Author Archives: thehistoryinterpreter

Holidaying in Herefordshire Part 3

by thehistoryinterpreter

After a resounding early morning thunderstorm, we utilised our National Trust membership as usual and paid a visit to Berrington Hall near Leominster, pronounced Leminster. The rain had died down to an occasional drizzle by the time we arrived. We began by  looking at the house. Co-incidentally, one of the volunteers was a former vicar of a parish near home.

Thomas Harley, the fourth son of the Earl of Oxford was a London wine merchant, an MP and the Lord Mayor of London in 1767. Wanting a country residence, in 1775, he acquired the Berrington estate and Henry Holland designed the Georgian mansion that now stands. Holland’s detailed estimate, dated 1778, survives and he quoted a total price of £14.500. The house was finished in 1783. Inevitably, it went over budget and expensive structural repairs were soon needed. Berrington’s landscaped gardens were the final project of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and in 1775, the five daughters of Thomas Harley each planted a plane tree, one of which still survives.

After Thomas Harley’s death in 1804, his daughter, Ann and her husband George Rodney, inherited Berrington. Their descendants lived there until the depletion of their fortunes and in 1901, the estate was sold to MP and Manchester cotton merchant, Frederick Cawley. The house was used as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers in World War II. In 1957, Frederick’s grandson gave Berrington to the National Trust on the condition that his grandmother, Frederick’s wife, the dowager Lady Vivienne, could remain living there until her death. Lady Vivienne lived to the age of 101 and was still inhabiting Berrington twenty years later. The family were keen horse owners and horse trials were held at Berrington until into the twenty-first century.

Furnishings are sparse at Berrington but the downstairs ceilings are spectacular and their USP is the display of costumes, many of which are handmade by the volunteer sewing team. I particularly liked a display of replica pockets and reticules, a miniature labourer’s smock and a wig made from crepe paper. We couldn’t resist dressing up; my dress was incredibly heavy. There were also several displays relating to conservation and cleaning. Currently on view was the widest dress owned by the National Trust; it is often not appreciated that the Trust is responsible for the conservation of 40,000 items of clothing. The dress in question is a court mantua, worn by Ann, wife of Thomas Harley, just once, in 1760, at the court of George III. There is four metres of material in the skirt alone and a further three metres in the train.  Ninety percent of what was on display was original; when found stored in a box, the dress was missing a left sleeve and a stomacher. The dress is due to be removed from display in November, while a more suitable case for it is made. Today’s cake of choice was orange and poppy seed; not quite up to yesterday’s standard. We had a quick look round the walled garden but the weather was a deterrent. It was lovely to see the names of all Berrington’s former and current gardeners inscribed on the beams of the potting shed.

Holidaying in Herefordshire Part 2

by thehistoryinterpreter

Still with an eye on the weather forecast, we decided to go to Goodrich Castle on what was predicted to be the least worst day we had left. As things turned out, after some light drizzle first thing, the day was hot and sunny. Possibly a little too hot to be ideal and certainly humid but we counted this as a win. My inspirational, lower high school history teacher was a Mrs Goodrich, so even the castle’s name had positive connotations. We began with a recce of the shop and were pleased to learn of new a English Heritage initiative, which gives members discounts in the shop and café. It was also good to see the child-friendly free activities on offer. I was vaguely amused by the placement of an advert for English Heritage membership outside the toilets that read ‘Members go Free’.

We availed ourselves of an audio guide, which wasn’t the greatest success. Firstly, it read two different explanations simultaneously and then, even on full volume, it was ridiculously quiet, even for those of our party (that would be me) with good hearing. So this is what I gleaned from interpretation boards, with the usual proviso that none of this is checked for accuracy.

