Tag: holiday

History, Holidays, museum, wales, Walking

Monmouth

The first time out for a while due to the Pandemic , we made a trip down to the borders and a visit & stay in Monmouth Wales. The Town has a rich heritage and History with some grand old Buildings, museums and bridges over the river Wye. We stayed in the [Mayhill Hotel](http://themayhillhotel.com) just a small distance and nice walk across the river right into the Town centre. A Visit to the Monnow Bridge is a must, this old bridge circa 1272 is the last fortified river bridge and it is now pedestrianised so you can walk across no problem.   Other great places to visit are the Monmouth military museum and the old castle . 

Holidays, Walking

Carningli to Newport Wales.

Carn Ingli lies south of the town of Newport, pembrokshire and is a mountain in the Presell hills it stands at 347 metres. We walked from the campsite into the town of Newport and the carn dominates the skyline to the South. The paths going up are steep on good grassland with some rocks along the route however nothing too technical . Near to the top it gets very rocky and a lot of care is needed, when we went up the weather made for hard going due to sea mist coming in. There are remains of a Iron age hill fort near to the summit and also the carn has many mystical myths associated with it have a read on Wikipedia to research before you climb.

 

Mapping:

Links:

For excellent public Transport please click this link.

For GPS data from Viewranger or Garmin Connect.

 

 

Holidays

Cavtat

We got a boat from Dubrovnik old town harbour in some choppy seas and made for the little costal town of Cavtat. The skipper of the boat did not bloody hang about and with high seas we were tossed everywhere however it was fun and only cost 100 kuna each for a return trip back. Cavtat is a lovely costal town full of old Buildings and some nice costal walks around a large forest on the peninsula, from the end you got some great views. Large yachts dock in the harbour but it all seemed a lot of messing about trying to park the things, you even need a diver to help chain them down. Along the water front are a load of restaurant and bars and we had a couple of drinks with views to die for. Well worth a visit to this place if your in the area.

Holidays

Mostar in Bosnia

The end of the trip got us to the city of Mostar in Bosnia. The buildings range from the old Ottoman Empire and the bridge over the water looks great. The day we went they decided to do the Red Bull Cliff diving from the top of the bridge, this resulted in 20 times more people and a load of noise going on. Its very atmospheric walking along the old Cobbled streets and seeing both Mosques and Cathedrals along the same street, and the food smelled great also. We found a nice pub called the Black Dog Pub that was run by an American and he was selling some nice real Ale’s so I had to indulge. Lots of buildings were war damaged and it was sad seeing them along the guided tour we had. It must have been dreadful when the Civil war devided the whole region . A great trip again and glad we passed through Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mostar (Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [mǒstaːr]) is a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inhabited by 105,797 people, it is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s

most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.

Holidays

Kravica falls in Bosnia.

Another trip booked through Viator into Bosnia and Herzegovina. First we had to cross the border twice going from Croatia, this is a laborious process but must be done as we are out of the EU. It takes a little while to get there and a lot of the countryside makes for sad viewing seeing all the old house burnt and blown up from the war. We arrived at a checkpoint then its a walk downhill down to the falls itself. There were a few people swimming in the clear cold water and I would like to see it in the winter, today the temperature was in the 30’s.

Kravica waterfall, often erroneously called Kravice, is a large tufa cascade on the Trebižat River, in the karstic heartland of Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is 10 kilometres (6 mi) south of Ljubuški and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Mostar.[1] Its height is about 25 metres (80 ft) and the radius of the lake in the base of the waterfall is 120 metres (390 ft).[2] Kravice is a popular swimming and picnic area and, during the summer, it is frequently visited by tourists from Mostar, Medjugorje and Dubrovnik.

The Kravica Falls area also has a little cafe, a rope swing, a picnic area, and a place to camp.[3] The best time of year for visiting is during the springtime when the fall is at its fullest and the arid landscape turns a bright green.[4] During the high season, various restaurants in the vicinity of the waterfalls mostly offer grilled dishes and fish specialties.[5] Near the Kravica Falls is also a small grotto with stalactites made of calcium carbonate, an old mill and a sailing ship.

