Day 34 (23rd July 2022)

 I can't quite get my head around how far I've come just lately. It seems that only a few days ago I was in the Scottish Isles and now I've landed in Cornwall. 

Having sailed through Somerset with relative ease, the Germinal CCXXIV places started to get a bit more challenging. First off was luckily solved a couple of years ago when Guy & I had a long weekend with Lindz, Angus and Mildred - we stayed in a very swanky house, the name of which escapes me just now, but it was near Barnstaple. Designed by a famous architect (whose name also escapes me just now). There was a raised platform in the living room which would have made a great DJ base, and there was a table with an Ordinance Survey map from eons ago that had the place that had so far eluded me for years. It was stop #66

THE NECK

Now, as you can imagine, "The Neck" could have been anywhere, bit luckily I have a pic of a more up to date OS map taken from my campsite.

As luck would have it, it was completely overcast and I set off in the wrong direction, so my half hour walk to The Neck took almost an hour. The road I ended up on was pretty hard going, owned by the MoD so only suitable for 4 wheel drive landrovers. I was very glad I had my poles.

The Neck is basically a strip of sand between some muddy boggy pieces of land at Crow Point on the banks of the River Taw. Now you know.

It was only a couple of miles as the crow flies to the next stop, but the only bridge across the river is about 5 miles in land, so it took a lot longer than I expected to get to stop #67

WESTWARD HO!

Westward Ho! is a dump. It is one of those places I have been itching to visit my entire life, and having spent the best part of 10 minutes there, I am more than satisfied that I need never ever come back. I haven't read the Charles Kingsley book of the same name, but I suspect his version of the town really isn't anything remotely like the current version.

Pic taken and away I went.

My next destination wasn't exactly easy to find. Google maps was utter shite to be totally honest, showing it a couple of miles in the Bristol Channel. I ended up at the NT carpark near Brownsham and stopped for a reviving coffee at the teashop. I asked a couple of women sitting around a table and they immediately did "google maps", and they came to the same conclusion I had. I mentioned that I had bought the Ordinance Survey app, but as of this morning, still had zilch to show for it despite them taking my money, so we were all a bit stuck. I had passed a house called "stop #68" a few miles back, which they were familiar with. Out of desperation, I tried my OS app again, and would you believe, it finally started working and low and behold, I had the pathway route to stop #68

GALLANTRY BOWER 

This was another really challenging and hard walk, and I was glad of both my poles and my raincoat (kindly given to me by Grizelda a few months ago). I'm smiling so much because this walk, despite being pretty hard going, was really worth it. The scenery was exceptional with a few delightful surprises along the way;

The walk back nearly broke me! I started to get bitten, and although it was hot, it also rained intermittently and I sweated out yet another T shirt by the time I staggered back to the carpark. I was exhausted. However, I was determined to fit in one more Germinal CCXXIV place before I retired for the evening. It meant driving past my night time base, but now I'm in Cornwall, these Germinal CCXXIV places are stacking up fast! So it was another hairy up and down narrow road adventure to the most amazing stop #69

CRACKINGTON HAVEN

What an amazing place! Why have I never been here before? I will definitely be coming back, that is for sure. 

I did get a few funny looks as I changed my T-shirt and wandered around a bit trying to get that cliff reflection in the sand in my pic. I would have loved to stay here for supper, but it was getting late, and I wasn't too sure about making my stop in Bude before it got too late.

As it happens, I wasn't that late, and managed to get a table at the local Indian restaurant before it got packed. Chicken Naga and a bottle of wine, and I am feeling no pain!

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out 

Day 33 (22nd July 2022)

 So today I bid hwyl fawr to Cymru and arrived over the (free to leave) Prince of Wales bridge back into England for the South West leg of Germinal CCXXIV. The first part was difficult-to-avoid motorway driving. I intended to come off at Portishead just to see what it's like, but I missed my turning. No bother, as the next exit took me almost directly into the next town on my itinerary and it is there that I was easily able to locate stop #64

CLEVEDON PIER

What a charming piece of Victorian architecture despite the drizzle. Completed in 1869, it regularly wins the annual "Pier of the Year" (who knew such a competition even existed?) and although from a distance, it really doesn't look like much, it's only when I get onto it that I started to appreciate its finer qualities. 

There are plaques all along the sides and the planks you walk on. I immediately thought of the re-release of "Remember Me" which has hand written names on the back of the 7" vinyl version. For years I was content with just the one copy (I had Peter Cushing) but when Harper Lee appeared on a certain 2nd hand online bidding site, well that started me collecting more and more.

I had a fantastic chat with volunteer Sue B who was working in the cafe at the end. She loved the idea of my road trip, spotted Clevedon Pier immediately on my T and filled me in about some of the finer points of the pier. Having spent some of my late teenage years in Eastbourne, and many hours feeding 2p pieces into the penny falls machine as I couldn't afford more than a couple of games of Frogger at a time, my idea of what piers were all about were very different from the feeling you get wandering up Clevedon Pier. It is the only Grade 1 listed Pier in the UK. Take that, Southend and Blackpool.

