Monday, 15 July 2024

Second Leg

Monday 15th July 2024
As we prepare for our departure from Cardiff we reflect on our time here.
We have spent the last week exploring the area around the Cardiff Bay Yacht Club visitor pontoon. There are great views of the bay area from this mooring however in Northerly winds and when other boats pass at speed it can be a little bumpy.
Cardiff Bay YC clubhouse to the left

During our time here we walked over to Penarth, about 30 mins walk from the moorings, we like this quaint little town with its quirky local shops and charming smart sea front. The town prides itself on its pier affording great views of the estuary and the islands of Flatholm and Steepholm.
We decided to take the train to visit the welsh valleys and were amazed how quickly the villages have shed their industrial past with absolutely no trace of their former mining heritage.
We visited Aberfan and the memorial gardens located on the site of the primary school destroyed in the disaster
of 1966. We also visited the village graveyard where the graves of the 116 children and 28 adults all of whom perished when the mine stag heap engulfed the school and nearby homes.
The memorial gardens on the site of the school
The graves of the poor souls who perished in the disaster of 1966.

Today though, our thoughts returned to the 22 mile trip across to Bristol. The forecast was for heavy rain and increasing wind speeds.
I considered postponing the trip until later in the week but with the current summer weather there was no guarantee that it would be any better so decided to set off.
The sea was a fair bit more rough than our last trip but not enough to make it uncomfortable. The heavy rain did not materialise so we had good visibility for the journey. 
Looking across to the Walton area of Clevedon

We stuck to our passage plan and made good progress across the channel  arriving at Avonmouth about 15 mins earlier than planned, we cruised slowly up river with the tide arriving to a ready prepared lock to take us up into the harbour.


One of the reasons carefully planning is required on these waters

We are in Bristol for just over a week with the harbour festival taking place this weekend.
A typical Bristol harbour side view


3 comments:

  1. Well done both. You've certainly had a lovely time exploring . Enjoy the festival . See you when your back

    ReplyDelete

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