I love to dance, walk and ride bikes. I also enjoy shopping for clothes in in charity shops, though on one occasion I bought a teddy bear called Horace instead!
It was a very hot day in July when we visited Tintagel Old Post Office
The building dates back to 1380, a very long time ago. Originally it just had one storey and one end would have been a barn for animals. It has undergone many changes over the years and became a Post Office in the 1870’s.
It was cool inside the building and gave us some respite from the hot sun outside. The dining table was laid with pewter plates and mugs.
This is the range where meals would have been cooked
We went up the first staircase (there are 2 separate staircases)
We found a bedroom set up as it would have been 150 years ago
We climbed up and had a look out of the window.
Back downstairs we found the sitting room and sat on the rag rug. Therug had been made in recent years but was of the type that would have been found in cottages 150 years ago.
There was another set of stairs going up next to the sitting room which were quite challenging for small bears to climb.
The stairs led to a sleeping platform where unmarried women and girls would have slept. The saying ‘left on the shelf’ (which referred to unmarried older women in past times) refers to the sleeping platform that they used to sleep on and were unable to leave!
Here we are on the platform – it wasn’t very big.
We looked down from the platform at the room below and noticed the old clock above the door and the exposed roof beams.
On the other side of the sleeping platform there is a another bedroom
We thought it all looked very cosy. The walls of the cottage are a metre think so it is well insulated against both hot and cold weather.
After going back downstairs we went out into the garden where there is a well.
We found a minature version of The Old Post Office!
The garden is very pretty and very ‘cottage garden’ in style. It is also a good place to escape from the many tourists who visit Tintagel.
The wiggly roof on The Old Post Office is covered in Cornish slate.
It is only a small garden so we were soon back at the well again!
The Post Box is still in use and a postman collected some letters while we were there.
Before leaving we watched an interesting animated video showing how the use of the building had changed over the last 900 years. At one time it nearly got demolished! I am glad it didn’t as it really is a delightful place.
Do pop in for a visit if you are in the Tintagel area, the Post Office is only small but very interesting.
The first thing I did on arriving at Dover Castle was to sit and have a look at the view of Dover. Dover Castle is quite big and there is lots to see, so shortly after I set off to explore.
The history of Dover Castle goes back to iron age times, it is thought that some of the huge banks and ditches were created over 2000 years ago. I started my tour at a more recent building; The Fire Command Post and Signal Station, which dates back to 1904, the concrete platform above it was added in 1941 during the 2nd world war to protect it from aerial attack.
Inside the Fire Command Post and Signal Station I was able to look out to see through binoculars It was from here that the 2nd World War Dunkirk evacuation was co-ordinated.
I listened to the recorded messaged on the telephone for a while.
Morse code was used to send messages, which consisted of sequences of ‘dots’ and ‘dashs’ to represent letters of the alphabet that were sent using radio waves.
This was the telegraph operator’s bedroom.
I looked at the range finding equipment used for commanding the gun batteries facing the English Channel.
The bowl of porridge that was stuck to the table had gone rather hard!
There was an excellent view of the Port of Dover from the platform above the command centre.
Here I am stood in front of a statue of Admiral Ramsey, who organised the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940 when thousands of British soldiers became stranded on the beach at the start of the 2nd World War. The buildings behind me were 18th Century Officer’s Barracks (not open to public).
Next we had a tour of the some of the tunnels that are underneath the cliffs that overlook the English Channel. These tunnels were created in the 18th Century to defend England against the French in the Napoleonic wars. They were brought into use again and extended into a bomb proof centre for defending the coast.
Unfortunately no photography was allowed in the tunnels. They were very interesting, a complete network of tunnels and rooms all set within the cliffs of Dover. We also had a tour of the underground hospital where servicemen received medical treatment. I was on my way out in the photo below!
Back outside in the sunshine we wandered around the castle walls for a while where there are cannons facing the sea.
There was also an anti-aircraft gun that would have been used in 2nd World War.
Fitzwilliam Gate was built after the Great Siege of 1216 when the North Gate was damaged and got blocked up. It is named after a 13th Century Knight Adam Fitzwilliam who provided guard service for the castle.
It was all quite a lot for a small bear to take in, so much history has happened at Dover Castle. I sat for a little while and wondered, teddy bears had not even been invented when these walls were built.
The weather was getting quite warm and it was relief to find some more tunnels to explore away from the heat of the sun. The Spur Tunnels are set underneath a huge mound of earth and were built in the 13th Century after the Great Siege in order to provide defence for the Castle.