Godric Mappeson, for whom Goodrich is named, built the first castle on this site in about 1100 but none of this early castle still stands. The keep, that is the earliest part of the existing castle, was built by Richard de Clare about 1150. In the early years of the thirteenth century, William Marshall owned Goodrich, amongst many other properties. By the end of that century, Henry III had granted the rights to the castle to his half-brother William de Valence. French nobleman, de Valence, who was thus uncle to Edward I, built much of what remains today. Regarded as a foreign upstart by his neighbours, he set out to build an impressive and intimidating edifice, yet Goodrich did not have to defend itself against enemies until the seventeenth century. Instead, the castle functioned as a domestic residence, although most of its owners had properties elsewhere, so were not permanent residents. Unusually, the castle has stained glass windows, which reflect its domestic function. By 1326, the castle had passed into the hands of the Talbot family who  were still in residence at the end of the sixteenth century. They were responsible for extending and improving the castle. Royalist, Sir Henry Lingen, held the castle during the English Civil War when the Parliamentarians held it under siege. The Parliamentarians had a special large mortar cast, ‘Roaring Meg’, which could fire 200lb shells and destroyed part of the castle, then the remainder was further demolished to ensure that it was beyond repair.

The approach to the castle is via two drawbridges; the first, at right angles to the moat, leads to the barbican. This was modelled on Edward I’s barbican at the Tower of London and is a D shape. The second drawbridge leads across the moat, which never had water in. As the latrines exited directly into the moat, the lack of water may have been an issue. Here at Goodrich, one of only a few portcullis mechanisms remains.

We stopped to admire the red stone castle and watch the many swallows and martins wheeling and diving, some still with young in their nests, constructed in out of the way nooks in the castle. Once inside, we found a way to reach the battlements that didn’t involve a perilous spiral staircase and were rewarded with lovely views across the Wye Valley.

After some sustaining and very tasty passionfruit and lime cake we set off for nearby Symonds Yat. I had been here once before as a child, in 1968 and the only real memory was sparked by a photo of my mum taken at the time. I was hoping to be able to find the spot where it was taken. It seemed that the wall that she was standing by had been raised and vegetation growth meant that, what I think was the exact spot, no longer had a view but we took a photo anyway and also one a little further along, where you could see the view. Symonds Yat is the site of an Iron Age fort, built about 2500 years ago. It is thought to have fallen into disuse in the hundred years before the Roman invasion. It really was too hot to walk along any of the paths in the area, so we returned home via a supermarket stop.

There was a half hour delay through Hereford due to roadworks/volume of traffic and probably an accident, as three ambulances squeezed through the traffic to pass us. It got to 29 degrees in the car, which was less than pleasant. In the evening, we set off to meet a school friend at nearby Tillington. We went a fairly strange route as I had inadvertently put the wrong postcode in the sat nav but thanks to my map reading ‘skills’ we found the venue without much trouble. It is always lovely to catch up with people you haven’t seen for many years, in this case we think twenty-five and find we still have plenty to talk about.

Holidaying in Herefordshire Part 1

by thehistoryinterpreter

Day 1

Another month and another recent short trip away in the pursuit of our aim to stay in every English county. The county of choice this time was Herefordshire. In the hope of dodging the rush hour traffic, I left earlier than I needed to join Chris and the caravan. Dodge the traffic I did but instead I had to cope with blinding early morning sun for much of my journey. That accomplished, after a short wait so we didn’t arrive before check in time, we were on our way. Somehow along the way my phone screen went black. The phone was working as I could ring myself up using Chris’ phone but a blank screen. Apart from a few slow patches, the journey was uneventful and we arrived just as the site was open for new arrivals. We were staying about eight miles north west of Hereford. I had cunningly noted which pitches had the best wifi coverage but unfortunately these were not the sort of pitch that we had booked and I anticipated the need to stand on one leg under a tree to get reception.

Once on site there was good news. Once I was in the shade, I could just faintly see my phone well enough to increase the brightness and all was well. There was also one bar of wifi from the van so I was content. Not that I wanted to spend all day online but I did have the job I must not mention to do, as well as a conference to organise. Once set up, we sat in the sun and read (me) or fell asleep (Chris). I was determined to get to the end of Philippa Gregory’s Normal Women at the second attempt. It is excellent but huge and as an inveterate footnote reader, I am mildly irritated by the fact that the footnotes are only available online. I do appreciate that the book is on the cusp of too many pages without its fifty-four pages of footnotes but still.

