Martin's Mag.

The Medway Queen at The Albion Dock, Bristol.

When I was a boy, in the ‘fifties, an annual treat was to board the Paddle Steamer Medway Queen at the end of Southend-on-Sea Pier (an excursion in itself as the pier is a mile and a quarter long and had – has? – a train running its length) and sail south to exotic destinations in Kent, such as Margate and Herne Bay. A highlight of the trip was to visit the engine room, below decks. The engine was massive, oil-fired, made of cast iron with gleaming brass accessories and attended by a number of incredibly well-muscled and tanned dwarfs, who, like the beast they served, were covered in a fine mist of engine oil. No, they can’t have been dwarfs, can they? I have to stop myself imagining that they performed somersaults and juggled spanners as they worked, but, in retrospect, there was certainly an atmosphere of gay theatre about the place. It was very hot and we had to stand behind steel railings. Unintelligible instructions were barked from the captain, way up on the bridge, which arrived via tubes. It was fabulous, darlings! After all this, Herne Bay was, frankly, disappointing with its short, trainless, pier, and I couldn’t wait for the return journey.

I’m not sure if I was aware at the time, but Medway Queen had a proud history, including serving at Dunkirk, rescuing 7,000 men, and minesweeping duties during the war.

After contributing to my childhood memories, she was withdrawn from service in 1963, opened as a nightclub for a while on the Isle of Wight then, in the ’70s and early ’80s, lay derelict.

But, the good news is that she was returned to Chatham, the Medway Queen Preservation Society formed and, to cut a long story short, she was moved to the Albion dry dock in Bristol in 2009 for extensive restoration work. [Note to self: Phone Lloyd-Webber; there must be a musical in this.]

This weekend Bristol held its Harbour Festival, a get-together for anyone interested in boats of all types. We went early on Saturday (because we’d seen the weather-forecast) and I visited the restored hull of Medway Queen. I was talking to one of the volunteers and mentioned that I travelled on the boat, as a small boy, from Southend to Herne Bay. He said that he had lived in Herne Bay when a child and was taken by his parents on the boat to Southend. Now that would have been a day out!

We laughed. Albeit briefly.

The Medway Queen at The Albion Dock, Bristol.

Canal narrow boats at Bristol Harbour Festival. The famous Brunel’s Buttery in the background, still serving breakfasts.

Grommit statue in Millenium Square, Bristol.

A sweet stall at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boats at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boat from Prince’s Bridge, Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boat at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Bristol Harbour Festival.

Railway truck at Bristol Harbour.

Flats next to Bristol Harbourside.

A part of the Welsh coast that we don’t know well is north of St Davids and south of Aberystwyth. Cardigan is a pleasant town, and the surrounding area is stunning. We took our little camper to a field on a farm overlooking the Coast Path, north of Cardigan Island. We had to wait until the field had been cut and the hay baled before we could pitch camp.

The farm was called Nant y Croy, north of a village called Ferwig. Fairly basic facilities, but spectacular views and lots of donkeys. Dolphins and seals off-shore, fortunately I remembered my binoculars.

Cliffs north of Cardigan with Foel-y-Mwnt in background.

Watching for dolphins.

Very dry corn field with Cardigan in background.

House wall near Cardigan Castle.

The Cardigan cardigan. One of Cardigan’s more tacky attractions. It’s huge and hanging in the Town Hall rafters.

One morning we walked to Mwnt beach, a couple of miles up the coast, and went swimming! It was freezing! S stayed in much longer than I, and swam a lot further.

Mwnt beach, Cardiganshire.

Mwnt, Cardiganshire.

Mwnt, near Cardigan.

Chapel above Mwnt beach.

We also visited New Quay, further up the coast. It’s pretty, but horribly over-commercialised. There were a couple of brave restaurants offering expensive moules and chips, but we weren’t tempted. Much nicer is Aberaeron, further north. with its unexpected late-Georgian architecture.

Aberaeron, Cardiganshire.

Aberaeron, Cardiganshire.

Aberaeron, Cardiganshire.

S. had some gardening duties at Penny Brohn so I went along to provide watering-can-filling services. Then we walked from the Centre to Leigh Woods, down Nightingale Valley and back along the Avon Gorge. Lovely sunny day.

Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Orchid, Avon Gorge.

Orchid, Avon Gorge.

Nightingale Vally, Avon Gorge.