Holidays

A Visit to the old Town of Durbrovnik.

Dubrovnik
Picture showing the Rooftops of the old Town

We stayed in the area of Lapad just 5km away from the old City of Durbrovnik, however a bit quiter than the hussle and bussle of the old Town.

Durbrovnik Old Town

After a great breakfast in the hotel we decided to walk down to Dubrovnik old town , a walk of about 5 kilometres. It’s cheaper to buy the 1 day pass in the tourist office it costs about 180kuna but it works out better than seeing things and paying individually to visit them. We started with a walk along the ancient city walls and is well worth it for the stunning views across the rooftops of the old city. There are various museums and shops to look at and also loads of bars and restaurants to visit if you need refreshments. Whilst there we sat in a bar high on the city walls and as we drank a storm hit the old town and blew umbrellas and chairs everywhere much to our excitement. A great place to visit but does get very busy indeed. 

Holidays

Montenegro and the lady of the rocks church in the fjord

36376884803_1a254aeae8
Lady of the Rock Church

A great trip organised by viator a few months ago ventured into the republic of Montenegro and outside the EU. Border and passport control was the slowest ever, and having to check every passport on the small bus made bloody slow progress. First stop was to visit the small church they call the lady of the rocks, you get there by boat across a lovely deep fiord and was luckily not to busy. There was a small museum on the tiny island but it’s the views that were stunning. We had a little while on the island then we had to make our way to the walled town of kotor.

For more photos please click here.

36793176450_2a00930082

Holidays

The City of Kotor & Budva – Montenegro.

Another stop on the bus to the walled city of kotor. The high walls run straight up the side of the mountains and you do wonder how they built the things, must of been hard work and a total disregard for modern health & safety rules. When we arrived there was a large cruise ship docked outside, it was something to see as it was bigger than the city, how many people on board beggars belief. This place like Dubrovnik was packed with people and the small streets made for hard walking but there are some nice gift shops and bars and restaurants. If you like old churches this is your place as they are everywhere it must have been a task to pick one to visit in old times. A nice city but not as nice as Dubrovnik in my opinion.

Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, pronounced [kɔ̌tɔr]; Italian: Cattaro) is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor.  The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of Kotor Municipality.The old Mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortificationsbuilt during the Venetian period. It is located on the Bay of Kotor(Boka Kotorska), one of the most indented parts of the Adriatic Sea. Some have called it the southern-most fjord in Europe, but it is a ria, a submerged river canyon. Together with the nearly overhanging limestone cliffs of Orjen and Lovćen, Kotor and its surrounding area form an impressive and picturesque Mediterranean landscape. In recent years,[when?] Kotor has seen an increase in tourists, many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted by the natural environment of the Gulf of Kotor and by the old town of Kotor. Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO‘s World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra– western Stato da Mar in 2017.[1]

Budva This was the last place to visit on the coach trip and we both thought the best. It’s a small town on the coast that the rich Russians visit. It’s the usual bars and restaurants and gifts shops but the beach was nice with lovely coloured water and a warm temperature. We had lunch in a small restaurant right by the sea front and Gail ordered stuffed pork fillet and I had the mussels in a red tomato sauce both dishes were delicious, and washed down with some nice wine and local beer.

Holidays

The old city of Dubrovnik

After a great breakfast in the hotel we decided to walk down to Dubrovnik old town , a walk of about 5 kilometres. It’s cheaper to buy the 1 day pass in the tourist office it costs about 180kuna but it works out better then seeing things and paying individually to visit them. We started with a walk along the ancient city walls and is well worth it for the stunning views across the rooftops of the old city. There are various museums and shops to look at and also loads of bars and restaurants to visit if you need refreshments. Whilst there we sat in a bar high on the city walls and as we drank a storm hit the old town and blew umbrellas and chairs everywhere much to our excitement. A great place to visit but does get very busy indeed