** JBC (Malvernian) JOURNEYS PLANNED and MADE **
... Part 1 of 2005 (March - June) ...
This is the 22 June 2005 edition
of this page.
Having 'given up' my last car in February 2001, and now been travelling with JBC (MALVERNIAN) for
over FOUR years, it seems that I've joined a happy extended family and got lots of new friends.
My bookings from JBC's brochures (about a DOZEN from each half-yearly edition!) have renewed my
acquaintances with many places in the UK last-visited 30, 40 and 50 years ago!!
Each one of these trips, with these new family-members, seems just like a 'family outing'.
THANK YOU to each member of the MALVERNIAN TEAM.
Those, in 2005, planned (and tickets acquired) are for:-
Thu 17 March WELSH TOUR
Calling on:
-----------------
Leominster
Builth Wells
Hay on Wye
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Sat 26 March BATH
Calling on:
-----------------
River-Bank Walk
Pulteney Bridge (equ to Ponte Vecchio in Florence)
The beautiful Parade Gardens
Some of its many Cafes
Hill up to Alexandra Park
and
Milton Avenue (re-meeting of past Lady-friend)
-----------------
Thurs 7 April Stratford upon Avon
Calling on:
-----------------
River-Walk
Park Walks
Gladstone Chambers (in Ely Street)
[ The location of Stratford Liberal Democrat Offices
Home of our Lib Dem Regional MEP (Liz Lynne)
shared with
two other occupants]
Shakespeare's Birthplace (and Theatre)
The Dolphin Fish-Bar (for lunch)
The Teddy Bear Museum (from past visits!)
-----------------
Sun 10 April Weston super Mare Calling on:
-----------------
Misc Town-Walks
GRAND PIER Walk
Sea-Life Aquarium
Grove Park Gardens
(inc Jill's Garden - tribute to Jill Dando)
Misc Cafes and Fish-Bars
-----------------
Tues 12 April Moreton in Marsh Calling on:
-----------------
Very Large Historic Market
[NB ice-cream stalls, refreshments, food & new slippers]
BR station (revitalising old memories)
-----------------
Sat 16 April LIVERPOOL Calling on:
-----------------
Liverpool Life Museum
Maritime Museum
Quayside Cafe & Tate Cafe
[Included an Aberdeen Angus & Chips]
(Not a Whole creature but just a 6oz chuck of the beast)
The Royal Liver Building
[Home of an Insurance Company - and well known for its LIVER BIRDS]
Beatles Story Experience
The fabulous SMART BUS
[One that plunges down a slipway and then becomes a boat!!]
Albert Dock
[An Historic Dock - but, like Gloucester's, has been YUPPIE-ised!]
-----------------
Sat 23 April Chester Calling on:
-----------------
Walk from Little Roodee Coach Park to Bridge Street
Miscellaneous Cafes
Riverside Walks (by the DEE)
Walk through ROMAN Gardens
Found and investigated the 'less than impressive' Roman Amphitheatre.
[found in the 1920's and with very little excavation and research ..
..they have now started a three year project
(the timings seem to indicate use of varsity students!)]
Walk and sandwiches in attractive Grosvenor Park
Walk around the only good bit of town
[with its large number of TUDOR buildings and Eastgate Clock]
Crossed the Suspension Bridge across the Dee
Walked the City Walls
[but, as in China, I did not do 'the whole lot!']
-----------------
Sat 30 April Shrewsbury (cancelled due to insufficient support!)
Sun 1 May Llandudno
Calling on:
-----------------
Route there by St Asaph and A55
The Victoriana Extravaganza in Mostyn Street and surrounds
[I concentrated on the George Formby Society performances]
The Promenade and items on approach to the pier
Fish & Chip shop and my earlier B&B in Chapel St
The route back via Vale of Conway and Llanrwst
-----------------
Mon 2 May West Midlands Safari Park (cancelled due to insufficient support!)
Sun 15 May Lyme RegisCalling on:
-----------------
Cobb Harbour
The incredible shrinking facilities of the western end of the township and
its restoration/maintenance activities on its promenade and the landslide
regions (including the loss of its major park) on this eroding/land-sliding/crumbling coast!
Not having seen any of this on my 2001 visit I was surprised by a
'local lady' who said that "this problem has been with us for ten years".
Another resident (who served me my fish and chips) said " Hell No,
its been at least THIRTY years".
I then exitted to the eastern end of the "Lyme Regis Coast" leaving by the bottom of
Bridge St and a new-looking castle area. At a Geological map, on the 'front',
I met a lady who'd walked along the Jurassic Coast from Charmouth
and our mutual discussion made us realise that the problem must be
MILLIONS OF YEARS old.
-----------------
Sun 22 May Devon, Sidmouth & Seaton
Calling on:
-----------------
Sidmouth's "front"
Its Cafes for lunch
Walk around the back-streets and pedestrian precincts
A walk to, and MEANDER around, Connaught Gardens
Seaton's "front"
Back streets (for shelter from the winds)
Ice Cream shops and a teatime meal in Seaton
Seaton's Terminus to its TRAMWAY
Inspected the details on the next TRAM to depart
[Their illustrated timetable shows many coloured and numbered TRAMS!]
-----------------
Sun 29 May ABERYSTWYTH & BORTH
Calling on:
-----------------
Aberystwyth's set-down point
Along coast to BORTH (1st time for 40+ years?)
Researching old camp-site and its replacements
Ice-cream shops
Researching 'changed' layout of resort
SUNDAY LUNCH (cooked to order!)
Visiting Borth Station
Coach back to Aberystwyth collection-point
-----------------
Mon 30 May Dudley Zoo
Calling on:
-----------------
BlackCountry Museum set-down point
Base-level of Zoo (info Centre to Prairie Dogs)
Unuseful Free Land Train so walked up slope past Flamingos
Saw Spider Monkeys and some ruffed Lemurs
Snowy Owls looked 'snowier' than greyish Snow leopards
Giraffes were medium sized
Big Red Panda was way-back in the trees
Baby Tiger, born early in month, (+ mother) not viewable until JULY!
Viewed Babirusa (like a Wart-hog!), mara and Cassowary
plus Macaws in Parrot-avairies, porcupines and gazelles
Many photos with Peacock and also in the lemur territory
Display by the very large Patagonian Sealions
late lunch in the Queen Mary Restaurant
descent to the tropical bird-house
and the now-noisier fair area for the children
-----------------
5 June (for 7 days) WEYMOUTH
With trips to:
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
Lyme Regis
Wareham
Brewer's Quay
Lulworth Cove
Swanage
Corfe Village & Castle
[inc Steam Train Ride]
Sun 12 June SOUTHEND
Calling on:
-----------------
Walk to start of Pier
Walk to Peter Pan playground
[now under different name]
Walk of whole promenade
[Entered the bit left of the now Extinct KURZALL]
-----------------
Tues 21 June Wye Valley & Forest of Dean
Calling on:
-----------------
Worcester and Upton
M50-J2
Monmouth
Wye Valley and TINTERN
Wintours Leap
Chepstow
St Briavels
Coleford
Ledbury
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Return to My JBC 2002 page
or return to My JBC 2003 pages
or return to Part 1 of my JBC 2004 page
or advance to Part 2 of my JBC 2005 pages
Return to Roy's home page for full
list of books/travelogues either finished or under preparation.