That Was Christmas That Was

Fun n frivolity in the (not so) frozen north 😊

look what I found in my sack 🤗

what on earth could this be? prizes for best guess 😀

Have a great 2019 🎅

A Very Blenheim Birthday

What started out as a wet n windy weekender transformed into a dry(ish) winter wonderland of a million lights, seasonal tableaux and scrummy food.

 

The world heritage site at Blenheim hosts an annual festive fiesta complete with street market, festive fun and fairground rides.

It was Marilyn’s surprise birthday treat complete with a sleepover at the wonderful Star in Woodstock.

 

Taia Does Christmas

One of Marion's favourites this time of year was the Christmas pageant at Clearwell Caves in the Forest of Dean. So when friend Maia and her daughter Kaia moved to Bristol earlier this year we had to introduce them to this seasonal event.




After a play in the adventure playground, amongst the damp undergrowth






It was into the free miners cafe for a warm up, hot chocolate and mince pies :-p



Then down into the caves following the tale of Cora and the Bloober

not forgetting to post Santa's letter

Before meeting the big man himself

choosing a pressie proved a bit of a challenge :)

and exiting via the seasonal craft market

We did intend then to head to the illuminated forest at Westonburt Arboretum but on returning to the bridge linking the Forest with Bristol it had been closed due to inclement weather

By the time we did the very long circuitous detour to the southern bridge we were back in Bristol and too late for further adventures - but there is always next year :)

Christmas at the Quays

It's that time of year again and the weather is beginning to feel like it! It's Gloucester Dickensian Christmas Market time ⛄

Filled with the smells of mulled wine assorted artisan confectioneries and roasting chestnuts hundreds of small stalls offer thousands of festive items Shrieks of fun from the slide and tumble of the skating rink, merry music from the carousel and kids whizzing down the helter skelter. What better way to ease yourself into the festive season 😄

Cycling the Strawberry Line

We’ve been promising to do this for a while. It was a bright crisp autumnal Sunday and we decided today’s the day.

The 10-mile cycle route from Yatton to Cheddar is part of Route 26 of the National Cycle Network, restored by Sustrans. It takes in a variety of landscapes from the flat marshes and cider apple orchards around Yatton, steep wooded valleys and a tunnel through the Mendips, to historic Axbridge and the spectacular Cheddar Gorge.

It is well-surfaced and mainly flat except for a small section at Axbridge Hill, where the cycleway joins a steep byway.

The Strawberry Line takes its name from the produce this former railway line carried from the strawberry fields of Cheddar. The line was well used for nearly a century until its closure in 1965 and since then a wealth of wildlife habitats have been allowed to flourish. Volunteers from the Cheddar Valley Railway Walk Society began converting the line into a walking and cycling route in 1983.

 

Axbridge is a small town in Somerset, in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, once a river port and valued for its wool production. Axbridge can trace its history even further back to the time of King Alfred when it was one of 30 places fortified to defend Wessex against the Vikings. Its prosperous past is reflected in the quality of the buildings in Axbridge, particularly the fine 13th century St John’s Church which is the oldest to survive, dating back to 1245.

It also boasts the wonderful Almshouse Tearooms housed in the converted 15^th century Almshouse where you are sure of a really friendly welcome.

 

 







 
Returning to Yatton the station houses the community Strawberry Cafe.- scrummy meals (esp. If your veggie :) and a wonderful cup of tea at the end of an energetic cycle.