Day 2

I was torn between wanting it to be dry, at least during the day, while we were away and wanting it to rain at home to keep my plants alive. Of course it could do both but that might be too much to hope for. As it was, the forecast for Hereford was decidedly wet for the rest of the week, so in a hurried rearrangement of our itinerary, we opted for the most outdoorsy option and headed to Bodenham Lakes nature reserve. As usual, I followed our route on my ordnance survey map. Predictably, the land was parched as it was at home and there were signs of autumn, with ripe blackberries, rosehips and falling leaves. This part of the county contains several orchards and there was soft fruit growing in evidence, as well as Hereford cattle and traditional timber-framed buildings. The precise location of the reserve is not marked, so we were relying on the sat nav, which can be notoriously unreliable with rural postcodes. Spying a blackberrying local, we asked for directions. It turned out we were almost there and said helpful local advised us to park by the church to avoid having to pay to park. Despite feeling that we should probably make a contribution via our car parking fee, we did park by the church, which means we could see the interesting remains of the market cross and the cross well.

It is an interesting reserve and having been directed by another helpful local, we paused in a couple of hides. For those who are interested in birding, our observations were: Canada geese, Egyptian geese, Greylag geese, mute swans, coots, a wood duck, mallards, a moorhen, cormorants, grey herons, little egrets and a great-crested grebe.  Away from the lakes, we spotted woodpigeons, crows, a magpie and a green woodpecker who posed for a photo, although was a long way away, so I had to use full zoom. Thanks to the Merlin app, I also heard dunnock, robins, blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits.

On the way back to the car, we did have a quick look inside the church. Judging by the fact that everything was draped in cloths, they have bats in residence. Back to the van to avail ourselves of the facilities, have lunch and a quick sit in the sun. Once it got a little cooler, we headed to nearby Staunton on Wye, planning a short stroll along the  Wye Valley Walk, which shares its course with the Three Rivers Ride. Normally, having already walked round the reserve, we’d have done this on a different day but mindful of the weather forecast, this was the day. Staunton on Wye is a bit of a misnomer as it is at least two miles away from the river. The Wye Valley Walk is also some way from the river bank. Having looked at the map, this wasn’t a surprise but I was hoping for more than one very brief glimpse of the river. We did hear a woodpecker, both on our outward and return walks but failed to spot this one.

We called in at Oakhurst Fam Shop, that was en-route, looking at ‘the taste of Herefordshire’ and other goodies that were on offer. I am sure this was all very good quality and there were some lovely non-food items but the prices were eye-watering. The wifi had deserted the site at lunchtime but the one bar returned by evening.

Green woodpecker taken on full Zoom from 200 yards away.

Seventeenth Century Speak, School Days and Shipboard Disasters

by thehistoryinterpreter

Apart from the delights of the annual invasion of no longer so small folk, life continues to be hectic. Despite saying ‘never again’ numerous times, I find myself in the throes of residential conference organising once again. A sell-out event to commemorate Devon Family History Society’s 50th anniversary this one. Please can anyone explain why, when I am definitely ticking things off the to do list, it isn’t getting any shorter?

I am excited to be part of The Society of Genealogists’ ‘All About That Place’ event again this year. You can join in this free online event in October, details can be found here. Mistress Agnes is also taking part. She doesn’t speak quite as we do. Obviously she doesn’t speak in authentic seventeenth century language, or none of you modern folk would understand her but she likes to give a flavour of her time. After an unbelievable nearly twenty years of our acquaintance, I am fairly fluent in Mistress Agnes but I just wanted some advice on a couple of phrases. I accidently enquired of AI, rather than Mr Google and before I could paste in the actual phrases was amused to receive the following reply, “Hark, gentle traveler! Thou hast provided the stylistic guidelines, yet the core message or topic is missing. Please bestow upon me the text, idea, or query thou wishest to transform, and I shall gladly render it into the proper phrasing of the seventeenth century. If it pleaseth thee, share with me the subject matter or text thou wishest to translate. The intended audience (e.g., a royal court, a common peasant, a trusted friend).The desired tone (e.g., solemn, poetic, or comedic).I shall then pen thy words with the utmost historical care.”

