Finally done it. Cycled from home down to the bay for lunch, and then home again. Almost 30 miles in total. We set off about 11.30 and arrived in the bay about 13.00.

We ate in the French restaurant Le Garçon. It was an excellent meal. I had a mixed meat terrine followed by chevre and beetroot tart, all washed down with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.
This is the view from the restaurant.


It was so hot we had coffee inside, where the aircon was very welcome.



The cycle home wasn't too bad except for the last bit up power station hill. Now we are both extremely tired, and settled in front of the telly watching Derek predicting more fine weather for the next few days. He's broadcasting from just opposite Llandaff Rowing Club, a spot we cycled past earlier today.

Location:Cycling to the bay

Tuesday 27th September. Roath Park

Took mum to Roath park today. Using her new walker she managed to walk further than she had done since Tenerife last year. She seemed to enjoy herself greatly.

We had lunch in the newly renovated cafe. It was excellent. Mum enjoyed her child's portion of sausage chips and beans, and I had an excellent bruschetta salad, and Chris had an excellent bacon and feta cheese salad, both with balsamic syrup. Certainly worth another visit.

Sunday 25th September. A Day at the Zoo

Having had rain overnight, we decided that cycling to The Bay for lunch was likely to be rather wet what with the puddles and all, so we headed off to Bristol Zoo. It was still raining when we set off, but we banked on it stopping before we got there. Unfortunately it didn't, so to pass the time we visited Macdonalds for the first time in years for an early lunch. As we were eating the rain started to ease, which was a good thing as on the way over the rain was so so heavy.

We headed into Bristol via the Clifton Suspension Bridge and stopped off to take a few photos. It's the first time either of us had walked across the bridge, and we were both impressed with the engineering achievement of Brunel.









By this time the rain had almost completely stopped, so next stop the zoo. Unfortunately several thousand other peeps had the same idea, so it took us 30 mins or so to park the car. It was well worth the wait. The zoo has changed so much since I last visited many many years ago. The penguin and seal pools with the underwater tunnels are superb. The gorilla island is large, and interesting. Breeding especially of endangered species seems to be the name of the game.
Finally the weather had improved so much that we drove home with the roof down!

A Few Days with Anne and Bill

We've had a busy few days. A walk in Biggin Dale, a cycle along the Tissington Trail, a wander around Cornford Mill, and a walk up to the henge at Arbor Low, when the rain was so heavy we took shelter in a cow barn.

It was so good to meet up again with A and B. We will miss playing cheat tonight.

The Peak District

We've moved to the Peak District, staying at the Rivendale Campsite, between Ashbourne and Buxton. We've managed to get in a bicycle ride along the Tissington Trail, the views are magnificent.

The village of Tisssington is a bit of history frozen in time. It's on a private estate, and has remained essentially unchanged for the past couple of hundred years.
At the moment the winds are increasing as we encounter the remnants of an Atlantic storm. I hope there's not too much damage.

A Night at the Theatre

We've snuck away for a few days, and headed to Stratford upon Avon. We spent a pleasant morning in warm autumnal sunshine wandering around the town. This is a picture of the house Shakespeare was born in.

In the evening we attended a performance of A Midsummer's Night Dream. It was excellent, although I'm not sure the great bard envisioned fairies dressed like this.



Now settling down, and off to the Peak district tomorrow.

Thursday 1st September. St. Justinians a circular walk

The weather today was beautiful, so a walk was in order. We set out from St. Justinians and headed south overlooking Ramsey sound. The walking was easy and the views splendid.

The walk was very popular and we met many others doing the same circuit. Porth Clais looked quite romantic with all the boats, but as it was low tide, they were beached on the mud, rather than bobbing about on their moorings.



After a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the kiosk in the car park, we followed the narrow roads back to our starting point after covering a very pleasant 6 miles.