My friend M picked me up early Friday morning, and we enjoyed a leisurely drive to 
Wales, stopping off at Rhayader for lunch, before continuing to Elan , where we were to stay in what was once the village school. As we were too early to check in, we left the car and went for a walk, calling in briefly at the excellent Visitor Centre, and then on to the Garreg-ddu dam. The first photo shows the Foel valve tower, under a blue sky, with fluffy white clouds. The hillsides were ablaze with bright, yellow broom, bluebells and the May blossom. Back at the Lodge, there was time for a quick sketch (not very good) beside the river before our evening meal. I must say that the food at the Lodge has been both plentiful and delicious throughout the holiday. Carl, our walks guide, gave us an interesting talk about the building of the dams - 71 square miles of the Elan Valley were acquired by Birmingham Corporation for the reservoir scheme, built between 1893 and 1906 and involved the construction of four massive dams and a 73-mile gravity-fed aqueduct to Frankley reservoir.
Wales, stopping off at Rhayader for lunch, before continuing to Elan , where we were to stay in what was once the village school. As we were too early to check in, we left the car and went for a walk, calling in briefly at the excellent Visitor Centre, and then on to the Garreg-ddu dam. The first photo shows the Foel valve tower, under a blue sky, with fluffy white clouds. The hillsides were ablaze with bright, yellow broom, bluebells and the May blossom. Back at the Lodge, there was time for a quick sketch (not very good) beside the river before our evening meal. I must say that the food at the Lodge has been both plentiful and delicious throughout the holiday. Carl, our walks guide, gave us an interesting talk about the building of the dams - 71 square miles of the Elan Valley were acquired by Birmingham Corporation for the reservoir scheme, built between 1893 and 1906 and involved the construction of four massive dams and a 73-mile gravity-fed aqueduct to Frankley reservoir.As promised, Saturday was wet and grey, as we set off on the first of our walks. Compar
e the previous photo with this one! There were about 16 of us, togged up in eveything waterproof we had brought with us, and ready for action, despite the grim day. In fact, the walk was most enjoyable, and there was even a short break in the rain during our lunch stop. Then Carl led us up a steep slope, and up .... and up..... and up. The conversation stopped and the breathing became heavier, and my heart felt as if it was bursting through my ear-drums. Still - there's life in the old girl yet, as I recover pretty quickly, and the climbs are well worth it for the views from the top. All in all, we walked 11.3 miles, and ready for another good evening meal.
e the previous photo with this one! There were about 16 of us, togged up in eveything waterproof we had brought with us, and ready for action, despite the grim day. In fact, the walk was most enjoyable, and there was even a short break in the rain during our lunch stop. Then Carl led us up a steep slope, and up .... and up..... and up. The conversation stopped and the breathing became heavier, and my heart felt as if it was bursting through my ear-drums. Still - there's life in the old girl yet, as I recover pretty quickly, and the climbs are well worth it for the views from the top. All in all, we walked 11.3 miles, and ready for another good evening meal.
Sunday was a perfect walking day with sunshine and a few clouds, and quite a bracing wind on the heights. Lunch was enjoyed, sitting amongst the rocks at the side of a beautiful waterfall. This time we walked 9.3 miles, returning down a steep hillside, high above the Caban Coch Reservoir, passing what remains of the small dam at Nant y gro, built in 1890 to supply water to the workforce during construction of the main dams, and blown up on 24 July 1942, during experiments overseen by Barnes Wallis, resulting in the development of the bouncing bomb. The photo shows, in the background, the breach in the dam wall. What a good day!
M & I decided to opt out of the following day's shorter walk. Instead, I spent about half an hour attempting another sketch beside the Elan River before we walked on to the Visitors Centre where we watched a short film about the area. I bought the longer version to take home for Mike (and me) to enjoy. We took the scenic route home, via Craig Goch Reservoir, enjoying the stunning scenery en route, where we stopped for a stroll and more photos, and the chance to view a resting buzzard, through a bird-watcher's telescope. We could see all the plumage in fine detail. It's a bird watcher's paradise around this area with the Red Kites as a major attraction. This would have been an ideal lunch stop, but the midges were out in force so we continued along the mountain road towards Rhayader. Once through the town we stopped to eat our picnic down a quiet lane, watching 17 Kites flying above and around us, before continuing on our homeward journey. Many thanks to M, for taking me there and back, and to R for arranging the holiday. Brilliant!
Yesterday was even worse than Saturday but I just had to nip down to the plot to plant out some sweetcorn and self-blanching celery. Where do those weeds come from? I'm sure I'd cleared them all before I left for Wales, but they were back in force and had to be dealt with, despite the heavy rain. I was like a drowned rat when Mike picked me up. Fortunately I'd warned him and the car seat was protected with a bin bag. Everything's looking pretty good, so far, and there's very little space left for anything else, apart from a few more courgettes and squashes. Once the early potatoes are out, I can also plant up the Blue Hubbard winter squashes. The two clematis, each side of the arch near the shed, are in full bloom. One is 'Crystal Fountain' but I don't know the name of the pretty paler one. In the greenhouse the tomatoes are coming on well, and hopefully I'll soon be able to move a few of them outside. The back garden is even more lush than ever. Just a bit of warm sunshine and the plump flower buds will burst into colour.
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