Knowing I had planned a couple of long walks to finish, I moved things around to change the length of the remaining walks. This included putting off Great Orme's Head (GOH) on one day, cancelling my day off to walk from Colwyn Bay to Llandudno via Little Ormes Head and GOH on the same day, which meant I could have a very short day and two final days walking of a reasonable length.
The walking plan for Wales went out the window the past few days. After nearly nine weeks on the road I was feeling pretty tired and fighting the urge to just go home and rest. The alternative was to change the walking plan and try to make it a bit easier on myself. Knowing I had planned a couple of long walks to finish, I moved things around to change the length of the remaining walks. This included putting off Great Orme's Head (GOH) on one day, cancelling my day off to walk from Colwyn Bay to Llandudno via Little Ormes Head and GOH on the same day, which meant I could have a very short day and two final days walking of a reasonable length. Today was the very short day as I walked on from Colwyn Bay to a campsite at the seaside resort of Towyn. It was a nice gentle stroll along the beach in nice sunshine and, when I became fed up with the barriers on the beach, a walk on the roadside. It was a very uneventful walk, nice enough with views east and west along the coast but unremarkable. Arriving early at the campsite, I had the tent up toot-sweet and spent the afternoon and early evening sitting in the sun. Views Along Colwyn Bay
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During yesterday's walk from Penmaenmawr I decided to re-jig the next couple of days to give me slightly shorter walks over the last few days of my walk in Wales. After nearly nine weeks on the road I feel utterly exhausted and am walking on sheer doggedness. Today should have been a day off. Instead, I will nip a bit off of tomorrow's walk and combine it with the walk round the Great Orme headland that I should have done yesterday. This means I take in both Great Orme and its sibling, Little Orme Head, both over four hundred feet elevation, on the same day. Little Orme lies on the coast between Llandudno and Penrhyn Bay. Apart from the climbs up the headlands, the walk is at or close to sea level. Route Markers: Penrhyn Railway Station - Penrhyn Bay - Little Orme's Head - Ormes (Llandudno) Bay - Llandudno Pier - Pen-trwyn - Great Orme's Head (Marine Drive) - Gogarth - Llandudno (Abbey Road) After a bit of a long lie this morning until about 8.00am, I had a short walk to the railway station to catch a train to Colwyn Bay. My intention was to walk back to Lllandudno, via Little Ormes Head and then to head up and round Great Orme's Head. It was mixed early morning with patches of clear, blue sky, but some heavy cloud dotted around. On the shore at Colony Bay it was slightly chilly but not what you could have called cold. While I could, I walked on the sands coming out of Colwyn town heading for Rhos-on-Sea. When the sands gave out, I moved over on to the concrete pedestrian walkway that runs just above the rocky, pebbly beach. The walkway can become a little 'crowded' at points where the rock armour and beach shrubbery reduce the width of the path. Walking towards Llandudno there were lovely views capturing both Little & Great Orme's Heads' against a lightly clouded sky. By general British standards, Colwyn Bay town is not an old town by any means. Up to the late 19th C it was still private estate and farmland. In the hands of the Pwllycrochan Estate at that time, it was decided to take advantage of the areas potential as a holiday destination, with the major conurbations of the Midlands on its doorstep. Beginning in the late 19th C with a population in the hundreds, it has developed into a major centre of population with almost 30,000 (30 March 2021) living in the Greater Colwyn Bay area. That said, the route passes areas and places of interest of great antiquity including, for example, the very small chapel of St Trillo's on Rhos Point. Thought to be the smallest church in Great Britain; it seats six people, it is built on the site of the cell used by a 6th C saint. If the tide is with you, just before you reach the small chapel you may just see the scant remains of a medieval fishing weir (Rhos Fynach), one of two that functioned at this Point. The fishing weir was established by monks of the Cistercian Aberconwy Abbey in the 12th C. The weir fell into disuse during WW I and most traces of it have disappeared. The route continues to skirt the road as you come off of Rhos Point and start to head for Little Ormes Head. Marine Drive turns into Glan-Y-Mor-Road and on a sharp left hand bend you veer off to the right to the start of the headland and where the route starts to rise gently uphill on a tarmac path. Little Orme's Head is another area of great antiquity with a number of caves where Mesolithic and Neolithic remains have been found. In the one of the caves the first book to be published in Wales was produced by during the persecution of Catholics in late 16th C Britain. The headland was also heavily quarried for limestone on the Penrhyn side for a number of years. This included a 3-foot narrow gauge industrial railway (1889–1931) that operated at a number of levels on the headland. Much of the area has protected status of one kind or another, the North Wales Bird Trust reserve (Rhiwledyn) is located on its slopes and the cliffs on the seaward side are an important location for sea birds including Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Razorbills and Shags. Little Orme's Head (Approaches) Approaching the summit there are stunning views east across Penrhyn and Colwyn Bays to the Point of Ayr, sitting at the mouth of the River Dee. Higher up where the walking becomes a little bit rougher on uneven ground and, looking over to the west side of the headland, Great Orme's Head seems to hang over the town of Llandudno. Looking out over the waters they are aquamarine blue and green and crystal clear. My weather had cleared enough to give a grandeur to the views. It was lovely to sit in the late morning, warm sunshine, cup of coffee in hand, a very slight breeze blowing and feeling I have all the time in the world to take in the beauty of the place. Little Orme's Head (Summit) There are numerous pathways on the top of Little Orme and you can wander away to your heart's content, enjoy the history and the views, the birds and the plant life. Looking landward there was a lovely pastoral landscape up to where the end of the Cambrian Mountains and valleys meet the lower lying coastline. When you are ready to leave the Wales Coast Path dips down at the back of the hill and exits on to the main B5115. From the trig point on the hilltop this is the route I took to head back to Llandudno and on to Great Orme's Head. I tried to go off in a more forward direction but found the hillside too steep and a bit dangerous in places. Heading to town, walking initially on the road, later on the pedestrian / cycleway, there were nice views out over Llandudno Bay. From Little Orme's Head Just by Craigside, I took to the beach, walking along the pebbles and sands, chatting to fishermen wielding serious looking, long length beach caster rods. For all their impressive looks nobody had caught anything. Walking round the sweep of Llandudno Bay there are very clear views to Great Orme's Head. If you have never visited Llandudno the beach front and pier have a wonderful Georgian / Victorian elegance to them. Although there are signs of wear and tear on both the front terraced housing and the pier, they are still delightful to see. Just before you reach the Great Orme's Head, Llandudno Pier stretches out into the bay, roughly facing in the direction of Lancashire and Dumfries and Galloway. Building work on the pier was completed in 1878 and its main section is 1,234 feet long (the whole pier is 2295 feet). The pier has been owned by numerous companies over the years and in currently in the hands of Tir Prince Leisure Group. Following a major fire in 1994, extensive renovations were required. Cloes to the pier is the main station for the cable car ride that rises up 679 feet over the town side of Geat Orme's Head. Opened in 1969 they are an easy way to reach the summit. Like its littel brother Little Orme's Head, there are numerous pathways and attractions on Great Orme's Head including the Great Orme Country Park and various historical and cultural interests from the Neolithic graves to St Tudno's and other wells and the 12th C St Tudno's church, built on the site of a 6th C church. A local saint, the name of the town is said to have originated from St Tudno's name. Mining was an important activity on the headland and there are various sites that can be visited. There is also a herd of wild Kashmiri goats in the country park that dominated the news during Co-vid lockdown when they invaded the empty streets of Llandudno. There are various routes up, over and round about the headland. I chose to take the simplest and, as it turned out, the most coastal of the choices and followed the road that runs round the edge of the headland (Marine Drive). The five-mile road is a toll road, operated by Conwy Council. Walking up the road from the pier side, it is an uphill slog until you reach roughly the half-way mark, which is where there is a tea room. I really looked forward to that, hoping to have coffee and cake to replenish the energy levels, but was disappointed to find it was closed that day. Walking on the north side of the headland there are nice views to be had over Llandudno Bay and over to Anglesey. Once you round the headland to the other side, views over Conwy Bay and Conwy Sands and the south side of the Creuddyn Peninsula open up. By the time I started the climb on the north side it was a very hot day and I was suffering in the heat before even the half-way mark. After taking one or two photographs my camera stopped working. I had forgotten to charge it the night before and the battery had ran out. So, apologies for the lack of photographs on the south side of the headland. From Great Orme's Head Coming off the headland on the south side I moved on to Abbey Road to cross back over the neck of the peninsula to my accommodation. To be honest, I do not remember much of the last mile or so as I was very hot, tired and no doubt a little dehydrated. My water had ran out just before the tearoom where I had planned to replenish it.
