Friday 3rd June 2022

We woke at quarter to six in Swindon.

Outside it was warm and cloudy. But with the promise of sunshine later.

We had a shower, dressed and was down fr breakfast for half six, with all bar the cooked food ready.

So, we filled our boots with fruit and coffee before the fry up was brought. Aroud us, young red-eyed familes ate in a daze, and men in work clothes got ready for their last working day of the week.

We had a 90 minute drive, so we turned out of the car park at seven, across the huge roundabout ond onto the M4 heading due west for Bath, Bristol and Wales.

We put the radio on, and as the cruised through the Wiltshire countryside, the clouds above thinned and the sun broke through.

It was going to be a perfect day for orchiding.

We crossed over the new bridge ito Wales, traffic was heavier, but it flowed well, and all around the weather improved.

Past Newport and Cardiff beofre trning off to the coast, lead by the sat nav into which I had programmed the postcode. Although that wasn't enough, as the post coast was a gated farm track.

We tried to drive into the nearest town, and there was no reserve, but on the way out I saw a brown sign with a waterfowl, the symbol for a reserve.

Getting close now.

We arrived, and already the car park was half full, because sadly most people use reserves as dog exercise areas, and we were to be harassed and harried all our visit but aggressive small and larger dog and owners who don't give a toss.

I was here to see a rarer colour variation of the Early Marsh, but Kenfig is also home to the only western colony of Fen Orchids. I had seen these in Norfolk a few years back, but as were here, and someone on Twitter supplied me with a grid reference and good directions, as the orchids are tiny.

So, we went via a maze of tracks, heading mostly west, through coppices and dunes, until there was a large open area of grass.

And orchids.

And there were the magenta coloured EMO.

I filled my boots.

Then, to find the Fens.

Beside one dune that looked just like any other, some work had been done last year to disturb the soil, and here, if we looked hard enough, would be the orchids.

What I saw were hundreds of Marsh Helleborine rosettes putting up spikes, more than I have seen since I was on the Snook.

But then I saw the familiar spike, with two rounded leaves wrapped round the spike.

But not in flower.

We looked more, and found three more spikes, but none in flower.

Then Jools called, and by a short piece of bamboo, there were two flowering spikes, barely 4cm tall.

I got my pictures and we turned for the car, meetng folks on the way who showed us a good spot for dragonflies. We saw damsels, though they were flighty, and then a couple of dragons, but neither settled. Sure one was either a Norfolk of Brown Hawker, but can't be sure.

We reached the car and programmed the hotel in: 117 miles and nearly four hours away.

We drove back to the motorway, past a music festival with people arriving carrying tents and coolers.

We drove on.

Back onto the M4, before turning up through Neath and up and up to Brecon.

At the highest point of the pass, miles of cars parked on the verge, and a line of folks in bright rainware heading further up.

It was packed. So we drove on.

Down the otherside, we came to a greasy spoon, where we stopped and had coffee with "posh" sausage rolls and cakes, whole sitting in deckchairs provided, so we could look on the traffic as we ate.

We drove on, looking for a pub in which to whet our whistle. But there were none. For over an hour we passed through towns and villages, but no pubs were seen, The one we did find, was closed and locked.

We drove on.

Within twenty miles of the hotel we came upon a Red Lion, they were not doing food, but they had beer.

We supped our ales sitting in the beer garden, while around birds sang in joy.

Not a bad spot.

We had an hour to kill, so needed to stop. I saw signs for Welshpool, so thought we would call in. And I knew there was a narrow gauge railway here, maybe it would be working?

Being the second bank holiday of the Jubilee, and just after three, there wasn't much happening in town. Jools went to Boots to get supplies for her cold, and I wandered around taking shots.

We went into a coffee shop for a brew. I made the mistake of having a flavoured latte, but turned down the sugar when offered. Good job, as I had forgotten how sweet coffee with syrup could be, even with an extra shot of espresso in.

But we had killed an hour, so could go to the pub and our home for the next week.

We reached the hotel at four, Bob the andlord was expecting us, and poured me a pint in welcome, as was a fellow armourer in a previous life.

Our toom is up two steep flights of stairs, but we have three rooms, two beds, two TVs and a bathroom. Which will do.

We went down for dinner, I feasted on steak and ale pie. Homemade, while Jools has chicken Kyiv.

We had a cheeseboard, and a wine, before wearyness swept over us, and we headed back up them steep stairs to bed.