Category: Travel
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Wales Day 5: Llyn Peninsula
Tuesday May 6th 2025 Today we were exploring the Llyn Peninsula which juts out on the west side of North Wales. Our first stop was a hike that promised awesome views and an Iron Age hillfort. We parked at Yr Eifl Car Park. From there you cross the road and follow the path up through…
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Wales Day 4: Lon Las Ogwen Railtrail, LLanddwyn Island, Holyhead, Menai Bridge
Monday May 5th 2025 We started our day with a long run along the Lon Las Ogwen Railtrail. The railway was originally built to transport slate from Penhryn Quarry to the Penhryn Port. We parked in Bangor and ran the short distance to Penhryn Port and the start of the trail. I was doing my…
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Wales Day 3: Penrhyn Quarry, Caernarfon
Sunday May 4th 2025 In my previous post I mentioned the Richard Pennant (Lord Penrhyn) who made his money through slave plantations in Jamaica. He and his descendants then made a lot more money in the slate business. The Slate Landscapes of North West Wales are now a World Heritage Site and the Penrhyn Quarry,…
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Wales Day 2: Penrhyn Parkrun, Bryn Celli Ddu, Beaumaris Castle
Saturday May 3rd 2025 This morning we started our day at Penrhyn Castle for the Parkrun. The castle was constructed in Neo-Norman style in the 19th century. The money for the development of the estate and the associated slate mining (which we will get to on later days) came from Richard Pennant’s slave plantations in…
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Recent Fails
I think I mentioned that G dumped me in it last month by letting it be known that I could play keys. I did music performance (Electronic Organ) for a year 12 subject, but I’ve only played sporadically for the last twenty years and nothing since we moved to Brighton and sold the piano. Add…
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Wales Day 1: Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon)
I’m picking up the daily recaps from our trip to the UK. Friday May 2nd 2025 Hiking Mount Snowdon was a must do for us while we were in Wales, so we planned 6 nights in a central North Wales accommodation so that we would have maximum chance of a day with decent weather. G…
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Melbourne to Queensland Roadtrip 2025
We are on the road again, heading up to Noosa for an extended stay, but first we had to drive up. The drive is two days worth (about 2000 km). This time we took four days. I’ve had St Peter Restaurant in Sydney on my want to do list for a number of years now…
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Oxford Day 3: Long Run and Ashmolean Museum
Thursday 1st May Today was my last day in Oxford so I got up reasonably early and went for my (longish) run. It was less than 1 km and I was out and running through rural areas. I did a big loop along the Thames to Godstow, round Port Meadows, with a short out and…
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Oxford Day 2: Queens College, St Mary’s Church, History of Science Museum
Wednesday 30th April 2025 Today I booked a tour of Christ Church College at 10 am, then my plan was to potter around a few of the other Oxford sites. The college tour is led by a porter and includes the Great Hall and Tom Quad. The Great Hall is stunning. The dining hall in…
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Oxford Day 1: Walking Tour and Bodliean Library
Tuesday 29th April 2025 Sidenote: We arrived from London by train late the previous afternoon and had dinner at Kazbar, a fun restaurant and bar with Middle Eastern and Spanish tapas-style dishes. Highly recommended. Before I start, I’d like to say, that I loved Oxford. The history, the books, the small extremely walkable city centre.…