Day Three The Forrest of Dean
Apr. 9th, 2012 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
linda_joyceIt was only half a day really. After being out for so long the day before we had a lazy morning so we set out about 10:30 crossed the old, and much more elegant, Severn Bridge and got to Coleford around 12:00. We were planning to have a look round and then find some where out of town to eat our picnic. We couldn't find any shade to park the van in so we went straight back out the way we had come in and head to Clearwell Caves. These aren't natural caves but caves that have been created by man mining for iron ore and ochre. This mining started 4,500 years ago and is still going on today, though they are making a lot more out of tourism now that they do from their mining work. You can find out more about them here http://www.visitforestofdean.co.uk/thedms.aspx?dms=13&venue=1300453
This is the reason we needed shade to park and leave the dogs.
Not a cloud in the sky and temperatures up in the late teens. That was taken by me just pointing the camera at the sky over my head.
More below the cut.
The interesting bits of the caves are underground and we didn't go below as it was full of a double decker full of primary school childrer(7-11 at my guess) come on a school trip. This is the only thing that I could see to photograph above ground.
I thought it was a air shaft to the mines and I might well be right but I could be wrong. Closer inspection revealed this:-
The biggest Barbie I have ever seen, but it has no connection to the chimney so that might well be an air shaft.
We took the dogs for a walk along what I think was once a narrow gauge railway track and ended up in an area of old grassed over waste from the past mining. We think it reminded Baz of the sand dunes at Newport because he headed down hill at a run closely followed by the rest of the dogs, except Hugo who was up hill from us but he soon started to follow. Two words from Sue, 'down, sit' and he was laying down and didn't move from that spot although he did sit up when Sue disappeared into the under growth after a very spritely 16 year old leaving me and Hugo to wait.
.
Sue has always said that the stay is the easierst thing to teach a dog but it always amazes me how quickly hers respond. Mine learned to stay in 15/20 minutes but they are slow to obey.
The following are the return of the runaways. and our exodus from the site,
This is the reason we needed shade to park and leave the dogs.
Not a cloud in the sky and temperatures up in the late teens. That was taken by me just pointing the camera at the sky over my head.
More below the cut.
The interesting bits of the caves are underground and we didn't go below as it was full of a double decker full of primary school childrer(7-11 at my guess) come on a school trip. This is the only thing that I could see to photograph above ground.
I thought it was a air shaft to the mines and I might well be right but I could be wrong. Closer inspection revealed this:-
The biggest Barbie I have ever seen, but it has no connection to the chimney so that might well be an air shaft.
We took the dogs for a walk along what I think was once a narrow gauge railway track and ended up in an area of old grassed over waste from the past mining. We think it reminded Baz of the sand dunes at Newport because he headed down hill at a run closely followed by the rest of the dogs, except Hugo who was up hill from us but he soon started to follow. Two words from Sue, 'down, sit' and he was laying down and didn't move from that spot although he did sit up when Sue disappeared into the under growth after a very spritely 16 year old leaving me and Hugo to wait.
. Sue has always said that the stay is the easierst thing to teach a dog but it always amazes me how quickly hers respond. Mine learned to stay in 15/20 minutes but they are slow to obey.
The following are the return of the runaways. and our exodus from the site,
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Date: 2012-04-10 08:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-10 08:21 am (UTC)