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" Swansea and Camberley"

Date & start time: 14th to 17th March 2011.

Location of Start : The Marina Tower, Swansea ( SS 655 923 )

Places visited : Swansea Town Centre, the M4 via the Severn Bridge, and Camberley.

Camberley Walk details : 3mls, 200 ft of ascent.

Highest point : Broadmoor Heath 400 ft - 125 m.

Walked with : Cathy, Ann and the dogs, Saffie, Theo, Harry and Bethan.

Weather : Blue skies but a 70mph breeze passed the car on the motorway (honest officer).

 

 

Swansea and Camberley at EveryTrail
 

[ Alter the settings to zoom or change the Map ]

 

After the grey mountain mist of Saturday we are blessed with sunshine all day Sunday

which gives us clear skies and lovely colours for our next ascent later that afternoon . . .

all 28 floors to the top of the one of the newest buildings in Swansea.

Built in the 'century before last' as a busy industrial port, the South Dock was re-developed last century

(Ok in the 1980's . . . towards the end of the last century) into the Swansea Marina project.

The dock land project included an abundance of housing, marine businesses and leisure interests.

The tower doubled the height of the existing tallest building in Swansea

and was completed in 2009.

After one unsuccessful attempt at establishing a penthouse restaurant,

the top three floors are now run

as function rooms, restaurant, Bistro and Bar

by the Grape and Olive Company,

a subsidiary of S A Brains Brewers of Cardiff.

Gareth, our son, invited us up to the top of the tower

to partake of a beer and enjoy the newest view in town . . .

looking down from the 28th floor to the city laid out at our feet.

[ Technical note - the photo is a stitched panorama - it was too tall for my lens ]

Hold on . . . where's the handrail ? . . . looking down on the County Hall car park and Plaxton Street immediately below.

This picture is dated in time as it shows the demolition of the old Swansea City football stadium in progress.

The new Liberty Stadium is already up and running at Black Rock in Lower Swansea Valley (pictures later)

Our old house in Swansea is just visible (if you know where to look) adjacent to the patch of trees in the centre-left below Town Hill.

Moving right (and ignoring the reflections on the glass) we see the new bus station and the Debenhams store.

The large car park in front of the town centre is the Tesco development, the red roofed building houses the Grand Theatre.

Looking east across the still thriving commercial docks towards Britton Ferry and Port Talbot in the distance.

Just standing out proud of the sea wall development is the Swansea Observatory with its space-shuttle like design.

It was (until recently) jointly run by the council and the Swansea Astronomical Society.

The view to the west is down the Bristol Channel

and includes the Mumbles Headland and distant Ilfracombe on the Devon Coast.

   
Hello . . . to you too ! - writing in the sand.
County Hall and the Marriott Hotel (photo into the sun)

Looking up the Swansea Valley past the previously highest building, the BT Tower.

The view includes the white buildings of the new, joint football and rugby stadium

and the lower Swansea Valley commercial sector.

Kilvey Hill across the river and the Marina below.

The glass fronted building is the Leisure Centre, with the National Waterfront Museum and lightship to the right.

A balcony but no open door policy understandably.

   
Looking down on the first photo of this set . . .
. . . and looking out from the last.

- - - o o o - - -

On Monday we said our goodbyes and headed east for Bridgend, the M4 and Camberley.

Ann took the camera as we crossed the Severn Bridge . . .

Smart lines of the newer of the two motorway bridges.

Concrete and Steel in harmony.

The original motorway bridge a few miles upstream

seen through the railings and armco barrier of the new bridge.

- - - o o o - - -

While at our daughter's home we did the usual family things

and also managed a walk from her house onto the heath land behind Sandhurst Academy.

Spring woodland.

New daffodils amongst the fallen winter leaves.

   
Leaving the Academy . . .
. . . and entering the heath land behind.

A make shift bridge over the Wishmoor stream.

A local resident . . . a common frog I think.

More at home in his natural habitat.

Ann and Cathy walk on while I was taking this photo.

We made our way up to the top of the heath . . .

. . . a whole 375 ft above sea level

but a world away as far as vegetation is concerned when compared to the Lakes.

 

Ann savours the coconut-like smells of the new season's gorse.

We didn't savour the mud like aroma of the dogs

so encouraged them back into the stream on our return path.

Keen viewers will have noted the painted trees in the last photo.

These represent regimental colours and will be something to do with the army training out here on the heath.

Spring primroses as we enter the woodland near to home.

. . . and back past the same rather nice bunch of daffodils again.

- - - o o o - - -

Post script: A week away and a car full of bags

We emptied the car in Swansea and re-packed after the weekend activities.

[ Mountain walking, beach walking, town walking, (computer) surfing, plus hot, cold, wet, dry clothing and dogs' requirements ]

Ann sits and contemplates carrying them all back down five flights of steps back to the car in the street below.

When I looked, I just remembered the effort to get them up those same steps earlier in the weekend !!

A month in Australia in 2008 ... our luggage was just the few bags on the left !

Guess how many bags we actually took to Australia for a whole month away in 2008 ?

More . . . less . . . ( select from 2 ... 4 ... 8 ...16 ) ?

Hold your cursor over the picture to check your answer.

- - - o o o - - -

So we come to the end of an all too brief stop in Brecon and Swansea,

with a trip to Camberley and a stay with our daughter and family at Sandhurst,

a quick tip to Peterborough to collect another daughter (Jen) and bring her back to Camberley . . . as you do,

and then the grey nomads return home after a week away.

Life is busy but life is good . . . now time to relax and recover

( but don't forget it's work again at 9am tomorrow !)

- - - o o o - - -

 

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Canon 75 or my Canon G10 digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . .an familiar armchair to relax in afterwards.

Go to Top . . . © RmH.2011 . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 13th March 2011 Nicholaston Woods and Oxwich

A previous time here - 1st Oct 2010 Swansea & Gower

Next walk - 24th March 2011 Blake and Cogra with Sherran & Bill