<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Permanent Recess]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Permanent Recess]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:34:54 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[C2C -Pre Ramble Amblings]]></title><description><![CDATA[Like all good reads, it starts, "In The Beginning......" As with most daft thoughts, the idea that I would hike across England happened quite accidentally. One lonely evening whilst flicking through the telly in Wales, I came across the lovely Julia Bradbury clad in matching waterproofs, tramping along some footpath heading to somewhere ending in “thwaite” and quoting magical thoughts from AW himself. Immediately, I was transported back to my early thirties when I did something similar...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/c2c-pre-ramble-amblings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a08bb318cf1a5a95ef49f2f</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: England]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Open Road (Cycling & Running)]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 19:02:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_58543cae17e74e17b2b0c1033c39ccd5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wainwright's Coast to Coast]]></title><description><![CDATA[My 12 day hike from St. Bees Head to Robin Hoods Bay starting August 5th ... Everesting across England on Foot... (should that be Feet?)  ...   Coming Soon]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/wainwright-s-coast-to-coast</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fe0dec5bf92805eb600ae5</guid><category><![CDATA[The Open Road (Cycling & Running)]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 16:23:36 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bacon, Boats, and Best-Kept Secrets: Why I Keep Coming Back to Aberaeron.]]></title><description><![CDATA[With its rows of beautifully coloured Georgian homes, the bones of this pretty seaside town has remained unchanged for years. Some of the shops along the main road have come and gone, but Aberaeron is still the same as it was years ago.  Coming here as a little girl I would play in the park in the middle of the town or watch the Aberaeron 7’s play rugby there. Then we would head to The New Celtic for fish and chips served on plastic table cloths and if we were lucky, have tinned peaches and...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/bacon-boats-and-best-kept-secrets-why-i-keep-coming-back-to-aberaeron</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ab62947fac2e2861ff2285</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: Wales]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:40:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_5162adb754944a839804ab9b6de654cd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_624,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Quay: Shells, Shrimping Nets, and The Lime Crab]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Great Childhood Mystery When I holidayed  here as a child, I was great friends with the people in the caravan next door to me, Sarah and Claire. They always went to Newquay. We never did, and I never really understood why. I think it was because Mum and Dad didn’t want to drive that far. (It’s about 20 minutes from the caravan). It’s an awesome place with beautiful sandy beaches that extend around the coast and join up with another famous beach in the area called Cei Bach. Shells,...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/new-quay-shells-shrimping-nets-and-the-lime-crab</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a8b58c0df7a7bf5035cd3d</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: Wales]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:50:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_a8d5a1ff5b084aeb966819860609353a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Legend of Devil's Bridge: Steps, Spirits, and Secret Picnic Spots]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pontarfynach is the Welsh name for this famous spot, and it’s pronounced exactly as it sounds: pont - ar - fy - nach. Whether you're here for the folklore or the fitness, be prepared for a workout! I am not going into the history of the Devil's Bridge, as I want you to visit and read about it yourself. It's a great tale. The Nature Trail: A Warning Before You Venture on... If you come here out of season, you need cash (£4 in coins) for the turnstile that leads down to the Falls. In-Season...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/the-legend-of-devil-s-bridge-steps-spirits-and-secret-picnic-spots</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a8a96dffff75773ebaa22e</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: Wales]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:02:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_68dbea38c117400ab4466d5399cacb30~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Walking the Walls: A Principal’s Guide to Roman Chester (and how to keep your trainers!)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Upon arrival by train in Chester, I was almost immediately greeted by a young man who obviously thought happy hour was 11 o’clock in the morning. He inquired how much I would sell my trainers to him for. I guess I was not blending in quite as well as I hoped I would be. Maybe it was the Iron Man Mont Tremblant Canada bag that I was lugging around with me that gave it away. I politely, and with as much confidence as I could muster, told him they were not for sale and then immediately put them...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/chester</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a5d9d694843aee687f0a79</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: England]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:45:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_97de12a7be9c4028a949f59dd7c76448~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_750,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is Aberystwyth Really 'Grim and Grey'? A Local's Response to Bill Bryson.]]></title><description><![CDATA[View North towards Constitution Hill In The Road to Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson describes Aberystwyth as "squatting, grim and grey......and was never going to be anything but miserable."  I was horrified at his description, as I love Aberystwyth and can happily amuse myself there for several hours. Especially with a pork and stuffing batch, or sausage bap from Morgan’s the Butchers, or a bag of pick and mix from Mollie’s. You have to admit any town on a wet day is dismal, and there are no...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/aberystwyth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a5c4587db715abddf70b4a</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: Wales]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 17:11:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_fa28d9de81a448ccbd4032c52cb4b68d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_816,h_405,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! A St. David’s Day Journey to my Second Home.]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is quite apt that I am starting my blog on March 1. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus !  Happy Saint David day. If you’re still wondering he’s the patron saint of Wales. For me, Wales is my second home, especially this cute little village of Llanrhystud, located on the busy A487 between the seaside towns of Aberystwyth and Aberaeron which I will explore later. I spent pretty much every half term holiday and summer holiday here at Greenacres Caravan Park, now called Penrhos Park, but owned by the same...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/dydd-g%C5%B5yl-dewi-hapus-a-st-david-s-day-journey-to-my-second-home</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a47b1d4882ec6a3ac7505c</guid><category><![CDATA[Field Trips: Wales]]></category><category><![CDATA[The Guest Suite (Stays & Properties]]></category><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:51:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e626957c055448ea37f2bea071868220.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_667,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Luxury of Time ]]></title><description><![CDATA[For decades, my life was measured by the school bell. My days were a feat of managing calendars, leading staff, and navigating the vibrant, beautiful chaos of a school community. From nine years teaching in England to many more leading schools in Canada, I’ve lived a dual-passport life that always felt like a balancing act. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a principal, it’s this: everyone eventually needs a long recess. Most know me as the organized leader from Ottawa, but at my core,...]]></description><link>https://mandylong4109.wixsite.com/the-permanent-recess/post/the-luxury-of-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a462a332a596f2a280945e</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:03:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cd6c77_9d9d3c20de1b4e3f98ddf7cc4c3b1aec~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Mandy Long</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>