The spectacular TGV was enjoyed from a bridge vantage point before I reached Normandy where with the 75th D Day celebrations approaching there was much activity - numerous historic military vehicles were assembling in the area as world leaders were due to gather later that week and along one cycle route there was an interesting display of old photos relating to the liberation of the local area.
A VV out to spectacular Mont St Michel was a long day (80m) and the destination in its modern form came as something of a shock - when I last visited 32 years ago in a Morris Minor van the shore was a hauntingly beautiful but desolate expanse of low lying marshland with the iconic village in the distance - now there is a massive tourist infrastructure of accommodation, eateries and massive car parking plus the frequent shuttle buses that run visitors across the short causeway - whilst no doubt MSM itself has been preserved I think the new developments have taken away from the mystical atmosphere.
A day sailing to Portsmouth was smooth and enjoyable with a good view of the English preparations for the same event and the various ships around historic Portsmouth plus the latest addition to our fleet looked sublime under a setting sun. With no issues at Customs I headed north, a journey enlivened by the van smoke detector shrieking for half an hour as trapped by roadworks in a contraflow I was unable to silence the offending device. Once home a blow out of Moroccan dust restored the thing to working order.
After a good sort out of the van - much needed after 8 months away - we headed down to Clyro where the 2019 Horizon's Unlimited UK gathering was a great success despite unsettled weather. Some inspiring presentations and the excellent venue made for a great event and my humble submissions seemed to attract favourable comment.
Back in Sheffield I ordered various parts for the van before taking off to Snowdonia, Lake Vrynwy and the bothies of mid Wales for a look round. With two new bothy projects on the horizon it is an area I will no doubt return to in the near future. The existing bothies were in good order and after a couple of days at Llangurrig I headed to Brecon and then Abergavenny to meet Mandy off the train.
This was in preparation for an RV with friends from Bristol at Rhandirmyn where in sweltering conditions we enjoyed good walks including a visit to Moel Prysgau to clear rubbish and check things out prior to the August work party. We even enjoyed a dip in the river as the sun beat down. A tough bike ride through the Cambrian Mountains was hugely enhanced by meeting up with members of the Elenydd Wilderness Trust who had had an AGM at the Dolgoch hut and were happy to offload teas and cakes.
A quick trip to the Upper Swansea Valley allowed a catch up with friends from my old neck of the woods before we crossed the Western Brecon Beacons and headed up to Tregaron for a walk round the Cors Carron bird Reserve.
Two nights at my favourite hideaway gave us a chance to cool off in the ponds before heading north to call in on Penrhos bothy before staying on the shores of the Trawsfynydd Lake. This is another very special place, now with new owners, and we enjoyed the perimeter cycle ride, reflected on the lengthy timescale required to decommission an ageing nuclear reactor and enjoyed refreshments at the waterside cafe before heading back to Yorkshire.
A busy weekend was spent clearing the house in preparation for a complete rewire and once our plans had been given to Andy and his team we headed off to a simple field campsite just a couple of miles away leaving them free rein on the house. A day trip to Cleethorpes was a treat for Mandy's Mum and cousin and with work well underway on the wiring we headed over to Pocklington east of York for a long weekend. Here we met a friend for a peaceful bike ride through deserted lanes heading towards the coast and after diverting to South Dalton to admire its 208' church spire discovered the excellent Pie & Glass pub with its amazing herb gardens - definitely one to go back to.
Due to a music festival in the town the site was quite busy as we cycled over to York to meet family and they in turn came over on the Sunday after most people had left to enjoy a picnic and buffet outside the van.
By Wednesday the wiring work was more or less done including replastering so we returned to tidy up and wash down before finally I packed up for a return to Wales.
Here outside Brecon I fitted new pads, discs, rear springs, rear shocks, handbrake cables and all flexi hoses to the van whilst keeping an eye on a friend's small farm. The brakes were bled and air and diesel filters renewed and with 4 new tyres fitted yesterday I hope for a clean bill of health at next week's MOT.
Somewhat unexpectedly there is now the chance of a brief run to Switzerland next week over 6 days as friends are moving there so that may well be the focus of the next blog.
Until then the latest pics should be here.
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