Llangollen - Canoeing the Dee

Llangollen and the river Dee.
The outside temperature was -2C so that water must have been very cold.

The old Nantgarw railway

Whilst the canal has disappeared under a road the railway has been put to good use...as a cycle path.

Nantgarw Porcelain

Here's some of the famous porcelain displayed inside.

Natgarw pottery

The pottery was serviced mainly by the canal and later the colliery was connected to the railway.

Industrial estate and potteries

The old winding wheel at the entrance to the industrial park is from the Nantgarw colliery that once stood here.  Just around the corner  is the famous Nantgarw pottery.  I'll show you more pictures tomorrow.

Ponty - famous landmarks

Both are meeting places in the past and the present. The Princes cafe with its delicious pastries is not the place to go if you're weightwatching .

Ponty, the old bridge

Here's the original bridge in Pontypridd.
The Old Bridge (Welsh: Yr Hen Bont), which is now also known as the William Edwards Bridge or Pontypridd Bridge, was originally known as the New Bridge or Newbridge, it is an arched single-span footbridge that spans the River Taff at Pontypridd in Wales. The bridge was built by William Edwards and was completed in 1756. The bridge now has statutory protection as a scheduled ancient monument.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Trail shots

These were taken on the Taf Trail on the way to Pontypridd [Ponty].
In winter with all the leaves gone you get different views, and in all the times I've ridden this trail, I've never noticed this culvert and pipe before.
They are resurfacing the trail and its a work in progress.  Its amazing that its being done at all with all the council cutbacks, so thanks to Rhondda Cynon Taf, it will be appreciated. 

Spring is on its way.

The snowdrops in the garden have been out for nearly a week now, so lets hope Spring is on its way.

Across the bay towards Penarth

These are the remnants of the old docks, maybe left behind, after the redevelopment, as a reminder!
Directly in the middle of the picture on the shoreline is the Penarth Custom house, now a restaurant.

A rainy day on the Valleys bus

The forecast was for heavy rain and it was right.  This is Pontypridd bus station taken on the mobile, through a rain lashed window.

Roadworks

A wonderful collection of signs here, and the one in the foreground always brings out the childish humout in me.

Incidentally this was taken before the snow and so I wonder with the sign in the background, did the builders know what was coming?

Happy New Year

A new year, a new template and a new camera.
Lots and lots of learning!!

Happy New Year everyone