Wales to Ireland "It's a hellova day at sea"

Our last post left us just arriving in Fishguard Wales which was a breif 3-night stay to get things in order for our trip across the Irish Sea to Ireland.

Well, we made it to Ireland, but before I jump ahead and get you all out of sorts, let me tell you about Fishguard...

We were not expecting much here.   I saw it as a place to get the dogs EU paperwork completed, and  to catch the ferry.    Like so many places however, we were pleasantly surprised.    While there was no quaint village to stroll, and (thankfully) no blocks of gift shops for Kate to peruse whilst I wait outside, it was still a nice place to kill a few days with some pretty sights.

Just a few miles from our house - we took a short drive up the skinny roads to Strumble Head where the lighthouse keeps guard over the coast.

Kate & Annie at Strumble Head Lighthouse

I timed our visit in order to see the 1pm ferry to Ireland which we will be on tomorrow

Stena Line ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare

Java the hut with his trusty beasts.

Strumble Head Lighthouse

We want to welcome new blog followers Steve & Hailey plus Jason & Dawn.

It's the people that you meet along the way that really make traveling so special.

The thumbs up is Steve & Hailey thing, so this is a shout out to you both.

Thumbs up to you

After Strumble Head, we drove down into town, actually Goodwick, and visited the harbor.

We took a walk out onto the breakwater, then came back and had an ice cream cone.

Meanwhile, the dogs seem to be getting along better and better everyday.   Lucy has accepted this bundle of energy into the pack and they have even started to play a bit each day.     Sort of like a grandparent playing with the grandkids though.   Lucy is a bit older you know.

It was departure day, and on the way to the ferry and I made a stop at the vet to pick up a prescription for Lucy.   She's been having a bit of a stomach upset and I forgot to bring the meds that we have at home for that so the vet who did Lucys paperwork, and both dogs tapeworm treatments. gave me a bit for the road.

Fishguard Vet Services

Next...  it was finally time to head for Ireland.   But first we had to cross the Irish Sea.   We had priority boarding and loading went super smoothly.  

Driving onto the Stena Europe

             

Inside the ship on the car deck.

I had booked 2 kennels for the crossing, but on each ship they are in a different location.  On this ship, they turned out to be bolted to the wall of the car deck.   Rather than leave the dogs in that unfamaliar place, we both agreed that they would be much happier in the quieter confines of the car for the 3.5 hrs, so we decided to leave them in the car.

Before we knew it, we were on board, seated in the lounge, watching the coast of Wales recede in the distance.

We watched the Strumble Head Light fall off behind the stern.    If you look closely, you can see that I caught the light blinking

Strumble Head Lighthouse Wales

Settling in for the crossing, Kate and I had a lunch of Fish & Chips with mushy peas.

Then we went up on deck and I got a picture of me with Babushka O'Harra as she headed for the promised land.

Inside the ship by the duty free shops

The crossing was very smooth and soon the Irish coast appeared in the distance.

Along with the excitement of a new landfall was the apprehension of what we might find in the car.   We had no concerns had it been Lucy & Gracie.   But this was Lucy and Annie, the wildcard.   Would the new pup be as good as she had been thus far, our would we have some sort of surprise.   All sorts of things crossed thru my mind.    From shredded car seats, to intestinal explosions.  My mind was playing games with me.

Fortunately, when we snuck up on the car and peeked inside - there were two little angels sitting there just looking out the window at the people arriving back to their cars.

Whew!    Dodged another bullet.

Our next place, a VRBO, was about a 90 minute drive and we made a stop at a pet store for a few items, plus an Aldi to get a few groceries.    Then it was pretty much the N11 and M11 most of the way.

The N11 headed north from Rosslare

Our place here in County Wicklow is just fabulous.   It is one of the nicest - if not the nicest - places that we have stayed at.   And we've probably stayed in close to 40 Airbnbs now.

Our main open plan kitchen, dining, living area.    The photo makes it look narrow but it is actually quite wide and long.    They are old converted farm outbuildings updated to a very high standard.