Next stop was a place I've driven past a few times on our way to Porlock & Minehead (ATP I miss you). Cleve Abbey is an absolute delight - although there is nothing left of the actual abbey church, what remains is one of the most complete set of monastic buildings in the whole of the UK, and it really is fascinating. Helped by the most enthusiastic volunteer who reminded me a lot of Mary Beard, I spent a lot longer than I intended there. The dormitory block and the refectory retained their roof after the dissolution and they are absolutely stunning.

There is also one of the most complete gatehouse as well as some incredible tiled floors. I can't recommend a visit highly enough, if Cistercian Monasteries are your thing.

I only just made it in time to catch the oyster seller at Porlock Wier for lunch.

My final stop was another Germinal CCXXIV place, and it was just past my campsite for the evening, but the weather was gorgeous, as was stop #65

MORTE POINT

What a stunning headland. It was a real dilemma trying to work out the best angle for my pic, as every compass point gives a view to make you gasp. Once again a selfie really doesn't do justice to the vista.

My base for the night. Awful, isn't it 🥰

Hope you enjoy Sea Power at Latitude if you're there!

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out 

Day 32 (21st July 2022)

 Today stared really well - left early and arrived before opening time at Castell Harlech. A very impressive ruined castle built way back in the 1280s by Edward I to secure his conquered Welsh lands. Good thing about getting their early is you have the place pretty much all to yourself.

I was due to meet my friend Melvyn in Aberystwyth for lunch, and according to waze anyway, had more than enough time for another stop along the way.

This was the small ruined Cymer Abbey, built by Cistercian monks in 1198 but never really flourished, partly because of the wars between the Welsh and the English.

My journey to Aberystwyth was a bit of a nightmare. A very slow moving truck with a long line of cars behind meant my trip time was almost tripled. Then when I finally did arrive in Aberystwyth, the restaurant I'd planned to meet up in was closed. I chose an alternative rather badly, but partly because I'd forgotten that Melvyn has the eating habits of a truculent 7 year old who won't eat anything except strawberry nesquick. I ended up eating everything, he had 1 forkful of crab and a few olives. I then felt very guilty when he absolutely insisted on paying for it.

I thought I could just about make it down to St.Davids to check out the smallest cathedral city in the UK (I always thought this title went to Peel on the Isle of Man until it was pointed out to me that the IoM isn't part of the UK). However, as luck would have it, once again traffic was moving at a pace most middle-aged joggers would have been comfortable with, and this went on for miles and miles and miles. Trying not to make racist sweeping generalisations, but I have deduced a fundamental difference between the Scots and the Welsh. The Scots deal with an increase in tourist traffic by putting polite little notices from the Police asking slow drivers to pull in wherever possible to let others pass, and this they do. All the time. Now the Welsh seem to do the opposite, and before any Welsh people unfollow me, what I did notice from my position at the back of two long queues was that when opportunities to overtake arose, the drivers of these painfully slow vehicles deliberately moved into the centre of the road, making overtaking impossible.

After almost an hour of creeping down A roads, I decided to abandon the St.Davids idea as by the time I would now arrive, the cathedral would have closed. At this point maybe I should point out that my mother-in-law is Welsh, so I shall be putting my theory to her to see what she makes of it! I suspect it is revenge at all those English having 2nd homes here!

Grr.

So, trying  to at least achieve something positive, I reset waze to take me to stop #63

BARRY ISLAND PLEASURE PARK

Oh    my    god 

What a dump! I said as much over the phone to Guy and he told me to shush! There weren't many people around (it was almost 6pm) but I had to laugh! Who was it that warned me about Barry Island? What was really making me smirk was the smashed up bits of old rides right next to this particular entrance gate. How to make people feel confident in hurtling upside down on a rusty old ride...

No thank you ma'am.

My patch for the evening is, as the crow flies, about halfway between Barry and Cardiff and surprisingly rural.

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out 

Day 31 (20th July 2022)

 Today was going to be another busy day in terms of Germinal CCXXIV places so I headed out early, interrupting this little fellar having his breakfast.

Having failed to a certain extent with a place earlier on in the trip, I was able to rectify that with stop #58

HOLY ISLAND (2)

This Holy Island is the one on the west coast of Anglesey, larger than its Northumberland namesake and much easier to get to especially now that the A55 has been improved. Holy Island is also where another Germinal CCXXIV place can be found. Stop #59

SOUTH STACK

Amazing cliffs made this stop very worth while. The RSPB have a presence here, and I got chatting to 2 of their volunteers  - started off with me asking about the huge collection of bird (and other wildlife) badges that the guy had on his waistcoat before we got around to why I was there. Look out for their new logo out very soon.