I had to go down lots of steps to access the tunnels…
It was quite a long way walking through the tunnels..
Eventually I arrived at the end, where I climbed up the steps to have a look through the holes in the wall.
I could see another tunnel and other castle visitors walking through it! This was a spy hole.
We went down some steps to a lower level (the writing was projected onto the wall).
….and there was the other side of the spy hole!
There were a series of doors in the tunnels that could be operated remotely using cables and pulleys. If intruders were spotted entering the castle they could be trapped in the tunnel by lowering the doors.
These were the devices used to shut one of the doors.
The short cannons known as carronades (after the Carron Ironworks in Scotland where they were made) could fire cannonballs at a short distance.
I was feeling quite tired after leaving the spur tunnels but there was still lots to see.
The guide suggested we should walk to a viewing point to get a good photo of the castle, which we did!
Then it was back up the road through Constable’s Gate to get back into the castle grounds.
We headed towards the Roman Lighthouse which is right next door to the Saxon Church. I sat for a while and tried to imaging it with a fire burning at the top warning ships 2000 years ago…
Lots has happened to the lighthouse since the Romans built it including a bit extra on the top when it was used as a church bell tower in the 14th Century. If buildings could talk the lighthouse would have so much to say about what it has seen over the years.
Last on the list of sightseeing was The Great Tower, the building of which was overseen by King Henry II.
There were many steps to climb to reach The Great Hall.
A few years ago English Heritage dressed the inside of The Great Tower to look as it may have done in medieval times when Henry II was on the throne. As the throne is reproduction and not an antique I was allowed to sit on it.
800 years ago having rich colours in the decorations signified wealth and power. The King may have had a bed rather like this one. The room guide sat me on the bed for the photograph (humans aren’t allowed to sit on it). We had a chat and as well as being very knowledgeable about the castle he was also a teddy bear collector.
I went on up the many stairs to the roof.
The roof has been altered numerous times in the last 1200 years.
There is an amazing view from all sides, here I am looking out to sea over the Saxon Church and Roman lighthouse.
I was starting to feel quite hungry so made my way downstairs towards the kitchens.
Another big hall, with tables laid ready for the king to have supper with guests.
English Heritage have made the ground floor look like a medieval kitchen as they believe it was probably used this way.
I was quite relieved that the large join of ham was plastic!
I think this is where laundry took place unless huge stews were made in pots like this!
The existence of a large bread oven suggested to historians that this area was very likely used for cooking.
After looking at all that food, even though artificial, I was feeling rather hungry. We made our way to the NAAFI restaurant to get a snack. I very much enjoyed the savoury tomato scone with onion chutney.
When we returned to our holiday accomodation I was quite tired, but before retiring to bed I had a good look at the guide book.
All in all it was a grand day out, with lots to see and learn with a tasty scone at the end. Do visit Dover Castle if you are in the area. It was free for us to go in as we are members of CADW, the Welsh version of English Heritage.
Before we set off to visit the lighthouse I sat for a while and looked across the water to France. The camera didn’t pick up the French coastline very well but I could see it, just 21 miles away.
After a walk along the top of the White Cliffs of Dover I headed back to visit South Foreland Lighthouse.
Cows were travelling along the path in the opposite direction
I could see the lighthouse in the distance. There has been a lighthouse of one sort or another at South Foreland since the 13th Century.
Between Dover and Ramsgate there is an area underneath the sea called The Goodwin Sands, but also known as the Great Ship Swallower. The 10 miles of sandbanks hidden under the sea are constantly shifting around and a great danger to any ships that enter the area. The lighthouse hasn’t been used since the 1980s as now ships have much improved navigation systems which keep them away from the Goodwin Sands.
It was a beautiful sunny day but I did think I might need to remove my hat in the lighthouse just in case it was windy at the top.
Tours have to be booked at the reception desk in the shop, where I also bought a little lighthouse pin badge as a souvenir.
A National Trust volunteer guide met us at the door and then took us down to the basement of the lighthouse to start the tour. She told us many interesting facts. The curved roof was built by filling in the whole building with sand, making it a dome shape then laying the bricks on the top. Once finished all of the sand was removed through the door. The batteries that you can see were a few of many that were used as a back up in the case of a power cut, though the lighthouse was originally lit using oil lamps.
I went up some stairs to the first floor..
