Walking around Oxwich Point in January

‘An exhilarating ramble through woodland and along delightful coastline’ is how the walking guide described the 4.5 mile circular walk around Oxwich Point, and after a three hour trek through the less explored part of Gower I couldn’t argue.

A windy day at Oxwich Bay

A stiff south easterly blew across the Bristol Channel to greet us as we stepped out of the car mid-morning on a Sunday – a great way to clear the head after a glass or two on a Saturday night.

We walked past St Illtyd’s Church, a medieval church built on a site used for Christian worship since the 6th Century, and began our ascent through the ancient woodland. The church is open to visitors during August, and a quick peep inside will reveal a selection of 13th Century monuments including effigies of a knight and his lady.

The ancient woodland clings to the the north-east facing cliff, sheltering it from the prevailing south-westerly wind, but making it quite shady. Part of the Oxwich National Nature Reserve the woods offer a spectacular display of wildflowers in the spring, such as bluebells and ramsons. Budding botanists will also get excited by the several rare species of plants such as the Purple Gromwell, Herb Paris and Butcher’s Broom (or Knee Holly).

Straight to the point... Oxwich Point!

Alas, whilst this winter has been rather mild bluebells were out of the question. However, we were treated to a sighting of a rather unusual fungi growing among some moss clinging to old plastic Coke bottle – I know Coca-Cola are big on branding, having turned St Nic red, but red mushrooms?

The fungi in red...?

We continued walking a little while through the woods, up then down, before finally emerging into the bright sunlight and a stunning view out to sea. It literally was breathtaking, or was it the climbing up and down? I pulled out my flask and we stopped for a quick coffee and to enjoy the scene.

Pennard ahoy!

After our caffeine fix we were ready to hit the trail again. Thankfully (for the sake of my marriage at least!) the path is easier from this point forward – it’s open, wider and pretty much flat. As you’d expect the views out to sea are brilliant. The sounds, especially the waves crashing on the rocks, soothing (ta-ta syrah!). We walked some way before turning Oxwich Point and gaining our first sight of Port Eynon in the distance.

Oxwich Point looking toward Port Eynon

Beyond this point the coastal path really widens, we’re virtually walking through fields, and being bombarded by constant reminders of why Gower was the UK’s first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

However, not even the remotest parts of our coastline can escape the effects of life in a throwaway society. The strandline on the pebble beach below was littered with debris, plastic bottles, and this crate!

A beached crate!

Not far from where I took this photo, at Slade sands, we stopped again for coffee before heading inland away from the coast and up the hill. A short walk along a track and we picked up the lane leading from Slade back down to Oxwich, stopping only to admire the fine-looking cows grazing hay in the paddock of a farm.

What a mooverlous day!

With journey’s end in sight, we picked up the pace, walking briskly down the hill past the entrance to Oxwich Castle and Greenways Leisure Park.

Our ramble was exhilarating, the coastline delightful, and we shall definitely be returning to this part of the Wales coastal path again, maybe in May to check out those bluebells!

HM Government replies to petition to protect our canals

Earlier this week I received an email from Her Majesty’s Government informing me that an official response to a petition I started some time ago was now available on their website.

It was one Sunday in November 2009 that I posted my petition on the Number 10 website. I was driven to action by a report on BBC’s Politics Show programme highlighting plans being considered by the government to sell off the property portfolio of British Waterways, the agency tasked with the restoration and maintenance of the nation’s canals and waterways.

As British Waterways rely on the income generated from rents to undertake a considerable amount of its work I was concerned that  stretches of our canals and waterways, enjoyed by many, would no longer be maintained should it be forced to dispose of its property portfolio.

After a staggering 22,309 signatures (it was in the top five most popular petitions on the website at one stage) and a change of government the future of our waterways looks more certain. In its official response the government has confirmed plans to create a new charity, similar to the National Trust, and transfer the property portfolio to it.

Whilst I disagree with many policies being developed by the current government I must applaud them on this decison and look forward to hearing more about their plans in the next few weeks.

