The Beach at Burton Bradstock

Just 4 km southeast of Bridport on Dorset's Jurassic Coast lies the village Burton Bradstock.  This is where we went on Saturday, the 17th of May 2014 to attend a fete featuring a food tent with lots of local products like local beers, breads and fudge (we loved the ginger fudge) of which one could mostly have a taste.

Parking lots are well organised in England and this one was no exception. People in Dorset are just very friendly and generally ready to strike up a conversation.  The official at the parking lot was no exception readily giving us advice on weather conditions.  We did not quite believe that jerseys were necessary, but down on the beach they were.

What struck us in the parking lot was the number of lovely vintage cars as well as some quite expensive new cars.

From there we walked towards the tents and exhibitions.  

An exhibition to show what life in ancient Wessex was like.

Bellows like they used in ancient times.

Debbie tried her hand at it, but it is more difficult than it looks.

Having looked at the many things for sale we went down to the beach.

There were many people out enjoying the day on the beach.

We had a bit of a picnic ourselves, but it was not really warm, more like July in Scottburgh, South Africa.

Here there are vertical cliffs of up to 45 metres high with rock falls a constant danger.

This last picture shows Pieter Botha and Kevin Lomas taking pictures of the awesome cliff face.

Our next adventure takes us to the site of an old mill in the inland which we reached through lovely country lanes, but that is for the next blog.

A stroll in Bridport

 A stroll in Bridport

Our stay in Bridport was like a family visit - we were treated with so much kindness.  Pete and Hilda Smith (Madeleine's parents) welcomed us to their home in central Bridport where they had moved to a few years before.  It is spacious and comfortable and we were given a lovely room in the loft to stay in.  

The river Brid runs right past their house, but their home was never in danger in 2013 during the floods at all.  

From their home one can see a new apartment block which doesn't look new at all.  Building regulations stipulate that new buildings have to maintain the character of the existing architecture.  

Those chimney stacks are made of plastic, which are then covered with the cladding of your choice. They cannot be used at all.  They do add a lot to the appearance of the building though.

On our first morning Kevin took us for a walk to see a bit more of Bridport.  This kind of exploring is exactly what we enjoy doing in new surroundings.  We walked by an old mill and into the main street.  

The first place we looked at still belongs to Quakers - they are members of a Christian denomination, a religious society of friends with traditional testimonies of pacifism, social equality, integrity and simplicity.  To outsiders, like us, they remain a bit of a mystery.  

Once one has walked through the narrow corridor one enters what initially appears like a tranquil garden, but actually is walled-in graveyard.  

Here we looked at some flowers with very familiar names due to stories of British origin.  It was quite special  to have them identified and  see them close up.  

Buttercups

Dandelions

Next we visited the church of which we could see the steeple from the Quaker property.

Bridport has a community garden in which people work at their own little lots.  Some of these are even raised like in one of the photos above to make it easier for the elderly to work there.  I could just see my own dad happily pottering about there should he have ever had the opportunity.  

The bunting was out.

The Bridport museum is quite interesting.  Ropes for shipping and other purposes is the main export product of this town and has been so for centuries.  Good ropes are essential but we seldom give their production a thought.  This is a place famous for its ropes.

These days Bridport is also a centre for antiques and well worth exploring if that is what you enjoy.

What stays with one is the wonderful sense of community. 

A visit to Dorset

An insider's look

Bridport 

Visiting a foreign country is always exciting.  One experiences everything with heightened senses and remembers what takes place vividly.  Something that adds immeasurably to this is if friends or family show you around.  We were treated with the greatest kindness and hospitality by our friends Kevin and Madeleine Lomas and their family.  

They picked us up in Cardiff and we drove off to Bridport, where Madeleine's parents live.  Dorset is still quite rural, so we could start relaxing and enjoying the surrounding countryside right away.  

Our first stop was at Clevedon where we had a bit of a picnic. 

From the beach one can see all the way across to Cardiff where we came from.

From there we visited Cheddar, presumably this is where the specific variety of cheese has its name from.  We had a quick look at the Cheddar gorge - we really have to go back for a longer visit - it is extraordinary.

We stopped in Cheddar for a cup of tea.  The photo shows Madeleine in front with Kevin hidden behind her. 

From there we went to Madeleine's sister's home.  She, Debbie Smith, and her husband, John Dalton, live on a smallholding outside Bridport.

They did a lot of renovation themselves and the end result is truly picturesque.

If one visits England in spring one sees many little lambs and I still have to meet the young lady that does not immediately want one of her own. Debbie got herself two of those, but like everybody warns, they very quickly become fully grown sheep. Luckily she could keep them.

 Debbie and John own a poli tunnel, for growing vegetables, but this has become a very pleasant outside entertainment area.

This is Debbie picking us some vegetables which we had for supper later the same evening.  They manage to have a very green lifestyle.

Kevin knew exactly where the best spot was - well he had done all the driving.

Madeleine's parents, Pete and Hilda Smith, sat on the couch.

It was really pleasant in the tunnel. The tea made it even more so.  Here Pieter Botha, my husband, and John are sharing a joke.





John and Debbie are just very good at crafts and not afraid to work very hard.  This is even more evident inside their home.

The kitchen was really special with lots of attention to small details. The dining room table is of cedar wood, bought locally.  John made it himself. Debbie served us a good, much appreciated meal.

We are most privileged to have such friends.

Cardiff, UK in May 2014

Cardiff, UK in May

We left Norway from Stavanger Airport.  It was fairly clear so we could see the Thames from the aeroplane as we started descending towards Heathrow.  If you are not a EU citizen you are not allowed to fly directly to one of the smaller airports like, Cardiff.

From Heathrow we went to Cardiff by bus. There we visited Cardiff Castle at the very first opportunity.  The castle is really impressive and is busy with tourists, soldiers giving demonstrations and school children - a real community centre.  We are taken by surprise by the number of people using Welsh.  Welsh is even still used at the university like Pieter Botha, my husband discovered at the conference there.

The castle wall with the tower at the front entrance

Cardiff used to be part of the territory of a Celtic British tribe.  A fort was established by the Romans here in the year 75. Parts of the old wall can still be seen as marked by the coloured bricks on the outside wall and as part of the museum inside.  In 1081 the castle keep was built by William I, King of England, inside the old Roman fort.

Pieter and I against the wall of the keep

The third Marquess of Bute substantially changed and extended the castle.  It is because he and his family had to spend a week or two every year at the castle that we now have an amazingly richly decorated interior to admire.  He was said to have been the richest man of his time.

The library, much admired by Pieter, as can be seen below.

The river Taff flows by the castle and it is by river that we travelled to Cardiff Bay.

We floated past the Millennium Stadium, where the Springboks still come to compete against Wales.

One can see flags displaying  the Red Dragon of Wales in the streets

This picture is taken with the castle in the foreground and the Millennium Centre (rugby stadium) behind it. Notice the contrast between old and modern again.

The scene is tranquil from the water

The riverboat took us right to Cardiff Bay, which still is a major port for the transport of coal. 

The golden bow is part of the roof of the Millenium Centre (Culture) and the red brick building in front used to be the building used for the export of coal.

In the bay we noticed a party in full swing on a military cruiser

Who said a lighthouse had to be stationary?

We loved the use of sculpture again.  Is this a ship that has run aground?

Of course, all this travelling creates a pile of laundry.  We discovered a laundromat which several athletes and rugby players also had to use during their stay.  This is really an efficient way of dealing with that part of everyday life.

Luckily the hotel provided ironing facilities

At the hotel, we were picked up by our good friends, Kevin and Madeleine Lomas.  Thanks to them we could from there explore the South of England.