SWYD Sprint Triathlon

Was up early on a Sunday morning to walk over the island to be a Marshall on the run course of the Sprint Triathlon. It was apparently the third race in the super sprint series, and an Age Group qualifier for the European Sprint Championships.

I reported in at the transition area in the main car park, collected my Hi-Vis and goody bag and headed out to my Marshall spot. We had been given What Three Words locations and mine was on the corner where they turned off Friar's Point back down towards the prom. It gave me a bird's eye view of the swim phase.

It was a lovely sunny day but quite breezy. The 750m swim started at 7.00am, and was a triangular course around two buoys out in Whitmore Bay. There were lots of safety boats and kayakers, which was just as well as the wind direction was not with the swimmers on any of the legs, and at least 6 contestants had to be rescued early as they couldn't make it against the wind around the first buoy. The lead swimmers had finished in 10 minutes. The final swimmer, who had been doing breast stroke, took just under an hour. 

The bike course took them out and back along Ffordd y Millennium, back into transition, and then onto two laps of a run course along the prom, halfway along the causeway and back, up onto Friar's Point and back down to the finish by Transition. The lack of a detailed briefing meant I only knew it was two laps not one when I saw the leaders go through for the second time. A guy on a bike did come to check on me during the race, and confirmed that the final runner had finished so I was free to collect my T-shirt and head home. There were cameras on motorbikes when the leaders went through so I'm going to watch out for it in mid July on S4C.

First Tour Guide Trip

 Did my first solo tour guide trip to Flat Holm. Two guys interested in photography and a father and nine year old daughter were the paying passengers on the BIV boat. Rosie (star of Susan Calman's Grand Day out to the Bay) filled us in on details about the Bay and warned us we might not be able to land due to the brisk NE wind.

The nine year old girl was terrified on the way out as it was definitely a very wet roller coaster ride. We did get to land and hand out life vests over to the Woody's Lodge guys who were leaving. Simon did let on to me that if there had been more life vests on board, we wouldn't have stayed!

The photographers were no problem on the tour but Dad, having been given permission to ask questions, did nothing but ask, but didn't seem interested in any of the answers. His daughter was equally afraid of the gulls so I had to keep the tour short and sweet.

When it came time to go home the rib took two attempts to tie up at the jetty and we had to board at the front as the back was awash with water. Made it back OK through.

2023 Gull Count

Was one of the 2023 Flat Holm Gull counters. It was really tough going with the wild turnip having taken over large swathes of the island. Walking through it trying not to stand on nests, whilst being dive bombed by the gulls was the order of the day.

First 12 hour trip to the island and it was weird seeing the tide out and Castle Rock's gap capable of being walked through.

I did over 13,000 and was totally knackered when we finished.

The numbers were down on last year but that may have been because of the difficulty in counting. The drone couldn't fly because of the wind, so the number comparison couldn't be done. So this years count will not be last after all.
 

Flat Holm Tour Guide Trip

We organised a trip to Flat Holm for the newbie tour guides. We were the second of the two BIV boats going over to the island. We were collected at Barrage South, and went over to the island in convoy. It was a bit bumpy and quite wet even though we were in the wake of the first BIV boat.

Simon took us and the paying customers on his island tour. There was wild turnip all over the place. It looks like rape, which is part of the same family. The Wild peony, which grows in one small fenced off section of the island was in bloom. The area by the farmhouse was covered in bluebells. Most were British but the invasive Spanish have reached the island and hybridisation is happening. The birds were quite feisty as they had started laying eggs, but not too feisty.

Decided that I was ready to do a tour guide trip on my own.

Wonderwool

 Day trip to Wonderwool with Liz, Fi and Sian. I was the chauffeur on the drive to and from the Royal Showground at Builth Wells. So many stalls with so much wool, knitting and crochet stuff. Plus a lot of rare breed sheep.

I did manage to buy something as there was a tremendous stall run by Little Grandma's cooking. Jars of horseradish mustard, Indian spiced chutney, and Lemon ginger chilli made their way home with me.

The Small Space

 

Fi had booked The Small Space on Island Road for Nick's 65th birthday party. 25 people max and Sian wanted people to come dressed as an animated character. I borrowed Tan's Tigger ears as I'm not a fancy dress person. Tan went all out as Woody from Toy Story. Tasty buffet had between the two halves of the Magic Show. The magician was very funny and a talented magician.

