Wales: more than pubs and poets, castles and celebrities

Sure, Wales has plenty of incredible pubs - there's at least a couple in every village (and many dotted around the countryside not even near what you could call a hamlet.) 

Of course, the country can certainly lay fair claim to its share of poets, too, the most famous being native son Dylan Thomas.

And don't forget all the castles. As for celebrities ... who hasn't heard of Catherine Zeta-Jones or Tom Jones?

But there's a wild side to Wales that is often overlooked.

It's not a place that comes up early on in most discussions about world-class ecotourism destinations. Yet it has quite a few wonderful wild places, full of wildlife.

Kenfig Pool, Glamorgan's largest lake.

Take for example Kenfig National Nature Reserve, within a stone's throw of the south Wales coast.

It's a sand dune reserve that extends right down to the seacoast.

When I visited there, I could only spend about an hour - but I would have loved to have spent the day. However, our schedule would not allow it.

We explored a few of the trails that criss-cross the 70-acre reserve, but the highlight was Kenfig Pool, the largest lake in Glamorgan County. While there, we were fortunate to see a pair of mute swans as well as some coots.

Avid bird-watchers may also see bitterns, scaups, goldeneyes and several duck species while visiting.

It's also a great place to visit if you're a wildflower enthusiast, boasting several species of orchids and helleborines.

A mute swan calmly grooms on Kenfig Pool.

For a very different type of environment, there's AfanForest Park, not far from Cardiff, Wales. Whereas Kenfig is open, Afan is very thickly forested - including some ancient oaks within its boundaries - with a large network of trails for hiking and mountain biking.

As you have probably guessed, it is much more developed than Kenfig. There are even 4X4 jeep safaris to help you explore the park (although that's not exactly an environmentally-friendly way to visit, no matter how it's spun) which, at 48 square miles in size (120 square kilometres or greater than 30,000 acres), dwarfs Kenfig.

Like Kenfig, it also offers some good bird-watching opportunities. Woodpeckers and nightjars are fairly common.                                                                                               

The gnarly trees of Afan.

In addition to birds, the very lucky may spot a fallow deer or brown hare - both of which call the park home.

Walking along the trails through the ancient trees, I could almost picture the druids of long ago, who held oaks to be sacred, walking its paths.

But if they were there, they were as invisible as the woodpecker I could hear drumming on a tree somewhere, but never could locate.

Some of the gnarly trees also brought to mind Mirkwood of Middle Earth fame. (And rather fittingly, nearby Lothlorien Cottage offers accommodations for visitors to the area. There's no word on whether or not you have to share rooms with a hobbit, though. But they can more than likely offer you a full pint.)

Again, the time we had to spend there was far too short. 

A few hours is nothing compared to a few days - the park actually has developed two-day itineraries for visitors, complete with guide maps, to help them explore the area.

Really, I've only scratched the surface when it comes to adventuring in wild Wales. If this has whet your appetite for more, Visit Wales can certainly help you plan your adventures or point you in the right direction, whether you want to hike, bike, paddle or bird/wildlife watch.

When you are out enjoying nature, remember to try to be as low-impact as possible, practise "no-trace" hiking or biking as much as you can, for as Dylan Thomas wrote:

"I think, that if I touched the earth,

It would crumble;

It is so sad and beautiful,

So tremulously like a dream."

Urban paddling at its best

Beavers. Herons. Eagles.

Sounds like a great wilderness paddle, doesn't it?

But I saw all these animals while still in view of skyscrapers and major highways, in the midst of Canada's third largest metropolitan area.

Anyone who reads my blog or Facebook posts on a regular basis knows I've been out of commission for more than a year, at least in terms of being able to travel much, and in particular, unable to travel in my favourite mode: paddling a canoe or kayak.

Since undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-June, it's been my goal to rehab and get back paddling ASAP.

It has been a tough row to hoe; at times, my pre-surgery shoulder made it difficult to even pick up one of my pet parrots, who weigh all of a pound.

But that is all starting to change, albeit gradually - and I've even been able to do salvage a bit of the summer and do some actual paddling.

I did push it a bit, but what really made it much easier to finally get back into paddling was a series of programs offered by Metro Vancouver Regional Parks throughout July and August.

The programs involved "urban" canoeing at a couple of different locations: Deas Slough at Deas Island Regional Park and on the lake in Burnaby Lake Regional Park.