Tweet Little Thing

A few weeks ago this little fella was stuck in our garden. He was a young fledgling who seemed to be struggling to fly. After several laps of the garden, he jumped up onto the lounger, I just had to take a picture.

After a few more laps I managed to coax the little guy, with my excellent chirping routine, onto my hand so I could place him atop our wall, from which he managed to fly into the neighbouring trees.

I’ve been wondering whether he’d survived. Earlier this afternoon, two birds looking very much like this chirpy chappy flew into the garden, I’d like to think one of them was him.

Busy Buzzing

Walking through the sands of time

As I woke-up last Saturday to rays of golden sunlight, shining through the gap in the curtains, it was clear that I was not going to be staying in watching the World Cup this weekend – I’d be making the most of it, camping on nearby Gower.

So it was that me and my beloved packed the car and headed off into not quite the sunset, it was midday, but certainly the sunshine. We drove along the A4118 south Gower road, turning onto a lane just past Knelston. Passing through the little hamlet of Burry it was especially pleasing to see little tables by the side of the road with fresh farm produce for sale, quintessentially rural – lovely.

After 15 minutes or so we arrived at Llangennith, passing the small crowd in the garden of the King’s Head quaffing golden ale we headed for Hillend Caravan and Camping Park.

Hillend is a well-run site set in the dunes at the northern end of Rhossili, a 2-3 mile stretch of beach. We paid our site fee of £22.50 for the night, a little expensive but demand is guaranteed owing to the beach’s attraction to surfers, and entered the campsite crossing a rather hi-tech electric bollard.

We pitched our tent close to the rather clean toilet block (ready for the run to the loo in the middle of the night) and made our way to the beach. Rhossili can be a little exposed and Saturday was no exception with a keen wind ensuring the sea was choppy, but alas for the surfers the waves weren’t that good.

After an hour laying in the sand we finally mustered enough courage to plunge ourselves in the sea. I must admit the water was surprisingly warm, but that wind was chilling.

Around 5pm we went back to the tent and I attempted to get our new bucket BBQ going with a bottle of Old Speckled Hen in hand. What can I say, the bloody thing was enough trouble to try the patience of Job. But thankfully I had patience, perseverance and a few more bottles of Speckled Hen, and after not far off 2 hours I got the thing lit.

We had a really pleasant evening sipping a few glasses of wine, chatting and watching the sun going down behind the dunes before turning in for the night.

Sunday morning, and it wasn’t rays of sunshine greeting us but clouds promising rain. Not to be dismayed, after a light breakfast in Eddy’s we began our steep climb to the top of Rhossili Downs. The panorama at the top is breathtaking, with views across Carmarthen Bay towards Pendine and Pembrokeshire. As you can see from the following photo the clouds gave way to more glorious sunshine – yippee!

We walked along a little way and stumbled upon some ruins. Initially I thought it was an old street left empty and demolished after the National Trust acquired the land, but after a little digging (thanks Google) I have discovered that it’s the site of a WWII radar station and anti-aircraft gun. Part of a defense network to protect vital ports and industrial cities along the south Wales coast from the German Luftwaffe.

Here’s some pictures of the site now.

More information about the radar station can be found at 28dayslater.co.uk

We stopped at the Trig Point (number 192) for a quick photo before heading down to Rhossili. Here’s Emma, my beloved, who must have more patience than Job to put with me.

Love must have been all around us then as I noticed this heart made of grass in the path – is it a sign?

Blondie's lesser known hit - 'Heart of Grass'

We entered Rhossili and whereupon we entered the open church. St Mary’s was built during the Norman period around AD1200 and the kind parishioners had left bottles of water for people to help themselves to, leaving a donation to help with repairs to the building if they so wish. I’m a little religious, and this is quiet act of kindness, I think, shows religion at its best.

We stopped for a liquid lunch at the Worm’s Head – a nice pint from local brewers Tomos Watkin.

