Thanks to a wonderful deal, which was acquired by Chantal’s sister Janine, we recently went for a lovely trip to the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. We met Alanna, Kim, Ezra, Ela, Russell, Nik, Dawn & Chantal at the Ealing Common tube station in London on Friday evening, where Tony- our driver, chef & host- met us. A few Safas, Aussies & one Londoner joined our group.
We arrived at the 170 year old Welsh Cottage sometime close to midnight (yay for road works & accidents on the motorway!), & Tony whipped up a few pizzas for us. Our accommodation was pretty basic- very hostel style but with the added bonuses of our own dedicated chef, a hot-tub & two wonderful Welsh labs! Trudi & Ben (Buns & Sticky) were great company, always ready for a pat or a game of stick. http://www.bushwakkers.co.uk/
On Saturday morning we had a delicious full breakfast, made our own lunch then were taken to the Cantref Riding Centre. http://www.cantref.com/index.html We had a wonderful day trekking along the Welsh country roads then going into the Brecon Beacons National Park, following trails through farmland with long-tailed sheep keeping us company from time-to-time. My Welsh Cob was named Goldie, and after an initial battle to get dominance over how long the reigns should be (he won), Goldie proved to be a very responsive & mostly stress-free ride! I rode up front with Dawn & Ela behind me. Our whole group stayed together so there wasn’t an opportunity for a canter (booo!!) but the scenery & company of such fine, nibbly creatures made the whole experience very uplifting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theadventuresofbearandbutterfly/sets/72157608202186446/
Wales- Brecon Beacon National Park Part 1
Wales- Brecon Beacon National Park Part 2
Wales- Brecon Beacon National Park Part 3
Our return to the Bush Wakkers cottage was rewarded with some deliciously creamy potato & leek soup to warm us from being outdoors. The Hot Tub was soon in use to ease out the aches & pains from the ride. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to enjoy Tony’s presence as he had a few driving jobs to do that night, but he managed to prepare a very spicy curry for dinner & decadent apple pie & ice cream for dessert. We enjoyed a few drinks & lots of chat that evening.
We woke to newspapers & caffeine injections the following morning. After a long play of stick with Ben, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast- eggs benedict- my favourite! Chantal, Kim, Ela & I had a wee wander around Defynnag village, checking out the craft store above a cafe & the local church.
What a lovely way to make good use of the weekend! Although I was off work today as the horse-riding pains need a bit more time to ease before I get back behind the desk again. Bodra & I will be meeting up with Paul & Rachael for dinner tonight, as they’ve just had a few days off to enjoy Bath together- staying at a very luxurious sounding spa!!! Rachael had a Cleopatra treatment which sounded extremely decadent!
We’re making plans to get to Egypt in the second & third weeks of December. Hopefully we will be visiting Petra in Jordan, as well as doing the usual sites in Cairo. But the most exciting thing is that we will be learning how to dive so hopefully this will provide an opportunity for me to see a Dugong!! Yahoo!!!
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