Welcome to a slightly different blog… From now on Ali will be writing a purely climbing blog and I’ll be covering the “other stuff”. So if you want the beta on his latest crushes click HERE, or read on for the more fluffy stuff from our travels and non climbing life...

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Pembrokeshire

As the summer still looked set to continue we booked up another impromptu family holiday, this time to Pembrokeshire. I've never been here before (it's a long way from anywhere and nearly always raining) but I was bowled over by the stunning coast line, quaint villages and beautiful beaches. Although the weather was a little bit more British at times and climbing was (literally) shot out of the equation by military training on the ranges; we had a fantastic week of walking, puffin watching and possibly the best fish and chips of my life!



St David's Cathedral - a massive building in a TINY city! 



Some climbers enjoying the sea cliffs



Quaint little harbour of Porth Clais



Risking a dunking for a scenic shot!



One of the many nice stretches of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path



Lifeboats all ready to go at St Justinians



Corn in the sunshine. You just can't get my husband away from plants these days. 



Whitesands beach (and proof that British holiday makers are lazy as they all congregated around the car park and ice cream van despite miles of empty beach!)



One of many moody sunsets from our campsite, overlooking Fishguard Port



Not a bad view from a pitch!



Departure bay for Skomer Island and a fantastic day in store...



Heading down to the ferry terminal...



Arriving on the dry land of Skomer after stomach churning crossing from the mainland...



On a mission to find puffins...



It wasn't hard to find them, they were everywhere! A little harder to photograph without a telephoto lens, but I think Ali did pretty well. 









Hello little Puffling...



Dinner is served!



I was surprised how small (and cute) they were!



Another poser with the bay of the Wick behind



Rushing back though the meadows to catch the boat back, puffin watching is surprisingly addictive! 



A slightly clumsy take-off!






Our boat arrives...



Some well-earned tea and cake after a hard day's puffin watching! Ali's was surprisingly tasty courgette cake!



Fishguard Bay Campsite and home for the week. A lovely clean and friendly site, and literally cliff-top camping! 



A slightly less moody sunset from the campsite



Strumble head lighthouse in all its glory!



Another nice stretch of the Coast Path...













A break in the showers on Newport Sands



The teeny tiny St Non's chapel



It's a long way down! The stunning cliffs of Carreg-y-barcud. Lots of good climbing but Ali's already done every route!



A bit of wave and seal watching!



The super quaint village of Solva - a crabbers paradise down on the harbour. One family had caught over 80!



Colourful houses and quirky shops...



Dogs playing on Fishguard Harbour



Having been turned away from climbing on the ranges, we went for a walk around Stackpole Head... unfortunately the tide put pay to climbing here too. A nice walk nonetheless!



The mighty Stackpole Head. 



Do not jump off cliffs?



Finishing our walk along Broadhaven Beach. A heavenly little spot - albeit with the sound of gunfire and explosions echoing from the military ranges behind! 

Monday, July 22, 2013

BRUCE!!!!

As some of you may know, my Mum has a slight obsession with Bruce Springsteen, seeing him some eight times on his latest European tour alone. Keen to see what all the fuss was about we joined my parents at the Millenium Stadium to see the big man himself. It was a thoroughly amazing experience and I hate to admit it but my Mum is totally right. He's a real entertainer and his band are incredible musicians. Three hours with no support band and tune after tune made for a great show. Thanks Mum!











A true Bruce fan who danced away the whole three hours! 



Quite a lot of people...



Not actually part of Bruce's set but taken on a brief morning stroll in a Cardiff park the morning after!