Here I am inside the chamber containing the weights that controlled the timing of the lighthouse flashes. It was one of the lighthouse keeper’s jobs to check that the light flashes were correctly callibrated. Each lighthouse had a specific sequence of flashes so that mariners would know where they were.
This specially curved sideboard came from another lighthouse but is of the type that would have been at South Foreland. The oil lights on the top are examples of oil lights used in various lighthouses. The oil used was whale oil (which was rather sad for whales).
I continued up the stairs to the next level….
I sat at the light house keeper’s desk for a little while and looked out at the sea. He would have had a very big responsibility on his shoulders.
Here I am with the winding handle for the weights that were used to turn the lense around. Lighthouse keepers had to wind the weights back up to the top every two hours through the night in order to keep the lights flashing. T
I climbed further up a little ladder right to the top to have a look at the lense. South Foreland Lighthouse was the first one in the UK to have electric lights.
The scientist Michael Faraday spent lots of time at the South Foreland developing the electric lights which was subsequently installed in all the other lighthouses around the UK managed by Trinity House (The Lighthouse Authority).
There was an amazing view from the windows at the top.
I decided to venture out on to the platform for an even better view…
The view was even better outside, especially as it was a clear day.
After coming back down the stairs we thanked the tour guide and went into Mrs Knott’s tearoom for some refreshments which we decided to enjoy outside. The tearoom next to the lighthouse was converted from one of the lighthouse keeper’s cottages and named after the Knott family who were keepers at the lighthouse for many years.
Do visit South Foreland Lighthouse if you are near Dover, it is very interesting. Be careful not to go to North Foreland Lighthouse by mistake, as we did first of all, as that one isn’t open to the public!
Alresford in Hampshire is the town where I began my life. I was made by Alresford Crafts in the Town Mill back in the 1970s. I can’t remember much about those days but I always enjoy visiting. We were on our way to Canterbury for a holiday and decided to stop at Alresford on the way. I was very hungry when we arrived so the first stop was for lunch at Tiffin Tea Room.
Alresford is famous for growing watercress. In Spring each year they have a watercress festival, which oneday I would like to attend. I decided to have a cheese and watercress scone ploughman’s for my lunch which I very much enjoyed.
After lunch I set off on a nostalgic walk around town…
Here I am in front of The Station Mill, where many of my younger siblings were made. These days it is a health and fitness centre.
Next on the list was Alresford Station. I have very happy memories of travelling here on the Watercress Line steam train with Growler a few years ago.
I had a wander about on the platform hoping to maybe see a train, but there were none due to arrive.
I weighed myself on the scales!
In the gift shop I decided to buy a postcard featuring an engine like the one I travelled on back in 2016.
I was going to call in at the library but it was closed (I delivered a copy of my book to them when I visited in 2015)
It was a beautiful sunny day to be wandering around very picturesque town. My next destination was The Town Mill, where many bears and other cuddly animals were made, including me, in the 1970s.
Enroute I passed a splendid vintage car.
Finally I reached Alresford Town Mill, which is now an apartment block where humans live. It is in a nice place with a waterwheel and the River Arle running along behind it.
I stood outside the front door for a moment for a photo; it was about 50 years ago that I began my life there.
I walked down the road past the Mill feeling happy that I was made in such a lovely place.
The Old Fire Station is now a museum.We didn’t expect to be able to go inside as it only opens occasionally and wasn’t officially open. While I was posing for a photograph outside my human started talking to a friendly chap who had just come out of the picture framing shop next door. He was a volunteer at the museum and very kindly offered to open it for me to see some of my relations that live inside and a splendid fire engine.
The Merryweather horse-drawn steam fire engine inside the museum was built in 1893. Fire engines like this were used up until the early 1920s.
Here I am wearing a fireman’s hat:
Many bears and other cuddly animals made by Alresford Crafts live in the museum.
I was quite taken aback by the size of the resident Alresford Honey Bear. We both smiled at each other.
I explained to him about my adoption from a charity shop by Karen back in 2011, and my recent decision to wear clothes due to my fur beginning to wear out. He was a lovely chap.
A brown bear was very pleased to see me.
The owl behind me is just like the big one that lives in the corner of our dining room at home. There was even an elephant!
The Kangaroo had a little joey in her pouch and seemed friendly with another very fluffy owl.
The museum has some Alresford Crafts animals in a basket that they let children cuddle, which I thought was wonderful. The big rabbit was in the cuddle basket so I lifted her out for a cuddle.