Coincidentally, I’ve been part of two sessions on school records this week. The primary school local to where I used to live celebrates its 150th anniversary next year and we are all set to gather memories of the school in preparation. At the same time, I received a very exciting email offering me the school log book dating from 1900-1919 for the school relating to another of my one-place studies. This had been rescued from a skip many years ago when the school building was converted to a private dwelling. You can imaging how thrilling this was to receive and work has begun to transcribe this. It will then be made publicly available.

In another local history project, I’ve been tracing the story  of a young midshipman who drowned in 1823 and at first seemed to leave very little trace in the obvious naval records. A muster roll for a single ship opened to door to a fascinating story, an involvement in the Napoleonic Wars and the 1812 war with America, as well as a spell as a prisoner of war and an act of bravery.

I’ll be off on another short visit soon, so expect more news from a caravan site near me. We are still trying to tick off the final few counties in my ‘every county in England’ quest. The plan is to stay, visit a National Trust property and an English Heritage property in each. There are four more on the list for this year, although, to be fair, three of them I have definitely stayed in before but just not as part of this project.

You can play the game of trying to spot me if you wish.

Genealogical Round-up

by thehistoryinterpreter

You would think that there would have been little time for family history with all this gadding about hither and yon in recent weeks. After all, I’ve been away every month for the last five months and there are at least three more trips planned for this year. Time away from family history? Not a bit of it. There have been a lot of historical goings on lately. I’ve been giving talks as usual. It was a little while ago now but what a privilege to be part of the Society of Genealogists’ Mental Health day. I managed to find some fascinating case studies of those who spent time in an asylum. I was able to listen to some of the other excellent presentations but I must single out Dai Davies’ Remembering our Ancestors who died by Suicide . Do try to catch this if you can. They are presenting it again for the Pharos Anniversary Webinar week and I will be up again then on the topic of marginalised ancestors. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that I’ve been chatting to Andrew Martin as part of his Family Histories Podcast, talking about by straw plaiting ancestress and an elusive 3x great grandmother. You can listen in; I am part of series 11 along with some other great guests.

I host Zooms for more than one organisation and if I’m honest, not all the presentations hold my interest but there have been some fascinating ones amongst those I’ve heard recently. I particularly enjoyed ‘At Home in History – reflections on writing the history of domestic life’ from Jane Hamlett and Pam Vass’ ‘Kernow to the Crystal Palace. The Remarkable Ramblings of a Cornish Fishwife:  Mary Kelynack and the Great Exhibition’. There are also some more potentially excellent talks to listen to in the diary .

Currently, I am coming to the end of leading my Pharos course on researching female ancestors, whilst at the same time, feeding back on students’ family histories that they have written as part of my writing your family history course; we’ve had stories of Irish brickmakers, handloom weavers and much more. I’ve been putting the final touches to my own biography (it has only taken fourteen years) and am enjoying supporting my new cohort of autobiography writers in the Society of Genealogists’ write your Life Story Club.

I am very excited that both Mistress Agnes and I will be contributing to this year’s All About That Place event. Then I’ve been submitting my proposals for Rootstech 2027, personning a local history exhibition and uploading some more stories of fatherless girls for A Few Forgotten Women. It is my turn to write the sample story for the next Forgotten Women Friday communal research day. I chose someone with a family name and managed to weave an account out of very few documentary appearances. Watch this space for the call for volunteers for that one. And there’s more, as one of my friends would say. I’ve been helping to get a co-authored book ready for publication and continuing preparations for the Devon Family History Society 50th anniversary conference, which is now a scarily short three months away.

Add to this the job we must not mention and I’m living my best history/family history life. Not roses but I do still have time to smell the flowers.

A Final Day in Wales- Newton House

by thehistoryinterpreter

It always feels odd uploading holiday posts once I am safely back home but here is our final day in Wales. Today is our last day and we head north to Newton House, to tick the ‘National Trust property in Carmarthenshire’ box. We found this property a bit ‘alternative’. It is used more as a community space than as a way to share an historical narrative. Today the mothers and toddlers are meeting here and there’s a Disney film showing in the basement with a bed for viewers to lounge on. There is plenty of modern art work on display. This is in keeping with the ethos of the last owner Richard Rhys, who inherited the estate in the 1960s and turned it into a ‘castle for the arts’, holding festivals to showcase, music, art and craft. It also became a base for the National Theatre. The property was acquired by the Trust with no accompanying legacy for preservation or re-furnishing and it seem not a great deal is known about its history.

