May 2018 – Back on the road again

Noticing local stone in Caithness

2017 July August Scotland (186) Whaligoe Steps.JPG — The abandoned harbour buildings at Whaligoe and the cliffs merge

You might not think about it but you will notice when buildings are made from local stone. You will sense that these buildings merge with the landscape, they fit in and sit comfortably and harmoniously in their setting. The example in the photograph is from Caithness but once you start looking you will see buildings created from local stone everywhere you go. Last summer we climbed the steep descent of Whaligoe steps. These old steps wind down the cliff to a tiny sheltered harbour that is hidden in a fissure in these sedimentary rocks. Fishermen once launched their boats from here and when they returned with a catch, women gutted the fish and carried the heavy loads back up the winding 300-plus steps to sell them at market. The harbour and steps were built from local Caithness flagstones and have been lovingly restored by local volunteers; the sedimentary sandstone splits easily to make excellent building materials. When these sandstones meet the sea they result in sheer cliffs that create ledges for nesting seabirds. The sea exploits the cracks in the rock forming fissures, sea stacks and arches and creating a dramatic coastline.

It was Richard Fortey’s wonderful book, The Hidden Landscape that first got me thinking about the place of vernacular buildings in the landscape and their relationship with the underlying rocks. He writes evocatively about the hidden rocks that shape the personality of a landscape, dictating the soil, the plants and the buildings, describing how slate roofs and thatched cottages can be traced back to the geology of an area. His book begins with a journey back in time:

‘I travelled to Haverfordwest to get to the past. From Paddington Station a Great Western locomotive took me on a journey westwards from London further and further back into geological time, from the age of mammals to the age of trilobites… Under the River Severn and into Wales, I was back before the time of the dinosaurs, to a time when Wales steamed and sweated with the humid heat of moss-laden and boggy forests in coal-swamps, where dragonflies the size of hawks flitted in the mist; and then on back still further in time, so far back that life had not yet slithered or crawled upon the land from its aqueous nursery.’

Oodles of kindness found in Croatia

05.08.2018 Starigrad cycling (8) — Cycling by the Croatian coast near Starigrad Paklenica

Perhaps all our spring holidays are destined to have an ‘incident’ and if a bicycle accident is as bad as it gets on this trip then we are happy enough [although no incident at all would be better]. We were visiting the lovely town of Samobor, a short distance north-west of Zagreb and in a region famed for its wine and the grapes are grown in small strips of vineyards on the steep slopes. Samobor’s main square is packed with cafes, many of them serving the local speciality cakes, kremsnita, a light and fluffy version of a vanilla slice. These are delicious and we tucked in to a slice each while considering how friendly all the Croatian people we had met were. In every cafe and campsite people had been helpful and welcoming and also pleased when we used our four words of Croatian. We speculated whether Croatian people were naturally nice or if all these people were just good at their tourism jobs.

Our lovely campsite was a two kms easy cycle ride in to Samobor’s town centre along flat roads. Climbing back on our bikes after our cakes we found the one-way system took us up a hill and as we then descended a steep residential street a breeze caught my much loved Portuguese sunhat I was wearing and I stupidly put a hand up to save the hat. At that moment time went in to slow motion as it dawned on me that I was losing control of my bike and I was going to hit the tarmac.

Every part of my body hit the road in some way. My lovely calm husband made sure I was safe and gently untangled me from my bike. I could hardly move as I cautiously checked the many different parts of my body that hurt and when I did try and sit upright dizziness overcame me so I stayed lying down. Over the next thirty minutes every Croatian who passed us by, in cars, on foot and other cyclists, stopped to ask if they could help, reverting to English as soon as they realised we weren’t Croatian; their kind-heartedness was both natural and extraordinary. One man from the street bought a bottle of water, other local residents offered a pillow and everyone asked if they could call an ambulance for us.

I hoped I would be able to get back on my bike but it became apparent this might not be possible in the short-term and so Luka and his brother Noah, whose house I had fallen outside, came up with a plan to help. They stored my amazingly undamaged bike in their garage, helped me in to their car and drove me the short distance to our campsite. Hubby followed on his bike and then Luka and Noah took him back so that he could return on my bike; what heroes! During our car journey I was still in shock and at first could only keep repeating ‘Hvala’ [thank you], ‘You speak Croatian!’ Luka delightedly exclaimed. I managed to pull myself together enough for conversation and Luka, Noah and I found a shared love of Manchester United, we talked about the many beautiful places we had seen in Croatia and they told me about their studies. They were both exceptionally generous human beings.

At the campervan I investigated my injuries, cleaned up the cuts and grazes, got out the ice packs and ibuprofen and counted my lucky stars I had no broken bones. My left wrist was sprained, a rib cracked, my right hand had some wounds and there was blood on my face from grazes. In truth it is easier to tell you where I don’t have any bruises than describe where they are. The right side of my face soon swelled up and after a couple of days the bruises emerged from underneath my tan. I keep forgetting about this visible sign of my injuries and then wonder why people are looking at me strangely, children must be saying to their parents, ‘Why has that woman got a blue face?’ I can’t open a jar of olives just at the moment, reaching up to all those high cupboards in the ‘van is painful and getting comfortable at night is tricky [even with painkillers] but it could have been so much worse.

Falling off my bike is a drastic way to test the goodness of the people of Croatia but we can now confidently say that Croatia is not only beautiful it is also truly friendly.

Goodbye old shoes

I am a top-class de-clutterer! I will happily give books I have read to friends, send things I no longer use or wear to the charity shop and sell stuff to others via Ebay and yet I am finding parting with these old shoes a real wrench. These Brasher Ntoba shoes have given me around 15-years of comfort and I am pretty sure that no other shoes will ever be the same again. Made for everyday comfort for exploring and travelling I have worn these shoes on walks up small hills and around the countryside, they have taken me to work in wet and snowy weather and out to the shops through the last ten winters; they have never felt uncomfortable and putting them on has always bought me pleasure.