The space is shaped like a big "L".  This is the far end of the open kitchen, dining area, looking across and down the "foot" of the L

Our bedroom with king bed and the most comfortable mattress

View from the courtyard looking at the kitchen door.

While here, I had made an appointment to get Lucy a new Pet Passport since her UK one was no longer valid due to Brexit.   Having them makes our travels throughout the EU much simpler.

So on Monday we went to PetCare Vets in Greystones, Ireland. 

All I can say is... Wow!   What a great group of people!    The nicest folks.

I think perhaps the Irish just might be the most friendly people that we have ever met on our travels yet!

Everywhere we go, we get into the most amazing conversations.

But all of that is for future posts.    We have the next month to explore the Emerald Isle and we have some really neat places that we will be visiting and staying in.   Including a floating barge, turned into a home in Belfast where we will spend a couple of nights.

So now, in just her first 19 weeks of life, Annie has been to 5 countries, stayed in at least 8 different homes, travels a couple thousand miles and has traveled on trains, ferries, and cars.    And she's only getting started.    

Welcome to the pack!

Now my 3 girls all have their passports.  One from Spain, and two from Ireland.

And then there's me....

Blakeney - Lincolnshire - Wales

 It's already been 2 weeks since our last post and in that time we have visited the Norfolk Coastal town of Blakeney for a week.   Then spent 4 nights at friends of ours who live in Lincolnshire.   And finally spent a week in Central Wales just outside of the Market town of Brecon by Brecon Beacons National Park.

This is going to be a long post as we covered a ton of ground, but there are lots of pictures for those of you who prefer the visual medium.

Here is our route map from our stay in Bridge (Canturbury) and onward thru the above stops to our current location in  central Wales.

I guess it's past time to bring you up-to-date...

Blakeney, Norfolk

We left you last while visiting Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.    From there we drove onward about 3.5 hours to the coastal town of Blakeney in Norfolk.    Our drive started out on the large Motorway, and then progressively the roads narrowed as we progressed further into the country. 

The A1065 near Kings Lynn

Finally we were on single track roads.    That means the road is only wide enough for one vehicle but handles two-way traffic.   You will be seeing much more of these roads before this trip is over.   When you meet someone going the other way, one of you has to back up to a "passing place" where the road is slightly wider allowing you to scrape by each other.    The example below is actually a fairly wide example.

A single track road outside of Blakeney

During our stay here we had a persistent northeast wind.   It blew the cool damp air from the North Sea onshore which caused cool cloudy days.    While some were not happy with the weather, we found the cool temps refreshing and making for great walking conditions.

Our home for the week (center cottage)

Our week in Blakeney flew by.   Our days were occupied by talking walks, dinners at the pubs, and tea in the afternoons.    Sometimes with the dogs and sometimes just Kate and I.

Walking down to the Quay (docks)

One day we took the coastal path walk from Blakeney to Cley, the next village to the east.   

Along the waterfront in Blakeney

The walking path leaves Blakeney by heading out into the salt marches for quite a ways before bending east, and then eventually turning south back inland to Cley.   The path is about 2.75 miles from Blakeney to Cley.

Starting off on the path from Blakeney

View back inland towards Blakeney from the patch

Heading inland towards Cley and the Cley Windmill

Our walk to Cley was into the cold NE wind, and we decided to return to Blakeney via the shorter, and protected, coast road.    So many of the roads have sidewalks or paths along them that it is easy to get about on food without worrying about being run down by traffic.

Walking the coast road - looking back towards Cley

A view towards the North Sea from the Coast Rd

St Nicholas Anglican Church along the Coast Road

There were several nice pubs to choose from for lunch or dinner.   For our Sunday roast we chose the Kings Arms Pub.  It's said that the building received a new roof during the reign of King George III, who, incidentally was the King who lost the American Colonies.

Walking thru the park to the pub

Meanwhile, back at the ranch - Lucy & Annie have been getting more and more acquainted.  Lucy has been a very tolerant big sister and gently teaching Annie the ropes, including her boundaries. 

Another day we again took the walk to Cley, but this time did it in reverse.    We walked to Cley on the Coast Rd and took the Coastal Trail back to Blakeney.    This put the wind at our back for the walk home.