The current house was built in 1660 by Edward Rice on the site of a former Tudor hunting lodge and the Rice/Rhys family held it until it was given to the Trust. George Rice-Trevor, the 4th Baron Dynevor, was involved in trying to supress the Rebecca Riots, when rioters burned crops on the estate. These disturbances were similar to the south of England’s Swing Riots and took place between 1839  and 1843 as protesters objected high levels of taxation and the tolls that were levied on turnpike roads. Things that catch my eye include a mummified cat, allegedly hidden under the floor boards for luck, samples of old wallpaper and plaster, an elaborate papier mache ceiling and the mini biographies of former servants. There are also a couple of intriguing paintings. In one, the sitter ages by thirty years depending on which angle it is viewed from and another, of three children, seems to include ‘ghost children’. It seems this is not an overpainting. Officially, the guides have been told to say it is a trick of the light.

The landscape was designed by Lady Cecil Rice née Talbot in the mid eighteenth century and the park is a grade 1 site of special scientific interest and national nature reserve because of the lichens and fungi found here. The extensive Dinefwr estate is famous for White Park Cattle. We don’t see any but there are some deer in the misty distance.

Persistent drizzle dissuades us from exploring or walking a mile each way to view the twelfth century Dinefwr Castle, which was in the hands of the Rhys family for eight centuries. The original castle, which was captured by Lord Rhys in about 1165, was built in the nineth century, who then had the current castle built. So it is back to the van for a final lazy afternoon before an uneventful trip home.

Llanelli Wetlands – so good we went there twice

by thehistoryinterpreter

There were plans for three out of the four days of our stay, so a decision had to be made about what to do with the spare day. We are aware that there are parts of the country we’ve never been, so places have to be particularly special for us to be thinking of a return visit. With that in mind, we are unlikely to stay in this area again, so I chose a return visit to the wetlands to see the section we didn’t have the energy for last time. Today we are exploring the Millenium Wetlands, totally different from what we have already seen. This section is almost devoid of people and we pop in and out of various hides to see what we can see. I am making full use of the Merlin app, which tells me what I can hear, so I am counting those on my list. Excited to have very nearly but sadly not quite, been quick enough to photograph a chiffchaff, of which, Merlin tells me there are a great many, chiffing and chaffing away. List below for bird fans as usual.

The café was an obligation of course and then a hunting for something even more elusive than a rare bird, the lesser spotted and endangered species that is a bank of a specific variety. We establish the address and ask Sally the sat nav to take us to the nearest car park. Just a shame this car park is no longer operational. We find on-street parking, for one hour only, the bank, says Google maps on my phone, which has very little battery due to all the bird identifying, is a seven minute walk away and we safely locate it. This branch of this bank is due to close in a couple of months due to ‘nobody using it in the afternoons’. It is afternoon. We spend 40 minutes there during which time two harassed staff try to cope with at least two dozen nobodies, all with less than straightforward queries. In the end we give up waiting and rush back to the car just as our allotted hour expires.

The afternoon is spent using the one bar of wifi to try to uncover the story of a bigamist. Yes I know I said this was, unusually, a no family history trip but I fell over this in the process of solving a totally different query that popped into my inbox.

Birds seen: Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Egret, Moorhen, Mallard, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon, Great Tit, Black-backed Gull, Shelduck, Yellow-billed Duck, Re-breasted Goose, White-winged Wood Duck, Bufflehead, Snow Goose, a Puss Moth caterpillar and a Slow Worm (yes, I know the last two aren’t birds).