I could have spent ages and ages saying hello to everyone; there are dolls too as Alresford Crafts also made collectable china dolls. We had to continue our journey as we had anothe 120 miles to travel to our holiday cottage
The humans bought me a special Alresford Museum fridge magnet as a souvenir.
I signed the visitor’s book and we thanked the kind man who had opened up the museum just for me.
I walked back up the road feeling very happy.
We managed to fit in along the river to the 13th century Fulling Mill before continuing our journey east.
This was my 3rd visit to Alresford, everyone seemed pleased to see me and it made me feel very happy indeed.
Our human sourced some wonderful outfits for us to wear on The Matthew for the cruise around Bristol Harbour with Piratitude.
When we boarded the band was busy doing a sound check.
We had a look around the ship while my human took some photos. I have been on the Matthew before but it was Nye’s first time aboard.
A crew member helped set us the photo of us with the lifebouy.
It was a wonderful sunny evening and we enjoyed listening to the band as we cruised around the harbour. The Matthew is a replica of the ship that John Cabot sailed to (and discovered) Newfoundland in 1497. The journey was made again on this vessel in 1997.
We had lots of fun as I pretended to be the Captain and Nye a shipmate.
We had to be very careful going up and down the wooden steps. The Matthew was using an engine to travel around the harbour, but when she travelled to Newfoundland she would have had sailed there using sails and the wind.
We passed by the SS Great Britain…
The band was great fun and I was jolly pleased that Nye also likes to join in with a big.
After about an hour the ship docked and fish and chips were delivered for all board.
We were happy to drink lemonade, we don’t need rum or alcohol to be merry!
My human took this great photo of us with the band members.
My human likes to stay in quirky holiday accommodation. We were only in Oxford for one night for the May Day celebrations, so she booked The Malmaison Hotel, which is a converted prison!
I have never been inside a real prison but it was very much like prisons I have seen in films.
Humans aren’t allowed to use the stairs but I managed to climb a few for a photo.
There are various puns around the hotel, such as on the glass door at the bottom of the stairs ‘It’s Mal Life’.
Our room was on the top floor so we went up in the lift.
The cells still have prison doors on them.
I put my few belongings in the locker.
Then as always, I tried out the bed, which was very comfy.
There was a special machine for making small bear sized cups of coffee so I made myself a cup and ate one the chocolates.
It wasn’t long before if was time for dinner.
Off I went to the Brasserie.
I went outside on the way; our room was one on the top floor in the middle (behind me).
We were staying in A wing which was used as a prison until 1996. The prisoners had much smaller cells. Our room and bathroom was 3 cells knocked together.
Here I am looking at the sign about dinner when we first checked in.
Dinner was delicious, I had seasonal vegetable risotto.
For dessert I had crème brûlée, a very generous portion which was very yummy so I ate it all.
After dinner we went into Oxford to an historic pub (The Lamb & Flag) for a drink.
The hotel looked very grand all lit up when we walked back to it.
I had a fairly early night as the next day we were getting up at 5am to join the May Day celebrations. I didn’t have breakfast at the hotel as it was way too early!
The following morning I put on my Oxford Morris outfit and set off to Magdalen Bridge to hear the choir sing then dance.
While we were on holiday in West Wales we visited the Dolaucothi Gold Mines which are looked after by the National Trust.
Next to the path leading to the entrance there was a special tipper machine which would have been used to tip the ore that had been mined out of the dram.
We went in to the reception area to show our National Trust cards and passed a mimng shovel that had been painted gold.
Once inside we began to explore. All the equipment in the mine are remnants from the 1930’s when gold mining was resumed briefly but wasn’t economical as they didn’t find much gold as it had already been extracted by the Victorians, and over 2000 years before that, the Romans.
We looked at the cage which would have been used in the 1930s to take miners and drams down the mine shaft. The Roman mine was discovered in the 1930s: miners were drilling deep into the rock and found a large cavern that had been previously excavated along with evidence that the Romans had been there.
Here we are pretending to ride in a dram!
It must have been a very hard life for humans that worked in the mines.
Here we in the remains of an open cast mine. The Romans dug the mines with picks and hammers which would have been extremely hard labour.
We went inside the building housing the winding equipment that was used in the 1930s.
In another shed there were lots of other very large tools, with a warning notice not to go inside the ‘bin’.
Growler was astonished at the size of the lathe.
