We paid another visit a few weeks back and checked out all the indoor galleries we missed last time.

They've currently got a great pop culture exhibition there, and after we've finished stuffing our faces with lovely Welsh cakes, we had a look around the Celtic village.

It's easily one of our favourite museums in the UK.





More photos: St Fagans national history museum

Labels: cardiff, museum, wales

A few snaps from a quick jaunt to Penarth pier, a short, late Victorian attraction situated just a few miles from Cardiff. The pier has had some considerable ups and downs over the years, but things seem to be on the up at last.

One thing that surprised me when I was researching the pier was that it formed the backdrop for some truly fierce Mods vs Rockers battles in the 1960s!
 

More photos: Penarth pier.

Labels: penarth, pier, wales

We stayed at Fforest which offers posh camping in the middle of a lovely ancient wood near the lovely village of Cilgerran.

There's some great walks to be had, with the River Teifi offering some spectacular views.











More photos: Fforest campsite
To Poppit Sands
St Dogmaels
Along the River Teifi to Llechryd

Labels: photos, wales

Here's some pics from our recent holiday in south west Wales. I was astonished how beautiful and picturesque the area was.

We had a chuffin' fantastic time and can't recommend the area enough for a walking/cycling and, err, drinking trip.











More:
Carmarthen photos
Cardigan photos

Labels: photos, wales

Lovely, lovely St Davids day!

Thanks to the lovely Em, I've enjoyed a delightful leek bake today, followed by a plateful of delicious Welsh cakes. Welsh cakes rock.

Here's Eme holding a tin full of cakes she baked for last year's Offline St David's Day special.



Someone asked me a while ago what a Welsh accent sounded like. Here's my reply:

What exactly does a Welsh accent sound like?? Like Richard Burton. Like the Treorchy Male Voice Choir. Like butter across a freshly baked Welsh cake. Like Slack Blodwyn from Tiger Bay after six pints of SA. Like a warm summer breeze on the slopes of Snowdon. Like Shirley on a Vegas encore. Like Tom's Green Green Grass. Like the sound of the onion bag bulging as Cardiff surge into the FA Cup Final.

See lots of photos from Wales here.

Labels: wales

Link

Some photos from my Christmas trip to Porthcawl, on the south Wales coast. It was chuffing freezing!


The lighthouse, which dates back to 1860.


Lifeguard's lookout tower.


The 1930s Pavilion.



This luxury development may have impressed the Royal Society of Architects in Wales, but the locals have remained unimpressed, dubbing it it 'the bottle bank'. :)

Labels: porthcawl, seaside, wales

Link

I love walking around deserted, out of season seaside resorts, so here's a few pics from my trip to Coney Beach Pleasure Park, Porthcawl in south Wales...

Labels: seaside, wales

Link

Some photos from a brisk - nay, chuffing freezing - Boxing Day beach walk on the south Wales coast.

The weather was fantastic and the gale force wind sure sorted out my hangover!

Labels: photos, wales, walk

Link

I've finished posting up the photos from our fabulous walking holiday in north Wales.

Here's a few of the photos from the report. Check out the rest here.



View from where we were staying. Not bad, eh?




Most of the urban crew get ready for a walk to Llangollen.


Walking over the mountain to Llangollen.


Llangollen Railway.






We were lucky with the weather except on Sunday afternoon when it pissed down. So we went back to the bunkhouse and got pissed instead!


Walking over the Chirk aqueduct.


Through the long and very dark tunnel!


Heading home along a shorter tunnel....

Labels: photos, wales, walks

Link

On the weekend, I stayed with the urban75 walk club massive in a lovely bunkhouse in a remote part of north Wales.

Here's a photo from the walk from Glyn Ceiriog to Llangollen.



Full feature coming soon!

Labels: photos, wales, walks

I fucking loves Barry Island (or "Barry's Island" if you've been watching the fantastic Gavin and Stacey BBC TV prog). It's right tidy.

Here's a few pics:

Labels: barry island, cardiff, wales

Link

It's Saturday night and I'm stuck in with a stinky cold. No Fun. Bah.



I didn't do myself any favours spending most of last night out - I was doing the sound for the excellent Hillbilly/Boogie/Western Swing act Petunia at the Brixton Albert and then DJ'd until late into the night.



However, coughing and wheezing spirits were raised massively this afternoon by Wales' superb Triple Crown clinching 16-12 win over Ireland. Great work lads!



I've bought a new scanner and am working my way through some of my old photos - check out this article on the Eco Village in Wandsworth, a squat set up back in 1996.



I've also posted up my review of the fantastically sci-fi Logitech diNovo Edge Bluetooth Keyboard. It's got lights that fade in and out like a Romulan cloaking device! It glows! It's wafer thin! It's made of plexiglass!

Logitech diNovo Edge Bluetooth Keyboard: Review

Oh, and come on Cardiff City in the FA Cup!
*fingers crossed

Labels: cardiff, rugby, squat, wales

I've scanned in a few photos from a train trip I took nearly twenty years ago.



Travelling out of Cardiff with my then girlfriend Debbie, I doubt if we knew just how quickly this scene would be transformed. Now there's barely any industry left in the Welsh Valleys, thanks to the Evil Thatch and her Tory cohorts.

More pics

Labels: photos, railways, wales

Link

Blimey. What a fantastic night this was. We had free freshly baked Welsh cakes, daffodils, Welsh music, Welsh video, two great bands and vast amounts of DJing till 4am.





I indulged my Welsh roots with a wildly erratic set of Welsh tunes, taking in the likes of Super Furries, Amen Corner, Manics, Gorkis, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Los Campesinos, Gene, Budgie, Julian Cope, Visage and the Automatic.



More photos here: St David's Day Party

Labels: brixton, offline, wales

Link

We had a fabulous time in Cardiff. Here's some pics:


St Fagans National History Museum is an astonishingly good place to visit, with the open air site containing over 40 lovingly rebuilt buildings from Wales' history.


The row of workmen's cottages from Rhyd-y-car were my favourite.

St Fagans National History Museum





A little less easy on the eye was Nant-y-moel and Ogmore Vale, two down-at-heel former mining villages, still struggling to find a purpose after Herr Thatcher finished off the local industry in the mid 1980s.

Nant-y-moel and Ogmore Vale

Labels: photos, wales

Despite the raging hangover, I managed to drag my ale-soaked arse half way up Caerphilly Mountain and across Graig Llanishen for a bracing walk in the freezing mist.


I'm really glad that I made the effort too as it was a lovely walk, trudging across deserted fields and dark forests.

» Graig Llanishen walk

Garth Mountain/ Mynydd Y Garth walk


On the 27th, we climbed the equally mist-drenched Garth Mountain, with the rain managing to hold off until the last minute.


The mountain has several ancient (4,000 years old!) burial mounds on the top and commands fantastic views all around (when it's not covered in mist, of course).

» Garth Mountain/ Mynydd Y Garth walk

Cardiff City report



The full match report of Tuesday's game is now online:
»Cardiff 2 Plymouth Argyle 2

Labels: cardiff, ccfc, photos, wales, walks

Just back from a lovely few days climbing mountains, scaling hills and scrambling through thorny bushes in and around Cardiff. south Wales.


Sadly, the mighty Cardiff City once again failed to make my Christmas complete, drawing to Plymouth at home, 2-2.


Great to be back standing on the old terraces though, and the crowd wasn't bad at 17,299, if a tad silenced by the freezing temperatures.

Loads more Cardiff photos coming soon!

Labels: cardiff, ccfc, wales