For our June short break, it was off to South Wales by train. As we headed out we travelled through an intense band of rain, fortunately not a portent of the days to come, and we kept completely dry – the benefits of train travel!

On the way there, Gloucester proved an ideal stopping-off point. We visited Gloucester as recently as last April, but felt there was unfinished business for us, especially missing out on the chance to stay in the New Inn, a remarkably historic, galleried pilgrims inn, all timber and wonky floors. History permeates the building: it was here in 1553 that Lady Jane Grey received the news that she had been made Queen, and so was sealed her untimely fate. But we did wonder for how much longer it will be possible to feel that history. Under new management, it feels down at heel and in need of substantial investment, but it was worth spending a night there for the aura, even if Lady Jane failed to appear for us…!

While in Gloucester of course we didn’t neglect the rest of the city, and an afternoon potter around saw us lifting our eyes above the modern shopfronts, to see the remnant history that has survived the bombs and planners of the 20th century:

Pre-eminent amongst this is of course the Cathedral. No time in our schedule to go inside (we explored it fully last time), but the surrounding cathedral quarter was really doing its bit for wildlife, the plantings (including globe-thistles and scabious) attracting all manner of bumblebees, Honeybees and other pollinators, even in overcast conditions.

Last time we loved the docks, and this year was no exception. Redevelopment from their original use has retained many of the attractive dockside buildings, all with a liberal sprinkling of Herring and Lesser Back-backed Gulls. Indeed the entire city has become a very significant year-round breeding and feeding location for these birds which in the ‘wider countryside’ are rather struggling from habitat loss, disturbance and climate change affecting natural food supplies.

And around the docksides, a plant that was to become very familiar as our holiday continued, Hemlock Water-dropwort, seemingly to be found in every damp area of the region, especially in proximity to the coast.

Next morning though it was time to move on, into south Wales. What a lovely rail journey, first along the western shores of the Severn Estuary…

… thence through Newport, seeing the sights that would become very familiar to us in a few days’ time…

… and to the coastal landscapes of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, to Haverfordwest, almost as far as the train tracks run.

But this was merely a prelude to the main part of the trip, to be covered in three subsequent blogs…