Menorca 2016

First ever holiday in Menorca and hopefully it wont be the last! Lovely relaxing week in the warm late Summer sunshine with a hotel right on the beach. A beautiful little island that doesn't get the hype of it's Balearic neighbours Majorca and Ibiza. Lots of rugged coastline with secluded bays boasting crystal clear waters. Very reminiscent at times of the coastline of Cornwall. A few facts, Menorca lies 140 miles southeast of Barcelona. Although the second largest of the Balearic Islands it is still tiny (30 miles from East to West).912 miles from North to South). You can walk the entire coastline if you have the time and energy (135 miles)and is called Cami de Cavalls.
The road system is interesting ...you have to always return to the central axis (Me-1) and then divert off to your destination. The main road connects the two historic cities at either end of the Island Citiudella and Mahon also spelt locally as Mao. Those are both covered off later in seperate blogs. Population is around 94,000 about a tenth of Majorca and is very popular with UK visitors without the lager louts associated with other islands. Menorca has a long history and first inhabited 3000-1300 BC by cave dwellers. In 1708 it was taken by the British and then changed hands with the French, Spanish and British over subsequent years.
 It is a lovely beach walk to the next resort of Son Bou as the sands become whiter and the beach widens. Many of the surrounding beaches seem to be a haven for naturists wanting to let it all hang out. Walking through the sand dunes was hard work so reverted back to the shoreline on the return journey. It was here that we discovered an appropriately named restaurant providing much needed refreshment.
  In between the beaches there are some lovely rocky outcrops as you follow the coastal path. It really is a lovely walk and actually far quicker than trying to take the inland route. A taxi journey between our resort of Sant Tomas and Son Bou takes a good 25 minutes
.

We stayed at the Sol Beach Hotel which was excellent. Food was good and plentiful and the room had a lateral sea view . We had a couple of storms at night and was great to lay in bed and see the lightning over
the sea and the crashing of the waves.


The sunsets in the evening were spectacular and the photos don't really do them justice. Just nice to sit on the terace before Dinner with a nice 'Cruzcampo' Beer or maybe a Mojito and watch the sun go down over the horizon.
 Walking the other way from the hotel and more nudist beaches the scenery eventually becomes more of a woodland as you are drawn away from the beach. My intention was to walk to Cala Gadana further down the coast. I had been going for well over an hour and then saw a sign saying it was a further 8.5 km ..... so I turned back as my feet were already badly blistered. Afew more random pictures including one with Glenys and Bob our friends from Northamptonalong with one of myself and 'Bod' somebody we got friendly with.

Cotswold Trip -Coopers Hill Brockworth

Wandering away from the hotel I spotted a public footpath sign indicating 'Coopers Hill' 3/4 of a mile. It immediately rang a bell with me as being the home of the 'Cheese Rolling' contest. I knew that I would have to get to the top before the trip was done !
 Back at the hotel car park I could see in the distance exactly where 'Coopers Hill' was.It was as though a giant knife had been taken to the Cotswold Hills to carve a swathe among the trees.


I had expected a guick hike to the top via a few 'nursery slopes'. Unfortunately this was not the case. I did climb gradually through a couple of fields before reaching a crossing path, part of The Cotswold Way. On this occasion I chose the wrong path. I spent well over an hour and a half going backwards and forwards in thick woodland, the cover of trees not letting me see any way ahead. I was on the point of admitting defeat of finding the summit. Thankfully 2 ladies on horseback appeared out of the trees and confirmed that with a little bit of backtracking I was literally 2 minutes from my destination. With energy levels renewed I set off again and arrived at the top of 'Coopers Hill'. All the effort was completely worth it as the views were awesome. In the far distance you can see the outline of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. The only other person on the hill told me that I was over 800 ft above sea level. Looking down was quite daunting and the photos don't really convey the sheer height and dramatic sharp drop. As mentioned Cooper's Hill is a local landmark within the parish of Brockworth, and is famed in Britain and beyond for it's annual cheese rolling contest on 29th May.
 A large round 'Double Gloucester' cheese is rolled down the steep slope of the hill and chased by a group of "runners", who in fact spend most of their brief descent to the bottom of the hill falling and tumbling. Injuries are commonplace but doesn't seem to be a deterrent to the many who take part. Two hundred years ago this was part of a larger mid-summer festival with other activities and competitions, but the event is now confined to the cheese-rolling. It is usually said to have originated as a pagan festival celebrating the arrival of Summer,
fertility, or both.
 I'm glad to say the journey back was much easier once I realised that there was a footpath leading right down the side connecting to the fields I had originally journeyed through. Much easier and back to the hotel for a well earned cold Guinness !!

Cotswold Trip - Dusty Ducks

Slimbridge’s summer highlight is the launch of the new Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail to celebrate their 70th anniversary. Dusty along with 14 giant celebrity designed models landed at Slimbridge in July. The aim is to encourage exploring and trying new things and aimed not just at the kids but adults too (I made that last bit up)..
The first photo shows me with 'Ziggy StarDusty' so you get the idea. They are all over 6 ft tall and made by the famous Aardman Studios.Each one is designed with the help of a celebrity such as Chris Packham with 'Ziggy'. Others include, Steve Backshall’s Explorer Dusty, Smarked’s (CBBC’s Sam and Mark’s) Tiger Dusty and Joanna Lumley’s Absolutely Fabulous Patsy Dusty.

Cotswold Trip - Slimbridge WWT

The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Slimbridge is in the Village of Dursley Gloucestershire. It is beautifully situated on the River Severn estuary midway between Bristol and Gloucester. It was opened on 10 November 1946 by the artist and naturalist Sir Peter Scott as the first of its kind. It covers an area of 120 acres most of which is accessible to the public. A fantastic wetland to visit where birds and other wildlife are happiest near water. Plenty to do and see including; Otters, Flamingos, several bird hides and a canoe safari but more of that later.

When Sir Peter came to Slimbridge in 1945 he had 3 big ideas;

• To protect wetlands and their wildlife
• To inspire people with wetland experiences
• To develop ways to breed endangered wetland wildlife and to help conservation

The wetlands help to clean the water and protect against flooding. To get the best out of the wetland for wildlife the grass and water levels have to be managed. Waders can only breed where the grass is the right height. The on site cattle and sheep help manage the habitat very naturally.The water level dictates feeding conditions for the ducks.Wading birds need mud to dip their beaks into. From the Kingfisher hide and in the distance it was possible to spot 3 wild Cranes that were originally released into the Somerset Levels but have since returned back to Slimbridge. Impossible to get a good photo but you will get the idea. As you walk around the wetlands their are numerous ; Coots, Moorhens , Swans, Geese and Ducks many with young wandering amongst the visitors. There are over 100 different wetland birds to be seen including six different types of Flamingo. Six types of Swan, 18 types of Geese and as for Ducks something like 75 types. You do need a full day to justice to all that is going on at Slimbridge. I just managed to get to the top of the Observation Tower before it doors shut at 4 o'clock. I was glad I did because the views from up there are stunning!
As for the canoeing, lets just say the intrepid duo were not always in complete harmony when it came to steering a true course.... Words were exchanged and there were a few near misses with wildfowl and fellow canoeists alike. Finally a few more random photos taken on the day.