The Adventures of Melvyn and Lesley
Having retired we are busy pursuing the things we enjoy
Happy birthday Lesley!
What a beautiful day to meet up with the Girls, Dominic, Ashley and the dynamic duo, Ella and Leyla.
We had a lovely walk around the Peckforton Hills, starting and finishing at the Pheasant Inn, followed by a lovely meal.
No wind today, so we’re off to El Teide. El Teide is the third highest volcanic structure and most voluminous in the world after Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. At 3718m, it is the highest peak on the Canary Islands and in the whole of Spain.
We took the scenic route up, our poor Fiat 500 hire car struggling up the winding hillsides. There are times when you just have to stop to admire the breathtaking vistas.
We’re making good use of the walkie talkies while we’re out running. We set off on different routes and then after a while we check out where we both are and run towards each other so that we can run back together. It’s not the best place for serious training but it’s lovely conditions to run in and keeps us ticking over.
A very good trip to the Apple Store at the Trafford Centre today. My iMac died, or at least the graphics card did. Apple is going to repair it for free, even though it’s nearly 6 years old.
I was also hoping to order the new iPhone 7 Plus. According to the press, these are unavailable at the moment so I expected to have to order one. I was pleasantly surprised to find out not only did they have some in stock, but also in black, the colour I wanted. So I am now the proud owner is of an iPhone 7 Plus 256GB.
On Saturday 16th September we set off from home in our VW van fully loaded up with windsurf kit and Mel drove to West Kirby. It was a lovely day so we parked up and had a walk round the marine lake. There wasn’t much wind so there were only a few people on the water, mostly beginners having sailing or windsurf lessons. We had a coffee in the town and then sat in the van until it was time to go to the port at Birkenhead about 25 minutes away.
Check in opened at 7.30.pm and embarkation started at 9.00.pm, all very efficient and straightforward. We quickly located our cabin and after a very nice cappuccino we went to the cabin and watched TV in bed. We had a very comfortable night’s sleep, the sea was very calm and the ferry quiet until the 5.30.am announcement over the tannoy telling us we were nearly in Belfast and should be getting ready to vacate the cabin!
We disembarked on time at 6.30.am to a bright, dry, Belfast morning and set off on our journey to Gortahork in County Donegal. We arrived at the Ostan Loch Altan Hotel about 11.00.am after a very interesting and picturesque drive across the north of Ireland.
We went to the beach at Meenlaragh and Mel had his first taste of windsurfing in Atlantic waves (although they weren’t very big or powerful today). The beach is a typical Irish Atlantic coastal beach with a great stretch of sand, mountain backdrop and stunning scenery in every direction.
We had a meal in the hotel in the evening with all the group on Peter Hart’s windsurf clinic and other hangers on! It was good to meet everyone but Lesley was the only partner here for the week so she is going to have to suffer windsurf talk as the main topic of conversation!
Monday was the first official day of Peter’s windsurf clinic so after a briefing they all went of to the beach at Meenlaragh. It was a lovely day, sunny and dry so Lesley walked to the beach (about 6km) and then sat outside the van watching the windsurfers. There wasn’t a lot of wind but Mel still enjoyed it, tiring himself out in the process. We went for a drink at the nearby pub and then went back to the hotel where we had our evening meal again.
Tuesday morning’s weather was similar to yesterday but a bit more cloud. The windsurfers all went off to the same beach and Lesley set out to walk there again. The conditions for windsurfing weren’t so good so they drove back to go to another beach, Mel picking me up on the way. It was quite a long way away, near Letterkenny but it was another spectacular beach with gorgeous scenery. The sea was a long way out and Mel did a lot of walking and also got rescued by Peter Hart when he kept getting close to the rocks. There wasn’t a lot of wind so it made it hard work and Mel was tired again.
In the evening we went to Liz’s place, a restaurant in Dunfanaghy about 15km away. Mel drove us in our van and the others went in a minibus which Brendan had organized. We had a fantastic meal with brilliant service and good company. We met a guy who has windsurfed all around the British Isles on his own with no land support – amazing and crazy!
