Enhance your language skills with Y Gudel

Unless you live locally to Solva or St Davids in West Wales you may never have come across the Welsh language term Y Gudel.

As you will see from the signage above a Gudel translates as a Narrow Passageway and in Solva that passageway led to the river, originally giving residents access to the water for drinking, clothes washing, slops disposal, etc. (note: no mention of drinking water in the sign, but in the days before mains water was piped in, drinking water was either pumped or collected in buckets).

These are two examples of Gudels in Solva... steep stepped and narrow, not much fun on an icy winter's morning I'd guess.

The river water wouldn't always look this dirty (heavy rain washing down a lot of silt), though it would still have been full of all kinds of nasty stuff...

Solva Pump

Drawing water from the village pump wouldn't have made it any cleaner unfortunately since the water came from the same source. Oh well... Another glass of cholera anyone?

Showing off for the ladies

My early mornings have been enhanced these last few days by the crowing of the cockerels who live 'wild' around my holiday cottage. I say wild because unlike the hens who are all cooped at night, the cocks seem to be left to their own devices and roost in the trees surrounding the property. I'm not even sure how many there are, but I have identified at least six different males. Believe me when I tell you they put on quite a show for the ladies of a morning starting well before the sun is up and continuing into the day.

My very own Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn

This chap lured one of his girls onto the patio furniture to strut his stuff. His dishevelled appearance and curmudgeonly attitude reminded me a little of the character Rooster Cogburn from the book True Grit, since made famous on the big screen by the late John Wayne among others.

I don't think she was very impressed!

I'm not sure it did him much good... perhaps it's his somewhat bedraggled tail feathers that are putting her off?

Nolton Haven, Pembrokeshire

Nolton Haven is a hamlet halfway along the coast of St Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is included within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Today the community is little more than a cluster of houses and a pub next to a shingle cove.

Nolton Haven Bay

You wouldn't think so to look at them now, but the picturesque villages of Nolton and Nolton Haven were once the centre of a thriving coal-mining enterprise. The Cliff and Folly veins were the most significant coal-producing seams in the area and between 1850 and 1905 several local collieries exploited the anthracite veins running out under the sea. A long tramway once ran from Nolton Haven over the hill to the Trefran Collieryin, although you wouldn't know it to look at the village today.

Nolton Haven was renowned as a small coal port and local coal was exported from this bay from the Medieval period right through until the early 1900s.

Looking at the bay today it is hard to imagine its industrial past, the water is crystal clear and there are no traces of coal or industrial waste on the sand or shingle. In short this sheltered bay makes a restful place to stop and enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Nolton Haven, Pembrokeshire

Nolton Haven is a hamlet halfway along the coast of St Bride's Bay in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is included within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Today the community is little more than a cluster of houses and a pub next to a shingle cove.

Nolton Haven Bay

You wouldn't think so to look at them now, but the picturesque villages of Nolton and Nolton Haven were once the centre of a thriving coal-mining enterprise. The Cliff and Folly veins were the most significant coal-producing seams in the area and between 1850 and 1905 several local collieries exploited the anthracite veins running out under the sea. A long tramway once ran from Nolton Haven over the hill to the Trefran Collieryin, although you wouldn't know it to look at the village today.

Nolton Haven was renowned as a small coal port and local coal was exported from this bay from the Medieval period right through until the early 1900s.

Looking at the bay today it is hard to imagine its industrial past, the water is crystal clear and there are no traces of coal or industrial waste on the sand or shingle. In short this sheltered bay makes a restful place to stop and enjoy fresh air and beautiful scenery.

Doggy Paddle? Not Likely!

Tilly finds behaviour like this very disturbing...

The whole concept of water seems alien to her...

She is convinced all dogs are at risk where water is concerned...

Although she can swim, Tilly prefers keeping dry and worrying about doggies who go paddling.

No! It's water... get out quick before it hurts you!

Blackpool Mill nr Narbeth, Pembrokeshire

Blackpool Mill is an imposing building that stands on a picturesque reach of the Eastern Cleddau river, less than a mile below Canaston Bridge. The mill was constructed in 1813 on the site of a 17^th century ironworks, which closed in 1806 due to financial and transport difficulties.

Blackpool Mill is a rendered four-storey and attic building with a pitched slate roof. There are symmetrical two-storey wings set back from the building's south east frontage. The main central door originally had a canopy, which has since been removed.

Blackpool Mill

The mill was originally arranged round a central waterwheel, 4.5 metres diameter and 3.5 metres wide powered by water from the mill leet, which in turn was controlled by ten floodgates. During the Rebecca Riots of the 1840s these floodgates were destroyed as part of the widespread protest against social and economic conditions in rural Wales.

The waterwheel was eventually replaced by a turbine in 1901, which drove the four pairs of millstones situated at first floor level. Much of the other existing machinery was updated at that time. The turbine remained in use until 1958, when an electric drive was fitted.

The four pairs of millstones were used as follows:

• One pair for Maize
• One pair for Wheat
• Two pairs for Barley

Blackpool Mill gradually fell into disuse after the second World War the, the building being used mainly as a corn store after the electric drive was fitted in 1958.

The mill building was renovated and opened to the public as a museum and tourist venue with some working machinery in 1968; sadly it is currently closed.

No longer open to the public

An ornamental single arch bridge was built alongside the mill crossing the River Cleddau. Growths of ivy now cover much of the decorative stonework, but I think the bridge's arch is still pleasing to the eye.

