A "Down Day"

Nevern/ Cilgerran Castle

Library to use @#$%#@**$  internet…. Check. Pharmacy to get more magic gel. Check.  Find suitable tape for for iPhone. Check.  Yes, tape for my iPhone. (don’t panic Aspen) 

The knee was indeed sore after our day at Marloes and a non trek agenda seemed in order. What to do.. what to do? Having tried several ways of making a video of my nearly daily gauntlet drive through Fishguard (without success), I thought it might be brilliant to tape my iPhone to the visor and make a video that way. Two pounds (as in British Sterling) worth of medical tape and a gauntlet drive later… I have a cracking video of the harrowing drive from upper Fishguard to Lower Fishguard and back up again. 

Cracking? Yes.. I just used that word. Too much UK tellie?  I’m finding myself saying all sorts of words here I rarely use in real life. The word lovely has popped out so many times when talking to locals it practically feels like a hiccup. Lovely? I don’t speak like that…. unless I’m keenly aware of my brash American accent and blunt phrasing apparently.  

Tah. Cheers. Dahling. Luv. Grand. All used to soften the linguistic edges here.  (along with some soft phrasing and distinct uptalk)

Kind Welsh Lady-“Are you enjoying your holiday” 

Holiday Me “Yes it’s been lovely”  (regular life me would have said “ Oh yeah”.. It’s great” )

But back to the “non trek” day…… 

Drive to Nevern (pronounced like LaVern but with an N)  to see a truly charming church (but most of them are). This one is particularly popular because it contains a 13th century church, and 11th century celtic stone cross and an inscribed ogham stone from the time of the Roman empire. 

Then on to Cilgerran (in spite of more strange directions from Betsy) where the castle ruins are supposed to be one of the most lovely situated in all of Wales. (So say 19th century poet and artists)  Down to the last of our UK cash and not wanting to get much more since we leave in two days, Roberta pays for me to go into the castle while she waits at the gate. (luckily they let her use the WC even though it is technically inside the paying boundaries)

The castle must have indeed been a site when viewed by boat from the river below, but that is not where the National Trust has any access. Close up and personal it wasn’t much as Welsh castles go, but it did have some interior stair structures I hadn’t sen before and was happy to have for reference. The down side of all this is that very thing.. stair structures. Up up the stairs in the turrets (no railing no rope) and then worst of all down down the turrets. 

Each step is made like a dramatic cheese wedge triangle…super narrow at  one end and just deep enough for your foot at the other. (height of each step changes so as to maximize tripping opportunities)  The spiral stack of cheese wedges always seems to have the narrow end on the left as you descend the stairs. Murder on my bad left knee.. and possibly deadly. 

Sweating in hot flash fear, and pain to beat the band,on my last decent I stopped in a window frame on the second level down to cool off and think through my options. It was the end of the day and I was literally the last one in the property. My knee was really hurting. Why did go up that last time? Would someone come looking for me if I wasn’t out at 5pm proper?  Loathing the thought of being found sweating in a cold castle turret by the bored British Youth that had taken our 3.50L , I promptly got on my butt and slid myself out of the turret. So much for the non-trek day… my knee actually hurts worse now than after the long trek at Marloes.

(Note that the national trust is particularly worried about people doing the high jump over railings)

A girl from London was lost down our very very narrow street the other morning. She knocked and asked us directions (which was hilarious.) I offered her use of our Garmin, Betsy, to which she replied. “oh I’ve got a tom tom already. I live in London and there this thing is priceless. In Wales it’s bloody useless”  

Amen to that sister. Betsy continues her dramatic choices and unknown final destinations which differ from that plugged in. Adds to the adventure?  I’m glad I finally have my left side of the road driving legs nearly underneath me. It has taken longer than in the past and made things a bit more stressful than I would have liked… but the gauntlet that was Fishguard is now manageable so I have high hopes for the rest of the journey.