As expected we are using our own boats. Instead of the tours leaving at the times stated yesterday, they're all going by 10:30 hours. Yes, we are pulling off early. Don't quite understand why unless its saving on costs of mooring......pass. All I know is, we passed a bevy of noisy guillimots several times which did make me laugh, and the Small's lighthouse even more times, so we must have been going round in circles most of the night.
It's overcast and a distinct chill in the air. Its 09:33 and I'm sitting in a waterproof coat patiently waiting to tender ashore. I'm taking my camera and wondering why. Oh well, I may get a few pictures.
The journey there, to this hidden garden called Plas Cadnant was relatively quick and the tour guide was excellent. She knew her stuff and was very informative about everything we passed.
Getting a coach into the gardens was fun as the access road was never designed for more than two cars passing at passing points.
The gardens themselves are formed in a Dell and the fact they had gone to seed and left to their own devices for some time, allowed many lichens, liverworts, mosses and ferns to settle around the stream which ran through the deepest part of the gorge. I will add photos later once I've downloaded and edited them back home, but I was amazed at what I was looking at and have quite a bit of researching to do on some of the species there.
The whole garden seems to be based around a deep litter, acidic soil overlaying granite and possibly slate. I'm not convinced the latter is native or imported, it was hard to tell. The locals would go off to the mainland for the working week and bring slate home, hence my belief it might be imported.
There is coal locally and this must have bearing on the rocks having a sedimentary aspect.
By the time we had explored the garden, both up slopes and down steps, I was happy to return to their tea room where I did indulge in a lovely fruit scone and a slice of proper Welsh teacake.
The coach took us back via the coastal route so I must admit, by the time I got back my back was at pains to tell me off. Trouble with coach seats is they really don't work well if I'm seatbelts in.
So tender back to ship, drop off coat and straight up to deck 12; lunch - welsh faggots, mashed potatoes and broccoli. Now that was my idea of heaven.
I am now quietly sitting on deck 6 with a diet Pepsi and a small plate of crisps. That's enough, I've eaten a lot today!
Belfast tomorrow and a tour on a coach; it's all covid will allow sadly.
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