First Flat Holm Trip

Booked onto the Bay Island trip over to Flat Holm leaving Barrage South just after 3pm. Parked in the small car park near Penarth Marina as suggested by John Treby. As I walked through the marina to the pick up point, Cardiff Cruises were manoeuvring their new landing craft to join up with the Lewis Alexander. It's amazing to me that the whole marina/barrage area just didn't exist before I went away to University. 

When the rib arrived there were only two other passengers on board. We locked out at 3.30pm. We passed the Barry lifeboat making its way back to Penarth Marina from Welsh St. Donats. With Barry Harbour not having been dredged for the summer season, the lifeboat sits on the silt at the bottom at very low tide, so has to relocate to Penarth Marina. It was definitely bouncy as we crossed its wake.

Simon, the permanent warden, met us at the jetty, where I left my waterproofs, and, after the safety briefing, took us over to the Barracks. As a FHS member I didn't have to pay the £5 landing fee. 

The gulls were quite chilled so I didn't need the folding walking stick. Simon gave us a guided tour, and once that had finished and the ladies had had a drink in the Gull and Leek, I showed them the Victorian gun battery by the lighthouse. The ammo stores steps were no quite finished (Woody's Lodge are doing the work) so couldn't go down. Did catch a glimpse of the Marconi monument. There were rabbits everywhere.

 

Cardiff Bay 10K

Was a volunteer at the Cardiff Bay 10K run. We parked for free at the Red Dragon Shopping Centre, a five minute walk from Roald Dahl Plas. I'm finally getting to know how driving in Cardiff hangs together. 

The weather was not the greatest, but in the bag drop we were under cover. It was great to be in the thick of the action, being situated opposite the Millennium Centre and within site of the start/finish line. However, that meant we were short of space.

The cadets at the elite end of the drop wouldn't listen to advice about getting things in number order as they went along, as did the women in the bays on either side of me.

It was chaos with long lines of athletes and I ended up at the back of one of the pens trying my best to help out. Lots of the first time bad drop volunteers will not be doing it again!

Site seeing in the Vale of Glamorgan

I took myself off down the Vale to do a bit of historical site seeing on a lovely Sunday morning.

First stop, St. Quentin’s Castle in Llanblethian, which is up the hill behind Cowbridge. It's a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building under the care of Cadw.

Probably built by English nobleman and military commander Gilbert de Clare in the early 14th century, the most notable remnants of this castle are its huge, twin-towered gatehouse and high stretch of curtain wall on the north of the site. In the centre of what was once a large fortress is an earthen mound with the remains of a thick-walled building on top of it, which may be all that’s left of an earlier keep.

The residential gate house compares with those built by Earl Gilbert's father at Caerphilly and by King Edward I at his castles in North Wales.

 

Next stop Ewenny Priory, a monastery of the Benedictine order, founded in the 12^th century. The priory was unusual in having extensive military-style defences. The priory is not open to the public apart from the Church of St Michael, the western part of the priory building, which continues to serve as the parish church for the village. The priory is in the care of Cadw and is a Grade I listed building. Ewenny Priory House and its gardens remain a private residence of the Picton-Turbervill family who also operate the house as a wedding venue. J. M. W. Turner painted the priory during his third tour of Wales in 1795.

 

 

Stopped off at Nash Point. Parked for free as the cafe isn’t open at this time of year and they collect the parking charge. Then onto Dunraven Bay, better known to locals as Southerndown beach. To Doctor Who fans it's either Darlig Ulv Stranden/Bad Wolf Bay or Alfava Metraxis, where the Weeping Angels crashed. Close by is what is left of Dunraven Castle, a mansion built in the early 1800's for the local MP.

Next up was Ogmore Castle.It is part of a trio of fortresses built to guard Glamorgan against attacks from the Welsh-held west. Beginning as a castle of earth and wood in the early 12th century, it was quickly fortified in stone before being further strengthened with a curtain wall in the early 13th century. An original feature is the deep ditch around the inner ward, designed to fill with sea water at high tide.

The Stepping Stones are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. A ghost, Y Ladi Wen or the White Lady, is said to guard the castle’s hidden treasures.

Final stop was at Coity Castle, which is undergoing major renovations and wasn’t accessible, which was a shame as it’s more intact than a lot of the local castles.