I can still remember the day I bought these wonderful shoes. It was a wet day in the Lake District and not really fit for walking and so we were shopping for shoes in one of the many shops specialising in walking gear in Ambleside. I put these Brasher shoes on and as I walked around the shop trying them out for size and comfort I knew straight away they were special shoes; really I should have bought two pairs [or maybe three] while I was there so I had enough for a lifetime.

I think I am finding parting with these shoes particularly difficult because shoes are perhaps the most important item of clothing I buy. They are my connection with the earth and carry me on the miles I walk every day and being able to do this is so much a part of who I am. As these wonderful old grey shoes were already on their last legs five years ago I bought a replacement pair of Brasher shoes [again in Ambleside]. These brown Ambler GTX shoes are robust and comfortable enough for a few hours and I wear them through the winter but for some reason they are not the same and wearing them all day leaves my feet feeling tired. Consequently I don’t love them in the same way as my old shoes. For the hills I now also have some technical lightweight shoes that are really comfortable to wear and this might be the way to go for the Salford streets too.

I have hung on to these old grey shoes way beyond their reasonable lifespan as I have been unable to part with them but walking in them recently both side seams were gaping wide open where the stitching had come undone, the soles no longer have any tread left and I had to admit that it was time to call it a day. So farewell old shoes, I am not sure walking will ever be quite the same again.

Most German campsites are excellent but some are more excellent than others

04.27.2018 Munsingen cycle ride (11).JPG — The Swabian Alb biosphere near Münsingen is perfect for cycling

We rarely plan much when it comes to our trips around Europe, so much depends on what we want to do, how we feel and the weather. And so we rolled in to Hofgut Hopfenburg campsite near to the pretty town of Münsingen in Baden-Württemberg and south of Ulm expecting little more than a comfortable place to overnight. We received a friendly welcome and I left reception with a local cycling map and information about the nearby Swabian Alb biosphere, a local nature reserve. This looked promising so we decided to stay and explore.

The campsite is terraced and so pitches have a view across the town to the gentle green hills beyond. The facilities are excellent with good hot showers, indoor washing up area [you remember how important I think that is] and were clean and modern. Wonderful fresh bread was available every day and the campsite runs a small shop selling local products. As well as touring pitches the site has a collection of wooden Romany caravans, yurts, tipis and some chalets so visitors have a choice of accommodation. While we were staying a wedding was held in the garden.

If you are using this marvellous campsite as a stop-over there is a nature reserve accessible from the site where you can stretch your legs for an hour or so after a day of driving. This hillside reserve with meadows, woodland and an arboretum has views over the town and is also a pretty walk in to Münsingen.

For around 100 years [until 2005] the undulating meadows and woodland to the east of Münsingen were used as a military training ground. Initially by the German army and after 1945 by the French army who, in particular, used the area for tank manoeuvres. Inaccessible to the public the area in some ways stood still and the wildlife was protected, although always at risk of being blown up. Today this area is once again accessible and managed to protect the wildlife, although visitors need to stick to the paths because of the risk of un-exploded ordnance.

We began at the Biosphere Centre in the old military barracks which are surprisingly charming buildings. As well as the information centre there is an art gallery here but as we cycled around most of the buildings appeared to be empty. The Biosphere Centre has headphones with an English tour and we learnt a lot about the wildlife, geology, culture and the management of the area.

The tarmac paths around the reserve are perfect for cycling and are all way-marked and numbered. The area is fairly flat with only small hills to conquer and cycling is just the right pace to enjoy this landscape. On a sunny weekday there were few people around and we were happy cycling on these traffic-free routes lined with trees rich with blossom. In the fields are large herds of sheep that are managed to maintain the diversity of plants in the grassland and kestrels and buzzards hunted over the fields.

On a hilltop is the abandoned village of Gruorn. The villagers were forced from their homes to make way for the military training in 1939 and the houses were used for practice. Today the church and old school house have been restored and both can be visited. The schoolhouse has a museum about the village and a cafe. The churchyard is attractive and colourful with flowers and we sat in the sunshine enjoying a beer before continuing back to the excellent campsite.

04.27.2018 Munsingen cycle ride (5).JPG — Part of the old military barracks

Waxi: #surprisingsalford #28

Ship Canal Nov 2017 (15).JPG — Waxi on the river Irwell

The Manchester Water Taxi or Waxi started life late in 2016 and is a great addition to the long list of things to do in Manchester and Salford. Waxi runs two routes; one along the Manchester Ship Canal from Media City to Spinningfields and the other on the Bridgewater Canal from Castlefield to the Trafford Centre and on to Sale. Both can be used for commuter journeys or just for fun. For commuters this is a traffic-free route through Manchester and Salford that must be a relaxing start to the day. As a retired person I don’t need a commute route but Waxi made a great birthday treat.

We took the Waxi from Salford Quays to Spinningfields on the edge of Manchester city centre and I loved seeing all those familiar places from a new angle. You are low on the water in this little boat and can look the Canada geese and swans in the eye as you pass. Travelling under, rather than over, the bridges gives a whole new perspective on the city. I was thrilled to get a close up view of Gnome Island and see the new Ordsall Chord railway bridge from the water.

The Waxi drivers [pilots or captains?] are friendly and helpful and will point out places of interest to visitors to the city and hand out rugs if you are feeling the cold. If you haven’t been on your own mini-Waxi cruise then get it booked and enjoy the cities of Manchester and Salford in a new way.

Ship Canal Nov 2017 (1).JPG — Waxi at Salford Quays