Each program takes place three or four times, on Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Deas Slough, looking out to the west.

FIRST STOP: DEAS SLOUGH

This 2-1/2 hour trip took us up what was essentially a backwater of the Fraser River on the south side of the island.

After not paddling for more than two years, I was a bit nervous, apprehensive about how my shoulder would hold up. I had discussed approaches with Nadine Plotnikoff, my physiotherapist from Form Physiotherapy, prior to my paddle, deciding I should only paddle on my left side, to ease the strain on my left shoulder.

Once I got into the canoe and onto the water, I realized doing the J-stroke (as opposed to a basic bow stroke) on the left was actually going to cause an impingement in that shoulder, so I switched sides - and it felt much better. 

And it felt SO good to be paddling again! My soul soared! 

And so did a bald eagle, along the shore, not 15 minutes into our outing. He seemed to follow us along the shore from tree to tree, as we paddled along the north side of the slough. We made several stops along the way to "raft up" and learn aspects of nature and history from our guide-interpreters, including facts about eagles, the ecology of the slough, and its history (including a story about a prohibition-era rum-running boat that legend has still sits at the bottom of the slough.)

For me, the real highlight was just getting out and paddling. But seeing an eagle close-up was also really cool - as was paddling underneath a bridge just south of the Massey Tunnel, a bridge that is part of Highway 99. (If you hike to the far west end of the island, you actually walk over the tunnel).

BURNABY LAKE - EAST

Two days later, we were back in the water, paddling in the Beaver Wetland Paddle in Burnaby Lake. I found it to be a more enjoyable paddle than the Deas Slough, partly because we could see more wildlife, and partly because my concerns about being able to paddle had been put to rest, at least for the time being.

                                                        

So good to be back paddling, again!

It took us from the docks located near the park's Nature House, east along the narrow lake, past beaver lodges, lily pads and forested shores. We paddled as far east as we could, again, with several interpretive stops along the way, before turning back. 

Not only were we treated to a gorgeous sunset, but we saw some herons, ducks - and a beaver! The world's second largest rodent (a South American capybara is the largest) put on quite a show for us, swimming back and forth in front of our still canoes before slapping his tail on the water and diving underneath.

BURNABY LAKE - WEST

This Twilight Canoeing event was a longer paddle, and much of it took place in the rain, five days after we'd been to the east side. We did see many herons, some more ducks - but no beavers, this time (although we did paddle around a large, free-standing beaver lodge and a resident eagle's nest).

Burnaby Lake sunset.

We paddled as far as the bridge over Still Creek, before turning back.

Because of the rain and length of the paddle, my arms were glad when we finally got back to the dock. 

For someone who had only been paddling twice after two years of no paddling, it was a bit of workout!

But like they say, a bad day paddling beats a good day doing anything else. And this was not a bad day - just a wet one.

These are wonderful programs, and a tip of the paddle goes out to Metro Vancouver Parks for offering them.

Tips for travel writing - when you can't travel

It has been a while since I've sat down to post a new entry. In fact, it's been just over a year.

The reason? Very simple. I've been consumed with health issues the past year.

 Just before my last post, August 15, 2012, doctors discovered my aortic valve was shrinking and causing all kinds of issues. I was born with a bicuspid valve disorder, so I knew this was coming for the past eight years. 

After looking at the results of an echo cardiogram, I needed to have surgery, ASAP. It was scheduled for September, then postponed and performed in November.

Luckily, my angiogram showed my arteries to be completely clear, so I only had to deal with the genetic issue.

At that time, however, I was also dealing with a detached anterior shoulder labrum. Very painful, and it prevented me from paddling - which a lot of my stories focus on. It even made handling my parrots painful and difficult, at times.

I had surgery for that in mid-June.

Because of all these issues, I have been unable to travel much for the past year. It has also limited the amount of time I have been able to devote to writing.

That does not mean I have not been able to continue writing about travel, however, albeit in a limited fashion. 

Paddling the Harrison River, B.C.

So how does a travel writer continue to write when he or she can't travel?

Well, there are many ways, including:

1. If you are mobile enough, but just cannot fly anywhere due to health reasons, you can always become a "tourist in your own town." Visit local sights, parks, museums, events, and write about them.

2. Find "business" type stories that focus on travel that you can blog about, or better still, pitch to a paying magazine or other publication.