Bridging the River Cleddau

Ornamental single arch bridge with Blackpool Mill in the background

If you are in the area the site is well worth a visit, especially when combined with a walk through the ancient Canaston Wood.

Beach Bum

Some dogs just love the beach and Tilly is one of them, she's never happier than when she has sand to play on so a trip to the seaside is a must whenever she goes on holiday. Of course once she's checked out her surrounds it doesn't take her long to start looking for new playmates...

I guess Newgale beach was a bit of a disappointment for her yesterday...

So much sand...

 ...and no-one to play with

Dejection!

Foxgloves

How different these wonderful wild flowers appear

In Bright Sunshine

In Shaded Woodland

And In The Rain

Home from home... sort of

So here I am in sunny (today anyway) West Wales staying in an old farmhouse called Toch Wood View near somewhere known as Canaston Bridge in Pembrokeshire.

Toch Wood View

At first view our holiday home may be a tad shabby, but once inside the house is both spacious and pretty well appointed.

Hearth & Home

There's a wood burner in the lounge with an ample supply of logs, etc. to keep you warm on a chilly evening. For convenience the house is centrally heated of course, but there's something special about a wood fire don't you think? The leather suite, occasional tables, sideboard, etc. fit the surrounds very well. The room has everything I need in a quaint kind of way.

The dining room is a bit special though.

The dining suite could certainly be termed 'antique', but it's perfectly serviceable... just look at the background.

Original Ovens

This was obviously the original farmhouse kitchen with its built in range and bread oven. No idea what the battleaxe is doing there, but I love it! I've no idea whether you could still get the range to light/work, but hey it's full of character. There's even a full size upright piano in the opposite corner!

The stone walls are a good two feet thick and the building seems to keep at a reasonable ambient temperature the day through. I'll bet it feels warm during even the coldest winter though.

The bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen are all fine if a little spartan. We have an enclosed patio area and the run of a large garden, which is great for Tilly. Are there any drawbacks? Well maybe one... the rooster who decides to salute the day every morning at 3:00am! lol

We're here for a few days so expect some images from this local area to appear here as time allows.

Walking near Marktschellenberg

It hardly seems possible, but three weeks have slipped by since I was enjoying my walks in the countryside around Marktschellenberg, in the district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria in Germany. How time flies. At least I have my images to remind me of that fabulous landscape.

Typical Chalet in Berchtesgadener Land

Walking the lanes around my accommodation brought me great amounts of pleasure, especially on those days when the cloud lifted to show the surrounding mountains in all their glory.

The air was so wonderfully fresh and clean and the smell of the wild flowers in the meadows was quite heady.

Plentiful wildflowers - predominantly Buttercups, Clover and Daisies

I'm sure this would be an excellent location for anyone with an interest in walking in open spaces. Indeed for anyone who just enjoys being in the countryside.

Some of the hills are quite steep, but sticking to the roads made walking quite easy. I admit I would be tempted to climb some of the more accessible mountains when I return, which I fully intend to do one day.

I could see this mountain from my balcony

Steinlehen - the FeWo where I stayed

I have no idea why this part of Europe is not promoted heavily by the tourist industry, perhaps it's because those canny Bavarians want to keep it to themselves and who could blame them? Hordes of gawking tourists would only spoil the peace and tranquility.

Chalets, meadows, mountains and not a Sound of Music tour bus in sight thank goodness!

Salzburg - post 7: Fortress Hohensalzburg

I wanted to close this series of images from Salzburg with a few photographs taken at Fortress Hohensalzburg.

Fortress Hohensalzburg is an absolute eye-catcher peaking out high above the baroque towers of the city as you can see. The castle is an unmistakable landmark providing Salzburg’s world famous silhouette.

Fortress Hohensalzburg

You can climb the hill to the castle and walk around its perimeter, but most visitors take the funicular railway (the Festungsbahn) up the face of the cliff.

Festungsbahn - the funicular railway

Once at the top the views over the city are stunning as you will see if you check my previous posts. The castle itself is pretty impressive too though.

Fortress Hohensalzburg viewed from the cafe

One of the largest medieval castles in Europe, construction of Fortress Hohensalzburg began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein.

The stone structure we see today has evolved a long way from the original timber fortification, of which nothing now remains.

When you start to explore the fortress though it soon becomes apparent that it is far more than just any old castle. It is more akin to an easily defended walled city, with an impregnable keep within.

There were malt houses, brew houses, bakeries, a hospital, a school... well as I said, it's a walled city so there's everything you'd expect to find and a little more too.

You'll find a central courtyard with trees and a deep water well. There's also a rear access to the main hall here... take a close look at the building below.

Notice those archways halfway up the wall? Can you guess what they were?

There's a second deep well inside the keep, so even if the outer walls were breached the defenders could still rely on a fresh water supply.

The builders were mindful of decoration too...

Quite an impressive crest, eh? But wherever you go around the fortress there are reminders of the structure's main purpose.

Although these days the munitions have been turned into art for the pleasure of the visitor.

Gun ports ring the external wall, but can you imagine trying to storm this castle in the first place? I'll pass on that idea thanks... not that I'd have had a choice in the matter back in history.

There's natural beauty here too though... Nature is making her presence felt.

Campanula are self seeding and thriving on the old stone walls.

Beautiful aren't they? And while I love natural beauty I'm also appreciative of human effort.

Passage Door