Cley is a very small town but has some nice shops.   One in particular is a deli type store called Picnic Fayre.    I was told that the owner is a god child of the Queen.     We bought some great meat pies, & deserts which I threw into my daypack for the walk home.

Side street in Cley

One of the items that I picked up at Picnic Fayre was a Scotch Egg.   Eager to try one, I  brought a coupole home for breakfast

A Scotch Egg

What is a Scotch Egg you might ask?    Well its not a Cadbury Egg filled with Scotch.   And you cannot get drunk eating a bunch of them.    It is simply a hard or soft boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, and deep fried.   Warm it up in the oven in the AM and it makes a great morning breakfast.

Lincolnshire

Before we knew it - another week had flown by and it was time to make the 2hr trip north to Lincolnshire to visit friends Craig & Vicki.    You might remember Vicki as the person who seriously broke her ankle while visiting us near Tucson just before Covid hit.

The 4 days that we were there flew by.   But we sure covered some ground thanks to thier excellent tour guiding skills.

Walking distance from their house is the beautiful and impressive St James Church.   It has the 3rd tallest spire in England and is vintage 1400's

We were fed well for sure.   One night we had a traditional cottage pie.  (I probably used the wrong name)

And again - I forget the name, but for desert was this fluffy, lemony, chiffon with fresh raspberries and shortbread sticks.

Every morning we would take a walk around town to one of the numerous green spaces.

We took a day trip to Gunby Hall Estate.   A National Trust Property, we are members so our admission and parking is free.

A 1/2 mile walking path from the car park brings you to the gates of the home.

Built in the 1700's it sits on approximately 1,500 acres.

Miles of rolling woodlands interspersed with beautiful formal gardens.

Kate holding court at Gunby Hall

Strolling thru the massive gardens

Another day we took a trip to Tattershall Castle.  Another National Trust property.  Built in the 1200's and expanded in the 1400's, it is a fine example of medieval brick construction.   It was primarily a home, not a fortress, although its moat and battlements would have made it a tough place for the local hoodlums to loot.    It's great construction expense was basically a way for the owner to show off his great wealth.

One of the subsequent owners, and one who greatly expanded the grounds was Lord Cromwell, the Treasurer of England under Henry VI.   Life was good if you held the nations pursestrings.

Inside the castle

Dogs are allowed on the grounds, but not inside the castle, so Craig & Vicki watched our mutts as we went inside.   At first I had no plan to climb all the stairs as my knees were bothering me from all the stairs they'd been doing the last couple of weeks, but once I started, I kept going, and going, and going...

C&V sitting with the dogs

Before I knew it, I was 149 steps higher, up on the roof.

Up on the roof...

Then a good climb up the tower deserves a good lunch stop so our next destination was the Petwood Hotel

During WWII, the hotel was requisitioned by the government and served as the home of the 617 RAF Squadron, who became famous as the Dambusters, due to their daring raid to destroy German dams and flood the industrialized Ruhr Valley.

The hotel "squadron bar" has remained exactly how it was during the war.   Unfortunately a private event was taking place during our visit, so we were unable to view it.     Like so many, it was another dog friendly day and all 4 pups seemed to have a nice time relaxing while we ate.   After lunch we strolled the gardens and eventually worked our way back home.

The next day we drove an hour to the city of Lincoln.    There is much to see there and all it within a short walk of each other.    We had reservations at a pub for lunch so first it was another dog friendly lunch then we were off to see the sights.

Our pub was just down the street on the right

First on the list was the impressive and beautiful Lincoln Cathedral.   Construction started in 1072.  Originally a Catholic Church, it was stolen by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, and is now an Anglican Church.

the choir

There is a hidden "Imp" on one of the columns.  For the price of a few coins, you can get a spotlight to turn on and show you where he is.      

