Easter Dancing with June Watts and onward

I spent Easter dancing in Wales with June Watts.  Our accommodation was in the guest house, Michaelgarth, owned by Ty Mawr convent.  There were 11 of us, including June and Esbjorn, - the maximum this place can hold.  It was reminiscent of our old Milmeray weekends.  The smaller numbers meant I could get to know everyone.  I even learnt all their names!!  We all sat around one long table for our meals, and shared the washing up.
June first came here 30 years ago, and runs an annual Easter weekend here.  The theme for this weekend was "Imagine".  We mostly danced indoors but did get to do a few dances out on the lawn.

Michaelgarth guest accommodation.  Esbjorn did all the catering.  He also danced with us, video'd the dancing, put on the music, and still found time to do some of his weaving.  He is currently making a jacket.  A man of many talents!

 One of the dancers, Liz, took me for a walk one afternoon to see the bluebell woods she had discovered. They were stunning, with swathes of bluebells in all directions.  Lucky for me she leads country walking groups, so knew all about map reading and Right Of Way footpaths across farmers' fields. A whole new world of walking.   I learnt enough from her, about signs and maps, to go on a bit of a ramble on my own when I got to my next port of call.

Liz and her trusty map.

On Easter Monday we went over to the convent to dance in the chapel with the some of the nuns, and a couple of visitors who had been there over Easter.  One nun was 93, but still trotted around with us. There were two younger nuns, with such joyful, beaming faces it was impossible to guess their age. They all had a great sense of humour.   When June said we were going to do the dance "Magpie" and pretend to be magpies, they looked down at their habits and declared they didn't have to pretend, they already were magpies.

     One of the nuns lighting the candle for our dancing centre in the chapel.  And Ty Mawr Convent.

After the circle dance weekend, Carol, another of the dancers, gave me a lift to Staunton and my next b&b.  She gave me a bit of a tour of some local sights along the way.  Luckily I showed her the directions to where I was going before we got too far.  She was taking me to Staunton-on-Wye, which was many, many miles further on from Staunton (not on Wye) which was my destination.

Me with Carol's dog B, at Grosmont castle.  B was so well behaved she was allowed to attend the circle dance weekend.                                      The Normans constructed the original castle of wood, and it was rebuilt in stone in the 13th century.

I love the story of the font at this very old church in Skenfrith

 The Kymin, built around 1794 so the local gentlemen's picnic club had somewhere to go even in bad weather.  The kitchen was downstairs and banqueting hall upstairs.

In the 1790's Britain was at war with France. A tour down the Wye Valley was a fashionable alternative to the European Grand Tour and the Kymin was a popular spot.
Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton breakfasted together here in 1802.

 

 There are 360 degree views from the Kymin, Looking down across Monmouth in this direction.

I could walk to this spot from my b&b

Offas Dyke footpath

Nosey neighbours, making sure I kept to the Right of Way across the farmer's field