Through my eyes...

2008-09-01T11:06:00.002+01:00

Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire

http://www.berkeley-castle.com/

2008-09-01T10:50:00.003+01:00

Woodchester Mansion, Gloucestershire

http://www.woodchestermansion.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=52

2008-09-01T10:42:00.002+01:00

St Govans Chapel, Pembrokeshire, Wales

2008-09-01T10:21:00.002+01:00

Castle Coombe

2008-09-01T10:17:00.001+01:00

2008-09-01T10:14:00.001+01:00

Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower, Bristol

2008-09-01T09:47:00.001+01:00

Blaise Castle Estate, Bristol

2008-09-01T09:45:00.001+01:00

2008-09-01T09:41:00.000+01:00

2007-09-17T15:52:00.000+01:00

Lyme Regis

2007-09-17T15:51:00.000+01:00

Durdle Door, Man Of War and Lulworth Cove

Man Of War

Durdle Door

BBC panaramic view of Man of War and Durdle Door.

Lulworth Cove

Stair Hole
The coastguard was called out because these lads were suspected of trying to 'tomb-stone' from the top. Luckily it was a false alarm. They were only jumping from the top of the cave mouth. Only a week before a lad jumped from the top of Durdle Door and put himself into intensive care, so the coastguard had to take the call seriously.

Bucket and spade tree

I took this photo for DDL15s Art and textile coursework.

2007-09-17T15:50:00.001+01:00

Tintagel, Widemouth and Bude

I love Tintagel and I usually love window shopping in Tintagel. The shop windows are full of Arthurian merchandise; Merlins and dragons etc. Besides cross stitch stash, this is shopping heaven.

According to one legend the infant Arthur was thrown by the waves on the beach by Merlin's cave. King Arthur's time in history was in the fifth century. He is identified with the known history of a Celtic chieftain of the period who led his countrymen in the West in their resistance against Saxon invaders. Many believe that Arthur was of a mixed Roman and British parentage.
It is always difficult to prove if Arthur did exist but certainly there was a great warrior in the West of England who had some kind of fortress where Tintagel Castle, (King Arthur's Castle) is today. The original fortress has gone but archaeologists have found proof in their diggings on the Tintagel Castle, that fifth century citizens lived on the site. The replacement Castle was built between 1230-1236 & is now nearly 800 years old. Within two hundred years the Castle was in ruins & remains so to this day. Earl Richard of Cornwall paid for the construction of the Castle & it is owned by the Duke of Cornwall.
For many years it has been managed by English Heritage, who are the agents for the Duke.

~ Tintagelweb.co.uk

We have been to Tintagel before when the kids were all a lot smaller, the boys still went on holiday with us and before DDK7 was born. Last time we paid a fortune to English Heritage to enter the castle. This time we were able to go down on to the beach as the tide was out and explore Merlins Cave. I also ventured up the coast path a little to get this pic.

Merlins Cave

Entrance to Merlins Cave taken from inside

Inside Merlins Cave looking through to the other end

Waterfall onto the beach

After beating a hasty retreat from Tintagel we went on to Bude, stopping off to look at Widemouth on the way.

Widemouth

Bude

I sure that there must be more to Bude than we actually saw but as you can tell from the darkness of these pictures signaling impending rain, we didn't have chance to see much of it. Our visit was cut short by much wetness. We were intrigued by the canal joining the sea.

2007-09-17T15:48:00.000+01:00

Bigbury-on-Sea

We have been to Bigbury-On-Sea lots of times so I have blogged lots of pictures of it before. The waves were bigger than usual this time due to the not-so-special weather (by English summer standards, the best waves are in winter). I also got a pic of the sea tracter in action.

2007-09-17T15:46:00.000+01:00

Plymouth

We went to have a look at Plymouth as we hadn't been there before. DH wasn't impressed. It was probably something to do with us getting stuck in traffic. Smeatons Tower and The Royal Citidel were quite cool though.

2007-09-17T15:45:00.001+01:00

Thurleston Rock

Apparently you cannot say that you have been to Thurlestone until you have touched Thurlestone Rock.

2007-09-17T15:44:00.001+01:00

Caen Hill Locks are a flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Devizes, Wiltshire England.

The main flight of 17 locks forms part of a longer series of 29 locks. The total rise is 237 feet in just 2 miles (72 m in 3.2 km) or a 1 in 30 gradient, making Caen Hill the steepest flight of locks in the world. The locks come in three groups: six at Foxhangers, seventeen at Caen Hill and six at the town end of the flight. Whilst the locks were under construction in the early 1800s a tramroad provided a link between Foxhangers, at the bottom of the flight, and Devizes at the top, the remains of which can be seen in the towpath arches in the road bridges over the canal. Because a large volume of water is needed for the locks to operate a back pump was installed at Foxhangers in 1996, capable of returning 32 million litres of water per day to the top of the flight which is equivalent to one lockful every eleven minutes.[1] They were engineer John Rennie's solution to climbing the very steep hill, and were the last part of the 87 mile route of the canal to be completed. Because of the steepness of the terrain there was not the space to use the normal arrangement of water pounds between the locks. As a result, the 16 locks have unusually large sideways-extended pounds to store the water needed to operate.