3. Review travel books. There are tons of them out there, and plenty of places to review them. Literary travel books are probably your best bet. Since we're assuming you cannot travel, reviewing a guidebook of a foreign destination won't be very easy to do. However, you could review guidebooks specific to your area.

4. Re-work old stories. If you went to, say, Vietnam two years ago and published three stories based on your experiences, dig back through your notes or journal, and find additional new angles, new topics you have not written about, before. Then pitch them or blog about them.

These four ideas are just scratching the surface. There are probably many more, if you just sit down and spend a bit of time thinking.

Although travelling is one of the best aspects about being a travel writer, you don't have to stop in the event that your health or other issues conspire to keep you close to home.

Just keep on writin'....

Another Lower Mainland natural gem discovered

It's a sin we're all guilty of, I think, knowing about a cool place that's close to where we live, a place we keep intending to visit, but somehow never managing to find the time or inclination to make it there.

I guess "sin" is probably too strong a word. But so often if we do eventually make it to such a place, we often mentally flagellate ourselves for not going there sooner.

I had one of those moments this past weekend.

I'd known about the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area for almost as many years as I've lived in Vancouver (nine and counting). It kept popping up on my radar but I never, ever seemed to make it out there. 

The only reason I went out there this time was because plans to visit another natural area fell through the works due to a series of unforeseen events. But, needing a nature fix, I finally decided we should pay a visit to Maplewood.

Greeted by a heron

Within minutes of jumping out of the car, before even getting to the entrance way to the trails, we spotted a great blue heron, sunning on the rocks in a pond by the parking lot. 

Seeing wildlife that soon into an outing as always a good sign, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Managed by the Wild Bird Trust of B.C., Maplewood Flats is a parcel of land in North Vancouver, about 300 acres in size, bordered on the south and east boundaries by the Burrard Inlet. Access is off the Dollarton Highway (south side), just a few kilometres east of the Second Narrows Bridge.

It only took 20 minutes to drive there, right from our front door to the entrance way, so it's very close. Yet once you walk a few minutes into the area, you'd never know you were so close to a large metropolitan area. Mind you, that's just my first impression, and we didn't explore much of the area's 3 km of trails. We basically headed for the one that took us right out to the eastern shore, on Burrard Inlet.

Then the show began.

An osprey looks for supper...

We'd hardly arrived at the mud flats when we looked up and saw an osprey chasing after a bald eagle.  Apparently, the eagle had flown a little too close to the osprey next (there are at least three along there, built on old pilings formerly used to secure log booms.) 

The volunteer greeter had told us there had been a new baby eagle born there this spring, but this was an adult being harassed by the much smaller osprey. This round went to the osprey.

We just sat and soaked up the sunshine, watched a few kayakers paddled across the inlet in the distance and then out of the sky appeared one-two-three more ospreys.

We watched one of them hover high up in the air, scanning the water for fish, then swoosh! splash! It quickly transitioned from practically motionless to jet-like speed to nail what looked like a flounder or some other kind of fish then flew off with its prize, probably to share with its babies.

Birds do it, bees do it...

Sitting in the shade of a small mountain ash, we listened to the water lapping at the shore, enjoyed the scent of the ocean on our nostrils, enjoyed watching the bees buzz around the flowers that dotted the edge of the woods, just luxuriated in the solitude, the peace, the quiet...

Because we'd had a late start, all too soon, it was time to go. But after hearing stories from other visitors about the otter family and the deer that live in Maplewood, we vowed it would not be long before me made a return journey, so we could - to parrot Jewel Akens - spend some more time enjoying "the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees..."

It certainly will not take us another eight years to get here, as it did our first visit...

There is magic in kids' camps

This time of year - the mid-way point of the two-month summer school break - I almost always find myself reminiscing about summers past, and in particular, going to camp as a kid.

You may be wondering, well, fine - but what does that have to do with travel?

In my case, plenty. 

In fact, it would not be too big a stretch to say going to camp as a kid is one of the key factors that propelled me into a career of travel writing.

Bear in mind, much of the travel I write about involves getting out-of-doors, into nature, seeking adventure - and often doing so by canoe or kayak or occasionally, whitewater raft. There is also often a conservation angle or aspect to it. There is good reason for that...

