Peniarth Isaf

Family News August 2008

1st August and we are travelling down to Devon for the weekend to babysit Eddie while Sarah and Andy go to Kieren and Verity's wedding. They have us all booked into a bed and breakfast, which turns out to be a gorgeous thatched cottage in the little village of Doddiscombsleigh, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. It was an idyllic spot down winding lanes, just two minutes walk to the local pub called the Nobody Inn.

As it says in the guidebook..."The Nobody Inn is one of the country's leading inns - renowned for its imaginative wine and whisky list, comprehensive selection of local cheeses and creative cooking based on fresh local produce.

Low ceilings, blackened beams, inglenook fireplace, antique furniture and timeless atmosphere retain The Nobody's unspoilt old world charm."



From the legendary mobile snack bar called the Hound of the Basketmeals, (serves 17 brands of tea and Brixham crab butties) it was a bracing walk through the Grimpen Mire and up to the summit of Hound Tor.

Well worth the effort for the views across Dartmoor to Hay Tor. It has been a few years now since we were last here, camping with the offsprogs when they were very young.

From there it was on to spend a day or two with old friends Annie and Alan in Cornwall. We only see them once a year but it is so easy to take up where we left off. Annie is still cooking those huge Sunday roasts with ten different vegetables!



Our joint birthday present from Tim and Sarah was a couple of nights away in Brecon for the weekend of the Jazz Festival, staying at the Gliffaes Country Hotel. Built like an Italian villa it is hard to believe that this place is really in Powys.



Definitely a place to go back to, in a beautiful setting, with superb food, afternooon tea on the terrace and its own stretch of fishing on the River Usk running through the grounds the hotel.



As you can see it was a fine summer's evening for wandering through the streets of Brecon and dropping in on the various venues. Top billing this evening was a gig by our own Cerys Matthews in fine form.



Then it was back home for a few days to catch up with jobs in the garden. Here the onions have been harvested and the last of the early peas cleared. Still to be dug are 10 rows of spuds. We seem to have found a couple of varieties that suit our soil, although it is the slugs that are the real limiting factor.



High summer and once again it is the day of the Llanfyllin Show. A lovely day out for Eddie and family.



It was great to catch up with some old friends, Annie and Trevor, Rob, Anita and family, Gareth and Charlene.



Inside the exhibition tent, this is our favourite display of wildflowers in the children's section. The annual display of hay bales is always less enthralling.



Late summer and the terrace borders at Powis are looking magnificent with dahlias in full bloom. This was taken on the 20th August, definitely the time to visit. For more pics see here.



Towards the end of the month, with Sue taking a trip to Anglesey to see her mum, I was dropped of at Capel Curig for the day. A brooding sky to start but clearing to give a gorgeous evening on Moel Siabod.



The route from the Llugwy Bridge makes a gentle ascent across open moorland to the foot of the grassy ridge leading directly to the summit. Instead, fork leftish to Llyn y Foel and scramble up the steep rocky ridge, keeping well to the right for best views.



You could descend the grassy ridge, or as I did, back down the same route to the lake to shoot the odd line or two. The trout are small but definitely hungry! The best spot is the shore away from the island, going anticlockwise around the edge. Retrace your steps to regain the path and avoid the bogs below the lake.

A fine day was topped with dinner in the Ty Gwyn at Betws-y-Coed.