Author Topic: Walking  (Read 821644 times)

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Offline hollins

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2190 on: November 21, 2020, 05:30:58 pm »
Great photos from an area I knew nothing about. Very interesting , thank you.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2191 on: November 22, 2020, 10:51:39 am »
Thanks Hollins,   it was the first time that we had visited this place although pre Covid we did have a walk to Rhaeadr Ddu in Ganllwyd which is on the other side of the A470.
The conditions were perfect for the walk and there were waterfalls everywhere in this deep wooded valley but the two waterfalls of Pistyll Cain and Rhaeadr Mawddach were just superb
The circular walk from Tyddyn Gwladys car park was an easy walk mainly on forest road and was just over 2 miles in length but we added a few more miles on to it when we continued up the valley


https://naturalresources.wales/days-out/places-to-visit/north-west-wales/coed-y-brenin-forest-park-tyddyn-gwladys/?lang=en


Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2192 on: December 05, 2020, 03:36:29 pm »
Snowdonia hikers warning issued as mountains covered in blanket of snow

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/snowdonia-hikers-warning-issued-mountains-19406116

Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2193 on: December 06, 2020, 09:46:09 am »
The 'lost cottages' of Snowdonia and Conwy and the tales of tragedy behind the ruins
Writer Anna Reynolds is documenting the hundreds of old homesteads that lie abandoned on the hills around her home

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/lost-cottages-snowdonia-conwy-tales-19347885

Online Ian

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2194 on: December 06, 2020, 10:36:57 am »
There's a phrase in the article:

"This led to the building of Siloah Chapel in 1890, though local religious fervour was short-lived: the chapel closed after just 33 years."

It wasn't a lack of "religious fervour", as they suggest: it was WWI. In the 1890-1914 period there was a rapid expansion of religion in terms of Christianity in the UK. But the advent of the war, which destroyed an entire male generation, saw the survivors, comprising many bitter and resentful men, returning to their homes and families and met with a lack of employment, the pandemic of Spanish 'Flu and many having to cope with serious injuries and PTSD, long before it was recognised as a serous life-changing mental illness.

Hardly surprising that religion was viewed as having failed them.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2195 on: December 06, 2020, 12:46:24 pm »
Thanks for posting that article Steve,   I walk in those areas and often wonder what life was like for the people living in there so many years ago.
One of my favourite walks is going from Trefriw.   The walk explores the lives and landscape of the people living in the hills high above the Conwy Valley.   "Bobl y topiau" the people of the tops as they were called.
The hills are littered with the ruins of cottages and there is even a ruined Chapel there called Capel Ardda so Anna's book would be an interesting read.
I think that Ian is right about the demise of the communities that lived on the top.   Conditions were harsh and as well as the comments Ian has made the building of the dams up there also contributed to the depopulation of the area 

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2196 on: December 10, 2020, 12:58:11 pm »
Yesterday Tellytubby, old Uncle Albert and I met up in Tanygrisiau to do our last walk together of 2020.     The walk was a linear walk up to Cwm Orthin and then along the western side of the lake before going up the steep slope to Rhosydd Quarry.   As soon as we got out of the car we knew that it would be a good interesting walk as we could see the Cwm Orthin waterfalls in full flow.     After taking a few photos we made our way up to the lake and then followed the track along the lake.     All around the lakeside are ruined buildings from days gone by and it made us think of the article that Steve posted about Anna Reynolds and her book about the abandoned homesteads in the hills around us.
We went past barracks, cottages and even an old Chapel on our way around the lake and discovered the remains of rail tracks along the way too.    At the end of the lake were the ruins of the quarry workers homes and out buildings but across the track and standing in it's own grounds was the ruins of the quarry manager's house which must have been a grand building in it's day
After that it was the long slog uphill with old Uncle Albert and I having frequent stops on route while Tellytubby raced to the top like a Mountain Goat.
When we got to Rhosydd Quarry we were ready for lunch so we took shelter behind an old building and had our refreshments before looking around the ruins.   There was a thin scattering of snow on the tops of the mountains but the wind was bitterly cold so we had a quick view around the quarry workings before retracing our steps back to the car at Tanygrisiau
It was a great day out and a good walk to finish our walks in 2020 together

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2197 on: December 10, 2020, 01:03:50 pm »
Cwm Orthin and Rhosydd Quarry

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2198 on: December 10, 2020, 01:13:20 pm »
Cwm Orthin and Rhosydd Quarry

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2199 on: December 20, 2020, 09:47:31 am »

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2200 on: January 09, 2021, 03:30:42 pm »
Tellytubby had a walk today from his home in Prestatyn.    The walk was along the disused railway track to Dyserth and then on to Cwm.
Coming back he fell on the ice in a country lane but thankfully he is ok ,    After falling he then stuck to the fields to come home the same way.
He shared his photos with his walking mates and I've posted some on here.     Hopefully it won't be too long before we can have some walks together

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2201 on: January 09, 2021, 03:33:14 pm »
Prestatyn  Dyserth and Cwm walk

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2202 on: January 29, 2021, 02:14:35 pm »
Towards the end of 2020 I was hoping to do a walk in Deganwy but the lockdown rules that say that you cannot drive to a place to start your exercise have prevented me from doing it.   I'll just have to wait until the lockdown rules change.
It's a shame as the walk is a nice circular walk.  It starts from All Saint's Church then goes up on the Vadre then across to the Deganwy Castle where the views from the top are stunning.  Then it's downhill through Gannock Park to the main road and turning left past the former Deganwy Castle Hotel and over the railway crossing and returning to the Church along the Coastal Path
It might be some time before I can do the walk so instead I thought that I'd do a virtual walk using some photos and some memories of mine to go with them.

The walk starts at All Saints Church which is a beautiful building and when it was completed it was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of St Asaph on All Saint's Day the 1st of November 1899.   My father was born later and lived nearby in a two up two down cottage in Park Terrace Tywyn and he and his eleven siblings were all Baptised in the Church.
Up on the Vadre and overlooking the Conwy River are the ruins of an old building called Fatw and apparently my Taid Tywyn lived there for a short time in the 1890's
Across from there are the two humps that were part of the old Welsh Castle and the view from the top is well worth the effort of walking up there.  I would imagine that the old photo must have been taken not long after All Saints Church was built because Tywyn hadn't been developed a lot then.   The old Maelgwyn Hotel is still visible on the cob too
The castle has a long history and Maelgwn Gwynedd who lived there in the 6th century had a similar problem as we have today only it wasn't Covid but the Yellow Plague of Rhos.   In fact his death from the Plague was predicted by Taliesin so  Maelgwn moved from the Castle and sought sanctuary in the Llanrhos Church and hoped to remain there. 
Legend has it that curiosity got the better of him and he looked through the keyhole and caught the infection thus fulfilling the prediction uttered by Taliesin
From the castle it's downhill through Gannock Park to the main road and the former Deganwy Castle Hotel has now been converted into apartments like most of the other properties on that side of the road
The Hotel had a good darts team in its day and a lot of supporters too as the old photo shows and some members of the Hughes family can be seen beneath the dart board.
Then it's over the railway crossing and a nice walk back to the Church along the Coastal Path.
I'm hoping that it won't be too long before I can do the real thing




Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2203 on: January 29, 2021, 02:18:21 pm »
Nice idea, thanks for sharing.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2204 on: January 29, 2021, 02:29:33 pm »
Virtual Deganwy walk