Mini Adventure Day 2

So day 2 started off with a full english breakfast and you can't get a much better start than that!
Weather was a bit drizzly but looked like it might clear so decided to go with original plan and head for Devil's Bridge. This is home to the Three Bridges, which are 3 bridges built one on top of the other.

They cross over a narrow ravine and the story goes that a woman wanted to cross the ravine so the devil said he would build a bridge for her but he would then own the soul of the first living thing that crossed it. She agreed and he built the bridge, but before she crossed it, she threw a loaf of bread across and her dog chased after it, leaving a very unhappy devil owning the dog's soul instead of hers. Why they built the bridges on top of each other is not mentioned in the folklore!

Beneath the bridge the fast flowing water has carved bowls out of the rock and it looks very dramatic. Again it was dark and so very challenging to photograph but I think it came out ok.

There is a walk which follows the stream down the ravine over a series of waterfalls and is 600 steps down and 600 back up!

Its not easy going, but well worth it for the views. Met the following friendly chap on my travels and he very kindly posed for me.

This is one of the bridges that crossed the stream and I thought it so attractive and interesting and almost industrial.

It has been wonderful getting to some new places this trip. I do have my favourites and tend to go back to the same places a lot. I think it is a comfort thing, enjoying the familiarity, so going somewhere new is pushing the boundaries again and I think I need to do that more often.

On the road by the bridge is the AA Box. You don't get to see many of these, in fact I have only ever seen one other which was in North Wales. Bygone era, when you used to have the AA badge on your car and the AA men would salute as you went past. I must add here that I am not old enough to remember that, but have been told about it!

So onwards with the trip. Heading towards Machynlleth. Pass through Furnace and just have to stop. It is starting to drizzle but it was such an interesting place it was worth the dampness.

There was a thriving silver industry locally and a huge smelting furnace was built here, giving the town its name. It was powered by a waterwheel run from a nearby stream. I very much like turn of the century industrial at the moment. Sort of a steampunk feel, very interesting to photograph.

I was drawn to the waterfall by people making an awful lot of noise. When I got there, there was this very enthusiastic chap in the water with his tripod shouting to his friend for instructions, who was sensibly sitting on the bank. There were some colourful insults flying back and forth and it was very entertaining to listen to. Not really one for eavesdropping, but couldn't resist this double act! He was trying to set up a 70 second exposure and I couldn't see how that could possibly work in these conditions, but don't really know enough to venture an opinion. Just would have liked to see the finished results, but still not confident enough to strike up conversations with strange men, and they don't come much stranger than these two!

Decided to head home now as the weather was worsening, but as someone easily distracted by something interesting I did make one more stop. The Osprey Conservation Centre. An RSPB run establishment committed to protecting the osprey and establishing a safe haven for many species of birds.
There are a couple of hides where you can watch birds feed and I believe the ones in the following pics are spinnets.

I know as much about birds as I do trees and flowers, so they could actually be anything!
You then walk about 500m to the next hide which is the observation point for the Ospreys. The nest is a long way away and you can't see much with the naked eye. The following pic is taken using the zoom but again you can't get close.

However, in the hide are a couple of very powerful telescopes aimed at the nest and you can see the baby birds very clearly. It is a beautiful sight with the parent on the perch looking over protectively. I have never really been that interested in birds, but there is something very compelling about watching these wild creatures.
By this time it is really raining, so I think I have to draw the trip to a close and head home.
Its been a fabulous couple of days and I have discovered some wonderful places and people. Can't wait for the next one.

Lessons Learned: Being adventurous isn't something you do once. It is an ongoing process and a full blown lifestyle change. It may not always work, but when it does you will discover a whole load of new places and things to experience.

Diet Diary: Its been ok I think. Bit extra to eat but loads of hiking, so keep fingers crossed for Tuesday.