Nearer to home...Sussex to Wales

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Sometimes an opportunity to travel nearer to home crops up and so it was with an invite to stay in a caravan near Hay on Wye for a few days. It is great to have a network of friends , bloggers and fellow house exchangers which enables me to travel across the globe and also here at home.

So at the drop of a hat within a few days of the invite (thanks Patricia NZ friend) I was booked for events at The Hay on Wye book festival and excited to be heading off there. When you fly you are far more economical with the packing but when I go in the car its almost a kitchen sink job. And since we still haven't really seen the summer yet I needed thick wooly jumpers and socks , rain gear as well as T.shirts.

Now that I am driving on my own I try to plan some stops making them as interesting as possible and National Trust properties are a good bet. The Welsh border is not a part of the UK I know well and there were some great places to explore as I drove much of the time along by the River Wye with a visit to a Dutch Water garden at Westbury on Severn and Hereford Cathedral.

I had one night in a lovely old Manor House then at the caravan which was was deep in the Welsh countryside at place called Hundred House ( a mystery why ...there were not 100 houses there ). In addition to an interesting day at Hay in the audience for a Radio 3 programme, interviews and presentation with authors I was able to take some fabulous walks along by the River Wye, and in the Élan Valley.

The UK might be a pretty small island but there is so much packed in here... I need to plan a few more of these 4 day trips away.

In the meantime my next trip away starts tomorrow ..a month in Malta where my loveLy son Richard gets married to his Swedish bride Catherine on Friday. So looking forward to a wonderful family and friends get together and celebration.

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Comments

[Robert aitken]

Great pictures. (As always)
Dear Lynn. We really enjoyed your photographs. You have the ability to capture the best of your subjects. We are in our last days of a trade at Vetheuil, about an hour from Paris on the Seine. As you know there is a lot of shared French and English history here. As we were listening to a story about the final days of William, who died in Rouen, I thought of the afternoon we walked the hillside in Battle. We return to Seattle on Thursday and plan to be in the area for the summer. Thanks for keeping us in your loop. Warmly Marti and Bob

[Hils]

Closer to home .....
We really do have some beautiful places in this country ..... just a shame we can't guarantee the weather. Enjoy Malta. I had a lovely day with Suz yesterday at Seaham Hall Spa. I miss her! Take care Lynne, Hils x

[Glyn and Howard]

Hello
Hi Lynne, Heard from Joc and Mac that you had stayed at the Pellowes caravan, its a lovely spot. Your excellent photos bring back great memories of the area and Hereford Cathedral which was 'our' cathedral when we lived near Ross on Wye in 2009. I especially loved the stained glass windows in the little chapel, can't remember who made them. I'm sitting up late and have just felt quite a strong earthquake 30 miles west of Dunedin, only 4.7 on the scale but described as strong, NZ is living up to its reputation. I hope you have a great time of celebration in Malta for Richard and Catherine's wedding. Thanks for the blog. Love, Glyn and Howard

[angela]

Hereford looks lovely.
All these picturesque scenes make me feel quite homesick. thankyou for sharing this virtual travel experience. We'll work on a face to face one very soon. have a fabulous time in Malta. big hugs from us all down under. xxx

[Jill]

Have a fabulous wedding in Malta xxx

[D MJ Binkley]

Hometown blogs
I love it when TBers write about their area or places close by as you are the expert. Glad you were dressed well and the photos are lovely. Have fun in Malta

[Penelope]

So proud of all your travels !!