Tag Archives: Bridges

Lanzarote – the indoor gardens of the Gran Melia Salinas

It's nice to have the time to sit and watch the dawn

It’s nice to have the time to sit and watch the dawn

Tuesday morning, my last full day in this little volcanic paradise where the sun always shines. The trouble with holidays is they’re always way too short, and cold, hard reality is always there at the end of them. For some reason I’ve woken every morning at around seven, later than I would at home but earlier than I normally would on holiday. Each morning I’ve crept out onto the balcony as quietly as I can and sat, listening to the pigeons cooing, the birds waking up and the sea crashing against the rocks below my window. Slowly the sky has turned from dark, inky blue to white clouds tinged with pink. It’s nice to have the time to sit and watch the dawn. Continue reading →

Lanzarote – Jameos del Agua the eighth wonder of the world?

The giant lobster sign

The giant lobster sign

Cueva de los Verdes was not the end of yesterday’s adventure by any means. Our next mission was Jameos del Agua and, as it turned out, we didn’t need Tom Tom Tim to help us find it. It really was just down the road from the Cueva de los Verdes, unmissable. Continue reading →

Eastleigh to Southampton – the Itchen Navigation Path

The Itchen Navigation Path

The Itchen Navigation Path

Back when I did my first ever Moonwalk training I attempted to walk the Itchen Navigation Path from the Southampton end. It leads all the way from the White Swan at Mansbridge to Winchester. At the time I found it tough going, quite overgrown in places, a bit muddy but, more importantly, frightening because it was so lonely. These days lonely, off road paths don’t scare me. As I stood there wondering whether I should give it a try, a dog walker came out so I figured it must be passable. Continue reading →

London – The Moonwalk marathon, what a way to see the city at night!

Heading for the Big Pink Tent

Heading for the Big Pink Tent

The London Moonwalk is an annual event and this would be my second one. It’s a tough challenge to walk twenty six point two miles but when you don’t start until midnight and you’re dressed in leggings and a decorated bra it is more like torture and should probably be banned under the Geneva Convention. Still, it is to raise money and awareness for breast cancer and it’s a novel way of seeing London. Continue reading →

Southampton to Winchester, via Eastleigh and Twyford

Well, I made it to the river and the swans at least

Well, I made it to the river and the swans at least

Walking a marathon is not as easy as you might think but my training for the London Moonwalk took me through some interesting places that I might otherwise not have seen. This is the story of my final training walk, the full twenty six miles from Southampton to Winchester and back again. When I got up the rain was teaming down. Just a shower I thought, the forecast was for showers so I was under no illusion about it being a nice dry sunny walk. Then the morning TV weather forecast came on, showers all day, heavier ones later with thunder and possibly hail! Is someone trying to tell me something? Showers I can cope with, I don’t like them but I can live with them, but thunder, hail, rain all day? It wasn’t a very enticing prospect. Continue reading →

The New Forest – Lord Montague’s Beaulieu Estate

The Beaulieu Estate, cars, bikes, historic houses, gardens and a lovely woodland walk

Regretfully leaving the Easter Egstravaganza behind, but the scales will thank me I hope

Regretfully leaving the Easter Eggstravaganza behind, but the scales will thank me I hope

Beaulieu (pronounced Bewley), for those who don’t know it, is a tiny village on the banks of the Beaulieu river, no more than one street of quaint little houses a few shops and a pub, The Montague Arms. Even so, it attracts masses of visitors being home of the famous National Motor Museum, Palace House and Beaulieu Abbey. Large swathes of Beaulieu are owned by the eccentric Lord Montague, Palace House is his home and the Motor Museum houses his massive collection of cars and motorbikes. Continue reading →

The New Forest – Deer Leap towards Lyndhurst

Ponies at Deer Leap

A run and a walk at Deer Leap

The New Forest is one of the largest areas of unenclosed land in the South of England and spreads into three counties, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, the majority being in Hampshire. It’s not all open land though, there are villages and towns amongst all the woods and Heath and, if, likeyou’re a fan of walking, loads of foot paths and trails. Continue reading →

Barcelona – the famous unfinished church Sagrada Familia

First sight of the famous landmark up close

First sight of the famous landmark up close

Sagrada Familia outside and in – Barcelona

The building is impressive, despite all the scaffolding and cranes and has to be seen to be believed. Each side is different and our first view was of the face depicting the crucifiction. This was also where we got our first glimpse of the queue to get inside. Walking round into Carrer de Provença, we stared up at the mass of spires then turned into Carrer de la Marina to gawp at the astonishingly intricate nativity scene built by Gaudi himself. Turning into Carrer de Mallorca, we found most of the building ensconced in scaffolding. Then we were back where we started staring at a very big queue. Continue reading →

Marrakech – Ourika Valley, Seven waterfalls of Setti Fatma and a long climb

Starting with a rickety bridge

Setti-Fatma’s Seven Waterfalls, starting with a rickety bridge

Setti-Fatma and the seven waterfalls, Ourika Valley, rickety bridges and a rocky climb

 

Our next stop was a visit to Setti-Fatma and its seven waterfalls. A word of warning here, this trip is not for the feint hearted. The first obstacle was a rickety bridge across the river. I nearly gave up there and then. The bridge was nothing more than a few ropes and pieces of wood, which swayed alarmingly as we crossed. Continue reading →