Of the two headlands, based on the routes walked, I much prefered Little Orme's Head. That view might be different had I walked on the top of Great Orme's Head rather than follow the lower road route. Exhausted by the time I returned to the B&B, I was happy to use the microwave in my room to heat up some food as opposed to going to the bother of changing and going back out. Fed and watered, I retired to bed early and slept the sleep of the dead! Route Markers: Penmaenmawr - Dwygyfylch - Pendyffryn Hall - Penmaen-bach Point - Conwy Morfa - The Beacons - Conwy Quays Marina - Conwy - Conwy Castle - Llandudno Junction - Degonwy - Llandudno With the prospects of a short day in front of me I took my time this morning before packing up. Awake early enough, I was able to hit the showers again before the morning rush to try and ease my aching bones. Afterwards, I sat outside my tent in Trwyn Yr Wylfa Camping Site and had a leisurely breakfast, sitting with my back against a fence post, taking in the beautiful vistas with mountains to the back of me and the seascape to the front. In the early morning sunshine you could see across Conway Bay to Great Orme Head. Looking west, Puffin Island, just off the tip of Anglesey, lay like a little jewel in the sea. It would have been easy to sit there for the rest of the day but for the urge for progress and, the thought that tonight I will sleep in a real bed! The majority of the route is walked at sea level, apart from a sharp rise at the beginning as you go up and round Penmaen-bach Point on the cycle path. After rounding the headland I took the first opportunity to come off the road and headed to the shore where I stayed level pretty much the rest of the walk. Leaving the campsite I followed what is called the alternative Wales Coast Path for a short distance to take up the main coastal path. The alternative path comes down (goes up) the mountain. If you want an alternative 'high' route, from the Trwyn Yr Wylfa Camping Site there is a path up in to the mountains where you can take up either the Cambrian Way or the North Wales Coast Path which will take you on a more rugged route in to Conwy from the south. I decided to follow the main A55 road up on to Penmaen-bach headland because I wanted to see the coastal views going round the headland and to get a closer look at the Penmaenbach Tunnels. The first tunnel was built in 1932, to carry two-way vehicle traffic to Penmaenmawr. In 1989, a second tunnel was built to take all west-bound traffic, with east-bound vehicles left to use the original 1932 tunnel. If I was doing the walk again I might go to straight to the shore and keep to the coastline for the whole walk. Coming down from the camp there is a railway line between you and the shore so you would need to look out for an early way to cross it. It is interesting walking the cycle track for the first time. Essentially, a cycle path on stilts, stuck on to the side of the road. They have done what they could to soften the edges of the path with grass and tree planting but it is what it is. At the top, as the road traffic disappears in to the huge, cavernous tunnel, the cycle path stays on the outside going round the end of the headland. After turning the headland, a little ways further on, there is a footbridge over the railway that enables you to go down on to the shore. The main Wales Coast Path continues at this point to follow a line at the back of the beach, along the edge of the Conwy golf course and on up to the turn on to the banks of the River Conwy. Once down on the shore it is a lovely walk along the beach until you come up against the River Conwy. As you leave the bulk of Penmaer-bach behind you also move out of its shadow and in to the sunshine. It is a nice, wide-open beach. The tide was down which exposed the lovely stretch of golden sands, only sparsely populated the day I walked across it. Looking back you have a good impression of the sheer bulk of the Penmaer-bach headland. From a line on the the headland looking out to sea, there are good views of Puffin island and the Trywyn Du lighthouse at the tip of Anglesey at Penmon Point. Built in 1838, Trywyn Du marks the entry to the start of the Menai Strait. It is situated on low lying rocks just south of of Puffin Island and is distinctive with its three broad black bands. Lighthouse keepers were withdrawn in 1922, converted to solar power in 1996 and is now controlled remotely from the main Trinity House centre in Essex. Walking along the beach the views to the front are dominated by the bulk of Great Orme's Head which appeared to fill the clear blue sky. At the backend of the headland the houses at Llandudno shine brightly in the sunshine. Rounding the corner coming on to the river you come to an area called 'The Beacons'. On the opposite banks sit the houses of Deganwy, located in front of the high hill of The Vardre on which there the remains of a castle. The glamorous sands disappear at the turn to be replaced by a mixture of pebble, shingle and small rocks. The Conwy Quays Marina is situated here and you have to divert inland to go round the marina and through the marina village. The marina has an interesting history, related to the building of the nearby A55 Expressway (circa 1986) which goes under the river just above the marina. The land the marina occupies was excavated and used to cast the 'tubes' that were to form the tunnel sections for the expressway. Built in six sections, each was 118 metres long, 24 metres wide and 10.5 metres high. The basin was breached to give access to the estuary and the tubes were floated to their final positions using buoyancy aids and fitted in to the alread-prepared trenches. Subsequently, the basin was fitted out to operate as a marina and opened in 1992, providing some 500 berths for leisure craft. It is a busy marina and quite swish in its surroundings. Conwy Quays Marina Coming off from the marina there is a bridge to cross over the very busy A55. There is a small water inlet here where the Wales Coast Path goes to the left and, the North Wales path goes straight ahead. Following the WCP I walked along river front, enjoying the views across the river to Llandudno Junction and up and down the river. There is a small headland to go round at the shore side of the Bodlendeb Wood and once clear of it there are clear views to the Conwy Road Bridge over the river and, sitting to the side of it and just off the river, the hugely impressive bulk of Conwy Castle. The bridge you see as you come off the small headland is the modern road traffice bridge, built in 1958. The front face of the road bridge hides the fact that there are actually three bridges at the location, all within a 'stone's throw' of the castle. The road bridge was built using a riveted construction technique. As you draw closer to the bridge you are drawn to the beautiful arch that spans the width of the river. Lying behind the modern road bridge is an older suspension road bridge designed by Thomas Telford and reminiscent of his other bridge in this area, the original version of the Menai Suspension Bridge. The Conwy Suspension Bridge was built 1822 - 1826, and replaced the ferry that ran from the same location. The bridge is only open to pedestrian traffic now and is in the care of the National Trust. To the right of this bridge in the Conwy Railway Bridge. Of wrought iron tubular construction this bridge was officially opened in 1849. Designed by Robert Stephenson, it is the only surviving example of a tubular bridge built by Robert Stephenson. Another example was the Brittania Bridge over the Menai Strait which was also originally of tubular construction. However, following a fire in 1970 and subsequent repair work it was changed to a two-tier truss arch bridge. You cannot help but be impressed by the sheer bulk of Conwy Castle. It is immense, threatening and just emanates power. The castle was built by King Edward I after he invaded Wales in 1282, capturing the then Aberconwy Abbey in 1283. The castle was designed to both dominate the river crossing and to be able to provided protection to the whole town of Conwy within its walls. During the period of the English Civil War (2 August 1642 – 3 September 1651) the castle was on the side of Charles I. Following the victory of the Parliamentarians the castle was stripped of many of its defensive capabilities and by 1665 was abandoned and left to ruin. By the end of the 18thC, it was a romantic ruin, frequented and painted by many artists. In more modern times the castle has become a tourist attraction with a visitor centre opened in 2012. Coming off the bridge the route drops down on to take up a cycle path that goes through the edge of Llandudno Junction and Deganwy. While the views across the estuary were nice the walk itself was forgettable until you cut off the main road to follow the line of the North Wales Golf Club at the back of the sandy beach. At the end of the golf course you come on to the outer edge of Llandudno which crosses the neck of this small peninsula. With a view to my walk tomorrow, I continued on up to the breakwater before walking across the peninsula to my accommodation on the other side of the town. Llandudno Junction to Llandudno
