Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Some well earned fresh air


There is a part of me that thought that once my MBA studies were over I would have more time to catch up on things like blogging. How naive! All that has happened this week is that work has taken up practically all my awake time instead. It appears that nature isn't the only thing that abhors a vacuum! It's just as well then, that last weekend I managed to find time to take a walk along the coastline in Llantwit Major, near Cardiff in South Wales.


The walk started in a small car park near a pebble beach where the cliffs climbed either side. I was keen to move on so we climbed the path up the cliffs and were met by a strong wind which clearly was trying to blow us back down again. Undeterred we soldiered on at a 45 degree angle until the wind dropped suddenly and nearly dropped us on our faces. Very funny. From the top of the cliff we could clearly see the striated rock which seems to be made up of thick sedimentary layers (though I'm no geologist).


We also frequently came across many small pill boxes - old look out posts left over from the wars that sometimes also housed machine guns. From the positioning of these though, it is likely that they were placed on the cliff tops overlooking the estuary to watch for enemy planes and boats.


The walk eventually bought us to a small natural cove where we dallied for a short while before turning back. When we got back to the car park we had a welcome drink at the small cafe there that sold various refreshments and the usual beach paraphernalia before heading home for dinner. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and it was nice to stretch my legs after all that confinement behind a desk studying!

22 comments:

MaR said...

Beautiful place to stretch your legs!! It looks so peaceful and almost a secret hint. How lovely.

Anonymous said...

Looks great. You're right about the sediment, BTW.

Cheers.

Shephard said...

Wow. It looks very serene. And the fresh air must have been invigorating.
~S

Dianne said...

good for you! hope the good feeling lasts and lasts

I love the photo of the bench and I'm going to imagine I'm there.

kenju said...

What a gorgeous area; so peaceful and serene. I'd love to be there right now.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

What a remarkable and mysterious looking place, B-K....I saw that whole in the one picture and thought to myself, I bet that was a lookout during a few wars....And a place to shoot the enemy from...So much History right there.
The walk with the wind sounds a bit scary, I must say...! But, beautiful, too!
I am so happy you got to go out and about...Maybe you will again this weekend too, my dear B-K...!

craziequeen said...

What a lovely place - UK is full of hidden little gems like this....

Thornbury has a civic bench, which looks out over the allotments and golf course straight to the estuary and beyond. It's a wonderful bench :-)

Michele sent me to see if you're free before I head West for my holiday of a lifetime....

cq

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Sounds like a wonderful walk :) I've been caught out by the wind a few times!

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Tyhat looks a good place to get ample fresh air.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

BTW, Michele sent me.

Anonymous said...

So gorgeous! I wish we had beautiful coastlines like that in Southern California.
Michele sent me
Leslie

craziequeen said...

You know, I reckon Michele thinks we have not spoken for too long...

I still can't believe I am going to Canada in three days... :-O

Shall I send you a postcard? Whales or bears? :-))

I am investing in a new card for my camera, as I am intending to take at least some photos!

cq

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Hi My Dear....Michele sent me back again to look at these wonderful pictures of this most fascinating though mysterious seeming place...!
I can't get away from that wonderful feeling of "mystery"...!

Star said...

Loks like agreat place for a walk. Thans for the virtual tour . IT's the next best thing to being there. Michele sent me.

rashbre said...

Sounds blissful and just the time, space and air can be good for the soul. Bring on the endorphins!

rashbre

craziequeen said...

Michele sent me back again, hon.

Have you seen Carmi's blog, asking how people put bad periods behind them? I think you have the answer here.......fresh air, beautiful views, most invigorating :-))

cq

srp said...

Glad to hear that the master's work is through! I know how work expands to fill all the voids... have been fixing up my parent's old house for sale... as soon as one thing is done, two others show up.

What a beautiful and restful place for a walk.. and picture taking!!

Anna said...

I love that first shot because I love benches! Very nice!

Anna said...

Hey Bobkat!

You can do one day or all the days of Project Green! If you are doing it everyday then you just need one link...if you do various days just put your add your link when your posts are up!

Have fun on your hunt for green!

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

OMG, I SO want to be there with you. What a great place!

The Apron Queen said...

Enjoyed your Project Green. Come check out my green sand pails. I'm still trying to get the sand outta my shorts! :D

http://anapronaday.blogspot.com/2008/04/tackling-sand-in-my-shorts.html

Anonymous said...

BK your pictures transport me to the places you visit. I find myself longing to stroll through the area where you took these pics.
Thanks for sharing them.
Hopefully those strong crosswinds helped to blow the mental cobwebs out from all that studying.