It really all does go back to that first summer at Camp Richildaca in southern Ontario, where I learned to paddle a canoe on a small pond on the day camp's property.

Richildaca Canoe Pond (Photo by Alexandra Heilbron)

Of such things, careers are made...

I also learned the sport of archery, rode my first horse, went on my first nature hike, cooked my first meal over an open fire and slept in a tent for the first time at Richildaca.

Oh, yeah - I learned to swim there, too - kind of an important skill to develop if you plan on spending a lot of time paddling on lakes, rivers and oceans around the world.

Yes, it would be not to big a stretch to say the two-week periods I spent there over three successive summers made a big impact on who and what I became as an adult. Ditto, the successive two camp periods I spent at the Haliburton Scout Reserve.

Without the love of the outdoors, that desire to hike and paddle and seek adventure in the wilderness, I just might be another old sports writer (I did it for 15 years before turning to travel writing), or, worse still - (shudder!) a history teacher.

Chow time! at Haliburton Scout Reserve

Nothing wrong with history teachers, by the way - I'd probably make a good one - but my interest in elementary school North American colonial history (and its associated adventure) combined with my love of the outdoors really did send me down a path that involved a fairly l-o-n-g detour into the University of New Brunswick's Bachelor of Science Forestry program, the eventual earning of a business degree - and a career in radio and print sports journalism for 15 years. 

My move into journalism really is the result of some encouragement from a first-year friend at UNB, Dan Arsenault, someone I'm still friends with today. He coaxed me into joining CHSR, the campus radio station. I did; eventually I also began writing for the Brunswickan, UNB's student newspaper.

Even going to UNB, the launching pad for my journalism career, was actually another case of Richildaca synchronicity: when I worked as a junior forest ranger in Gogama, Ontario during the summer of 1973, the head foreman recommended UNB as a good place to go for forestry if I didn't want to stay in Ontario.

Paddling on Azure Lake, as a junior forest ranger

The entire time I worked as a sports journalist, I still loved camping, canoeing, getting out-of-doors. Eventually, my sense of adventure took me paddling in Belize (where I encountered my first wild parrots!), and it was not long after that I started down the path of becoming a travel writer.

I don't know that any of that would have gone quite that way if I hadn't gone to Camp Richildaca when I was eight years old, and picked up a canoe paddle for the very first time.

I had no clue then that I was essentially beginning to paddle down a path that would make me one of those fortunate souls who gets to "work" by wandering the world in search of stories to write and photos to take. My inclinations and career have taken me to Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Malaysia, Thailand, Hawaii, the Canary Islands...

Zipping down Thailand's River Kwai in a canoe

Richildaca is gone now, the original owners passed away. New ownership and management have developed a new camp on the same site, the Kettleby Valley Camp, and it continues to offer outdoor experiences for children and young teens, helping them develop new skills and interests, helping them make new memories.

So if you're thinking about sending your kids to camp, and you're not quite sure whether to do it or not, why not just let the kids decide? Let them try it, at least for one summer. If they don't like it, they won't want a repeat.

Even if it does not lead to a career, chances are, they'll build some pretty good memories.

And, really there's no telling where that experience may lead them in life...

Big firs, smaller furs and feathers on Vancouver Island

Why did I get the feeling I was stuck in the intro to the old Friendly Giant TV show for kids?

Probably because I was looking up  ... w-a-y up.

But of course, that's what you do when you visit Cathedral Grove - you look way up into the towering Douglas fir trees that make up the grove. Some of them are more than 800 years old. To put that into perspective, they have been around for almost 300 years before Columbus landed in the Caribbean. They have been around since the Magna Carta was signed. They have been around as long as people have been jumping in boats with paddles. They have been around almost as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup drought. (Well, okay, maybe they're a little older than that...)

While it may be difficult to wrap our heads around something that old, it's certainly not difficult to see these Doug-firs are some big honkin' trees. One of the largest is more than nine metres (that's 10 yards) around at the base, the distance of one first down in football.

As for the height...let's just say that even if the aforementioned Friendly Giant teamed up with the Jolly Green Giant and Giant-Man, and they formed a human ladder by standing on each other's shoulders, they would still not be able to put the star on the top of most of these Christmas trees.

Although it is a grove, and it's located away from some of Vancouver Island's larger cities, with all the tourists that frequently visit the site, it certainly does not boast a cathedral-like ambiance, at least in terms of quiet and meditative qualities.



