It’s a sign: Penarth

I haven’t published a blog about signs for a while so, without further ado, here are some I’ve seen on my local exercise walks.

Dogs must be led
To mark the passing of 117 years since its opening, I blogged about Penarth’s Alexandra Park back in June 2019. This sign, mandating that ‘dogs must be led’, can be found on one of the park’s main entrance gates. I’m not sure if the sign is as old as the park or, indeed, what dog control bylaws were in place in 1902. Regardless of the instruction, or the current bylaws, almost every dog owner ignores this sign and allows their dog (or dogs) to roam at will. This may surprise readers in other countries, as it also surprised me when I first moved to Britain from New Zealand, where dog control laws are much stricter and more tightly policed.     

Do not cut bait on the decking
I also blogged about the opening of Penarth’s pier on its anniversary, this time the 124th anniversary (Penarth: the opening of the pier, April 2019), though this is, of course, a much more recent sign. Fishing off the pier is actually banned during the summer months of June, July and August, and, at other times, is restricted to specified areas but, even there, it seems the anglers have been damaging the wooden boards with their knife work, hence the need for this sign. It’s not one I’ve seen anywhere else.

Dangerous cliffs. Keep away
I rather like the contrast between these new and old signs, warning those who dare to walk along the shore beneath the Penarth Head cliffs, of the danger of falling rocks. Unfortunately, despite plenty of visual evidence of recent rock falls and even, in places, the sound of constantly falling pebbles, many people ignore these signs and walk far closer to the bottom of the cliffs than is healthy.

As you can see, the old sign also warns the unwary of being caught by the high tides. This should also not be ignored, as the Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range in the world, at between 12 and 14 metres, and there is literally nowhere to go if you get caught below these cliffs when the tide is at its highest extent. 

I find it particularly interesting that, while both signs give their warnings in English and Welsh, the old sign also repeats the message in French. Were the majority of tourists visiting Penarth in times past of French origin, or were the locals expecting an invasion?

Hedgehog crossing area
I definitely approve of signs like this, warning vehicle users to be aware of animals, of all kinds, crossing roads, though in this case the sign seems rather superfluous. 

It’s at the blocked end of a little-used lane, where at most two residents’ cars would pass. Also, the gate to which it’s attached doesn’t have a hole at the bottom for hedgehogs to pass under and into the garden beyond. 

Perhaps the residents just want to show their general appreciation of and support for any hedgehogs that happen to be passing. Can hedgehogs read, I wonder?

It’s a sign: Wales, part one

My previous blogs about signs in different countries around the world have always proved popular so, from my first six months’ living in Wales, here are a few of what this country has to offer.

Which way? I had a map and even I was confused by this one. A number of public footpaths intersect at this point in the leafy greenness of Long Wood, in the Forest Farm Nature Reserve, near Cardiff, which is not really surprising, as these broadleaf woodlands are ancient and people have probably been walking these paths for hundreds, if not thousands of years.   

Sometimes I think urban and state authorities get a little carried away with their signage requirements. The danger sign at left may once have been a good idea but is now in the middle of quite a dense patch of trees and scrub so no one is going to be swimming or paddling anywhere thereabouts. And, though I’ve been across the stream pictured in the photo on the right after several days of heavy rain, the little bridge has still been useable and I’ve never seen the water high enough to be called deep.

One of the many things I like about living in Wales is the Welsh language – not that I know more than a few words, mind you. It’s difficult enough to pronounce the few I do know, never mind learning a new language at my advanced age. But I like to see it being used, and most signs are bilingual. You may think it’s a bit mean asking people not to feed the birds but this is near a wetland reserve where, I assume, they don’t want to encourage a huge influx of scavenging gulls.

How considerate is this? Kudos to the team at Cardiff’s beautiful Bute Park for providing hot thirsty dogs with their very own access steps at several points along the old canal, though I’m thinking most dogs would quite like to just run and jump!

I don’t have a smart phone so I can’t read the QR code on the sign above but that image looks like a snake to me and, though there are only 3 snake species native to Britain and I would quite like to get photographs of them, just the idea of one of them hiding in the long grass is more than enough to warn me off. Signs like this, pointing out the locations of birds, butterflies, orchids, etc are common in the nature reserves here.

I’m not exactly sure what the sign at left is all about. Maybe it’s indicating where the cycle lane begins for north-bound cycling traffic. What I like about it is the Welsh word for north which I thought, at a quick glance, said google!

If you liked these Welsh signs you might also enjoy these: signs in Peru, in Cambodia, in England part one and part two and part three, and in New Zealand.