Imbolc? Candlemas? even Groundhog Day...

Getting tired of all this rain.

Thankfully I don't live on the Somerset Moors ( the Levels) but even up high the rain is endless, the ground sodden and the grey depressing. It hasn't even been terribly cold so it doesn't feel like winter has even begun let alone started to give way to spring.

Unusually there was a bit of blue sky today but no one felt like going far. More storms are forecast and it is only a temporary respite.

So we headed out to Stoney Littleton barrow again with the plan of walking a bit in the general area.

 Some definite signs that things are starting to grow. But then again they haven't really stopped. There is still flowers and ripening fruit on the alpine strawberry in my front garden. It really shouldn't be doing that until early summer...



An absolute torrent rushing through the stream which is far higher than usual.

The barrow  - I've photographed this many times before and really my heart wasn't in it today. Still it looks pretty.

There was someone just inside communing with the ancestors so we didn't want to disturb him by lingering long.

Walking on  it was muddy. Really really muddy. Even with proper boots and gaiters it wasn't pleasant and wellingtons would have been better.

We did persevere for a while but faced with this and a long stretch that was actually flooded we gave up and retraced our footsteps back to the car.

I opted out of the boot cleaning that was subsequently required. Well it wasn't my choice of venue so it wasn't my fault the boots got so filthy was it!!

A nice afternoon spent watching the rugby instead especially as Wales won yesterday so no need to fret about the score. That may change through as the competition progresses...

Toniná - a site for those with a good head for heights!

Toniná had a reputation of being an aggressive city - much of the carvings show the ruthless way it dealt with its enemies and it still had the power to terrify me....

There is no way my pictures can do justice to the sheer enormity of this construction nor convey just how impressive a city structure this is so here are just a few samples

From a distance the plateau on which the site is built is impressive enough.

Then the building starts to rise from the plateau . The acropolis covers 7 terraces and it soon became apparent that we were going to be climbing them.

All of them.

It was very humid but it was possible to escape briefly from the sun - at least near the bottom.

Everywhere on the terraces are the remains of buildings. As an engineering feat this is incredible.

As is the usual Mayan practice, each new ruler built  over his predecessors structure, unlike the Egyptians who built new from scratch each time.





As a result the Mayan remains are like a time capsule with the archaeologists able to peel back the layers to the earlier rulers. Much of there work is very well preserved.

The view form the top. Yes it is very high indeed.










The following pictures are not for those of a nervous disposition!

Mayan steps are very steep, very uneven and there are no hand rails or nets to stop a fall. In the UK you wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the top of these structures. The Mexicans though are not so bothered about such things.

Going up to the top was bad enough....

But coming down was far far far worse - this gives you an idea of what the last bit was like. I was frankly terrified.

Fall here and there was little to stop you until you reached the bottom.

Misol Há

Definitely housebound today. Anyone knowing anything about the weather in the UK at the moment will know why!

With the coast being battered by storm surges and high winds more or less everywhere there really wasn't much of a decision to make. I don't fancy being swept away from a coastal path, blown off a hillside or hit on the head by a falling branch in a woodland.

A day to stay home in front of the fire and remember warmer sunnier days so back to Mexico and the falls at Misol Há

 Truly spectacular. It was the end of the rainy season so there was plenty of water streaming over the falls. In fact Misol Há means Streaming Water in one of the Mayan dialects.

The official website claims it as a 40 mt drop - I'm not sure it was quite that high but never mind.

One of the attractions is that you can swim in the pool but given the amount of water it didn't seem wise - not that we had time though. However these two were not deterred and were grateful I'm sure for the rope slung across the centre of the pool to stop themselves being swept down river.

The path down to the waterfall leads behind it and it was quite an experience to stand under it. I was glad of my rian poncho as I'd have been soaked to the skin with the spray otherwise.





 The camera was also wearing its waterproof jacket so I was able to take some shots out through the curtain of water.

I was the only one brave enough the try this!

The path goes on past the falls but becomes steep slippery and rocky and we didn't have time to go any further. 

The misty effect here is the  water spray. I was getting a bit worried now about my camera. It isn't waterproof and I was trusting the swathes of plastic to keep it dry so time to beat a retreat.


The camera  was a lot drier than I was!

San Cristóbal de las Casas

Well it's been a very wet few days and more to come apparently.  In fact I don't think I've seen such rain since, well since San Cristóbal de las Casas.

It all started off so well.

Lovely hotel. This is the sight that greets you after check in. An old colonial house around a courtyard now converted into a hotel.