Walking through Cathedral Grove

It actually reminded me of rush hour in downtown Vancouver, there was so much traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian - just more trees. And it was barely summer season (the long weekend in May, to be exact). 

Despite all that, it is spectacular to see.

I spent part of a day there with Pacific Rainforest Adventure Tours as part of the company's Spirit of the Animal Ancestors tour. (This tour has since been dropped, and replaced by the very similar Ancient Forest Grove Nature Ecotour)

Following a pick-up at the Quality Resort Bayside located in Parksville, it was a fairly quick drive, just 25 km west on Highway 4, and we were there.

We had an aboriginal guide, Tom, who took us through the forest and explained what the area had meant to his people, sharing stories from his culture.
 
After we were finished having our breaths taken away, we headed back the way we'd come - but not all the way back. First, we paid a visit to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Association, a wildlife rescue-and-rehab facility located outside of Parksville, on Leffler Road in Errington.

Heron diorama in the nature museum

There we saw some display dioramas in the facility's museum of nature as well as many of the animals they were in the process of rehabilitating, including a black bear, some eagles and a rare white raven, in enclosures outside the museum. (No parrots, though - saw them earlier in the day at the World Parrot Refuge .

Again, because we were early in the season, we did not have the opportunity to watch any of the live raptor shows which take place during the summer months.

Then it was time to leave, and say good-bye to the eagles, hawks, ravens - and let's not forget Rusty the Rooster...

A happy ending for this healed bald eagle.

Enjoying the great outdoors ... comfortably

I never thought I'd be thinking this - never mind putting it in writing - but as I've passed the 50-year-mark in my life, I actually think I would prefer sleeping in something other than a tent while enjoying overnight outdoor adventures.

There. I've said it.

But although I'd prefer to sleep on something softer than the ground and with washroom facilities that I DON'T have to step outside to use, I'm not quite ready to go all "hotel-chic" yet.

While I have certainly enjoyed glamping, the destinations that offer this option can be pricey - certainly pricier than pitching a tent and cooking over a campfire in a provincial park (although even that is getting more expensive, these days).

There area other alternatives to camping and glamping, though.

Canoeing Quiniscoe Lake

For example: if you want to spend time hiking in Cathedral Provincial Park in the British Columbia interior, you can choose to camp there, as the park provides both vehicle access and walk-in campsites.

Or, you can stay in cabins at Cathedral Lakes Lodge.

The lodge is rustic - we're not talking five-star accommodation, here - but it provides quick and easy access to several trails in the park and even an opportunity to do some canoeing on the lake.

It also provides simple but hearty home-baked fare for hungry hikers staying there. The staff can also help you plan your hikes. And at the end of the day, you can enjoy a soak in the hot tub in the main lodge, relaxing and soothing your muscles after a day of trekking up and down mountain trails.

(Take note, if you stay there, they do shut down the power generators at night, so if you require something like a CPAP machine, you'll have to bring a battery pack or make special arrangements with the staff to leave your room "on" at night, which they will do for you.)

The lodge itself provides transportation to and from a pick-up point 20 minutes from the town of Keremeos. The road is steep and rough enough you will not want to take your own vehicle from the Ashnola River to the lodge. In other words, "Don't make a fuss, leave the driving to us!" is a good catch-phrase to follow.

As for the hiking itself...

Cozy time!

You can choose from trails that offer a variety of distances and difficulties, taking you to some incredible alpine viewpoints of lakes, forests and mountains.

You can also encounter a variety of wildlife; while staying there for three days, we saw several pikas, squirrels, some mule deer and many different birds, including Canada jays (whiskey jacks), woodpeckers and birds of prey like eagles.

Glacier Lake

The trails are all well-marked, so there's very little chance of getting lost. However, you are very high in the mountains, so be prepared all kinds of weather. 

We visited there in September, and alternately experienced rain, snow and warm sunshine on successive days. But the views were certainly worth braving the elements...

Regardless of what your hiking level or experience is, you'll certainly appreciate being able to wind up your day, curled up by a roaring fireplace in the evening without having to chop the wood or start the fire yourself.

That's especially enjoyable at Cathedral Lakes Lodge, as there are no televisions or telephones there to distract from the experience!

And then there is that bed you're climbing into, instead of a sleeping on a camp cot or an air mattress....