Cheddar Gorge

I've always wanted to visit Cheddar Gorge, so as we were, kinda, passing on the way home from Cornwall to Cumbria, we thought we should pop in.

Not sure what I expected, but not quite what it was.  I thought it was just caves to be honest, but the gorge itself was breathtakingly beautiful.

And inside the caves was just as exciting.  I was trying out loads of different flash settings, but many of my pictures turned out pants - lesson learnt there then!

I totally love the colours and formations in some of the rock faces.

In one part there was these little Goblin things, that were only shown up now and again with lighting, otherwise they couldn't be seen.  My darling Hubster had spotted them before me and sneaked up behind me and did a Golum impression ("Filthy little Bobbitses") in my ear.  I jumped a mile, swore loudly and profusely, then sulked with him for ages.

We visited the two caves, I have to say though I REALLY wanted to see more Stalactites and Stalagmites than was there, and I REALLY wanted my photos to pick out all the wonderful colours in the caves.  But both disappointed.

Then it was time for the Jacobs Ladder walk - a 274 step (YES, STEPS) up the side of the gorge.

My thoughts were, I'm gonna have a heart attack, I'm gonna pant and puff like the fat bird that I am, I'm gonna kick any children that try to run past me, I'm gonna cry!

Deep breath.... and GO !

The view from 28 steps.

The view from 79 steps.

The view from 137 steps.

The view forward at 200 steps.

The view from 274 steps - only another 46 to go!

The view from the top of the tower, towards Cheddar Reservoir.

See, I did it!  My knees shook all the way back down and for an hour afterwards  :)  AND, to add insult to injury, I blooming well nettled myself.  I have not been nettled for about 30 years and boy, it stung.

For more of my Cheddar Gorge & Cave photos please click HERE.

Portishead - in photographs

We stayed at Portishead as a stop off on the journey home from Cornwall to Cumbria.

The plan was to visit Cheddar Gorge and the Travelodge at Portishead was the cheapest in the area  :)

I'll share our visit in photos....

A walk down Portishead Docks.

Admiring the sculptures along the dock side.

Looking at the bridge that leads into Wales.

Buying bread in a nearby Supermarket to feed the swans.

Going out for dinner to a restaurant we found on Trip Advisor.

Taking a local's recommendation and travelling a few miles to see the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

It cost us 50p each way to travel over the bridge.

Wondering how two of us were going to fit into a Travelodge double bed!

How the mighty have fallen..

Yesterday, after leaving Cornwall, we started to snake up the country to head back to "home-sweet-home".

Hubster has not see our house for a month now and he is missing the animals terribly.  Dotty Dog is going to go mad when she sees him.

There has been a few things that we have bookmarked to do over the years, so we are planning to tick a couple of those off on the way up the M6.

Having left our most luxurious hotel (paid for by Hubsters work) we are now back to basics in a Travelodge (because I am too tight to pay anything more, after all what do you need?  A bed and a loo, that'll do.)

But I felt like a complete snob when I walked into the room.  I could actually feel my  nose starting to upturn.

Perfectly clean and tidy, friendly staff....but it was SO SMALL !

Little bed.

Little bathroom.

Little view.

Little price - it is what it is.

Travelodge, I will be back in love with you soon, but last night was just too soon....

Delabole

This post is a follow on post from my search about my ancestors, you may have read the Mousehole post where I was looking for the chapel and birth place of my Grandfather and Great Grandfather.

I called my Uncle while I was there who told me to try St Teath.  After a few emails to another relative I had some patchy information to work on.

Off we went to St Teath, where first of all I found a church, not a Methodist church but a Parish Church.  We are looking for "Brays" which annoyingly seems to be a common name down in Cornwall.  There was a list in the church with names of former vicars of St Teath on it.

And there, in 1948 is a Bray!  I have no idea about this name or information so I will be passing it onto someone who might.
Also in the graveyard I found another Bray, I wonder if these are relatives too.