Pitching up last night, I deliberately went on the other side of the back wall of the campsite to be as far away from the playing kids as I could. Rather than spoil their fun by moaning and complaining about their behaviour, better to remove myself. The drawback was that where I pitched was deathly quiet and I ended up over-sleeping. By the time I had breakfasted and packed up it was already after 9.00am. Having now been on the road for seven weeks, I was a wee bit 'canvas happy'. Add to that the fact that BT had cocked up my new phone package and I had no service. All my accommodation data, routes and contact telephone numbers were beyond my reach and I was having to rely on memory for what my camping arrangements were. Like everybody else my adventure plans go through numerous versions as I tweek routes, mileage or accommodation. By now it was fairly confused and I was not sure where my destination for the night was, albeit only a choice of two locations. I just decided to trust to luck and to check out the various campsites as I progressed. The day's destination was either Llanfairfechan or Penmaenmawr, which both lie just off the main route. Wherever I was to be staying the night it did not affect the elevation of the route which stayed fairly low for most of the day. There was the occasional low-lying, rolling section on the actual coast but nothing that would take your breath away. The walking today was a mixture of road walking and rough path. The campsite sits at the back of the Treborth Hall mansion house. Making my way to the front of the house to exit the estate via the main driveway, I was able to appreciate the nice, well laid-out flower garden to the front. There are also many mature, deciduous trees on the estate. Further down towards the Menai Straights is the Treborth Botanic Garden, first created by the Chester & Holyhead Railway Company in the aftermath of the building of the Britannia Bridge. The garden location was used for much of the spoil from the drilling at the bridge. It is now owned by Bangor University. From the driveway I was able to go through the woods below the house and to take up the Wales Coast Path again. The path joins the main A5 beside the Menai Straights, just beside Menai Bridge which is on your left. At first it is just visible through the shrubbery but the view opens up as you go on. The bridge, the world's first major suspension bridge, was designed by Thomas Telford and was completed in 1826. Until recently it was still carrying traffic over the Straights. However, on October 21, 2022, the bridge was shut without prior notice. A statement from the Welsh Government said it was closed for essential maintenance work following safety recommendations from structural engineers. Initially, the bridge was shut completely in both directions, but it was soon reopened to foot passengers and dismounted cyclists. The Welsh Government stated the bridge will remain closed for 14 to 16 weeks, reopening in early 2023 Just after the bridge, by the large roundabout, there is an option to go down to a slipway beneath the bridge and to walk along the shore for a short distance. You have to come back up to the main road again later, so I gave the diversion a miss. The Wales Coast Path follows the line of the A5 at this point and I stuck to the road until the turn off down on to the Nant Porth Nature Reserve which is on the banks of the Menai Straights. The route comes off an unnamed road and on to a grassy path that takes you past a white house and on to shingle beach. The reserve is built around the foreshore and a limestone woodland with a wide range of wildflowers, birds and old limestone quarries. As you follow the undulating path through the woods you are walking on the old spoil heaps from the quarrying days. The route is steep in places, can be very muddy and has a fair number of steps to be negotiated. Ash woodlands on the coast such as this are unusual outside of Scotland. The reserve also has rare Whitebeam trees, as well as Oak, Birch and Aspen. When you strike the beach there are lovely views across the Straights to the white houses on Anglesey which line the opposite shore, seeming to tumble down towards the water. The most obvious feature on the horizon is the Victorian Bangor Pier which juts out across the Straights from the Garth Point. Prior to the pier, it is thought there was a docking facility of one kind or another at Garth since the early 13th C. The Bangor Pier was first conceived of in 1885, but it was not until 1894 that work actually began to build the structure, the opening taking place in 1896. Initially the pier was a great success with hundreds of thousands of people using the various facilities up to 1914. Over time, the popularity of the pier waned and it went through a long troubled period, the pier closing in 1971. Bangor City Community Council took ownership in 1978 for 1 penny, subsequently restoring the pier at a cost of over £3 million. While there have been ongoing issues with the structure of the pier, it has continued to enjoy some success winning the Pier of the Year Award in 2022. Just after you pass the Bangor Pier there are lovely views across the Menai Straights to the town of Beaumaris on Anglesey. Just before Garth Point, if you go off to the right through the trees and up through the field there is a stone circle and altar. While I am not sure of the antiquity of the stone circle or of the altar, I understand that the location is used by modern witches for various celebrations. Back down on the shore the route passes by the small Porth Penrhyn (harbour), developed at the mouth of the River Cegin. In earlier years the harbour served the local slate quarry. I was still following the line of the Wales Coast Path at this point but had intended leaving the path to cut through to Abercegin via the bottom end of Penrhyn. Unfortunately my route through the park was closed and I had to take the long route round the park via the coast path. The route follows the line of the River Cegin, by-passing the old Cegin Viaduct on which heavy horse were used to pull twenty-five wagons of slate from the quarry to the harbour. This method was used until the steam railway came to the area in 1879. The original line, which opened in 1801, was the first narrow gauge slate railway in Wales. Coming off the River Cegin by the industrial estate, I stuck rigidly to the route of the Wales Coast Path, heading in the direction of the village of Tal-y-bont before heading back down to the coast again via Aber Ogwen. The views inland to the hills and valleys of the Carneddau mountain range were superb. The mountain peaks were clothed in mist giving them an added layer of mystery and intrigue. The geology of this impressive mountain range is complicated, the land masses of the Lapteus Ocean having come together numerous times over a long time period, creating a mixed landform of volcanic and sedimentary rock. The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times and there are many ancient monuments scattered throughout the mountain range. Carneddau Mountain Range On the approaches to Aber Ogwen, on your left on the other side of the River Ogwen, lies Penrhyn Castle. The original castle on the site was built in 1438 , with the current building part of a reconstruction completed between 1820 and 1833. The history of the castle and of the family that owned it was controversial, built on the back of profits from investments in slave plantations in Jamaica. While the owners benefitted from owning the estate plantations, so too did the local populace benefit indirectly as the castle owners were known to spend large sums of money on local developments such as roads, schools and railways, providing thousands of jobs locally. It was not all plain sailing locally, as the 1900 quarry strikes illuminate. The longest running industrial dispute in British history, it was held against a back-drop of poor wages and working conditions. The background to the development of the estate, castle and local services, serve well to illustrate the challenges of coming to terms with the colonial past of Great Britain. As you exit on to the shore just below Aber Ogwen there are lovely views out and across beautiful Conwy Bay. The isle of Anglesey seems almost within touching distance and you can see to the end of the isle and the little island that sits off of the northern tip, Puffin Island. There is narrow track running along the back of the beach for a distance that makes the walking that little bit easier. In the far distance, the headland at Llandudno is clearly visible. Slightly nearer, the peak of Penmaenmawr juts out over the bay. The route soon gives way to a broad, grassy path that runs along a fence line separating the landward from the shore. It was full of summer wild flowers which brought a particular gladness to the day. The tide was high, the waters whispering gently against the pebbled beach. The sun had been out all day and, coming towards the end of the walk, my water was getting pretty low. The coastal route continues along the shore line, passing through the Glan-y-mor Elias nature reserve, which almost abuts on to the promenade at Llanfairfechan. It is a mixed habitat at the reserve with a number of small lakes at the back of the shore, salt marsh and the wonderful, low-tide mud flats of Traeth Lafan. As a consequence of the different habitats there are a number of different bird species to be seen here, everything from swans swimming sedately in the lakes, to Oystercatchers, Dunlin and Ring-necked Plovers on the shore. On the mudflats of Traeth Lafan there are Divers, Grebes and Turnstones. On the nearby shingle ridge known locally as 'Shell Island', up to 5,000 Oystercatchers roost there overnight in winter. During the summer months Ring-necked Plovers breed and nest there. The Wales Coast Path turns inland just after the boating pond at Llanfairfechan to get on the right side of the railway. I needed to check out whether or not I was booked in to a campsite there and made a small and, as it turned out, unnecessary detour. Llanfairfechan has been settled since at least the Neolithic and the area is known to have been a major producer of stone-age axes. The Wales Coast Path at this point diverts to go up over the hills at the back of Llanfairfechan, passing through many of the Neolithic and later ancient sites. Still unsure of my camping plans for the night (thank you BT), I kept to the low ground, making my way along the main A55 road to my eventual campsite at Penmaenmawr where I was booked in. I must have looked kind of rough around the edges because the first thing the receptionist did was to make me a cup of coffee and give me a seat. It was a nice campsite, the only disappointment was that I was on a bit of a slope and during the night kept slipping down the hill. The facilities were good and after about 9.00pm it was quiet enough. Mind you, after a hot shower and a meal, I was not long awake after 9.00pm and there could have been a party of for all I would have known. I enjoyed a nice, quiet day off in Caernarfon yesterday, mainly spent getting in supplies, doing laundry, resting and recuperating. In Airbnb accommodation, it was a luxury to sleep in a bed for two nights and not to have to worry about the rain and packing up equipment and tent. However, back to reality today with a return to camping, albeit with my pack slightly lighter, as I sent some bits & pieces of equipment and clothing home that I will not require in my last week on the road. With the end of my adventure not too far away, I have reached the stage where I am glad to see it coming. Nearly seven weeks on the road and I am pretty tired and looking forward to a bit of comfort. Coming off of Ford Bay a couple of days ago, I moved on to the Menai Straights, the stretch of water which separates mainland Wales from the island of Anglesey. My route today moves up the Straights, bypassing the famous Britannia