Our last full day at HF Holidays! We stuck to our routine and hiked separately: me with the Hard group, Sheila with the Medium. Both hikes were very similar, 10.5m/2200', and 9m/2110'. Mine perhaps had some stiffer climbs versus more gentler slopes, and it was certainly colder. Our warm sunny days had changed to mostly … Continue reading Day 9: Last Hike With HF

Another day of hiking completed but so little time to blog. By the time we've had a hot bath after hiking and a wee adult beverage it's time for dinner, then the night's entertainment, then it's bedtime! Thursday I stuck with the Hard group for a 13.5m/1800' walk named Ridges and Valleys and that's exactly … Continue reading Day 8: So Little Time…

Hiking 3 days in a row is hard work! Today was changeover day / day off. For those who booked in for just 4 nights, it was time for them to go (2/3rds actually, including all the other Canadians); for those of us staying 7 nights, it was a free day. We still had breakfast … Continue reading Day 7: Ah…A Day Off

A crisp bright start to our 3rd day of hiking. I was back with the Hard group again and as we had 3 more miles to hike over the Mediums, 11m/2100 vs. 8m/2030', we were dropped off 30 minutes prior for a head start. We began with a 1/4 mile walk along a shady paved … Continue reading Day 6: Crossing Gospel Pass

Nythfa House, HF Holidays I received a bit of gentle ribbing and a few questioning glances when I signed up for the Easy Walk today (7m/900') but it promised views, a botanical preserve, ruins of an Iron Age fort, standing stones, and beautiful pastures - how could I resist? The Hard was 10.75m/3000', steep climb … Continue reading Day 5: Strolling on an Easy Walk

We arrived Saturday at the HF Holidays Brecon Beacons house just in time for Afternoon Tea. Excellent timing on our part! After some sweet treats and a cuppa we unpacked and surveyed our new home-away-from-home. It's a converted very large 19th C. private house, now used exclusively by HF for hiking holidays and short getaways. The … Continue reading Day 4: First Day Hiking

Welcome to Wales! I wish I had taken a lovely scenery shot to open today's blog but I'm afraid it didn't cross my mind. So just close your eyes and picture dark leafy forested rolling hills punctuated by small beige or green pastures fenced in by thick hedgerows. Right, that's Wales so far. We had … Continue reading Day 3: Croeso I Cymru

Today we really put Portia (our GPS) to the test. Somehow, somewhere, deep in her settings, she's decided that country back roads of the one-lane-walled-in-by hedgerows variety is the desired route for us and we end up with very scenic but very challenging drives.  We started off from our Warminster B&B at a late 9:30am … Continue reading Day 2: All in a Day’s Drive

Highclere Castle, the real setting of Downton Abbey, was an exciting start to our trip. Luckily I booked our entrance tickets last April as the whole summer booked out quickly. We cruised up the grand driveway at a snail's pace, prolonging the daydream that we were great persons of importance to whom Lord Grantham would … Continue reading Day 1: A Television Day

Our Virgin Atlantic flight set us down in Jolly Ole England about 1:30pm but the marathon walk to customs and the long wait at Europcar meant we didn't hit the road till a yawn-producing 3:30pm. Mum and I were both tired as no matter how comfortable your class of air travel might be, sleeping on … Continue reading Arrival Day: England!