Back for a day
The training course I just got back from went pretty well. It was in Snowdonia in Northern Wales and set in not only fantastic countryside but also in a house called 'Plas Tan y Bwlch' which translates into the Mansion in the gap (of the rocks) and it was huge! Basically it looked like a castle but was built early in the 1800s with all the grand design you would expect.. but it didn't have a tv in the rooms so we all resorted to the bar each night instead which was probably a better choice anyway.

What I found strange was although being so close to England (but still a six hour drive for me) everyone spoke Welsh! Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised by that but I found it very strange being in what felt like a foreign country but luckily the course was all in English.

The course went very well, it was really interesting and covered everything I need to know about my new job to do with looking after these Public Rights of Way (PROW). I was always quite interested in the footpaths, bridleways and byways on a conservation point of view and being able to work outdoors but I never really appreciated what these really were. At the end of the day a single footpath, the track running from field to field is ancient, when you walk on one you are following thousands of other folk who have been walking that path for anything up to two thousand years and that path has always been the same although the surrounding have changed. That to me is amazing and I can't wait to get out there and start looking after that heritage.

Anyway I can't relax yet, got a few things I need to tie up today as we are going to Morocco tomorrow morning for a week! I can't wait as it will be lovely and hot and the exchange rate is something stupid like one pound = 20 whatever they have. Expect photos when I get back!