Friday 24 June 2011. Yes, now, in July 2024, these are almost historical pages that we present here, but let's do it anyway. There have been quite a few changes since then, but maybe not that much, the color of paint here and there, a new construction, or another building torn down. In any case, this is the opportunity to visit the west coast of this beautiful country, Wales.
Leaving from my native region, Essex, we have to cross England from East to West on overcrowded roads, it's a nightmare especially the M25, the four-lane orbital around the capital, it is called the largest parking lot in the world, a saying which unfortunately turns out to be true. Then, we head west on the A40, we are in tourist mode, we visit Eynsham and then Witney at 1:00 p.m. for our picnic. Continuation to Chetterham (2 p.m.) and three quarters of an hour later, to Ross-on-Wye. We cross the border with Wales at 3:30 p.m. and continue through Monmouth (traffic jams), Brecon Beacons Park (4:30 p.m.), Llandovery an hour later, Lampeter at 6:00 p.m. and our final destination at 7:00 p.m., we are happy to arrive at our lodge, Penuwuch Fisheries. It is a perfect, quiet location surrounded by beautiful scenery, a fishing lake, sheep and, not far away, the Penuwuch Inn...........

August 22, 2009. Thirteen years ago, long before the worries of covid, monkey pox and wars everywhere, we spent a pleasant day in the charming little village of Chanaz. There were other tourists like us, but less than you find in tourist places now, I think. We could still have fun, and why not take a short cruise on the Savières canal?

We've ventured to the north of the Isère to Saint Didier d'Aoste to begin our new journey into railway history. Here the Isère is separated from the Savoie by the Guiers and from the Ain by the Rhône. At present there is no railway in the vicinity, but in the 1920s there were 4 of them. There was the  Pont de Beauvoisin Tramway, which arrived from Saint Béron, the PLM line, which arrived from Pressins, the CEL line which arrived from Aoste-Gare de l'Est de Lyon and, then, in crossing the bridge over the Rhône, there was the Higher Rhône Tramway which followed the Rhône valley from Brégnier-Cordon to Sault-Brénaz, crossed the river to reach its terminus at La Balme-les-Grottes in the Isère....