My future

Worried! 

My human was looking at this available in about 6 years, all electric.

Can't see it getting around route 500 without solar panels lol.

Not so much laughing but 😭 apparently it can do 373 miles per charge.

I want one!

My humans went in search of something called a Gruffalo. They found one of me with an extension and some sinister but beautiful art work.

I want both!

They did find creatures stranger than fiction. Figments of my humans imagination captured through the lens.

Coal wealth and ruin.

 

Today my humans ventured North West chasing the sunshine. I was parked beneath apple and pear trees at house built from the fortunes of Welsh coal.

  

Victorian glasshouses and gardens of splendour entertained my humans.

 

I enjoyed the peace and Welsh Dragons.

Human Wilfrid never visited this gem as in his day it was derelict.

Coal wealth built it coal subsidence almost destroyed it.

Wilfrid's lot and more

Thank goodness there was plenary of picnic benches and the rain held off, could have been a bit of a tight fit in my seating area. Human Wilfrid's off springs girls sorted out a Big Day out for the family at a wildlife trust, more are planned. I provided them with some drinks, you can just see me in the distance.

 

They took there own wildlife.

Windy Wales

    

A week in Windy Wales in a dramatic valley visiting many of human Wilfrid favourite places.

 

    

My human and Dave explored mountain tracks and pine forests rolling down sand dunes to the sea. I wonder if human Wilfrid ventured on any of these routes?

             

                        

No visit to North Wales by human Wilfrid ever missed Beddgelert and a visit to the dogs grave. The railway was not running in his day now it takes holiday makers a scenic route from Porthmadog to Caernarfon.

My humans got their first sunshine here. Human Wilfrid said Welsh rain goes up and down, getting you wet from the ground upwards. I think he was right my chassis had never been so wet.

      

Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey Is another must visit, is it me or does this castle appear to be sinking in the moat? Perhaps Welsh folk were smaller when this was built.

When the sun did come out all activity stopped, I was parked in the sand dunes amongst Corsican Pines and my humans played on the beach. 

              

Much more impressive than the Kites available in human Wilfrids day, or is Dave more skilled? 

Thank goodness for the many Pine Trees as the humans became lazier and the hammock was erected.

   

Not so cool!

        

Very cool!  

Dave showing my human how you should look relaxed in the hammock. I think my human needs more practice so I am on the lookout for more trees.

   

Makes a great seat also.

 
My human was overcoming a torn calf muscle so did well to get into the mountains and walk beneath The Devils Kitchen on the lower slopes of Tryfan.

   

Who needs high tech gear? I have seen some strange things but these two seemed very out of place in these wild mountains. Day after day they passed me reading aloud from some book as they walked. Each to his own but what grandeur they were missing.

Haunted! Have I not seen something like this before?

Rugeley to Snowdon

 An early start in bright sunshine, my humans eyes were still slumbering when he took this photo.

Today all the training is put to use as support vehicle for Dave who is cycling from Rugeley to the top of Snowdon in less than 24 hours.

Our first meeting point is Bent Lane (dead straight so no idea how it got named). Not a good start as I am 5 minutes late fue to roadworks where the A51 crosses the M6. 

 

Dave is soon off again, the flooded road reflects the heavy rain from the last 24 hours.

The ride was due to be done on the Friday but the bad weather conditions and 50 mph winds on Snowdon pushed it a day forward to the Saturday and so far sunshine.

            

Disaster! I had made good progress and was at Bridgmere when a call came through that a rear spoke had broken on Dave's new bike the might Bish Bash. A quick turn around and speedy retreat found Dave on back lanes off the A51. A lot of time was lost as the spoke was removed and wheel straightened after a fashion. Dave decide to push on and I was tasked in finding a bike shop in Chester for a repair or new wheel.

My human decided to keep stopping and waiting for Dave to check his back wheel was holding up, all seemed fine and Dave was making good time.

Waiting in vain! Near Acton we waited but Dave never arrived. My human was just beginning to worry when Dave called, he had missed this stop and so now a mad dash to reach the next point before he does, I did it with just 4 mins to spare, phew!

       

After a stop at Flint and a wheel holding up Dave decided to miss the next stop and head for Rhyl to a bike shop with cafe and by the sea.

The Bike Hub

So parked up on a windy sea front my humans had lunch and the missing spoke was replaced. Next stop Conway.n

SAT NAV settings? NO M WAYS since when has the A55 been a Motorway? So a huge detour over B roads and mountains to arrive at the next stop. Dave had it no easier as he was faced with winds of 40mph.

 

After Conway my human decided there was time to drop off a bike at Ogwen cottage before meeting Dave a Bangor. This turned out more difficult than it needed to be as the drive to the cottage was steep, rocky and very narrow. My human managed to damage one of my nice black alloys on a rock, can't get the drivers.

     

 And so Llanberis is reached two hours later than planned and a bike with issues so Dave changes to his Mountain Bike for the final leg up Snowdon. No time to rest as it is now 5pm and Snowdon beckons. I wait with my human with the prospect of 3 hours before Dave returns.

 

The odds were stacked against Dave who on this occasion managed to reach the halfway point and not the summit. He made the right decision and turned back, the wind and lost time with the broken spoke and no time for the planned 2 hour rest meant Snowdon Summit was unobtainable.

  

So we loaded up the bikes and headed for the sanctuary of the cottage. We were rewarded with the final light on Tryfan as we parked at the top of the drive, thank goodness no more damage.

A warm meal awaited and a very exhausted Dave tumbled out of my cab ready for a good nights sleep.

Human Wilfrid would have loved this journey. In the 1930's he would regularly cycle to Wales, from Wolverhampton to Barmouth in a day and then spend a week travelling around North Wales. This gave him a love of Wales that I am beginning to appreciate, I know my human already does.