Weobley Castle and the Gower Peninsula

by thehistoryinterpreter

The weather forecast insists it will be 19 degrees and cloudy. We dress accordingly and set off for Weobley Castle. Oddly the sat nav thinks this is in two different places about half a mile apart and although I am enjoying following along on my OS map, it is hard to see where the entrance might be. Inevitably, we have opted for the wrong sat nav possibility and here we are in a farm. Destination recalculated and we arrive. There are some lovely views but to be frank, the possibilities for exploration here are a little limited. My travelling companion is fascinated by the remote lawn mower and is blocking it’s path with abandoned short scaffolding poles to confuse it. It would be harsh to say that this was the most interesting part of the visit and there is some historical information imparted, which I share with you now, with the usual proviso that this is what I gleaned and I can’t vouch for its accuracy. Regarded as a fortified manor, part of a series of Norman castles on the Gower peninsula, Weobley was described as  ‘new’ castle in 1306, when it was held by the del la Bere family. A century later during a revolt on the Gower as a result of Owain Glyndŵr’s activities, Weobley suffered damage; the Welsh claimed to have ‘destroyed’ it. By the late fifteenth century, it was in the hands of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who had been granted the overlordship of several castle as a result of his support for Henry VII during Henry’s efforts to claim the English throne. He instituted many improvements but the castle reverted to the crown when Rhys’ grandson was executed for treason under Henry VIII. It was then leased out as a farmhouse. In 1666, it was bought by Sir Edward Mansel and then passed to the Talbot family, being given into state ownership in 1911.

Weobley Castle’s possibilities exhausted, we decide to explore the south coast of the Gower and wonder if we can also take in Oxwich Castle. We can’t, it is shut. By this time the temperature has risen to the mid-twenties, the sun is beating down, we are ‘cosy’ and fairly in need of a drink and more urgently some ‘facilities’. Oxwich itself is heaving, with queues to get in the car park. We decide to try nearby Horton. All the coastal villages round here are approached via twisty, single-track roads, with occasional passing places. We are used to this. Not so other road users who clearly think their Nissan Micra is the width of a pantechnicon and has no reverse gear. Horton is equally lacking in options. Plan c is Porth Eynon. Car park located and himself heads off to pay for the parking ticket. This is always a technological challenge, involving reading things without the aid of reading glasses and potentially downloading apps. Ah no! This machine takes real money. The snag is that it doesn’t provide the necessary ticket in exchange. Never fear it takes cards. Having thus paid twice to park and ‘facilities’ availed of, we eat an ice cream and look at the beach. Our verdict on both – all very lovely but not a patch on what is 400 yards from my home. The drive back to the van is scenic, especially the road through Reynoldston. On the way, we pass a Harvester restaurant that would have been considerably more convenient than our Friday choice. Annoying that that eluded me when I asked Google for the nearest one to Llanelli. This is followed by another restful afternoon back on site, watching the swallows feeding their babies on the wing.

Llanelli Wetland Centre

by thehistoryinterpreter

A short drive along the northern shores of the River Lougher and we are at the Llanelli Wetland Centre. We have a lovely wander round, popping in and out of various hides and unlike many of our forays to see wildlife, we do see a wide variety of wildfowl. The list is below if anyone is interested. There is also a distinct and pervading smell of cannabis at one point, although no other people are in view; very strange. Although much cooler than of late, it is a little on the cosy side and we repair to the café – hurray, coffee in sensible shaped mugs again. I was a bit disappointed to realise that we had actually only seen half of what was on offer but it really was too hot to walk another three miles or so round the other paths. The only negative was that they no longer supply paper maps. I do understand the need to save trees but I really can’t be doing with following a map on my phone. If it is big enough to read then I can’t see enough of it to work out where to go next. It would have helped if there were more copies of the map in places around the site. Note to self to print the map in advance if we ever come again to do the other half.

Then it is back to the van for a lazy afternoon. The adjacent Country Park is hosting Armed Forces Day, so we can hear military bands and World War 2 songs in the distance.