Feeling refreshed it was quick trot down the steps and onto the beach to find the wreck of the Helvetia, one of many shipwrecks scattered around the Gower coastline, which ran aground in November 1887.

Half way along the 2 mile stretch of sand and the clouds had closed in again and it began to rain. We made our way back to tent, packed up and left not resisting the urge to call in and try a pint of Rhymney Bitter at the King’s Head on the way out of Llangennith.

I must admit, you can trick yourself with a little one night break on a weekend. You go to work on Monday feeling as though you’ve really had a nice long weekend. Maybe Emma and me really did walk through the sands of time.

HM Government closes down e-petitions

The ConDem coalition government have seen fit to shut down the e-petition service on the Number10 website.

Unfortunately, that means that the Protect Our Canals petition has been closed with a total of 22309 signatures.

Now is a time when we really need to maintain pressure on the new government to honour the previous Labour government’s pledge to mutualise British Waterways, thereby helping to secure the future for the country’s canals and waterways.

Alun Michael, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, raised the subject during Treasury Questions in the Commons on the 8th June. You can view the record in Hansard on the Parliament website.

Please write to your MP urging them to raise the question in Parliament and seek assurances from George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and his new Treasury team that British Waterways will be mutualised with its property portfolio intact.

Don’t know your MP? Find out at theyworkforyou.com

Public pressure moves Government to mutalise British Waterways

With a current total of 22,245 signatures the petition to Protcet Our Canals on the Number 10 website is helping to make a difference.

This week’s budget statement by HM Treasury may have been described as safe and unexciting by some pundits, but hidden in the detail was an anouncement to mutualise British Waterways (BW).

 

A narrowboat using Britain's waterways.

Establishing BW as charitable trust, with its property porfolio intact, secures the future of our canals and waterways. BW will be able to continue to invest in maintining and renovating the nation’s network of waterways, allowing more of us to enjoy the pleasures of walking alongside still waters, or step back in time by taking a holiday aboard a narrowboat.

Welcoming the announcement Tony Hales, BW chairman, said: “This is a significant moment in the history of our inland waterways, which helped put the great into Great Britain as an industrial nation. A mutualised canal network will give the communities that have grown up around the waterways since the 18th Century an increasingly important role in the way they are run in the future.

“The proposal reflects a widely-held, cross-party and stakeholder view that the waterways are a national treasure which should be moved into the third sector if we are to unlock the enormous public support that there is for them. This is a tremendously innovative model for reinvigorating the waterways, it will ensure their continued revival and safeguard against a return to the decline and dereliction which they faced in the last century.”

Thanks to everyone who has signed the petition.

If you haven’t yet signed please do so at Number10.gov.uk – let’s keep the pressure on until the job is done.

Government welcomes 3rd sector debate for waterways

As the petition to Protect Our Canals reaches the No. 9 spot on the Number 10 website with 18499 signatures the Government is hinting that British Waterways may keep its estate and go mutual.

A narrowboat using British waterways.

The new approach, contained in the Asset Portfolio which accompanies the Smarter Government White Paper, confirms and builds on the conclusions of a previous Treasury report in April 2009 which concluded there was no financial or economic case to sell off the property assets and a sale of the property endowment would not achieve best public value.

British Waterways’ waterside land and buildings, which range from brownfield regeneration sites to 18th century warehouses, fund a significant proportion of the maintenance of Britain’s historic waterways and have been vital to the recent renaissance of the 200-year-old network.

The income BW received from its property portfolio last year was £45.2m. Without this the network of canals and waterways, much-loved by many (3.4m visitors enjoying the network in a typical two-week period in 2008), would return to a state of decay and ruin.

British Waterways’ chairman, Tony Hales, comments: “British Waterways’ canals, rivers and docks create over £500 million of public benefit annually and we share and welcome the Government’s commitment to unlocking the potential of the network and delivering best value for money to the taxpayer. We are pleased that the Government wishes to explore with us the benefits of a third sector approach to the waterways. We need long-term security for the future of the historic network and believe third sector status together with our property endowment provides the basis for that security.”