Bridge, or the Menai Suspension Bridge as it is sometimes known. It is a relatively low level walk, in the main walked between ten and twenty metres above sea level. There is a low climb between Felinheli and Capel-y-graig up to about sixty metres. There is a slow descent back down to the banks of the Menai Straights and then a final slow rise to fifty metres to reach the campsite at the back of the mansion, Treborth Hall. Much of the walk is on pedestrian / cycle path or road, with a short (new) coastal section through woods just before the Menai Bridge. The weather forecast is fair and I look forward to a relatively good day's walking. From my accommodation at the east end of the town, I made my way back to the castle precincts. Just after the castle, the route passes behind the old Victoria Docks. Established in the 1860's, it was mainly used to ship wood imports from the Scandanavian countries. With the advent of the railway coming in to Caernarfon the docks were no longer financially viable and went out of business. Derelict for some years, they were restored in 1997 when they were transformed in to a modern day marina. Passing the docks and the pier, crossing a car park by the superstore, you come on to a cycle / pedestrian way that runs in a straight line for about four kilometres along the banks of the Straights to a roundabout by the Plas Menai Pursuit Centre where it turns on to the Caernarfon Road, heading for the village of Felinheli. Walking beside a minor road here, the pathway continues on a line to the side of the road, oftern shielded from it by trees and hedgerow. Felinheli is a lovely little village, an amalgam of the settlements of Tafarngrisiau and Aberpwll. Sitting directly by the Menai Straights, as you drop down in to the village it very picturesque with various sailing craft moored and bobbing on the water. The River Heulyn discharges into the Menai in the village. The village prospered on the back of slate and lime quarrying, of which there are still remnants to be seen in the industrial landscape. Just after leaving the village there is a lovely view across the Menai Straights to the hillside St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, Anglesey. First founded by St Edwen in the 7th C., the current building was established in 1856, designed by Henry Kennedy. St Edwen is thought to have been related to King Edwin of Northumbria, who converted to Christianity in 627 and who was venerated as a saint after his death in 633. The path crosses the river and drops back down on to the Menai Straights. What follows is a lovely section through the various woods and forests that line this section of the Straights. For much of this section there is a very nice stone wall lining the banks of the Straights, with occasional openings to allow the various waterways to discharge. There are a variety of paths on the route from hard concrete to packed earth; rough grassy paths and, very occasionally, no clear path at all. On the approaches to the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straights, the woods thin and open up to allow for nice views of the bridge and its superstructure. Along the length of the path there is an interesting variety of trees with oak, beech, birch and pine to be seen. The Britannia Bridge, building commenced 10 April 1846, links mainland Wales with the Isle of Anglesey and was built high enough that a full rigged man-o-war ship could pass by beneath it. Initially a rail bridge, prior to its building, there was no rail link between the isle and the mainland. The bridge was designed by the famous railway engineer, Robert Stephenson. A few years before the Britannia was built, the Menai Straight bridge had been completed consisting of a road link only. In 1970, a fire Beverly damaged the bridge following which a decision was made to re-configure the bridge to allow for a second tier to be added, allowing the creation of an additional road route. The second tier was finally opened in 1980, allowing the passage of traffic. My camping spot for the night was in a camp at the back of Treborth Hall, a large estate lying inland just after the Britannia Bridge. Treborth Hall was built in the 1870's and was for many years a residential school for children with severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. The mansion house was built for Richard Davies, ship-owner in 1867. The school was established in the 1950's and operated until its closure in 2012. There is a potential route to the campsite just before the bridge via Treborth Farm, but I decided to eat a mile or two off of tomorrow's journey and continued on to the local path that takes you up to the Bangor University sports park. From there it was a nice walk through the estate gardens, past the magnificent Treborth hall and round to the campsite, which sits at the back of the main house. It is a nice little campsite, very friendly and helpful staff, quiet and secluded. Not long after I had bedded down last night it rained. And it rained. And it rained. It was still raining when I wakened and I lay on in the sleeping bag waiting for a break to pack up. It was late in coming, meaning it was nearer 11.00am before I was on the road. The description 'on the road', is very apt for this section of the Wales Coast Path because the whole day is literally spent tramping on the road. For that reason and as a consequence of the continuing rain, I do not intend spending too much time on it. Apart from the earliest road section where there is a bit of variation, the route gradually moves downhill to sea level where it stays for at least two-thirds of the journey. There are one or two short breaks from the monotony of road walking but they are very few and far between. The weather forecast is not good with rain expected for most of the day, becoming very heavy in the late afternoon. Given my late start, the chances are very good that I will be caught up in it. After taking my farewells from the owner, it was a very short walk back to the main A499 which runs outside the campsite gate. The first section of the walk consists of a ten-kilometre, undulating hike on this road, with very little variation. Even when I reached the downhill sections the poor weather meant any views I had were shrouded in mist and rain. The route passes through the small hamlet of Clynnog Fawr where the church and Holy Well of St Beuno are to be found. The saint is reputed to have establsihed a very important monastery and college at Clynnog Fawr, known as a 'clas'. St Beuno died in 640AD but the 'clas' or community continued in importantance until at least the 10th C AD. The current church dates from the late 15th to early 126th C, with the remain of the original 7th C church thought to lie beneath the small chapel in the left of the church picture. The road walk continues, passing through the village of Pontllyfini and on for another couple of miles until a turn off on the left to the farm steading of Pen-y-Bythod. This minor road continues on towards the coast, by-passing another farm steading at Bodfan to reach the village of Dinas Dinlle. The poor weather lifted a little here and I could at least see over the rough grasses to the sandy beach beyond. There are fine views from the beach back down the Lleyn Peninsula and out across Caernarfon Bay to the Isle of Anglesey. There are a number of Neolithic remains in the area inlcuding a standing stone just below Pen-y-Bythod and the remains of an Iron Age Fort on the hill above Dinas Dinlle. It is a short walk along the beach before you are turned inland, as you pass the end of the runway of Caernarfon Airport. An RAF base during WWII, it is now used primarily for flying lessons and leisure flights over the Snowdon mountains. After you walk up the edge of the airfield the route crosses over perhaps the only cross-country section on this walk as you start to go round the estuary of the Y Ford Nature Reserve. From the road and on the country paths there are fine views inland to the mountains. I would like to have seen the views on a better day but no sooner did the rain disappear than the skies started to darken again. Despite that, the mountain views were impressive. As well as the mountains, there were nice vistas across the extensive saltmarshes that line the banks her and, walking round the reserve you are aware that you are some distance from the actual sea. The various shades of green, brown and grey on the marshes, along with the varying textures, seemed to be highlighted in the gloom. Views from around Dinas Dinlle & Y Ford As you come round the top part of Y Ford reserve the path moves back on to a minor road and that is it until you reach the city of Caernarfon. On your left the River Gwyrfai finishes its run from Llyn Cwellyn to the sea. As you reach the river the route turns inland again to access the bridge over the river, passing through the hamlet of Saron. At the crossroads the route goes left to go over the river, and then left agaiin to head back down to the coast. As I walked this section the heavens opened and I was drowned in torrential rain. The rain was to continue for the rest of the walk and, regretfully, the camera was to remain in the bag. The road follows the river until it discharges into the Menai Straights and then turns to the right to follow the Straights in to Caernarfon. Just below Tan-y-graig to the west is located the church and holy well of St Baglan. The church contains a number of early Christian carved stones. The saint is thought to have lived sometime in the 5 - 6th C and was an abbot of Bardsey Island. This last section from below Llanfaglan was a test stamina and commitment. The road is open to the elements and there was nowhere to hide from the rain and the wind. By the time I crossed the bridge by Caernarfon Castle, I was soaked through, as was the rucksack and most of its contents. Even with the cover on the rucksack and all my belongings stored in dry bags, little survived the wet. Appearing on the doorstep of my Airbnb hostess, I was embarrassed to go in to her house. The saving grace was that I had a day off the next day and would have time to recover before starting the last week of my adventure. It had been a difficult day, at times very boring with so much road walking along the way. After the glories of the Lleyn Peninsula, the authorities in Gwynedd have a lot of work to do to make the first ten kilometres of the walk anywhere near attractive. Perhaps on another day I might have enjoyed the other sections more, it is debateable, but for sure I will not be in any hurry to repeat this walk.