Originally I was going to stop off at Caernarfon and look at the castle, but I thought I might run out of time for my final stop, so gave it a miss. There will be another time, of that I'm certain. The drive away from Anglesey took me down the Lleyn Peninsula back onto roads barely wide enough for one car to the little village of Rhiw, where I got my first glimpse of the spectacular stop #60

HELL'S MOUTH

I have to admit my picture doesn't really do the view any justice.  Hell's Mouth (aka Porth Neigwl) sweeps from Rhiw to Llanengan in a majestic arc, and because it is relatively inaccessible for most of its length, empty of people and their rubbish. There is no way I could have stopped Guy going for a swim here had he still been with me.

I had a cuppa and a slice of gin & tonic cake (who knew?) at the NT Plas yn Rhiw (but passed on visiting the garden) as I had a timed ticket for the stop after my next stop, if you follow my drift, so headed off in search of stop #61

THE COB

Now this particular Germinal CCXXIV place name had confused me for years. I thought it might have been a typo of "The Cobb" which was the breakwater made famous by Meryl Streep in "The French Lieutenant's Woman", but more recently while doing some map reading in preparation for this very trip, came across the word "Cob" in relation to The Britannia Causway in Porthmadog. There was a Cob Records at one end, and I went in there to have a quick chat with Tony who told me about "The Cob" which is what everyone locally calls the causeway. So I thought it only fair to include his shop in the picture. If you look really closely, you can just about make out the steam train that runs along the Cob too.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had a timed ticket for my final stop #62

PORTMEIRION

Well well well, this place has to be one of the most surreal places in the UK. I haven't seen "The Prisoner" but know enough about it to be familiar with the whole "I am not a number" thing, but my god I didn't expect this place to be quite so utterly bonkers. Now this isn't my first visit here, but I think I was barely knee high to a grasshopper last time, so my memory is pretty much non-existent. I do remember asking for and getting a toy here though which consisted of a u-shaped piece of wood with a piece of string upon which a wooden figure would spin round when I pressed the two prongs of the ... I'm not explaining this very well - similar to this but simpler;

I kept it for years until the piece of cane disintegrated and into the bin it went.

 They were filming the final of landscape painter of the year (or something along those lines) so there were camera crews everywhere I turned. Lots of people were doing their very best to get in front of cameras, so desperate some people are to be on the telly, but as far as I'm aware, I succeeded in not doing so. I hope so anyway. But what a place!

Kicking myself I never bought tickets for Festival No.6 now.

Correct campsite this evening. I was recognised by both staff and other holiday makers so no chance of hiding my embarrassing blunder from yesterday. But once again saved from further humiliation when I whipped out one of my Germinal CCXXIV mugs and explained all.

Can't think off hand if there are any Germinal CCXXIV places tomorrow. I do have a lunch date with my friend Melvyn who lives in Wales. I'm dragging him over to Aberystwyth as I'm told it is one of Wales prettier seaside towns.

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out 

Day 30 (19th July 2022)

Today is my halfway point of my Germinal CCXXIV road trip. It has been quite a busy day, with its fair share of ups and downs, much life (my) life itself!

Left the campsite in Southport under a cloud of shame as I broke the rules and drove out the in way (I couldn't be bothered to drive all the way to the end and back so just raised the one way barrier and drove the wrong way through it - would have got away with it too but for one man who started yelling "I didn't know you could do that!" loud enough for the person in charge to come out of the office to investigate. 

wev.

First stop of the day ... well, you just have to forgive my Ian Brown impersonation... stop #54

SPIKE ISLAND

That was almost it for England as far as Germinal CCXXIV went, but between me and the Welsh border was another English cathedral city, Chester. It had misericords!!

The temperature kept rising but I carried on regardless, making my way to the first Welsh stop on my tour. Stop #55

POINT OF AYR 

Although it was kind of easy to find, I got lost on the way back to the carpark. Being the hottest day in the UK since lions roamed our shores in the days of Pangaea, wandering around sand dunes wasn't something I really wanted to be doing. It took me 40 minutes to find the Alphard. 

I hoped the next stop wouldn't be quite so stressful. It wasn't.  Stop #56

RHYL SUN CENTRE 

Well, Rhyl Sun Centre as most of us probably know it doesn't exist anymore. Despite squillions being pumped into it, it died a death in 2014 and was resurrected as SC2 in 2019. Clad in brown. Rhyl is grot central. Why anyone would come on holiday here when Llandudno is just a few miles further along the coast is anyone's guess.

Llandudno happens to be the place to head to in order to get to stop #57

GREAT ORME

So I have to come clean here. I did take the 2 trams right up to the top of Great Orme, only to discover that I had left my most treasured Germinal CCXXIV T shirt behind. I tried to bluff it ...

but neither pics felt quite right.

Things started to go downhill from this moment on. I put in the campsite postcode to Waze and almost immediately got a call from my campsite asking me how long I'd be - I told them about an hour. About an hour later, I turned up only to be met by two women telling me they were full. When I said "but you called me an hour ago ..."

They hadn't called me and when I got my phone out to prove that I wasn't hallucinating, it dawned on me that I had put the wrong campsite postcode into waze and this was the place I would be staying at tomorrow night.

ARRRGH!

Finally made it to the right campsite you will be pleased to hear.

I'm such an idiot sometimes!

Allons-y 

Douglsd Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out