In the evening, we stroll towards the Country Park. This was formerly the site of a munitions factory. In 1881, the Explosives Company, based in Stowmarket, Suffolk, dredged the harbour, which allowed ships to bring in necessary construction materials. There were several tragedies, including an explosion in 1882, that killed seven workers, the youngest being thirteen and a fire the following year. There were further fatal explosions in 1917, 1920 and 1922. In 1914, a Glasgow Company set up a TNT factory on the site. At its height, during the First World War, there were over 6000 employees in the two factories, the majority of whom were female. Although munitions production closed in 1935, with a convalescent home utilising the buildings and the land becoming a camp for the children of unemployed miners, as the Second World War dawned, production restarted and more fatalities ensued. The factory finally closed in 1963, with the Park opening in 1980.

Rook, Mallard, Mute Swan, Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Coscoroba Swan, Australian Wood Duck, Blackbird, Wood Pigeon. Shelduck, Crow, Barnacle Goose, Chestnut Teal, Graylag Goose, Canada Goose. Moorhen, Magpie, Red-breasted Goose, Scaup, Snow Goose, Black-necked Swan, Sedge Warbler. The last one was heard only and I’ll fess up I can’t tell a sedge warbler from any other kind of small brown bird and in this case, we only heard it. I’m hopeless at birdsong too but this identification came aid of an app.

A Welsh Adventure

by thehistoryinterpreter

As caravan club frequent flyers, we are offered three night’s stay for the price of two. Always a sucker for a special offer, we look to see if, between the two of us, there is a gap in the diary. Fortuitously, there are a few days when we are both free, almost unheard of, especially at the time of the year but an opportunity not to be missed. A very short break in South Wales is planned. For once, this trip will have no family history connections at all. We are due to leave on what was the hottest day of the year, the hottest day ever in our part of the world and at our destination. Providence has it that we are delayed due to an urgent appointment, so our day of departure is due to be cooler, at least until the forecast changes and the view is that there will be another day of ridiculous hotness.

The job we must not mention firmly under control, thanks to a 4.45am start. By 8.30am, armed with plenty of water, we set off. This is as early as we can, given that the campsite has an earliest check in time of 1pm. I should say that a 4.45am start isn’t too far off normal for me, especially at this time of year and given that, after a stupidly hot night, I was not asleep anyway. As it was already 22 degrees, why not work? For my down-under friends who think our mid 30s temperatures are nothing to write home about, please remember that our houses rarely have air-con.

With the temperature in the car rising steadily, I enquire of the driver if the car has air con. I am reassured that it does but that he doesn’t know how it works. By this time, we are bowling along the M4 and it is 30 degrees. I consult the manual, handily stowed in the glove compartment. I fix the aircon, which now has the insurmountable task of cooling down what is a very hot car. We have a sat nav but it seems that while I was sorting air conditioning out I should have been navigating – who knew?  A slight detour ensues. After a while, the air con makes a dent in the temperature but then we are stuck in traffic and from Port Talbot onwards, are crawling along at about 10mph for the next hour. As the traffic starts flowing, the outside temperature drops to a blissful 19 degrees.

The site is lovely, on the edge of a country park, close to the beach and with swallows swooping and diving. I have already sussed out which pitches have the chance of a wifi signal and despite the traffic delay, we are early enough to secure one before the site fills up tonight. Next, coffee and what passes for lunch, eight hours after breakfast. A robin pops in the van to say hello.

Lured by a 40% off main meals offer (cheapskates again you see) the plan was to head to the not actually very nearby Harvester in Swansea for an evening meal. Initially, we were going to go in early and look round but a combination of the extended journey time to get here and us just wanting to chill means we leave early, being aware of rush hour traffic but not early enough to look round. This Harvester is situated in a huge retail park. We are well aware just how huge, as it takes half an hour of driving round and judicious use of Google maps to locate the Harvester, which is well hidden behind trees. The sat nav just took us to the retail park, which appears to all share the same postcode. I thought afterwards that I should have gone for What Three Words – hindsight and all that. Good job we left early. We eat far too much. It is free dessert Friday but sadly we can’t avail ourselves of that offer and the 40% off. I never thought that mini desserts would be on my radar but with your mini dessert you get coffee as well and bonus points for Harvester as it is served in a proper shaped mug, not one of those wide cups where the coffee loses heat and which is hard to balance, even though I have no trouble at all with my grip.

No pictures were taken on this day so here is a bonus bird picture taken 2 years ago.