After a short day yesterday, my expectation was that I would up bright and early today and early on the road. Rather the opposite as I succumbed to the continuing hospitality of my hostess, Catherine, enjoying an leisurely breakfast. In the course of my journey round the Llleyn Peninsula a number of people have mentioned today's walk to me as a particularly taxing one. Catherine, my hostess confirmed this, noting that a number of her guests had completed it and were of the view it was quite hard. The early part of the route weaves in and out of the lower hills beneath Yr Eifl, rising up to about one hundred and twenty metres (390 feet), before dropping to sea level in an old quarry at Porth Y Nant. From the floor of the quarry there is a steep and steady climb out and on to the pass that splits the mountains of Garn For and Garn Ganol, achieving three hundred and fifty one metres (1148 feet) ascent, before dropping back down again to sea level on the outskirts of the village of Trefor. The route follows round the coast here at sea level before heading out on to the A499 for a short, shielded road walk to Parsal campsite. There is a total ascent on the walk of seven hundred and ten metres (2329 feet). It was 9.30 before I left Morfa Nefyn but hit the trail quickly, taking a short lane down on to the Wales Coast Path above Porth Dinllaen. It was busy at that time of the morning with dog walkers and people out for an early morning stroll. The day was still trying to make its mind up weather-wise with thick grey cloud overhead and a light mist still lying over land and sea. Looking inland it was grey, enigmatic and mysterious, while out to sea there was hope on the horizon with patches of blue sky and light. Crossing the small headland (Penrhyn Nefyn) to Nefyn, I had a good view of the small group of cottages nestling in the lee of the cliff. Inland there were good views to The Rival Mountains (Yr Eifl) in the distance. After a short distance on a path along the cliff above Nefyn beach the route turned inland to begin the first of the day's climbs. Once I had made some height, on the shoulder of the hills I enjoyed stunning views out across the low cliff to the blue waters of Porth Dinllaen and beyond to St George's Channel. Above Nefyn the hillside levels out at about one hundred metres, maintaining the splendid views for a good distance. Looking over Caernarfon Bay, the coastline of Anglesey lies on the horizon like a slithering snake. Crossing the hillside there are good views to the headland of Penrhyn Glas and the mountains of Yr Eifl beyond. You pass below the site of an old quarry and actually walk through the spoil heaps that litter the hillside. Just before you reach the highest part of this stretch the path passes by the village of Pistyll. Passing Pistyll Farm steading the old church of St Beuno’s lies in a small dell to your left. The church is in a lovely location with great sea views. St Beuno lived here in the 6th C, although the current church is primarily 15th C with even more modern additions, including the slate roof. I am a sucker for old churches and could not resist visiting, despite the miles in front of me. It was a delightful space in which to watch the play of the light through the windows on the slate floor and just to sit and enjoy the quiet solitude of the place. There is a nice feeling of calm in the churche's interior, with a real feel of sanctuary about it. I must have spent a good half hour sitting in the church's splendid silence and only left very reluctantly. From St Beuno's the land continues to rise slightly as it head towards the headland of Penrhyn Glas. Walking along the base of the hills, with the coast a few tens of yards to your left, the headland looks solid and impressive. However, the other side of the headland has seen substantial slate quarrying and a goodly chunk of it is missing, as you observe later on. The day had brightened considerably and the colour palette of land and sea had brightened and crisped to make the views a joyful extravaganza. There is an exuberance and beauty to this landscape here that is captured in the light, colours and textures of land and seascape. It is no surprise to know that it is an ancient landscape, populated for thousands of years. The remains of old and tumbling dry stane dykes, slowly disappearing behind ferns and shrubs, give it an ageing texture and 'zeitgeist'. You have no sooner reached the top above Penrhyn Glas than the route starts to drop back down to sea level. Just off the headland there is a path that takes you down to the start of the beach of Porth Y Nant but I did not like the look of it (very steep and uneven underfoot). I continued round on the formal WCP to drop down the hill on a more gradual basis, through thick ferns, shrubs and grasses to be deposited on the beach just below some of the quarry faces of Nant Gwrtheyrn. Substantial work had been done here at one time open up the quarry as a kind of living museum and I could see occasional information boards on the history of the mining and the community that lived here. Walking along the shoreline I was surprised to find and was quite taken with a 'feral' cat drift wood sculpture. Whislt it was slightly out of place on the clifftop, it did have a sense of fun about it and I enjoyed a wee chuckle at the incongruency of it. The day was now quite hot and walking up the steep incline of the path that leads out of the quarry I suffered in the heat. To my delight I came across the Welsh National Language Centre buildings about half way up. While I knew the buildings were here I did not expect them to be so substantial or for it to house a fully functioning restaurant. As I gazed in amazement at the site of a wedding reception being held on a patio outside the main building, I could see a couple waving to me out of the window. To my surprise it was a couple I had met a few days ago in a small bakery in Aberdaron. My plans for a quick 'al' fresco 'lunch quickly changed. My packed lunch, prepared for me that morning by Catherine suddenly became my dinner and I joined my friends for a full cooked lunch. Of course I spent far too long sitting there chatting and paid for it later as I needed to up the pace to reach my campsite in good time. Quarry & Buildings, Nant Gwrtheyrn It was a long, hard and hot climb out of the quarry in what was now very warm conditions. The route twists and turns up the hill until you reach a crossroads where you take the left-hand path to head for the pass that goes between two mountain peaks of Yr Eifl. The path continues uphill and, as you start to approach the summit, what lies on the other side slowly comes in to view; the landscape seeming to move backwards in slow motion as the panorama of Caernarfon Bay unfolds. On such a sunny day it was a view of sublime beauty. Below and to the right the mountain range continued along the peaks of Moel-Pen-Llechhof, Gyrn Ddu and Gyrn Goch. On the land's edge the waters of the bay glistened and sparkled with the lights of a million 'silver darlings', and beyond the landmass of Anglesey brooded on the horizon. To the rear, the torn remains of Penrhyn Glas led the eyes over the blue seas and back to Porth Dinllaen. It was a view of immense impact and probably the best view I had seen in Wales so far. From the top of the pass the route drops sharply across open countryside, thick with gorse and ferns. In the midst of the undergrowth I came across a couple a herd of wild goats, seemingly perfectly at home in the wild countryside. As well as the adults, I could just see moving through the thick shrubs a number of young kids at heel. Coming off the hillside there is a short walk on road before the path crosses over open countryside again, heading for the small hamlet of Sychnant. Passing through here I stopped at one of the small cottages to speak to an older couple who were enjoying the sunshine in their front garden. For about half an hour the gentleman regaled we with stories of the expeditions that he and his wife had enjoyed in their younger days. Apart from walking all over the mountains of Snowdonia, he was proud of the fact they had never holidayed outside the local area. From Sychnant I moved back on to a low level coastal path to walk round the small headland where the National Trust have the estate of Nant Bach. The way here is signposted and there are some really nice, low level views from the beach up and down the coast. As you join the beach the view rounds the headland of Trwyn Gorlech to look over the sparkling blue sea to Porth Dinllaen in the far distance. On the shore there were flocks of Cormorants and Herring Gulls drying off in the sun and, looking slightly inland, nice views of the mountains that rise up at the back of and look over the village of Trefor. Coming off the rough, short coastal section you join a local road that runs out of the village to join up with the larger A499 that runs in to Caernarfon. I had only a short walk of about a mile on what I thought must have been an older, now quieter version of the main road, before reaching the turn off for my campsite at Parsal. I had a warm greeting from the campsite owner who had taken the time to go to my website and knew a bit about my adventures so far. We spent a long time talking as he showed me about his campsite, pointing out all the really nice sea and mountain views. Like the older couple I had spoken to earlier in the day, he had walked extensively in the local mountains and knew all the local routes. Previously a working dairy farm, the owner had turned to camping and caravanning as a way to supplement his income and it had gradually taken over the farm. Sadly, he was starting to think about giving it up, feeling that it was no longer worth the effort and the trouble. After he left, I took my time setting up in what was virtually an empty camping field (one other caravan) and after dinner I just sat back and watched the sun complete another arc across the sky. It had been a wonderful day's walking, with what must have been some of the best views I have had in my trek around the Welsh coast. And yet, my chat with the owner had left me with a feeling of melancholy. From farmers giving up prime dairy herds, to others letting go of prime arable land for 'development', it had a repeated refrain on my coastal journey. Not for the first time on my coastal adventure was I reminded that it is a fast