Rhode Trip - Van on the Road: October 2019

Monday, October 14, 2019

Tewkesbury and Slimbridge

September 26 - 27, 2019

We made a couple of short visits to Tewkesbury and Slimbridge. Tewkesbury is where the Rivers Severn and Avon meet. Slimbridge is a wetland center.

Tewkesbury - Locks between Rivers Severn and Avon

Pastures around Tewkesbury are full of sheep.

Warehouses in Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury Abbey

Inside Tewkesbury Abbey

A side chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey

Slimbridge Wetland Center

Mute swan

Greylag geese

Very friendly Hawaiian geese.

Caribbean flamingos

Greater flamingos

Bewick's swan looking for grain.

Cape Barron goose

Geese enjoying a moment of sunshine. We had a variety of weather, pouring rain, drizzle, and a little sunshine.

The birds were from all over the world.

Coniston, St Bees, Witley Court, and Avoncroft

September 17 - 25, 2019

We arrived in the UK just in time for the Silk Route Network meeting. We are members of the overland travel group.They meet annually for several days at a campsite near Malvern. It was great fun to meet up with everyone again. We missed last year so there was a lot of catching up to do. We enjoyed presentations from memberers on their recent trips. After the meeting Bill and I headed out to visit more of England.

Coniston - a small village in the Lakes District. We parked up at the sports center for the night.

We took a hike to Tarn Hows. Most paths in England are on right-of-ways through pastures.

View of Yewdale Valley

Tarn Hows

View along the path heading back toward Coniston.

I've always thought that!

20+ years ago we walked the Coast to Coast, a 190 mile path through beautiful country side. We thought a visit to the beginning of the walk would be nice. We took a day hike. It was a much better walk. When we did it before it was pouring down rain.

St Bees - the starting point of the walk.

Path along St Bees Head.

The walk passes through lots of pastures full of sheep.

The sheep keep a watchful eye on you, but never get close.

We took a hike along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. This section is known for all the locks, about 30 sets. They are all manually operated by the boat owners as they pass through. It is a lot of work.

Narrow canal boats parked up for Sunday roast at the Queen's Head Inn. Their reward after passing through all the locks.

Witley Court - a ruin. It was destroyed in a fire on September 7, 1937.

View of a garden at Witley Court.

Another view of Witley Court

The chapel adjoining Witley Court was not destroyed in the fire. The church interior is decorated the same as the mansion was.

Threshing barn from the 12th century at Avoncroft-museum of buildings.

Avoncroft

The museum also has a collection of telephone kiosks.

Avoncroft

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Normandy France

September 9-10, 2019

This year is the 75th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. It is a thought-provoking area. Today the beaches are peaceful and beautiful, but not so 75 years ago. There are 5 beaches that were the landing sites for the WWII invasion - Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. All have memorials, museums, and cemeteries.