to return.

But enough of that! No point dwelling on the evils of Stockton. Let’s talk about Roman forts and abbeys.

While I was waiting for a phone call for work, this is pre-Stockton, me and Grandad had a day out at Tynemouth Priory. It was great fun. The priory is a surprisingly soothing place. It had a sort of ‘library’ feel – you know the one where you don’t want to talk to loudly. It was my first time driving through Newcastle and that was a horrifying experience, but being in the priory was a nice way to finish the drive. I will have to go back to the seaside when it is a bit warmer. I would like to have a paddle in the North Sea too. That will be fun/freezing.

Me and Hayley have been making some trips out too on the weekends. It has been great for keeping busy and getting to know the countryside a lot better.

The first place we went to was to Highforce in Teesdale. We headed out across the Pennines. It was a sunny day and despite the slowly warming weather, there was still snow on the tops of the hills. The roads were winding but the views from the top was fantastic. When we arrived at the carpark, we were quick to jump out, grab our ticket and head down to the waterfall. It is very impressive, as you can see. We walked back towards a bridge crossing then made our way up along the cliff top, following the waterfall and river for a bit before heading back.

Last weekend Hayley and I headed out for a good weekend away. I met her in Newcastle on Friday night where we went out. We went to Shearers Bar which is on the outside of St James’ Park. We were going to listen to Andrew (Hayeley’s brother) play the drums for the bands he was in. The music was great and afterwards we headed out to the city centre where we danced the night out. The nightlife is great fun and absolutely buzzing. At the end of the night I got chatted up by a guy at the burger bar with the worst pick-up lines EVER. The guy strolled up and said to me, “So, you like sausage” while I was deciding whether to order a sausage in a bun or burger. I cracked up at that and told him he needed to try harder than that with his pick-ups. So he followed it up with, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I suck at poetry – nice tits.” Oh yeah, he was a winner.

The next morning, we headed out to Hexham Priory a little bit worse for wear. First stop was for breakfast – bacon and sausage butties and coffee. There was also a food festival on and Morris dancing. I dragged Hayley along to watch the Morris dancers despite her vehement protests. They just all look so happy shaking their bells and waving the handkerchiefs. How can you not like them?

After forcing Hayley to watch a good ten minutes I took pity on her, and we headed into the abbey. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the ceilings. I have a thing about walking into churches and abbeys. I think one of the things people forget to do is to look up. It is one of my favourite things. I love looking up and seeing all the hand-made scratches in each stone, each bloke having been hand crafted, shaped and placed. I love the wooden ceilings and arches. Hexham Abbey is no different. It is a grand building. The columns rise up and the arches sprawl out from them.
I loved it so much that we went back today to investigate the crypt underneath the oldest part of the church. The church itself recently celebrated its 1300^th birthday. How crazy is that! The crypt is the oldest part. It survived various raids by Scots and Vikings. What I liked most about it, was that when it was built it was using stones from Chester’s fort along Hadrians wall, so amongst the plain stone are stones with patterns etched in to them that were part of the Roman’s legacy. I am always a little bit hesitant about crypts and catacombs and the like because sometimes I feel a sort of creeping darkness in them, this sort of threatening suffocation, but this one was peaceful.

On my day off on Wednesday me and Grandad went out for a drive to Barnard Castle and I have to say it is such a quaint, oldy-worlde and surprisingly busy town.
We drove across the hills, past the wind farms and the spring flowers and daffodils dotting the roadside, and ended up in the town. The castle ruins are HUGE! I can’t believe how big it would have been in its heyday. It seems to sprawl over so much space. It is steeped in history (shocking – not) and even Richard III (poor and misunderstood, crazy king that he is) owned it at one point. The weather was at the best it was going to be for the 1^st of May, cool but incredibly sunny. We walked around the ruins for a good hour, had some lunch, picked up some hand-made chocs, then began to head back towards Consett.

On the way down to  Barnard we had passed a very intriguing castle called Raby castle. It is a fully formed, fully functioning castle and still lived in by some hobnob. We had made a plan to stop in on the way back, but alas it was closed, so it is now on the to-do list. Instead we stopped off at Whittan Castle. Granddad told me he used to come down all the time to fish. We poked around the castle grounds for a bit but I was aware that I had been dragging granddad around for a few hours now. I sometimes forget that he gets tired. I will have to go back. Maybe I will take granddad, drop him at the lake to fish and go for a walk around the foresty bit. Best of both for both of us.

Today, as I said earlier, Hayley and I went back to Hexham, but before we got there we went to Chester’s Roman Fort. It was really cool. Again, we had another stunning day. The weather is really starting to warm up now. It got to 15 degrees. Woohoo. I am even considering taking a layer out of my jacket! A huge decision and not one to take lightly, I know. The fort was magnificent and it is surprising how much of it there was still in reasonable condition given the age of the place.

When we came to the first set of ruins it was hard to know if we could go in. It was all fenced off but with a gate that could be opened. We didn’t enter that one, but when I came up to the next one, despite Hayley’s unsureness, I decided, ‘Hey, there is no sign up saying do not enter, so I am going in!’ I was the only one who did so, for wee while. Hell, there was even an entire tour bus of people that stood outside the fences while I walked around on the actual grounds. I loved it. I figured if there was some reason why we weren’t allowed in, they would tell us.

After that, I coaxed Hayley into another set of ruins. The bath house was fantastic, with huge sections still standing. We chilled out in the hot house section for a bit, imagining what it would be like to sit here, back in the day. We were sitting where the Romans would have sat, chilling (well, sweating) out, talking about the days politics and the such. As we moved around the site, I climbed in a few holes, hugged a few ruins and rocks and generally had a laugh.

After the Roman fort we headed into Hexham, had some lunch, then it was back to Consett.

It is now 9.20pm. Yes, it has taken me three hours to write this blog. But in fairness, the cold and flu drugs are only just kicking in now, and I have been trying (and failing) to multi-task. I have been watching Dr Who and The Voice.