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Post by whollygoats on Jul 19, 2016 15:12:35 GMT
Given that Swimmer was going to flit off to Spain come September, I started looking in to my planned itinerary for "The Neolithic Tour". I initiated correspondence with Wildabout Orkney, a tour arranger and am leaning toward their 6-day ' Orkney and Shetland Escape' tour. My tentative departure date from Aberdeen is May 26, 2017. This means I'm tentative planning on arriving in the UK some time in mid-April and working my way north through Wales, Man, Cumbria and Scotland before arriving in Aberdeen at the end of May.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 20, 2016 14:08:32 GMT
Jarlshof is a new reference to me and has been added to the itinerary thanks to the offered option of going 'just a little bit further on' to the Shetlands. So, of course, I had to see what might be there which would interest me...Jarlshof.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 20, 2016 18:43:24 GMT
I'm picking through the Trip Advisor "Top Things To Do In..." Here's Wales. First off, I don't do zoos or safari parks. The mountains call to me more than the beaches, but the coastal route northbound calls to me on this. And, I should probably call at Pembroke Docks. A few nice medieval ruins along the way. To me, the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal looks intriguing. And Isle of Man. Wow...The whole damn island is a 'Transport Museum'. There must be four railways, one steam, one electric, one horse-drawn and at least one regular diesel train. How many gauges, I wonder? Plus a Motor Museum and a Transport Museum (and a Folk Museum, which I'm betting focuses upon how the early Manx got around) and, of course a Maritime Museum. Plus, there HAS to be a motorcycle museum somewhere on that island. The races are in June, right? I want to be off the isle by then. Feel free to comment on any selections...'stay away' or 'recommend'.
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Post by juju on Jul 22, 2016 10:22:04 GMT
Don't forget there's loads of prehistoric and iron age / Celtic stuff here in Wales. I took Sarah to Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire, a neolithic burial site: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentre_Ifan
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 15:26:24 GMT
Now that looks enticing.
What I'm wondering at this point is whether there is a means of traveling along the Welsh coastline from Bristol to Chester. I know that British Rail goes from Holyhead to Chester, as I've ridden it. I understand, however, that there is no rail connection from, like Cardigan and points south, north along the coast to Porthmadog. How does one get to or from Aberystwyth without an automobile?
Then....Looking at the map and noticing that in south Wales the movement from east to west has options and, at first glance, the A40 route through Monmouthshire and Brecon Beacons National Park, to Carmarthen (and then on to Pembroke Dock) looks to be a much nicer route than the M4 through Newport, Cardiff, and Swansea. Would I be missing much by skirting around the south Wales conurbation? I am, of course, assuming that there is public transport of some kind that actually does A40 westbound. A bus line, perhaps?
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 15:47:06 GMT
Hmmm...Pondering over this... Is this reasonably up to date? If so, it looks like I can get most places by rail or bus. I'm sure some are more tortured than others...I did once spend three hours trapped in Truro, just to make a bus connection.
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Post by juju on Jul 22, 2016 16:45:17 GMT
Come and see us, we're happy to offer lifts!
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 20:05:29 GMT
Come and see us, we're happy to offer lifts! I would happily come see you, but I'm sure you haven't all that much time to spend squiring me around. Maybe you folks could show me someplace nearby that public transport doesn't serve well? What town are you in?
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 20:28:30 GMT
At this point, my rough plan is to fly in around mid-April and immediately make for Bristol. There, I figure I can shake off the jet lag and do a couple of tours with Mad Max Tours in Bath....y'know, Cotswolds and Somerset in a Land Rover. Then, I was imagining moving on and crossing westward across southern Wales. The Brecon Canal sounds intriguing and it is entry to a national park that must be a national park for a reason (I haven't looked it up, yet) but looks more enticing that all the big cities. (Hence the A40 vs. M4 question.) Then, it looks like Pembroke is firming up to be a spot to stop and nose around, with locales like Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock, St. David's and Cardigan. Then, it's along the coast of the Irish Sea to Aberystwyth, Porthmadog, Caernafon, Colwyn Bay & Llandudno. (You folks don't even want to know how badly I'm mangling the pronunciations of those names.) Northwest Wales looks like another spot to alight for several days. Then, I'd guess on to Chester and Liverpool to catch the ferry to Man.
That is where it stands at the moment. Other than backtracking from Colwyn Bay to Caernafon, it looks like my straightforward circuit around the coastal perimeter is 'doable'. I'm betting decent timetable match-ups are as rare as hen's teeth.
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Post by Moose on Jul 22, 2016 20:36:48 GMT
When are you getting to us?
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Post by juju on Jul 22, 2016 21:11:49 GMT
We live on the A485, halfway between Lampeter and Carmarthen. There's loads of great stuff in this area, and Cardigan Bay is really lovely, rather like Cornwall.
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Post by Kye on Jul 22, 2016 21:33:01 GMT
Yes, it really IS lovely chez juju. Highly recommended by me.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 22:32:28 GMT
When are you getting to us? The plan is after my escape from Man before motorcycle hell descends upon it...early to mid-May. Will that work? I'm rather hoping that I'll find an alternative to going back to Liverpool/Haysham...like this mysterious 'peak of the season' boat transit from Douglas directly in to the harbor at Winterhaven. Which brings up the question....2017 is the odd year for your 'Maritime Festival', no? When is that slated?
