Have a goody 
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Have a good day Andy 
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Have a goodun’ Andy.
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Happy birthday
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Happy birthday Andy!
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Many happy returns, Andy.
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Happy birthday Andy
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday!
Sometimes people really impress
Looking at the inviting sea today there were a bunch of jelly fish floating about - Kids and parents were all concerned and not wanting to get in.
Note the woman swimming off - She glided along looked at everyone and said - ‘when I was training to be a surf instructor the main instructor used to pick these up and throw them’ - she expertly scooped a jellyfish into her hand and then gently popped it back in the water and swam off -turns out the particular jelly fish have no sting. - As a portly man of the metropolis this kind of knowledge and the way it was delivered was just great.
We all had a nice swim after that.
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Even the ones that do sting (that we get in the SW) are less painful than nettles.
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Happy birthday 
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…I have the fear.
I was once stung by something in Thailand that made my soul try to leave through my knees.
The scene:… A less plump Mr MWS, thrashing about in clear blue water, hauling himself onto a perfect white sand beach like a panicked ham with eyes.
A fisherman appeared and delivered the sort of advice one accepts only when pain has removed all dignity.
“You must urinate on it.”
I did.
In front of several rather wonderful-looking ladies, I stood there screaming and pissing all over myself, believing I had entered the higher realms of tropical medicine.
It did not feel healing.
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Yesterday we had our excursion to the Isle of Lundy which is a granite outcrop some 3 miles long & about 3/4 mile wide located in the Bristol Channel. It was reasonably warm although overcast for much of the day. To get there you need to take a passenger ferry, the 68 year old MS Oldenburg, from Bideford and sail some 24 miles out of the Torridge Estuary past Appledore & Westward Ho! to the West & Instow & Croyde to the NE. I was surprised to see it filled to its 260 passenger capacity by the time it departed, The majority of visitors are day trippers although there are a few going who’ll stay for a few days. The island is looked after by the National Trust and the rentable properties there are run by the Landmark Trust
It takes just under two hours to get across and arrive at the main Jetty next to Rat Island, a lumpy outcrop at the Southern end. During the journey we were accompanied by Manx Shearwaters flying alongside and a few dolphins.
Jetty with Rat Island to the left.
After scoping out the small beach for a possible swim later, (quite a few grey seals & small jellyfish about) we followed the track up to the flattish plateau on top of the island.
Up there is a small settlement with a pub, general store, church, some accommodation and farm buildings. The island has about 30 inhabitants and takes its name from the Scandinavian (old Norse) word for Puffin. For what is such a quiet peaceful place now it has a surprisingly turbulent history with ownership/control flipping quite frequently between tyrannical families (often engaging in piracy) and the Crown.
We’d decided on a circuit that would take us across to & up the West side of the island. The first thing we came to was a very fine but redundant lighthouse and attached, equally substantial house.
We climbed the 147 steps to admire the view.
From up here you could see the grass landing strip across the centre of the island and we spotted about 10 of the resident Sika deer moving along it. Got a better look at them when we came down.
We walked up the West side which features some tall cliffs & spectacular views, then took a track down to a stone built former gun emplacement called the Battery. From the retaining wall the grass bank fell steeply away some 20 Meters or so to a cliff. Low down on the edge of this slope were puffin burrows. I’ve never seen a puffin in real life before & had it in my head that they were the size of a duck or a seagull so was quite surprised to see they were actually much smaller with a body perhaps the size of a starling’s. Fortunately we had binoculars with us so could watch them quite closely when they were going about their business around the burrows. Every now & then a large black corvid would fly overhead & they’d all take off, maybe a couple of hundred of them, & fly around in close formation for a few minutes before coming back down, their little orange feet acting as airbrakes to slow their descent before what look like quite clumsy landings. Difficult to take good pictures of them with a phone. FoL#1 had a film camera with a long lens so I’ll be interested to see what he gets, but it was a thrill to watch them up close via the binoculars.
There were a lot of Guillemots about aswell & a Black backed Gull fed on one of the Guillemot chicks down in the water.
We carried on to Jenny’s cove another Puffin viewing spot, passing a gathering of very dark brown goats. But the Puffins there weren’t as close as those at the Battery. They do appear to be thriving on Lundy now the rats have been eradicated. We recrossed the island from West to East next to a substantial stonewall and made our way back down the East side of the Island passing some huge Highland cows that were the size of a small house!
We visited the Marisco Arms for really well kept pints of Old Light & St Austell’s Tribute.
Then a quick look at the church & castle (now accommodation) before heading back down to the beach near the jetty for a very refreshing swim. The FoLs had masks & snorkels so were seeing some bigger jellyfish & following large Wrasse around the rocks.
The journey back was smoother & quicker than going out with the ferry almost surfing in on some of the waves. A great day out & well worth doing if you can book in advance. I wouldn’t mind going back & trying to get to the top of the Island and seeing more of the East coast.
More Lundy info.
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Lovely place. Had a couple of climbing / walking trips there many years ago.
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I have a very distant memory of getting to Lundy via a short trip in a DUKW. Either this was pre health and safety or I have hallucinated it.
According to Wiki a DUKW has a top speed over water of 5 Knots. Given the distance it would’ve taken 4 or 5 hours. Blimey, I wouldn’t have fancied that.
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That’s what I’m saying, I don’t know where we went from but it was only a short hop. I’ll look it up on a map later and see if any names ring a bell.
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I think I’m conflating two different summer holidays.
I’ve definitely been to Lundy, but I think the DUKW must have been Tenby to Caldey Island
I’m still puzzled as to where we might have been staying to go to Lundy tho’. Maybe Ilfracombe?
Yes, Ilfracombe was the other popular start point. But the Bristol channel where the Atlantic hits it can be quite lumpy. Wouldn’t fancy it in an amphibious truck, not that distance.
FoL#2 & Megan went over to Skomer (by boat) & also saw puffins there a month or so back.
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