We got talking to a bloke laying a path and he pointed out where the Methodist chapel was, so off we went to investigate that.

As we were photographing it, the lady next door was obviously wondering what we were up to, and came out to potter about in her garden.  I went and chatted to her and told her why I was there. I had an address as 227 High Lane, Medrose, but nothing showed up on Sat Nav. She said I was in the wrong village and sent me further up the road to the next village called Delabole.

Now this excited me somewhat as Uncle Bob had previously mentioned that Granddad and Great Granddad had both worked at the Delabole mine, we didn't realise there was a village called that too.  So off we went.

We discovered this information through Google:

Delabole village is situated approximately 1 mile inland on the North Coast of Cornwall in the United Kingdom.
The Home of the Delabole Slate Quarry and the First Commercial Wind Farm in the United Kingdom.
The Village only became Delabole after the railway arrived in 1893. Before this there were three hamlets
Rockhead, Medrose and Pengelly linked by a road called High Lane now known as the High Street.

Well would you believe it?  We were sitting in the car, on High Street in Medrose!  Where my Great Grandfather was born.  Just like that, we were there.  Sadly 227 is not there anymore, the numbers only go up to 150.  Where 227 might have been is a rugby field then a row of modern 1960's bungalows.  Could it be it was a miners cottage, or a slum dwelling that's been demolished now?  Who knows.

Interestingly though we found the Methodist Chapel - now this HAS to be the one doesn't it?  Right by the street he lived in.

Do you remember me telling you that G-Grandad was a minister (or it might have been Lay Preacher as I have since found out) but he was also involved in smuggling?  Well, right beside the church is a chip shop called "Smugglers Rest" . I wonder where that name come from, surely it must have some history.

From here it was off to visit the Delabole Slate Mine, which I didn't expect to be still there, a signpost said otherwise.  It was 7.00pm in the evening by now and of course it was shut, but there was an arrow pointing to a viewing platform so we took a walk down to it and got the shock of our lives!

The most enormous hole I have ever seen in my life!  I have since found out that it is one of the biggest holes in Europe.

The diggers looked like matchbox toys.

Found this image on Google, it's not a great photo but I think it shows the depth better.

Photo Credit: www.thisisnorthcornwall.com

I very naughtily took a couple of bits of slate from the ground, about the size of a 10p piece, as I thought my Mum and Uncle Bob might like one as a memento.

We went on from here to Port Issac, I wanted to see it because if the rumours about the smuggling are true, I would image Port Issac would be where the ships might come in.  A local chap told me a story of how the smugglers used to light fires on hillsides to confuse the ships and bring them onto the rocks, where the cargo would be plundered.

From this photo, taken from the car park at Port Issac, if you look centre photo, on the land, you can't see it but the windfarm at Delabole is there.  Not too far to walk from the coast is it?  Three miles in fact from sea to village, just enough for a smuggler to haul his wares.  :)

St Issac...aka Portwenn

Today we visited Port Isaac, more famously known as Portwenn from the TV show Doc Martin.

Wow, what a steep place, let me tell you the burn in my calf muscles went on for ages!

We parked at the top of the village between Port Issac and Port Gaverne.  Can you see the arrow?  That's the car park.

Photo Credit: www.beachhousecornwall.co.uk

The same pic with another arrow, this arrow is pointing at the house they use as the Dr's surgery in the TV show.

We headed towards Port Issac which is the little port on the right of the photo,  it was quite nice going downhill, quite relaxing, except for that fact that my brain was screaming "Gotta get back up!!"

It was so picturesque, like a pretty little postcard, and there was loads of people about so it is obviously a little touristy place.

You could see the Doc's cottage on the hill opposite, can you see it?  It's the little brown one nestled under the rather large brown one.  It actually doesn't look that steep from this angle, but trust me, it was a ligament stretcher.

We walked right down to the 'harbour'.