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Post by Moose on Jul 22, 2016 22:34:43 GMT
I am not sure that the Maritime still happens - I've a friend who used to be on the committee, I will ask. But for financial reasons I thought it was gonna be discontinued which is a pain in the ass cos it's a lot of fun. But later in the year .. June or poss July.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 22:36:08 GMT
Yes, it really IS lovely chez juju. Highly recommended by me. Well...Given that recommendation and the idyllic relative location, expect this Yank to darken your doorway next spring, juju.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 22, 2016 23:11:05 GMT
I am not sure that the Maritime still happens - I've a friend who used to be on the committee, I will ask. But for financial reasons I thought it was gonna be discontinued which is a pain in the ass cos it's a lot of fun. But later in the year .. June or poss July. Y'know...I have not considered an end date on this foray. If I get jammed up down south and take too much time, I'm going to be running against a specific date for me to arrive in Aberdeen. I will drop everything to get there on that date. It is my #1 objective on this trip. So, if I have to 'beat feet' north, once done with my six days on the Orkneys and Shetlands, I sort of expect to slink slowly back down through Whisky Road country (Speyside, Inverness, and the Great Glen, back to Stirling), I could well end up in Cumbria on my way back, southbound, which would put me there early to mid-June. The same story holds for Man. On my way back, I'll probably be focused on visiting some air museums and aerodromes. By then, $$ will probably be an issue. If not, by then, I'll be wondering why I don't just hop on over to Brittany and go see Carnac.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 23, 2016 0:12:12 GMT
In case anybody is wondering how I'm going to afford accommodations, well...that's part of traveling. I'll try to reduce my costs by using Hostelling International hostels (AYH, there, I believe). Here, for example, is a list of the HI hostels in Wales. When I want to upgrade, I can book in to a B&B, or, even more extravagant, a hotel. That means hot shower time. The whole laundry thing is a time and hassle issue.
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Post by Sarah W. on Jul 27, 2016 16:10:13 GMT
We live on the A485, halfway between Lampeter and Carmarthen. There's loads of great stuff in this area, and Cardigan Bay is really lovely, rather like Cornwall. The coast near there is very like Cornwall. If I've done this right, it should link to some pictures that I took while walking along the coast path between Trefin and St David's Head. And there's interesting neolithic stuff inland nearer to Julie's place, and beautiful countryside, etc, etc. I second Kye's recommendation. :-)
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 27, 2016 18:57:53 GMT
Oh, it's already made it to the "Must Do" list.
That coastline really does look a lot like the Cornish coast. Well, the north Cornish coast, at least. My wife and I went to Tintagel and loved it. Arthurian fans should recognize the location. The opening of the film "Excalibur" did it justice.
The more I nose around the Pembrokian sites, the more it looks like an excellent location.
juju, are there buses north to Snowdonia from near your location?
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 2, 2016 5:12:22 GMT
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 6, 2016 15:04:56 GMT
So...I'd rather selected the Orkneys as my prime destination because it has the site I'm most interested in seeing, Skara Brae. Of course, realizing that it is significantly further north than my home (58 degrees N as versus 45 degrees N) and a set of islands in the North Sea, I'm wise to the fact that the weather may not be optimal. I chose my arbitrary 'start' day for the tour in the midst of the last week in May of 2017. I just went and checked out Kirkwall's climate data and found that the best time for most sunlight and least rain was....May. So, the climate almanac is with me.
Of course, that means hitting Wales, Man, and Cumbria in April and early May....and from what I've heard, that's going to be like being right here at home...damp.
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 6, 2016 15:27:25 GMT
Don't forget there's loads of prehistoric and iron age / Celtic stuff here in Wales. I took Sarah to Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire, a neolithic burial site: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentre_IfanOkay...I realized that I have been to many a standing stone. And to several henges. But I have never been, in person, to a dolman. This one, at Pentre Ifan, looks to be a superb example. Are visitors allowed to touch the stones....have their photo taken leaning on the stones?
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Post by juju on Aug 6, 2016 23:20:31 GMT
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Post by Kye on Aug 6, 2016 23:22:40 GMT
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 7, 2016 0:32:17 GMT
Most excellent. I like the weather shown there, too....Can I get some of that?
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Post by JoeP on Aug 7, 2016 11:39:07 GMT
Motley indeed.
I'm not as blurry in real life.
At least not away from ancient monuments which are clearly portals to other dimensions and where the walls between us and Faerie become thin.
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Post by juju on Aug 7, 2016 12:12:10 GMT
At least not away from ancient monuments which are clearly portals to other dimensions and where the walls between us and Faerie become thin. Are you *sure* you're not from round here?
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Post by JoeP on Aug 7, 2016 14:47:15 GMT
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 7, 2016 15:44:11 GMT
Yeah...I was just reading up on Carmarthen. That area is Merlin country. Magical, no?
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Post by juju on Aug 7, 2016 17:16:07 GMT
Yeah, Carmarthen is meant to have been the birthplace of Merlin. But round here is a mecca for pagan types - bit like Glastonbury. Among my friends I count a Druid, a 'Faerie' and several Wiccans. There was an influx of hippies in the 70s, looking for an alternative lifestyle, and Welsh farmers were only too happy to sell them their damp old stone barns and cottages (and move into nice new bungalows).
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