In the early 19th century, 1829-43, the flight was lit by gas lights.[2]

The locks take 5-6 hours to travel in a boat and lock 41 is the narrowest on the canal.[3]

After the coming of the railways, the canal fell into disuse, and closed. From the 1960s there was a major clearing and rebuilding operation, culminating in a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 to officially open the new locks and the flight (although the flight had been navigable for a number of years before then).

~Wikipedia

2007-09-17T15:40:00.001+01:00

Stackpole Quay and The Coastline

Barafundle Bay

Bosherston Lily Ponds

Broad Haven

St Govan's Chapel

Found in Tenby

2007-07-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

Tyndale Monument

Tyndale Monument is at the top of a hill in North Nibly, near Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire.

ERECTED A.D. 1866
IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF
WILLIAM TYNDALE
TRANSLATOR OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE
WHO FIRST CAUSED THE NEW TESTAMENT
TO BE PRINTED IN THE MOTHER TONGUE
OF HIS COUNTRYMEN
BORN NEAR THIS SPOT HE SUFFERED
MARTYRDOM AT VILVORDEN IN
FLANDERS ON OCT 6 1536

View of the River Severn and both Severn crossings.

Dark, narrow and scary steps.

2007-07-02T13:48:00.001+01:00

Stourhead House And Gardens, Wiltshire.

It is Mums 60th birthday tomorrow. To celebrate Dbro and family and my gang took Mum and Dad to Stourhead for the day.

The House.

Neptune

Outside of the grotto from across the lake

'Please do not feed the ducks' Ooops!

2007-06-20T16:02:00.000+01:00

Tarr Steps

Coast Path at the Valley Of The Rocks

2007-06-20T15:56:00.000+01:00

Blaise Castle Estate

Blaise Folly

View from Lovers Leap and of Gorams Chair

Blaise house taken from the top of the Folly

The house again.

2007-06-20T15:09:00.001+01:00

Weymouth, Portland Bill and Chesil Beach

2007-06-20T15:07:00.000+01:00

Three Cliff Bay, Gower

2007-06-20T15:03:00.000+01:00

Burgh Island, Bigbury-on-Sea

Buckfast Abbey

2007-06-20T15:01:00.000+01:00

Devils Bridge

2007-06-20T14:56:00.000+01:00

Polperro

Kynance

Perranporth

Saint Micheals Mount, Marazion

2007-06-20T14:55:00.000+01:00

Kelston

2007-06-20T14:54:00.000+01:00

Weston-Super-Mare old pier.

2007-06-20T14:27:00.000+01:00

Brean Down

2005-08-22T11:38:00.000+01:00

Devon 2005

Sunday - Bigbury-On-Sea

Monday - Bantham

Wednesday - Thurlestone

Thursday - Dawlish Air Display

2005-05-11T11:41:00.000+01:00

Clevedon Sea Front

Poets Walk

On The Pier

Second Severn Bridge

2005-03-27T20:45:00.000+01:00

Abergavenny

The Sugar Loaf

Skirrid

2004-08-21T15:45:00.000+01:00

Red Arrows At Dawlish

2004-08-15T15:55:00.000+01:00

Devon Family Holiday

This is Burgh Island at Bigbury-on-Sea where the photo in my title banner for this blog was taken. It is well known for the hotel where writer Agatha Christie wrote.

Sunset at Dawlish Warren

Dart Adventures (formerly known as River Dart Country Park)

2004-06-01T15:13:00.000+01:00

Angelsea

A sailing club on the menai straits and a beach on Angelsea.

Raft Race

Kite Flying

Menai Bridge Taken From Brittania Bridge

Conwy Castle

2004-05-28T16:23:00.000+01:00

Bristol Zoo

2004-05-05T15:08:00.001+01:00

HMP Leyhill Arboretum

2004-05-04T16:03:00.000+01:00

DH, DD#3 and I enjoyed a break in the weather and visited Blaise Castle Estate and Blaise Hamlet in Bristol. DH knows it like the back of his hand as he grew up on its doorstep. We didn't get to see the castle as DH and DD managed to fall in the mud, luckily AT the bottom of 'Lovers Leap' and not TO the bottom of 'Lovers Leap'.
For more information on Blaise Castle Estate and pictures of the castle you can visit; http://members.lycos.co.uk/brisray/bristol/blaise1.htm

The Dairy

Beech trees

Blaise Hamlet