Alas it was not to last. It was the tail end of the rainy season and we'd been very luck so far with the weather. The first strange thing we noticed about St Cristobal was the very deep curbs. The pavements were a good 10 inches or more above the roads.



The reason for this soon became clear- the heavens opened and the roads flooded in a downpour of tropical proportions. Within minutes every bit of that depth was needed as the streets became a river....

....fortunately the rain soon eased off and the floods disappeared as quickly as they arrived.

 San Cristóbal is the cultural capital of Chiapas and is very Spanish in it's layout and ambiance. It also has a very nice street market. They are obviously used to the rain. For me it was a chance to try out the waterproof "raincoat" I'd bought for the camera.

Despite the Spanish influence, there is still a lot of the original culture left - this is a common way for the local women to carry things.










There were some surprises though. This church, well out of town and up a long flight of steps had a neon altar piece. Never seen anything like it!

Right on the doorstep

The days are short now and the weather was poor so we thought we'd stay fairly local.

Only lived in this area now for 10 years but still never quite got around to visiting our local piece of woodland. To be honest I only found out about it  a few months ago and then by a chance conversation. To be fair it wasn't given a great write up so I wasn't expecting much and it wasn't a great priority.

However today seemed a good chance to go and see it...

Well it was bigger than I'd expected and I'd no idea it was actually a hillfort. And right on the doorstep too... rather embarrassing really but never mind.






It's a small one  just a single circuit of ramparts for enclosure and defence but is still a  Scheduled Ancient Monument despite being damaged by quarrying and mining.

A small stream runs between it and Stephan's Vale. I don't think this bridge is the original structure though somehow...

The waterfall in Stephan's Vale was a lovely surprise too. The path down to it was wet and muddy and looked steep and slippery so that is saved for another day.

It is apparently carpeted in bluebells and other woodland flowers in the spring.










And to round off a day or surprises, a rather out of season thorn. I guess it is a little confused by the mild weather we've been having.







Well it may have taken me 10 years to find the place but I think a return visit in the spring will be essential to enjoy the bluebells and other woodland flower. I certainly won't be waiting a decade to go back!

Devilish Fun

A nice day for a short walk. It's been too  long since we went to Wales so that was my criteria for the day. Well I can't have been
paying much attention when I agreed or I'd have realised that whilst I would indeed be going into Wales- I'd be coming almost straight back out again!

Today's objective was the Devil's Pulpit in the Wye valley. What I'd failed to appreciate was that we'd be on the wrong side of the Wye....

An easy and mostly level walk from the car park, the views from the top are just stunning.  Looking across into Wales that is Tintern Abbey on the banks of the Wye

The Pulpit itself. The legend has it that the Devil sat here and tried to tempt the monks away from their duties in the Abbey. Whether he was successful or not who can tell. it certainly commands a perfect view of the Abbey.

On the opposite side of the path were a few steps leading down to this ancient yew. The area has been extensively quarried for it's limestone but for some reason they decided to let this yew be.

The roots are completely  entwined through a pillar of rock. Quite amazing and a very venerable old yew this is.

There were plenty of other yews around as well and it was lovely to see these huge old trees left to stand. They were joined by oak, beech and hazel trees, so unlike the cheerless ranks of the Forestry Commission's  telegraph pole plantations.

Can you see the dragon's head?

We opted to walk a little further along Offa's Dyke to enjoy the views before circling back to the car park and down into Brockweir for lunch ( excellent pub there  - can definitely recommend!)

Visiting the Zapotecs again

After the visit to Monte Alban which was the "capital" of the Zapotechs, it was time to visit Mitla which was the chief religious site. Mitla means "place of the dead" was built around 100 B.C. and occupied until 1521 when the Spaniards arrived.

Mitla is best known for the stunning geometric patterns made out of mosaic. I can certainly understand how the weaver we met is inspired to recreate them on his loom.

This room, called the Hall of Columns, leads through a narrow passageway to the interior of the building which was, according to indigenous sources, the residence of the powerful oracle-priest, called “The Great Seer”

 Inside the heart of the complex four rooms lead off. These are richly decorated with complex and beautifully worked mosaics. Such skill was used that they line up perfectly, no fudging at the corners needed.

Inside the residential areas there are remains of paintings along the top of the walls in a complex frieze. Although little remains, what does has been decoded to show that it is an astronomical record of what happened both in the skies and to the population.

Closer view.

The range of patterns in stone were incredible and nowhere else in Mexico has them.

One of the main squares leading up to the Hall of Columns. The walls are believed to have originally been covered in red stucco so some of this has been reinstated to give an impression of just how bright and colourful the complex must have been.