Wales

Over our Christmas & New Year holiday, we took a day trip to Wales.  It's about a 2.5 hour drive, give or take, to the south western tip of this large island on which we live.  Wales is it's own country, separate from England.  They speak Welsh and English, and the road signs have both languages posted.

The traffic was heavy at times and it did feel like herded cattle...

Ever since we moved here...well, actually ever since I saw pictures of beautiful jutting coastline raked with cliffs in National Geographic, I've been waiting until I could go visit such places in real life.  Ireland, Scotland, California, I didn't care where, I just wanted to be there.

The first beach we stopped at was yet another disappointing tidal beach...pretty in it's own way, but not what I was hoping for.

So we kept driving a ways, until we reached, essentially, the end of the road.  Alas, the coastline I've been dreaming of.

 The entry gate was very clear and welcoming.  And made me glad we didn't have a dog with us.

Sign posted on the entry gate to the cliffs.

To explain, most all of the points of interest we've been to are on privately owned land that is opened up to the public for enjoyment...keeping the gates shut and dogs on leads is vital visitor etiquette.  It is, after all, technically, farm land that we walk through on a regular basis.  Grazing farm land all over the UK with towers, cliffs, ancient burial grounds, and lots of sheep.

The wooly sheep having a rest in the bitter wind on the edge of a cliff...makes sense.

Our little trooper hiding from the wind.

Did I mention it was windy?  And that's putting it mildly.  It was exhilarating to say the least.  I dared not step closer than a few feet from edge of the cliffs, as the wind made standing still impossible--physically moving us about.  Shortly, we were driven back by some rather stinging rain drops pelting forcefully down upon us.  It was a wonderful place to visit and I'm so glad we found it...finally.

Cheers.