changing world that we live in. Brought up in what was a small farming village on the west coast of Scotland I had seen the disappearance of farming, its seasons and lifestyle giving way to 'progress', as greenbelt land was released to meet an ever-growing need for housing and new fangled machinery took the place of people, herds of cattle and flocks of sheep on the remaining land. If the owner gave up on his venture, I wondered how long it would be before the builders moved in. It was sad to think that the Wales I was now walking and camping might not be there for my children to follow in my footsteps. As the rains came again last night I was grateful to be in the shelter of the Pilgrim Pod. Despite the pitter-patter of the downpour on the roof there was still sleep to be had. Feeling physically tired this morning, mentally I felt brighter after a stinker of a day yesterday. When planning this day of the route at home I had to make a decision between a short ten-mile day, or a monster twenty-three miler to reach the next again campsite at Parsal. I opted for the two shorter days and am relieved that I did so, as yesterday really took it out of me. As a consequence of that planning decision, today's route is a tiddler at about ten miles. The terrain is very manageable with a low rollercoaster ride with nothing over thirty metres elevation. Staying on the coast, the plan was to just walk the ten miles and have lunch when I arrive at my destination. Taking advantage of the Pilgrim Pod right to the end, I lingered at the campsite making a full breakfast on the Jetboil, hoping this would keep me going for the journey. By the time I took my leave of the owner and the Scottish couple in the caravan, it was 10.00am before I was on the trail. Yesterday I had approached the campsite the long way round by road, not appreciating there was a direct path from the coast trail. It does not show up on the OS 1:50k that I use, but it does on the 1:25, which I would have seen on my phone had BT not cut off my internet service when I purchased a new phone in Aberystwyth. Starting off today it was only a walk of a few hundred yards and I was back on the trail at Porth Ychain. The weather did not quite know what it wanted to do at this stage of the day and it was a bit chilly, overcast and with some light mist on the coast. However, it was not thick enough to prevent me having a view and, to the south, I could see along the line of the cliffs all the way back to Mynydd Anelog. The view north was blocked by the undulations of the land, but looking inland I could see over to Garn Boduan (279 metres), site of one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Great Britain and on which there are still substantial remians to be seen. Walking from Porth Ychain on the top of the low cliffs, which stay at a fairly steady twenty metres, it is a short stroll to the pretty little bay at Porth Gwylan. Translating as "Seagull Port" this is a nice little beach, protected by an arm of rock reaching out at an angle from thr mainland. It looked as if it would be a safe place for a wee swim. Rising back up from the beach there is a interesting view forward to the next bay at Porth Ysgaden where you can see the outline of the gable end of a building standing on a low incline. Even from distance you can see that the rest of house is long gone. It is a pleasant walk along this stretch of coast with the sea close to hand and wild flowers and grasses beneath your feet and beautiful views over to the Snowdonian mountains. The gable end of the house that you can see at Porth Ysgaden is all that remains of the customs house that once sat here. In previous centuries this would have been a fairly isolated area but a busy port, with few if any good roads for access and egress. The highways were the sea routes that linked the area with the larger settlements on the coasts and rivers and from where the requisites of daily living would be brought in using little sailing boats. A number of the commodities that were shipped here would have been subject to taxation and the custom house was where the taxes would have been collected. The customs officer would also have been on the look out for smugglers in the area. I understand the name translates as some thing like 'port of the herrings' and fish would also have been landed here. Moving on from the custom house there were fine views across to the distant Caernarfon Bay and slightly closer to the three peaks of Yr Eifl ( The Forks or The Strides), consisting of, from the left in the photograph: Garn For, the lowest at 444 metre); the highest Garn Ganel (561 metres) and the middling Tre'r Ceiri (485 metres). Garn Ganel is the highest peak on the Lleyn peninsula and it has a ancient cairn at the summit, as well as being the trig point for the local area. To the extreme right in the photograph is Mynydd Carnguwch (351 metres). In the foreground you can just make out the beach at the small Porth Towyn. From Porth Ysgaden you cross a small headland to pass above another couple of small coves, Porth Llydan & Porth Ysglaig, before coming to the slightly larger Porth Towyn with its sandy beach. At the back of the beach there is a large camping site, operated by Towyn Farm, a sheep and beef farm. There is a steep path running down to the beach, which gives you easy access. Despite the fact there was no rain, the beach was completely empty. Although I could hear the shouts and laughter of children on the wind there was not hide nor hair of them to be seen. As I moved on from Towyn the noise of the invisible children faded to be replaced by the cry of equally invisible seals. I could hear the forlorn lament of the seals for some distance as I walked the cliff, their sad wail carrying on the wind. When I eventually found them they were frolicking on small sand bars just off shore, two or three small groups enjoying the cooling waters. Standing on the low cliff edge I was far enough away not to disturb them but close enough to see them in some detail. Seals at Penrhyn Cwmistir From Penrhyn Cwmistir the peaks of Yr Eifl dominated the horizon. In the gloom of a overcast sky the peaks seemed to brood and glower over the scattered house on the outskirts of Morfa & Nefyn. Despite the gloom, it a was a warm afternoon, the air close and heavy. The walking was good and I made quick progress along this section. Ragged stretches of rock rose above retreating waters, with narrow bands of shale behind, the low, sloping sides of the emerald green cliff rising up to meet tidy arable lands. In the middle distance I could now see the green swards of the Nefyn & District Golf Club as it rises up the Carreg Ddu headland. Just before you start the walk on to the grounds of the golf course there is a small beach known as Aber Geirch. The river 'Afon Geirch' splits the beach, with what I presume is a waste pipe running down one side. In 1913, the first Anglo-Irish telephone cable was laid from here to Howth, Ireland. Howth is located on a small headland that juts out from the mainland just east of Dublin. The route passed above a final small beach at Borth Wen, just before the golf course, but as beaches go it was nothing to write home about, mainly gravel and stones. On the headland of Carreg Ddu it is a bit of a slog climbing up on the edges of the golf course, the path weaving in, out and around various hillocks to avoid disturbing the 'gowfers'. There are various 'formal' paths on the headland and they were heaving with people, both golfers and walkers, the latter all making for the top of the headland. By the middle of the headland I had enough of the crowds and crossed over to the other side of peninsula to make my way down a tarmac road on to the beach by the village of Porth Dinllaen. Seen from the clifftop the village is a wonderful spectacle, crouched on the actual beach, directly below the green cliff face. Originally a small fishing port and at one time considered a contender as the main port for ferry traffic to and from Ireland, it is mainly a tourist attraction now. The small village and immediate area are owned and managed by the National Trust since 1984. There is a pub at Porth Dinllaen, 'Tŷ Coch, often described as the best beach pub in the world. Although I knew my hostess for the night worked there as the resident chef, I decided not to go in but to continue and complete my journey for the day. With the tide still pretty low, albeit on the turn, I was able to walk along the wonderful sandy beach and to go round a small headland on to the even larger sandy beach of Morfa Nefyn. These two beaches, along with a third beach at the front of the village of Nefyn, just after the headland at Penrhyn Nefyn, provide an expanse of sand for over three kilometres. There was a wonderful sense of space and light walking along the beach, where I stopped to watch a flock of Sand Martins coming and going from their nests in holes in the sandy cliffs. As I watched an elderly couple stopped to speak with me, the gentleman telling me of his many forays on to the hills of my homeland. About half-way along Porth Dinllaen there is an exit from the beach and a road runs up from the beach to join the B4417, which I took to reach my accommodation. On my adventures I always carry a paper copy of my walking plan which contains all the information I think I might need for the journey, including names, addresses and, usually, telephone numbers. Two mistakes for this stop: one, I thought I had written down the name of the house in Welsh, in fact what I had written essentially meant 'Main Road'; two, I had transposed two of the numbers in the mobile number I had and could not, therefore, contact my hostess for the night. Thanks to some detective work with a local shopkeeper, I eventually located the right house. Too early for arrival, I found a local cafe where I happily whiled away an hour or two on lunch and with a copy of the Guardian. Its not often my walking days finish before 2.00pm and I made the most of it. My Airbnb hostess for the night, when I eventually mad her acquaintance, was bright, vivacious, friendly and the perfect landlady. Catherine insisted on providing me with dinner and, after I had showered and rested, we shared a full roast chicken dinner and much conversation. Although it was quite late by the time I reached bed, I was pleasantly replete, relaxed and more than happy to go and meet the Sandman.
