Given our location at Ffrwdwenith it is not worth going back down to the coast because the route comes inland just below us anyway to go round the military camp at Aberporth. Therefore, we will take a cross-country route out from the back of the hostel to meet up with the coast path as it comes inland, meeting it below Penarnewydd. From there the route goes through the village of Aberporth and then Tresaith, Penbryn, Llangrannog, passing the Urdd Ski Centre and on to the camping settlement at Cwmtydu. The initial section is a low level walk on a mixture of paths and roads. From Tresaith the rollercoaster begins and continues until we reach our destination of Cwmtydu where there is a last steep descent in to the Tydu Valley. The weather is set to be mixed with more heavy rain expected later in the afternoon.
Entering the very pretty wooded gully at Penbryn, down in to the trees and across a small wooden bridge the route goes up again to a very crowded car park and you know you have arrive at the cafe. We were soon sitting in the National Trust's very, very busy 'The Plwmp Tart' cafe, eating nice sandwiches and even nicer Pistacio & Rosewater cake and plum and almond tart. What you say? There has to be some benefits to this hiking lark. The cafe was one of the gems that our Welsh friends from yesterday had told us to look out for and we were very glad that they did. The cakes were sublime. As well as the cakes, the surrounding forest here is a beauty, in places taking on the look of sub-tropical rainforest at times and in its look.
After the climb up from Penbryn, there is a lovely little beach at Traeth Bach and offshore lies the rock feature Carreg-y-Ty. At Traeth Bach there is a steep descent and ascent down into and out of a gully, made slightly easier by the steps that march up and down the slopes on both sides of the gully. All along the section from Penbryn to Llancrannog there was a lot of colour from both wild flowers and flowering shrubs of various kinds including Hawthorn and Gorse. As we neared Llancrannog there was a fantastic view of the headland of Pen Y Badell and the long finger of Ynys Lochtyn stretching out at the foot of it in to the sea. Seeing Pen Y Badell in the landscape it was easy to understand why you would put a fort on it.
The high wind and heavy rain continued for most of the night but we were tired enough not to care. While I cooried in the sleeping bag happt not to eat, Joanna Elizabeth, brave soul, made herself a meal and a cup of coffee for both of us.