Author Archives: victoria hoffer

The best place to begin is probably not with the most recent disaster: the spillage of a full mug of hot tea all over my backpack, fortunately not all over the computer (but very close) when there are so many others that might thrill more, such as having left my computer at TSA screening, but,Continue reading “2018 Sotland and England”

6:10 a.m. departure for bittersweet final day.  Such a strange feeling to know that the finish is just some six hours away.   No rain for the finale!   The end of the sheep: Traffic on the M4 at 8:00 a.m. (Would you believe?) What are these dogs loving? Turns out they are crazy forContinue reading “Redwick to Chepstow , September 6, 2017”

Second rest day, unexciting.  Went to the local Castle that has a number of exhibits and took a “house tour” conducted by a guide who could have easily passed for a robot, and not only was he utterly boring, but he got things wrong, which drives me nuts.  The most impressive part of the castleContinue reading “Cardiff and Newport to Redwick, Sept. 4+5, 2017”

The fifteen-mile walk from Cardiff to Newport wins no prizes for beauty or scenic interest, but it is flat and in the wind a rain, that is not so bad, except when you are walking for miles on top of a dike sort of thing, you really get hit by the wind and feel veryContinue reading “Cardiff to Newport, Sept 3, 2017”

Spent most of the day in the National Gallery of Art in Cardiff.  The art museum and the national history museum are in the same building.  A special exhibit on worms attracted my attention, so I headed there first, only to be disappointed to discover that there were no tanks full of live wriggling creaturesContinue reading “Cardiff rest day, Sept 2, 2017”

Taxi pick-up at 6:45 at the cute little Hay Loft to ride to Barry whence to start the walk to Cardiff. In the cool, no, make that cold, rainless morning, I was treated to a number of South Wales best four and two lane highways, all of which had sidewalks.  Since it was neither hotContinue reading “Barry to Cardiff September 01, 2017”

Today’s walk was a lot of fun.  Started out cold, wet and grey, in other words, rain jacket and pants weather, but, after a while, suddenly a promising sign: And it only got better: Directional challenges again because either there is no signage, or the signage has been sabotaged. After a few wrong decisions (madeContinue reading “Gileston to Barry, August 31, 2017”

6:30 taxi from Porthcawl to Southerndown where the mostly pleasant walk to Gileston began.  The first sight, a surprise, was a walled garden just off the path, but it was so cold, dark grey, and rainy that meandering through garden paths was not enticing, so after a peek inside, the sight remained unseen. Doesn’t thisContinue reading “Southerndown to Gileston, August 30, 2017”

Today’s walk was everything yesterday’s wasn’t:  short(ish), rainy, and beautiful.  It began in Southerndown, so another reverse walk like the one from Port Talbot to Swansea because of the same transportation situation.   Southerndown is a friendly place: where one feels safe: and good company is to be had:  A breach in the wall throughContinue reading “Porthcawl to Southerndown, August 29, 2017”

There was a choice of routes today.  One could walk along back streets near this: which the guide book strongly discouraged, or one could take the “high route,” which the guide book strongly recommended, even though it was a mile and a half longer.  I cannot vouch for the difference in mileage, but the 15Continue reading “Port Talbot to Porthcawl, Monday August 28, 2017”