For about the third or fourth night in a row the tent was buffeted by rain and strong winds. Despite the protection of the carvans on either side of me it was a disturbing night. A couple of times I went outside to check on the caravan nearest to me, convinced that I had heard it move and sure it was about to topple on top of me. There was a break in the rain at roughly 6.00am, which encouraged me to leave the confines of the sleeping bag to break camp, hoping that the tent would have dried out slightly. Of course, as soon as I moved my gear outside the rain came back on and I ended up having to run and cram everything in to the small ablutions block to prevent it getting soaked. The tent, unfortunately, did end up wet again and I had to wait over an hour for it to dry enough that I could pack it away. After three nights of very little sleep, I was already tired and brain-addled before I had walked a mile. Fortunately, when I knew the forecast for the week, I had changed my sleeping arrangements for tonight and have a 'Pilgrim's Pod' booked so I should be able to dry things out. The route today is over rolling countryside and stays consistently on the coast. There are no sizeable villages or towns on the route and I am carrying all my supplies for the day. The one potential beacon of light is the possibility of a cafe at the Whistling Sands beach, which might or might not be open. It is cliff-top walking for most of the day, generally at about 20 - 30 thirty metres. However, there are two long climbs; Mynydd Mawr & Mynydd Anelog, in the morning, close together and at about one hundred and fifty metres (nearly five hundred feet), which should offer good viewing opportunities if the mist and rain eases. The weather forecast is for, at best, cloudy and overcast but, optimistic by nature, I live in eternal hope. Although the two climbs are close together, there is an almost full descent between them, the path dropping back down to thirty metres at Porth Llanllawen. After descending from Anelog to Porthorion it is a relatively low rollercoaster ride to my destination at Penralt. From the campsite I only had to walk back down the path in the gully that I had come up last night, nowt but a few hundred yards. Walking in a light rain it was not too bad until I hit the long grass on the clifftop and ended up with the inevitable wet boots. From above Porth Meudwy I had a nice view round the bay to Aberdarron and beyond to the mountain, Mynydd Rhiw. Looking over the two islands of Ynys Gwylan-fawr & bach, I could see a weather system moving in and knew my hopes of at least walking without heavy rain was wishful thinking. Walking on the clifftop, there was enclosed arable land to my right and lots of nice little bays and coves below me at the bottom of the low cliff. This first section was fairly even and not particularly hard. Heading from the gully to the headland at Pen y Cil this is the start of the walk along the bottom, western end of the Lleyn Peninsula. From Pen y Cil the first climb of the day starts (about one hundred metres), going round the small inlet of Parwyd and on to the shoulder of Trwyn Bychestyn (66 metres). Despite the poor weather conditions, or maybe because of them, the view over the islands of Ynys Gwylan-fawr & bach were quite dramatic. The cloud cover above me was quite dark but looking over Aberdaron Bay in the direction of distant Barmouth, there was a lovely band of silver light that gave the morning a kind of ethereal quality. It was very magical and Celtic in nature. Going up Pen y Cil there were nice wild flowers to admire, including fine stands of tall, purple lupin. The general landscape was heathland-like, with lots of shrubs and ferns about. The walking was good and on the approaches to Porth Felen & Trwyn Gwyddel, it was a nice, broad grassy path, with the landscape to the front dotted by grazing sheep. The path moves about here as you cross the hillside but, if you have your wits about you it is clearly marked by upright poles. I did not and wandered off course a little, standing looking at a sheep track on the sheer cliff face thinking, 'surely they don't expect me to walk on that'. Eventually, I found it is best to locate the next pole before moving on because the right route was not always immediately obvious to me. Already I was feeling tired and weary. Not so much from the exertions of the day, rather from the accumulating exertions of the trip and, in particular, the last few nights with little if any sleep. My mind exhaustion was particularly obvious crossing over the hillside where I had difficulty locating the different markers. It did not bode well for the rest of the day, not so much for the climbs but for the overall mileage I had to complete to reach my destination. The strength and perhaps the weakness of my 'modus operandi', wherein my trips are all planned ahead of departure, is that I need to complete the daily mileage to stay on schedule. If you don't, you only need to make it up the next day. So whether you are tired or not, if the walk that day is twenty miles then you need to complete it. Ordinarily it is not a problem. Apart from the odd 'bad' day at the beginning of an adventure, once you are walked in it usually goes according to plan. But throw in a run of camping in heavy rain, resulting in three or four days without sleep and you have problems, physical and mental. When I start to struggle on a march I tend to put the head down and go in to automatic pilot. Using Buddhist walking meditation methods I can mentally hunker down and just concentrate on the next step. It can lead to problems, however, because you can be so immersed that you miss important directional information on the path. From Porth Felen the route crosses a number of small hills and dales until Trwyn Maen Melyn where the first big climb of the day starts to the summit of Mynydd Mawr. From Trwyn Maen Melyn I had a clear view across the waters to the island of Bardsey which was an important pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages and, for some, still is. The island is sometimes called 'the island of 20,000 saints', owing to the practice of Christians coming to be buried on the island believing it guaranteed them automatic entry in to heaven. St Cadfan is thought to have founded a monastery on the island in the 6th C. Another tale of the island claims it as the burial site of Merlin the Magician. To the back of the island there is a lighthouse, built in 1821 to guide shipping traffic on St George's Channel. On Trwyn Maen Melyn itself there is a standing stone (sic) that in my tiredness I forgot to look for. The stone apparently marks the position of the feature known as St Mary's Well. The Coflein website, which records the national monuments of Wales, describes it as not an antiquity but a natural, fresh water spring, fed by the rocks around it. Taking it slow but steady I made good progress on the climb to the summit of Mynydd Mawr and even took the time to enjoy the view. However, I was still in automatic mode and not thinking clearly about where I was going. On the summit there is a concrete pathway that runs down the back of the hill to a campsite at the bottom. Without thinking I started to follow the pathway inland and was about half way down when I remembered my route for the day should not leave the coast. Back up the steep hill I went until I found my path cutting off from the concrete pathway and managed to get back on course. All along this eastern extremity of the Lleyn Peninsula from Pen y Cil onwards, there are numerous Neolithic and other historical remains including standing stones, hut circles and earthworks. Coming off of Mynydd Mawr there is a long and rolling descent across lovely countryside with stunning views inland to the mountains of Snowdonia in the distance. On the seaward side there are a number of lovely little bays and coves below the low cliffs, the cliffs ranging in height from thirty to seventy metres. Thankfully, the route did not go to the summit of Anelog but skirted along the eastern shoulder before starting another long, meandering and rolling descent towards Porth Oer and the interesting Whistling Sands beach. It is lovely walking from Anelog to Porth Oer with the direction of travel decidedly downwards, but still going up, down and round small gullies on the way. Standing on the clifftop just before Whistling Sands beach, unless you knew about it, you would have no idea there is a cafe almost literally beneath your feet. The cafe is tucked well in to the lee of the cliff on the south side of the beach and it is only when you go down and in to the little dip and find the concrete pathway that you are aware there might be something there. For me it seemed like manna from heaven. I was really struggling both with the weight of the pack and with the actual walking. However, the cares soon dropped away when I was seated inside and had my first cup of tea in hand. Ninety minutes, one lunch and ten cups of tea later, still sitting and looking along the sands at the rain that was falling, it was a real struggle to get up and set off again. With something like another twelve kilometres still to walk however and the day moving on, I needed to ensure that I did not arrive too late, leaving no time for rest. On a long-distance expedition, tired days like this inevitably turn up without warning and, unless you want to throw in the towel, you just have to gird your loins and get on with it. At a break in the rain I set off again along the sands to the northern end of the beach where there is a track that takes you back on to the WCP. The Whistling Sands are said to get their name from the noise the sand makes when you walk on it. It was obviously too wet the day I was there because apart from the sough of the wind and the crash of the waves the sands were silent. Once back on the clifftop the path rises and falls across open heathland. There are a number of nice little bays on the way and in various locations the old rock is exposed in low, jagged peaks. Just after leaving the beach the rains came back and stayed with me for the rest of the day, resulting in the camera pretty much staying in the bag. One of the coves you pass on this stretch is Porth Iago, a lovely little isolated area where there is a nice sandy beach at low tide that is popular with the discerning tourist. From Porth Iago the route moves on to and round the headland Penrhyn Mawr. Coming off the headland the route passes above the remote beaches of Porth Lefesig (sand) and Porth Widlin (gravel), before commencing a clifftop walk to the small cove of Porth Colmon and Traeth Penllech where there is a smattering of houses and outbuildings. There is a small launch area here for boats but, in the rain, nothing of great interest. I can imagine that in the sunshine either the small isolated cove or the sandy beach would offer a little haven of quiet. With the tide at high, from Colmon I continued on the low cliff going round the sands of Penllech, beginning the final section of the day. By now every little dip and undulation on the land seemed like a mountain and I was crying out to be finished. As well as being soaked through, again, I was desperately weary and just needing to stop. I was looking out for a gully at a place called Porth Ychain and every small gully I came to I willed to be the right one. It is at times like this, when you are standing on a remote coastline needing to cut inland that being able to locate yourself on GPS is really useful. Thanks to BT's ineptitude, I was deprived of that luxury as they had chosen this week to mess-up my internet package. After one or two false dawns, I eventually found the right gully. The OS map I was using (1:50) did not show a way in to the campsite off the coast and I took the long road route to access it (I found out the next morning there is a direct and much shorter track off the coast path directly