Update on distillery visit!

What absolutely stunning weather we are having at the moment. We had light and gentle rain over the weekend, just enough to dampen the ground but not the spirits!

Talking of spirits, we never went round the Penderyn Distillery; we were twenty four hours late!! We got there and thought, oh, dear, not many people coming and then re-read the invitation, WEDNESDAY the 7^th of OCTOBER NOT Thursday the 8^th, we just rolled about laughing. We were both so excited at the idea of a day out. So we took ourselves off to explore the hills and valleys of South Wales. We had driven, earlier in the year, up the Ogmore Valley and over the tops of the hills down to Hirwaun. It was a beastly day, thick mist and rain, we said then that it must be spectacular in the sun and we weren’t disappointed! What a drive. The road bends like an Alpine road, up and up and up and the view from the top of the hill has to be seen to be believed. You look out over the back of the Brecon Beacons, a huge sweep of them from The Black Mountain at the very west of the Beacons to Pen-y-Fan to the East. Amazing views. We then went on up and over the top of the mountain into the Ogmore Valley...that was pretty stunning too. Views right out over the Severn Estuary to Porlock in Somerset. There was a slight mist in the valley and the colours were just starting to reach their peak.

Yesterday, suffering from cabin-fever, we took the dogs up to the Elan Valley. It has to be one of my most favourite places in the world. Especially when the sun shines and the autumn colours are as good as they were yesterday. We had the loveliest walk round the back of the second reservoir. A path that is little used and you go right through the woods. The trees are nearly at their best, with the little bit of frost we are going to be getting this week and then the sunny, sunny days, I think that I will have to go up there again, camera in hand and take some pictures for you all to see. We didn’t take the camera yesterday because it was raining as we left, with a low mist and we never thought the sun would come out. It really is one of those ‘must visit’ place when you come to stay with us.