The castle on Brownsea Island, as seen from the ferry from Sandbanks © Ricky Yates
Following worship at St. Clement’s on the morning of Sunday 17th April, when I and the congregation bid farewell to Rev’d Dr Karen Moritz, I was away from the Czech Republic for the rest of the month, only returning to Prague on the afternoon of Saturday 30th April, ready to lead worship the following day. It was first a week of annual leave, which was then followed by attending my final ICS Chaplains Conference.
I drove from Prague to the UK over a period of two days, following the almost identical route I described two years ago, when I last made this journey. The only difference this time was that I spent the night of Sunday 17th, staying with the York family in Luxembourg. Then when I drove off the ferry in Dover the following afternoon, rather than heading north to the East Midlands, I instead headed west to Bournemouth to spend two nights with my eldest sister June and brother-in-law Garry.
On Tuesday 19th April, I had a delightful day out with June and Garry, visiting Brownsea Island, situated in the middle of Poole Harbour. We first drove to nearby Sandbanks, where Garry parked the car, and then took the small passenger ferry across to the island.
Lord Baden Powell memorial © Ricky Yates
Now in the care of the National Trust, Brownsea Island is famous as the site of the first-ever Scout Camp organised by Lord Baden Powell in 1907.
Red Squirrel © Ricky Yates
It is also one of the few places in southern England where indigenous red squirrels survive, largely because non-native grey squirrels have never been introduced to the island. The red squirrels are normally quite shy but this one came near enough for me to photograph.
Peacock © Ricky Yates
Brownsea also has a small ornamental population of peacocks. This one even kindly posed for me.
View across Poole Harbour from Brownsea Island © Ricky Yates
The island is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 0.75 miles (1.2 km) wide and consists of 500 acres (202.34 ha) of woodland (pine and oak), heathland and salt-marsh. We walked right around the island, stopping for our picnic lunch en-route. The weather was kind to us and I was delighted to visit somewhere I had seen from a passing cross-channel ferry, but where I had never previously set foot.
On Wednesday 20th April, I set off from Bournemouth on the south coast of England, heading for North Wales. I had arranged to stay that night at Bryn Derw, a small Bed and Breakfast establishment located just outside Talsarnau. This was to enable me to enjoy a scenic train journey the next day, about which more in my next post.
The view from Bryn Derw © Ricky Yates
This was the view from in front of Bryn Derw, with blue skies, warm sunshine, and being able to see the tops of the mountains – a relatively rare event in Wales 🙂
After putting my belongings into my room for the night, I drove up a steep narrow lane into the hills behind, hoping to get a better view across to the mountains of Snowdonia and the nearby estuary of the Afon Dwyryd. On both counts, I was not disappointed as you can see.
Mountains of Snowdonia © Ricky Yates
The estuary of Afon Dwyryd © Ricky Yates
St Tecwyn’s Church, Llandecwyn © Ricky Yates
But what was even more pleasing, was finding this beautifully located and very peaceful little Church. It is dedicated to St Tecwyn, an ancient Welsh saint. These days, it is only used for occasional services in summer – Evening Prayer in Welsh. But the Church is kept open for visitors and as a peaceful place for prayer. I only discovered it by pure chance but was thrilled to do so.
Sunset from Bryn Derw © Ricky Yates
What a beautiful little church! Any interior photos??
I only have this one. Thank you for asking, Stephen. In answering your question, I’ve learned how to put a photograph in a comment for the first time!
Great technical skills, Ricky!
These pictures are really fantastic and I need to learn how to get the pictures to go natural with the text, this looks good. I have a profound liking for older buildings, rocks and ruins. I also like the desolate moors and scenery that can be found in the UK and otherwise. Ireland, Wales, Scotland, the islands. If I had my way, we would live in on of three places, Öland, an island east of Sweden, London or a Greek island, preferably Samos. Do you speak Welsh? Or, what can that be called, Czech? German? Since you serve in Prague I take it you have an ear for language.
When I read about Perpetua’s Easter all in different churches, it feels you need to know more than the average English vocabulary to celebrate mass in all those churches. So thank you for sharing this, the scenery, the insight in the Anglican church, your everyday life in the light of the Lord!! Some of my next posts will be about my 20th anniversary as a minister, but also about my ordination as deacon five 6 years earlier. I find it interesting to share the differences as well as the similarities. St Tecwyn’s, where on the map is that to be found? Geography was never my best subject, I’m afraid.
Thank you for the compliment, Solveig. There is no great skill. I just choose those photographs that best illustrate what I want to say. My main problem is usually deciding which photographs to leave out.
I speak a little Welsh from living in a Welsh-speaking part of Wales, whilst I was at University (1975-78) in Lampeter. I attended many bilingual services in the Anglican Church in Wales so my best Welsh is liturgical. I can read the menu & make myself understood in Czech in a bar-restaurant. But I’ve never really got to grips with the language, partly because I work with English-speakers. I do have some German from studying the language at secondary school (1963-68) and my wife Sybille is German. English & German are the two main foreign languages spoken by Czech people which has made our lives easier but has been a disincentive to making progress in Czech 🙁
St Tecwyn’s Church, Llandecwyn is in north-west Wales. This Google Maps link should help. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Saint+Tecwyn's+Church/@52.9181632,-4.1051668,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x486574469c8c4593:0xf2dd05201a8dfbcc!8m2!3d52.91816!4d-4
Gorgeous photos, Ricky, and I’m glad you finally managed to visit Brownsea Island, which I too have only seen from the deck of a cross-channel ferry. I know of St Tecwyn’s Church, of course, since it’s in my diocese, but haven’t yet visited it. I love these small, simple Welsh churches and chapels which seem to grow out of the landscape rather than to have been placed there.
Glad you enjoyed the photos, Perpetua. Fortunately, on both days I was blessed with good weather, which does help when taking landscape photos 🙂
Going to Brownsea Island was certainly an inspired suggestion by my sister. As for St Tecwyn’s Church, it was a most delightful find. I very much concur with the sentiments expressed in your last sentence.
I have to echo Solveig and Perpetua in their praise of your photography, beautiful as ever, thank you.
Sometime in the past you and I compared some words of Gaeilge (Irish) and Welsh and found many similarities and connections. The Welsh Afon has it’s exact equivalent in the Irish Abhainn (Owwin – often Anglicised as Owen or even Avon). So we have a tri-lingual tie in between Afon, Avon and Abhainn. Would I be over-stretching the phonetic similarities by adding Prague’s beloved Vltava? The Irish mind wanders down some strange paths betimes. 😉
Thank you Ricky.
Glad you enjoyed the photos, Sean.
Clearly there are linguistic connections between Welsh & Irish Gaelic. Your example is a good illustration. I suspect that the three different rivers in England all called ‘River Avon’, derive their name from the time before the Angles & Saxons drove the Celts westwards & northwards! But whether there is any connection to Czech……. 🙂