“The waterways would not be the place they are today without the passion and commitment of waterway stakeholders and partners and we very much look forward to working with them to further develop our thinking on a third sector strategy.”

In the last decade Britain’s inland waterway network has undergone a widely acclaimed revival, with more than 200 miles of canals built or restored and record number of boats and towpath visitors using the system. British Waterways is influencing and enabling an estimated £10 billion of waterside regeneration, which has helped towns and communities across the country to rediscover their local waterway. This revival has been made possible thanks to the support of Defra and the Scottish Government, the lottery, local authorities and countless volunteers and enthusiasts.

Keep the pressure on the Government, if you’ve not already done so, please sign the petition.

Early autumn in Little Venice

Early Autumn in Little Venice

Originally uploaded by zxof.rey

 I’ve just stumbled on this shot of Little Venice. It’s beautiful.

I love wonderful vivid colours of autumn as the golden yellow-green leaves turn brown.

The way the light is being reflected on the still calm waters of Regent’s Canal – it really is an oasis offering calm, peace and tranquility in th heart of the ustle and bustle of London.

To not be able to maintain waterways like this in the future, to the lose the spaces to decay and ruin would be shameful.

Protect our waterways, sign the petition!

Waterway to start online activism!

Anyone who knows me will testify to me being something of a political bore on times. But whilst I’ve been interested in politics for several years I’ve never been really active, apart from a flitting courtship with New Labour and time served as a community councillor during the late 90′s and early noughties.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, Sunday 15 November to be exact, I was watching BBC Politics Show as usual when they reported on Government proposals to sell off the property portfolio owned by British Waterways. The piece was quite informative and commented on how this property portfolio was a major source of income for British Waterways. It suggested that the loss of this revenue stream would mean that BW would have to cut back on its maintenance and renewal programme allowing the country’s waterways to become overgrown and return to state of decay.

Now I’m not a canal enthusiast but I was outraged. I don’t work in any canal related industry. I just like canals – they’re peaceful places where industrial heritage meets nature in perfect harmony (I think) plus I grew up close to a part private and part council owned canal – the Neath and Tennant Canal.

I thought I’ll sign a petition to try and persuade Gordon Brown and company to change their minds. On visiting the Number 10 website I realised there wasn’t a petition to which I could add my name. So I started one – Protect our Canals, thinking it’ll only attract a few signatories. I had a message from Number 10 on the 19th to tell me my petition had been approved and was now live. A day or two later and only 35 signatures I forgot about it.

Last Friday, 27 November, I had a call in work from Andrew Denny (aka Granny Buttons) who was following the petition and supporting its aims, if not the petition itself. I must admit I was a little freaked out – how did Andrew track me down? A little digging I’ve realised just how connected the web is – eventually he pinned me down via LinkedIn – what a relief!

Well, it turns out that my well-intentioned petition had caused a storm among the waterways community, with the IWA encouraging its members to sign, and even (reportedly) BW emailing its staff to get them to add their names.

Last Friday the count was around 8000 last count we’re up to just under 13000 signatories and it’s in the top 20 petitions (out of 47000) – PHENEOMENAL!

Anyway, British Waterways received a total of £45.2m in property rental income during 2008/09 compared to a Government grant of £74.3m. The Governmet plans to cut its grant to BW by 5% in the year ahead making other revenue streams all the more crucial continued maintenance and development of our waterways.

Like I said earlier I’m not a canal enthusiast, but after a quick look at the number of different advertisers in Canal Boat magazine (I had to go out and buy a copy to gen up) I had a pretty good idea of the number of businesses and people who rely on the nation’s waterways for their living – loads!

If what I’ve said above strikes a chord with you then please sign the petition and encourage others to do likewise.

I for one am now taking up oars in an effort to safeguard our national, living, heritage – drop by from time to time to see how I’m doing.