Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Wales

Cardiff, Botanical Garden and Transporter Bridge

While in Wales we visited several places we had wanted to see but were unable to on our past visit. With more time and our own vehicle we are able to see what we want.

Cardiff - the capital of Wales

The waterfront has an interesting mix of architecture. The town center a busy mix of pedestrian only shopping streets, museums, and parks.
Wales Millennium Centre on the waterfront. The centre is an arts complex.


Modern office building on the waterfront of Cardiff.


The Pierhead Building built in 1897.


Apartments on the waterfront.


Scooby-Doo  We found you!


A bear on Animal Wall along Cardiff Castle.


A lynx on Animal Wall.


Service entrance to Cardiff Market - a Victorian indoor market. 

Some clown standing on the street corner in central Cardiff.

National Bontanic Garden of Wales


Butterflies in the Tropical House


Redhot Poker plant


White Poppy


View of a planting along a garden wall.


Yellow Coneflower


The Great Glasshouse - it looks like a giant rain drop.


Inside the glasshouse. The glasshouse measures 110 meters long by 60 meters wide. It is the largest single-span glasshouse in the world.

Transporter Bridge in Newport


Transporter Bridge over the River Usk. One of only eight in use in the world. Our ticket allowed us to climb the stairs and cross the upper structure, then ride the transporter platform back.


The span between the two towers. The platform hangs from the span.


View of the River Usk and the platform that takes cars and people across the river.


Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Wales

Hiking in Wales


On a previous vacation we hiked parts of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. We wanted to return and hike some more. This time we did a day hike from Porthgain to Trefin and back. We also did an overnight from St. Davids to Solva. After spending the night in a B&B we rode the bus back to St. Davids. We spent the day wondering around St. Davids before driving south to Gower.  Our last hike in Wales was Rhossili Bay and Worms Head.

Porthgain to Trefin

Porthgain harbor at low tide.


Harbour Lights Gallery. All the building in Porthgain are like this, lots of plants and colorful.


White beacon on top of the cliff overlooking the harbor.


View of the cliffs. The whole day we had cliff views like this.


Stile through a stone fence.


Small stone circle along the trail.


The trail is neatly trimmed.


The bay just before Trefin. Trefin was our lunch destination and turn around point.

St. Davids to Solva

Coastline view on our hike from St Davids to Solva. The coast was rugged and the water beautiful shades of blue.


The trail - every where you turned the views were fabulous.


The trail follows the cliff tops for most of the distance we traveled.


The inland views were great too.


A colorful footpath sign.


Solva harbor at low tide.


The Harbor Inn. We had a cool drink at the end of the hike.


St. Davids is full of colorful restaurants and galleries.


St. Davids Cathedral.


Rhossili Bay and Worms Head

 Cliff view looking toward Rhossili Bay.
 Worms Head at low tide.
 Stone wall along the trail.
 View of the coastline.
 Rhossili Bay - the beach was huge.
 Rhossili Beach at low tide.
Sunset from our parking spot for the night at Rhossili Bay.