There was a large tube containing first aid equipment that was of size that could be dropped down the mineshaft. It contained splints, blankets and a stretcher. Working in a mine was a very hazardous job.
Here we are sat on the first aid cylinder.
Outside the mining shovel had been painted bright yellow. I stood on the footplate which is where the human that operated it would have stood.
There are underground tours available for either The Victorian Mine or The Roman Mine. We opted for the Roman Mine, partly because it is floodlit and photographing me would be easier. Growler didn’t do the mine tour as there weren’t any hard hats small enough to fit him.
First of all we walked up lots of steps up a hill past lots of old mineworkings, then the tour guide unlocked the gate to the mine and we all went inside.
Here I am with the entrance behind me.
The guide told us that the gold deposits were found inside quartz, not white shiny quartz, but brown coloured quartz.
He told us all about how the Romans had created the huge cavern using just picks and shovels, and how they would follow a seam once a deposit was found.
Many of the passages in the mine had been blocked up with rubble. Here I am stood next to a very small passage through the rocks.
It was only a short tour of just one mining area, there are many more that aren’t open to visitors. I was quite happy to get back into daylight.
Growler was waiting outside and was pleased with the souvenir badge that I bought for him.
If we find ourselves in the area again we will visit the Victorian Mine. If you are interested in visiting please bear in mind that tours have to be booked in advance.
I had to get up very early at 5am in order to get to Magdelen Bridge in Oxford in time to hear the choir singing from the college tower.
There wasn’t any problem finding directions as there were already lots of humans heading the same way, so we just followed them all!
There were thousands of humans everywhere, we didn’t get onto the bridge but could still see the tower from High Street.
The choir started to sing at 6am and sounded wonderful…
After the choir had finished we managed to meet up with the tree (Jack in the Green) and the other Oxford Morris Dancers. I then followed the tree along the road…
We eventually reached Radcliffe Square…
The Morris dancers started to dance…
I joined in and managed to keep to the beat!
There were lots of other Morris dance groups there too, they are known as Morris ‘Sides’ and they all took turns to dance.
The tree started to move again so I followed and we ended up at The Bridge of Sighs for more dancing.
Once again I joined in. I am too short to join the human dancers but I am quite happy doing my own thing on the sidelines.
My human’s daughter is an Oxford University Morris Dancer. Here I am with my human and her daughter.
Here I am with the sword that is wrapped in greenery with a ‘fertility cake’ impaled beneath it. People were offered small bits of the cake. The sword and cake are said to symbolise both protection and fertility, and eating a small piece of the cake, made to a secret recipe is thought to bring good luck and fertility.
A Morris Dancer put his splendid hat on top of mine, but it was a tad heavy for my little head!
The sun was getting rather bright so I borrowed my humans sunglasses for a while. You may notice a new badge on my baldricks. It is a teddy bear and and says ‘I love Archie’. Earlier a Morris Dancer told us all about Archie, a bear who belonged to the poet Sir John Betjeman, and gave me the lovely badge.
Some excellent clog dancers also performed. I don’t think I could keep clogs on my feet!
My tummy was beginning to feel like breakfast after being up for nearly 4 hours!
Fortunately it was soon breakfast time and we all headed to Linacre College.
I tucked into a full English breakfast with a small tankard of ale. All the Morris dancers carry tankards about with them for their ale, I brought my own bear sized one along with me for the occasion.
The dancing continued after breakfast outside the Rose & Crown pub.
I started to feel tired and rested with a large glass of apple juice and soda water.
We decided it was time to go and get the train back to Bristol, where I promptly fell asleep having had a really lovely day in Oxford…
We arrived at Pontbrenmydyr Cottage on a fine spring afternoon in April. The cottage is a 17th Century Welsh Clom made from mud. It has been restored by the National Trust and is situated on the edge of the Llanerchaeron Estate in Ceridigion.
The cottage is well equipped inside with modern facilities.
The bed was very comfy though quite high for bears to climb up into!
We quite liked the unusual bear sized rocking chair.
In the living room there is a modern woodburning stove and an old bread oven.
The bathroom still has the cow stalls, and a very big bath.
The original clom cottage has a thatched roof with a corrogated iron ‘hat’ over the top. The bedroom and bathroom (originally a stable) were added later.
After unpacking we enjoyed the complimentary biscuits and tea.
We were quite tired after the journey (we visited Raglan Castle on the way) and were happy to get an early night.
I made porridge for breakfast at it is Growler’s favourite food.