in to the campsite). When I finally saw the sign for the campsite it was a nearly 8.00pm and I almost cried so exhausted did I feel. At Penralt Coastal Campsite the owner was waiting for me and in short time had the kettle on and had made me a sandwich and we sat there for an hour drinking tea and talking about walking. There was another Scotsman on the site who had been waiting for me to arrive and I stopped to talk to him and his wife on my way to my accommodation. I doubt he got much sense from me. I had phoned three or four days previously and booked one of the huts (Pilgrim's Pod) on the campsite and was now so pleased I had done so. Everything was wet and needed to be dried and the thought of another night under canvass in the rain appalled me. Once I had emptied the rucksack and set things out to dry, I showered, made a warm meal and, with the heater in the hut going full blast, fell asleep on top of the bed. It is unrealistic to think that every day on an extended expedition is going to be all sunshine and love. There are often contradictions to be negotiated between the internal and the external conditions. Walking long distances on your own in very poor conditions the attention can move from what is externally beautiful to a potentially more desolate internal landscape where lonliness and doubt, weariness and lack of confidence lie in wait to highjack you. At such times it is useful to be able to anchor yourself in the moment and not allow the mind to rampage across the world of your own imaginary insecurities. But when you have a bad day; when there is only one gear and all the bones are aching; when the thought processes don't work and you cannot string two thoughts together, it isn't half joyful to see the day end and to have a proper bed in front of you. Of such small luxuries is happiness made. The field I pitched in last night was full of empty caravans which meant I could pitch inbetween two of them and up against one to gain some shelter from the cold North wind and the rain. The rain pelted down the whole night and was still falling when I was breaking camp. As a consequence, my departure was delayed waiting for the tent to dry, which was aided by hanging it in a shower stall in the shower block on the other side of the road. To make things easier for myself I decanted everything to the shower room where I made a breakfast of porridge and coffee in an attempt to drive out the cold. The Wales Coast Path takes a route slightly inland here from the Hell's Mouth beach, coming back on to the coast by the settlement at Treheli. The start of the route is fairly innocuous, a gently rising slope to about fifty metres, before a climb to the summit of Mynyndd y Graig, the mountain topping out at two hundred and thirty one metres (seven hundred and fifty feet). A clifftop walk crosses the summit of Mynydd Penarfynydd (one hundred and sixty metres), before starting a long descent to the beach at Aberdaron. There is a steep climb up from the village to regain the cliff before a final walk up the sides of a gully to my campsite at Tir Glyn. The weather forecast is overcast for most of the day with heavy rain moving in late afternoon, by which time I hope to be pitched up, warm and dry. Leaving the campsite I only had a few hundred yards to walk on a minor road, retracing my steps of yesterday, before picking up the Wales Coast Path as it turns to go along the back of Hell's Mouth beach. The route was across grasslands where the growth was thick, heavy and, after last night's rain, very wet. Before long the boots were soaked through and never really dried out. I walked in soggy socks for most of the day. On this cross-country section, the direction of travel is roughly north and I had a nice view of the softer and gentler hills (compared to the Snowdonia peaks east and south) that are at the back of Hell's Mouth. The cross-country section finishes at the hamlet of Rhosneigwl, coming on to a minor road that runs down for about two kilometres to the hamlet of Treheli. Coming to the coast at Treheli, the view back is round the bay of Hell's Mouth as far as the headland at Trwyn Cilan, while to the fore you can see to the headland at Trwyn Talfarach. From the hamlet I cut off the road to walk through woodland, connecting with another minor road to take me down to Talafon where I happily left roads behind for a while. Immediately to the front of you the wooded slopes of the National Trust estate 'Plas yn Rhiw' eventually prevent too much of a forward view but walking through the trees was very pleasant and as I gained height the view over Hell's Mouth became more dramatic. Plas yn Rhiw is an early 17th C manor house, the building and the gardens restored by the three Keating sisters in the 1930's. The history of the local area is more ancient, going back some four thousand years with numerous Neolithic sites in the immediate area including burial chambers and hut circles, Irona Age forts and long cairns. While you gain height on this section, you do not go to the top of Mynyndd y Graig but pass on the shoulder to the front of it, eventually passing through a short dip to climb to the top of Mynydd Penarfynydd. Standing at the trip point here, a strong breeze blowing and dramatic views over Cardigan Bay, it seemed a great day to be alive. The land around Mynydd Penarfynydd is also owned by the National Trust. It consists mainly of rare heathland in which heathers, gorse and fern predominate, with here and there little and not-so-little patches of wild flowers, including tall, brighly coloured lupins. As well as the heathland there is extensive grassland and, slightly further inland, arable land, that all together offer a rich diversity of habitats. Penarfynydd is home to a couple of pairs of breeding Choughs and, although I could hear their distictive call and could see them at a distance, I was not successful in gettiing close to them. Turning to begin the descent there was a lovely view overland across a wonderful patchwork of verdant green arable land to the Rhiw Mountain and the conical hill that is part of it, 'Clip y Gylfinir' or Curlew's Slope as it is known locally. In the photograph, if you zoom in, you can make out the mast that is part of the radar station that is to the front of the conical hill. The station once monitored guided missiles and drones from the Llanbedr/Aberporth airfields. I am unsure of its current status. As I moved to come off the hill the rain that had been threatening all morning arrived and stayed with me, on and off, for the remainder of the day. Coming off the headland the route drops down the back of the hill, heading inland to go round a water feature and gully at Nant y Gadwen. From the bottom of the hill you go through the farm steading at Penarfynydd and on to a small secondary road. There follows a very short road walk to a Y-junction where the road on the left will take you to the early medieval church of St Maelrhys in llanfaelrhys. The Saint thought to have hailed from Brittany. The church looks out over Porth Ysgo. To the right at the junction the road continues on up the hill heading inland. The path at this juncture leaves the road in the dip of the Y, dropping down in to a gully, Nant y Gadwen, that runs back down to the coast. There was extensive manganese mining carried out at one time in this area, with a slipway at Porth Ysgo that was used for loading the manganese. Nant y Gadwen was just one of a small group of manganese mines near the village of Rhiw. A tramway on the hilltop led to a wheelhouse from where the manganese was lowered to the shore to be loaded on to boats. On the hillside somewhere, there are the remains of the wheelhouse but in the poor weather I did not go looking for it. Rather head down and hood up, I just continued to make the miles. Coming up out of the gully just above the shore I had a flock of sheep in front of me for a mile or two as we both shared the path. Because the path was so narrow, there was no way the sheep could double back and I worried that I was driving them far from their usual habitat. However, they did not seem at all put out and when the path broadened they happily grazed away. From Nant y Gadwen to the headland at Trwyn y Penrhyn it is a lovely rolling, meandering walk and you negotiate a number of small gullies. The rolling heathland is delightful and the views out across Cardigan Bay, lovely. It was also slightly chastening as I could see the next weather system moving in from the sea. As I walked the wind picked up and delivered rainy squalls. While they did not last long at this stage, as I was walking in to the rain and I was wearing glasses, it made visibility a bit difficult. Still, I like a bit of wildness on occasion as it can add to the sense of adventure. The herbiage underfoot, however, was thick and luscious and before long the damp boots were quite wet again. Fortunately, it was not too long before I was dropping off the hillside from Trwyn y Penrhyn to head for the village of Aberdaron and a welcome late lunch. To come off from the coast the route moves slightly inland, on to a track that leads to a minor road, running down the hill to the village. As I moved off the hill I passed the Becws Islyn Bakery which had a lovely range of bakery goods, bread and cakes, pies and pasties, which I sampled in their upstairs coffee shop and in the huge bag of goodies I bought for future consumption. It didn't half add to the weight of the bag. As is usual now when I stop, I ended up in conversation with the owner of the bakery a couple of fellow travellers and spent far too long in the bakery, putting pressure on myself to finish the day before the expected storm arrived. After lunch, it was a long, slow haul up the road out of the village to return to the hillside for a short walk of a couple of miles to my next campsite. It was just my luck that the usual route off the road and on to the hillside was closed and I needed to access the hillside much further up. The path passes through Porth Simdde which, like much of the coastline on the Lleyn, is in the care of the National Trust. Once back on the high ground I had great views back over the beach at Aberdaron to the distant peaks of the Snowdon mountains; round Aberdaron Bay and back to the headland at Trwyn y Penrhyn and, forward to the headland at Pen y Cil. The walking was much as it had been all day, earth path weaving through long grass, shrubs and ferns. The poor weather meant there was no wildlife of any kind to be seen, not even a seagull. Aberdaron to Porth Meudwy The exit off the hill is at the gully at Porth Meudwy, where a small river runs down the gully. The Porth is a small cove that used to be the point where pilgrims would leave to visit Bardsey Island (Island of 20,000 graves) in the Middle Ages. Boats still leave from Meudwy to the island and there are still a number of small fishing boats working from the cove, mainly catching various types of shellfish. From the slipway on the beach I had a fine view of the two small islands that lie just off the coast and to the south of Bardsey, Ynys Gwylan-bach & fawr. As you come off the hill and face up the gully there is a single track road that runs up the gully and connects to the local road network. On the left, somewhat hidden in the trees, there is a path that goes up the left-hand side of the gully and directly in to the the Tir Glyn campsite. When I arrived at the campsite at Tir Glyn, like Rydolion the night before, all the caravans were empty on the site and there were no other campers. I pitched in between two caravans for protection from the elements and to have a break for the wind. After showering and making dinner in the porch of the tent, I had just settled down for the night when the rain came and it stayed intermittently for most of the night. It could have been worse; I could have been walking in it! |
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