And we spotted the little shop that is used for the chemist in the show.  Now, I must explain, when I see "we" I mean "me", Hubster really couldn't be less interested, he doesn't watch much TV at all and although he does know who Martin Clunes is that's about as far as his interest goes, but I was being all excited enough for two of us.

Plus I bought him some naughty fudge at the "chemist" which made the miserable sod smile a bit  :)

Then we saw this sign..... well, just had to go didn't we?   :)

Aww, look at all those railings and privacy markers.  The only house in the area to sport them.  That's the price for letting your little home become a TV backdrop I suppose.
This is the photo I took with my back to the cottage, all the time thinking about how I had to get back up that other side.

Anyway, back down we go in search for dinner.  (That's Hubster there photographing a seagull)

We were planning on a nice pub/restaurant with a table overlooking the sea, but the cheapest meal price we found was £15 (it went up from there) and even though I am not one to gripe about pennies usually, I was NOT paying £15 each for a bar meal.  So chippy chips it was then  :)

And lip-smackingly gorgeous they were too, although the first half I could barely taste as we were walking uphill back to the car and I was concentrating on panting.  Still, it took my mind of the hill.

Why do chips taste so good outside ?  So much better than if you eat them inside.

Eden Project.

Being so close to Eden Project, a well documented eco visitor attraction, we thought it would have been most rude not to visit, it was only about 6 miles from where we were staying too.

Set in an old disused China clay pit it is almost hidden from view until you come out of the visitor centre where you pay  (£23.50 per adult)  then the vastness of it simply takes your breath away.

I did grumble at the £23.50 mind you, tight arse that I am, but you can go back for a whole year on that same ticket, so you can't really complain at that, and I could have saved 15% by booking online in advance.

Those domes your see above are actually massive greenhouses, or Biomes as they are called.  In one side is the Mediterranean area with olive groves and wineries, plus a section on chillies - grown in lines according to their place on the Scoville Scale.  This was a much cooler Biome than the Rainforest one which was very warm and humid.  In fact it was so warm that one of the walkways nearer to the top was closed off due to the heat.   There is a REAL rainforest growing in this dome and it is totally amazing.  Completed with colourful butterflies, amazing flowers and tall palm trees.  Oh, and banana trees too, with bananas on them!

If you would like to see some more photos, you can find them on my Facebook Photography Page.

In-between the Biomes is called the "link", where there are toilets, a shop and a cafe area, the best bit being you can walk around the top of the cafe and watch all the chefs preparing food.

Speaking of food, one of the nicest things I noticed was the lack of "crappy" offerings - ie:  Sausage and chips, burgers..... oh hang on, I had a burger, but it was a gourmet burger - chickpea and beetroot, with sweet potato fries.

You won't believe what I then agreed to do....... fly down a zip wire.  Not just an ordinary zip wire, but the longest zip wire in England!

Right, look hard, can you see the wire?  Probably not.  Look again, can you see a white splodge just leaving the edge of the third dome, just off centre of the photo?

Still no?  Here....

I painted that blob there as you couldn't see the person at all without zooming in massively.

I did that  :)  Yep, I was mad enough to do that.  Shona phoned be to say well done afterwards as she knows what a total wuss I usually am.

I was praying to be over the weight limit,  I wasn't. I then prayed to be not allowed due to blood pressure medication, I wasn't.  I prayed to be let off as I looked a total dweeb in the harness and one of their t-shirts, that was way too tight coz I only had a vest on, I wasn't.

The bloke at the top wired me in and said "In your own time"  I would have much rather he pushed me, he didn't.

So, I went. And I didn't scream.  It was all over too quick and I wanted to go again.

Do you want to see what it was like?  Click HERE to do a virtual flight.  (We were unable to fly 'flat' today though, so we flew sitting.

We were in Eden Project for hours, and although we thought it was expensive at the start, I actually didn't mind paying towards the work they do to highlight environmental issues.  I would be happy to pay and go again.

Have you ever been?