According to 14th-century legend, two mischievous imps were sent by Satan to do evil work on Earth. After causing mayhem elsewhere in Northern England the two imps headed to Lincoln Cathedral, where they smashed tables and chairs and tripped up the bishop. An angel appeared in the Angel Choir and ordered them to stop. One of the imps sat atop a stone pillar and started throwing stones at the angel whilst the other cowered under the broken tables and chairs. The angel turned the first imp to stone, allowing the second imp to escape. The imp that turned to stone can still be found sitting atop his stone column in the Angel Choir. 

We purchased an Imp in the  gift shop and he will be positioned above our door in Tucson when we get back there.

the Lincoln Imp

Next stop is practically across the street from the Cathedral.   The Lincoln Castle and inside it - the Victorian Prison.    The Castle was constructed by William the Conqueror in the 11th century.

The prison is from Victorian times.   It was constructed to provide total isolation of prisoners from each other.   the thought being that if they did not talk to each other, they would not sharpen their trade while in prison and might even reflect on their misdeeds and reform themselves.

Overcrowding soon saw more than one prisoner placed in a cell.

The prison was the filming site for Downton Abbey.   If you remember when Bates was sent to prison....   well it was here.

Remember this from Downton?

I could not leave Lincoln, without a couple more photos of the Cathederal.

Wales

Our 4 days flew by and on Weds the 7th, we were back on the road heading Southwest across England and into Wales.    Or destination being a small village called Pont-faen.   Just 5 miles outside of the market town of Brecon, it takes about 15 minutes to get to town due to the tiny tiny single-track roads we take for the whole way.   

Our several hundred year old stone cottage

The road to our village

Our cottage had these thick stone walls.   They would hold in the cool of the previous night if we closed the windows before it got too warm out.   At night with the windows open, we had the sound of the river behind us, tumbling over the rocks on its way downstream.

Our bedroom

This is sheep country.   All day long we would hear them talking to each other:   "hey buddy, nice haircut".   We arrived on Weds and all the sheep were long and shaggy.    The next morning they all had been cut.    Space invaders must have come in overnight and stole their fleece.

Our neighborhood

Our neighbors

As I mentioned earlier - the dogs are really getting settled in together.

5 Miles, and about 15 minutes away is the Market Town of Brecon.  It is the hub of the area and where we would go to do our shopping and people watch.   Plus with the River Usk running thru it, there were real nice walking trails along its banks.

One of the parks along the river.

A view of our street.  Our house is out of sight to the left.   At the end of the street is a crossroads of about 5 one-track roads.    The village had perhaps a half dozen homes.

The view out of our bedroom window.    The bridge in the background is the road that took us into Brecon.

Another view of the 1-lane roads.   Driving here is a team sport.   People have to move over, back up, or do whatever in order to keep moving.

We took several scenic drives thru the Brecon Beacons National Park.   The above treeline scenery reminded me of places like Colorado and Alaska, above the treeline.  The big difference is the green green fields below.

On our last day, we visited the Brecon Canal Boat Basin.   There is a big Canal boat industry here.  You can rent them and travel all over the country, thru locks etc.    Each night stop in a different town and tie up and get dinner at the local pub.

A canal boat coming down the canal.

One of the best things about travel are the people we meet along the way.   A walk down the canal and then a chance meeting and all of a sudden we are having this great conversation with Hailey and Steve.

They were traveling in a Caravan and we shared travel stories, dog stories etc.    We must have hung out for over an hour.

Finally we were back in the Boat Basin.   They had a nice outdoor area with shops and cafes.   We had ice cream cones while we (and the dogs) watched life go by on the canal.

Soon we headed back home as it was time to start packing up and planning to move tomorrow.

Well tomorrow is now today.  Its Weds evening and we've moved to our next port of call.   A 3-night stay at an AirBnb in Fishguard Wales.    On Saturday we will catch the Ferry for a 3.5hr crossing of the Irish Sea to Ireland.    Tomorrow the dogs go to the vet for the required worm treatment before we enter Ireland.

Lucy will have to get her export certificate just like we did in the US, but it is easier to do here.  Annie has an EU pet passport (Ireland is in the EU) so no paperwork is needed other than the worm treatment.

So our next post should be from Eire.   Kate with her new Irish Passport will be returning home.