On Wednesday the team were going back to the beach near Letterkenny so Mel got up early for breakfast and left just before 9.00.am. It was a dull, windy and wet morning so Lesley stayed at the hotel hoping for a dry patch to do a run or walk. Mel came back about 10.30.am as they had decided to return to the beach at Meenlaragh.
The first bike ride into the hills is always a challenge if you’re not a proper cyclist. And we’re not!
I wanted to bring Lesley on this route, I had previously run it and the flowers are amazing at the moment. It was a tough ride as we wanted to see the damage caused to Staffi’s (a local baker and restaurant owner) restaurant by the earthquake, which is an extra bit of uphill work. Lesley loved it!
We decided to have another look at these impressive waterfalls early in the season. Last year it was very busy with lots of people and I wanted to try and take some photos. I think to be a true photographer you have to be very patient, especially if there are unwanted people about.
It was quieter and it was less busy so I was able to get a couple of pictures. It’s also a pleasant stroll when it’s not too hot.
We have stopped here a few times, only €9 and that includes electricity. On the land opposite us there was a full blown circus with lions and all the rest of it. A good place to stop, near the motorway and a large supermarket and eateries nearby.
We have been very lucky with travel conditions over the whole journey, they have been perfect so far. In fact, as we were about to find out, they were good until we got near to our final destination.
We tried a new stop over in Peñiscola, La Volta Peñiscola Stop and Go. €7 per night including wifi. Good showers and perfect for a 1 night stop over. It was very busy, in fact, there was a sign saying it was full, but Lesley charmed the Manager into allowing us to stop on a pitch with no electric. We would definitely use it again, but next time perhaps it would be better to book in advance.
Well, of course, I have heard that you should never believe what you read in the press, but now I have experienced it for the first time.
After a good day of windsurfing I was about to pack away and noticed John Dixon and a few others looking through binoculars in a worried way. Welsh Alan was out in rough and windy weather and they were very concerned, to the point where John decided to go and get his boat (on his pitch) to rescue him. Alan wasn’t making any attempt to try and sail; he was about a mile and a half out with an off-shore wind, about force 6 and rising. It was going to take a while for John to get his boat onto the water, never mind go to his rescue so I told the other I would sail out to him, make sure he was alright and let him know that John was on his way.
It was a difficult sail, my sail was too big by now and I needed to sail directly to him (on a run) or there was a chance I would loose where he was. When I got there, poor old Alan was sat on his board in a very sorry way. Completely exhausted, and as we were to find out later, suffering from hypothermia. I sat with him and tried to reassure him that John would be on his way and that it would all be OK. The problem was that it was going to take a long time and the wind and waves were increasing all the time. From where we were, we could see what was going on on the beach, but by all accounts they were watching through the binoculars and trying to give John directions using mobile phones. It wasn’t working very well, and, I don’t think the people on the beach realised how difficult it was to see. We eventually caught sight of John, but unfortunately, he could see us. No amount of shouting and waving was able to attract his attention. We watched as John made a rigorous and thorough search, but unfortunately of the wrong area. After John passed us for the third time I decided to sail after him. I had been reluctant to leave Alan on his own in such a state but decided the best thing was to go after John. I was able to let him know where he was and make sure they were going to be able to get back safely. Now I had to sail back myself. It was an interesting ride in strong off-shore wind and big waves. It took a few tacks but I got back to the growing group of concerned on-lookers. Not long after John brought Alan and his kit back safely. By now the Police, Ambulance and a doctor had arrived. Alan refused to go to hospital but the doctor did check him over and gave him advice about his hypothermia. A few days later a friend brought me the paper clipping from the local English press. I’ve no idea where the got the story from, and they seem to have made up most of the facts.
A few days later, Barbara, Alans wife came round to thank me and brought me a large box of Roses chocolates.