After breakfast we went and sat by the stream at the end of the garden.
Growler learnt to knit while we were at Pontbrenmydyr!
He just kept going once he had got the hang of it….
About 12 hours later, when I was ready for bed, Growler finished his jumper!
We went exploring early one morning….
We found the solar water heating panels for the cottage.
Growler was also very interested in the air source heat pumps that were keeping the cottage warm.
We didn’t need to use the woodburner at all, which was a shame as we quite enjoy sitting by one but it was warm enough without it!
One of the extra buildings joining on the cottage is a very useful utility room.
I needed to wash my dungarees and also some human clothes.
The sun was shining and the washing dried very quickly on the rack in the cottage garden.
We enjoyed several lunches sat in the sunshine outside the cottage.
Growler was jolly pleased to find a chess set. He won as usual though!
The humans fed us well and we enjoyed evening meals sat at the dining table.
We went for many walks around the nearby Llanerchaeron woods, which were especially beautiful while we were there with wild garlic everywhere.
It is possible to walk to nearby Aberaeron along a footpath, which is about 2 miles away.
National Trust Llanerchaeron Estate is a ten minute walk across a field. There are lots of interesting things to see there. Growler got tired legs while were walking round so he got into the wheelchair.
We loved staying at Pontbrenmydyr Cottage and exploring some of West Wales.
We visited Hafod on a beautiful sunny day in late April. The Hafod Estate has been cared for by the National Trust and Natural Resources Wales since 2022.
We knew that the humans intended walking around the many paths on the estate so climbed into the backpack at the start!
We hoped to follow ‘The Gentleman’s Walk’ but were aware that some paths were closed due to fallen trees (Storm Darragh brought them down) blocking the way.
We stopped to look at two Highland cows were basking in the sun, we thought they looked quite young.
We started off on the yellow walk, and got out of the bear carrier for my human to photograph us.
There are some really splendid dry stone walls coverd in moss and lichen.
Mariamne’s garden from the early 1800s had returned to nature, we went through the gate to explore.
There were several seats in the overgrown garden where it was possible to just enjoy the peace and listen to the birds. We sat on a log overlooking the valley for a little while.
After walking down through the valley we found ourselves down in the valley.
We passed a charming NT holiday cottage.
We got in and out of the backpack, and walked along the flat stretches of path.
The manor house at Hafod was demolished in 1956 after falling into a state of disrepair, but the old stable buildings remain and are maintained.
Inside the stables a table was set up for humans to draw pictures. My human’s partner is rather good at drawing, so he did a sketch of Growler and myself…
I think I look a bit like Winnie the Pooh!
We clipped the drawing up on the wall, and hope that it makes future visitors to the stable smile!
Back on the walking trail we reached the ‘Footpaths closed’ sign.
We could see a huge fallen tree across the other side and just went across the bridge to have a look. There were several more further up the path, storm Darragh did quite a lot of damage in Wales.
After looking at the stream for a little while we were feeling the need for a little something to eat.
The humans had brought a picnic with food for us too, which we sat and enjoyed in the sunshine.
A little nap in the dappled shade was necessary before continuing to explore…
There are some lovely views. Thomas Johnes inherited Hafod in 1790. He created the many paths and planted over 4 million trees in the area (obviously not him personally but his workers!)
We continued walking on through the woods, not really knowing which trail we were now on, but our mission was to get down near the stream.
Through a gate we found Mrs Johnes’ Flower Garden, which has been restored.
Finally we found the water, the sound alone felt refreshing as the late April sunshine had become quite warm.
I ventured onto the rocks and got a little bit splashed. A little bit of water on me sonn dries out, but I didn’t want to fall in. Growler has to be very careful as he is stuffed with woodshavings, he really didn’t want to risk getting wet.
We sat and watched the waterfall…
It was time to move on, as there was still lots to see. We were carried across the rope bridge behind us, which only 2 humans at a time are allowed on.
There is a stone arch folly up above the stream which frames the view of the valley, though the camera focused on us! My human often takes photographs having no clue whether they have come out well as she needs reading glasses to see the images well and doesn’t check them when we are out on location.
When we got back to the car park the humans had walked over 5 miles, though we walked less than a mile due to ‘backpacking’.
It was a shame some of the paths were closed as we missed some views, including the Cavern Cascades and the tower, but we still really enjoyed ourselves exploring such a tranquil beautiful place.
Horace the Alresford Bear 