Category Archives: Monmouthshire

A Welsh Spring and clichés of violence

Posted on May 26, 2013 by BarryH

Back in Wales and spring has at last arrived. Before I left Arctic blasts whipped across the tops of the mountain ridges dumping snow and lowering temperatures so that buds stayed tight shut long past their usual seasonal opening time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Reflections, Spring, Wales | Tagged apples, bees, black currants, bluebells, brecon beacons national park, bud burst, cliches, coat of paint, environmental triggers, explosion, fruit production, leaves, oak, oak trees, Pontypool Folly Tower, riot of colour, spring, temperatures, trees, violence, Wales, winds, wire fencing | Leave a comment

Greece: on the edge

Posted on April 27, 2013 by BarryH

Apologies. The last week or so I have been rushing around like the proverbial, if biologically unidentified, blue arsed fly. Constantly under time pressure. The main reason for being in Grey Britain these days is to be with family and … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales | Tagged brecon beacons national park, gardening, gardens, Garn Wen, Greece, growing season, Mynydd Garn Wen, plants, triangulation pillars, trig point, trig points, vegetables, Wales, Welsh, welsh name | 1 Comment

Welsh Winter Walking: Forward planning and contingencies

Posted on March 28, 2013 by BarryH

Sometimes things just don’t turn out as planned. Wednesday I had a day free of commitments so planned to take a bus up to the watershed between two of the South Wales valleys and walk back home via a couple … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales, Winter | Tagged brecon beacons national park, buses, contingency planning, forward planning, hiking, ice, icicles, Pontypool, snow, snow drifts, Wales, walking, winter walking | 1 Comment

A New Year, portents, traditions and looking forward

Posted on January 5, 2013 by BarryH

I’ve never been impressed by the hype of the ‘New Year’, never regarded it as a portent or a time to make ephemeral resolutions to change bad habits, never felt the urge to stand around with arms crossed, holding hands … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged auld lang syne, banff canada, brecon beacons national park, brecon canal, Canada, canadian rockies, Goose and Cuckoo, Lady Llanover, New Year, Pontypool, pub lunch, south east wales, unpredictable weather | 1 Comment

Rambling through 2012, a year in pictures: Part 1, Wales

Posted on December 30, 2012 by BarryH

At the end of a busy year it seems appropriate to look back and remember the places I went and the things I did during 2012. Far too much to cram into a blogable number of words so I decided … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales, Winter | Tagged American Gardens, Big Pit, brecon beacons national park, Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Cricieth, hoar frost, Pontypool, Pontypool Folly Tower, Pontypool Park, snow, waterfalls | 1 Comment

Back from the shops: Jinxed journey and verglas

Posted on December 15, 2012 by BarryH

When I was a kid we used to have to write essays in school on less than thrilling subjects such as ‘My Summer Holidays’, ‘An afternoon in the Park’ or ‘My Favourite Pet’. So boring did I find this that … Continue reading →

Posted in Monmouthshire, Mountains, Wales, Winter | Tagged black ice, brecon beacons national park, Cardiff, demon barber of fleet street, ice, shopping, sweeny tod, trains, verglas | 2 Comments

November Daily Blog 18: broad views and small details in the Brecon Beacons National Park

Posted on November 18, 2012 by BarryH

Sunday was indeed another good day. Sunny days in Grey Britain are rare, opportunities not to be missed. So, despite warnings to rest my knee, I walked up the ridge at the southern tip of the Brecon Beacons National Park … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Uncategorized, Wales, Winter | Tagged Abergavenny, brecon beacons national park, brecon canal, flora and fauna, footpaths, Pontypool | Leave a comment

November Daily Blog 10: trees, storm clouds, autumn colours.

Posted on November 10, 2012 by BarryH

Saturday was a day with the family. After grey skies and morning rain the sun came out and so did we, taking the grandchildren to Bailey Park in Abergavenny. The older two, aged 6 and 4, each had cameras and … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Monmouthshire, Wales | Tagged Abergavenny, brecon beacons national park, clouds, trees, unpredictable weather | Leave a comment

Nisyros: inside the volcano

Posted on September 1, 2012 by BarryH

Good day on Friday. Having spent a day wandering the rim of the caldera with spectacular lava extrusions I decided it was time to go down into the caldera and look at some of the craters. But via a new-to-me … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Monmouthshire | Tagged footpaths, Greece, Nisyros, Volcano | 3 Comments

Greece: getting ready

Posted on August 19, 2012 by BarryH

In less than a week I’ll be back in Greece. I can’t wait to leave the grey skies behind. Still desperately trying to sort the garden out before I go I finally managed to rescue the potatoes from the sodden … Continue reading →

Posted in extreme gardening, Greece, Grey Britain, Monmouthshire, Pontypool | Tagged brecon beacons national park, brecon canal, flora and fauna, Monmouthshire, Pontypool, south east wales | Leave a comment