Author Topic: Walking  (Read 821417 times)

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Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1980 on: October 26, 2018, 10:38:00 am »
Those goats look a bit nervous, just hope there are no female Americans on holiday looking for huge fun.

I read about that, "American Larysa Switlyk hunting goats on the island of Islay" ref BBC,  I think "hunting" is hardly the description on this occasion, more like shooting ducks in a barrel.  >:(

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1981 on: October 26, 2018, 10:51:40 am »
Are there a lot of people on the pier ?


When I first saw the photo I thought that there were loads of people there but there weren't that many people on it.   I can't make out what those things are on the right hand side though



Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1982 on: October 26, 2018, 01:09:28 pm »
Memorial benches?

Offline Blongb

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1983 on: October 26, 2018, 05:11:21 pm »
Are there a lot of people on the pier ?
Not so many Mull, what you can see are the brown memorial benches.  ;)
Quot homines tot sententiae: suus cuique mos.
(There are as many opinions as there are people: each has his own view.)

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1984 on: November 04, 2018, 03:13:39 pm »
If anyone has had a walk in Moelfre they may have noticed the anchor from the Hindlea that is on the sea front and further along the coast is the spot where the Hindlea was wrecked and all 8 people on board were saved by the brave actions of the Lifeboat crew.   
Dic Evans and his crew thoroughly deserved the awards that they got for their bravery that day.
Apparently bits of the wreckage are still visible at low tide

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/night-sailors-were-rescued-one-15301137

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1985 on: November 18, 2018, 05:56:47 pm »
Yesterday we set off to do a walk in the Clywedog Valley and travelled to Coedpoeth and the Nant Mill.    When we arrived there it was quite chilly in this deep valley location so we put on our Winter gear and headed upstream to Minera.        Our intention was to walk from Minera to Bersham and back but as Coedpoeth is in the middle of the walk we did the section to Minera first.     On the way up we went past a couple of fords before making our way up open farmlands to Minera where we wanted to see the restored 19th century engine house and chimney which used to pump water out of the nearby lead mines.  After having a nice chat with a guy at the visitors centre we headed back to Nant Mill and it wasn’t long before we finished the one and a half mile walk back to the Mill.
By the time we got there we were all ready for a our refreshments and as soon as we finished them we headed downstream to Bersham on the second part of the walk.
The walk to Bersham was also one and a half miles long but was by far the most attractive part of our walk.   At the stone Gothic Bridge we entered a beautiful section of deciduous woodland and took the high broad path above the Afon Clywedog and the first thing we encountered was a dead tree trunk with a carving of King Offa on it to signify Offa’s Dyke which was built by the King to define and protect his Kingdom from the Welsh.   The next thing we came to was a restored weir that forms an extremely photogenic waterfall and we stopped there to take some photos and it is really beautiful and apparently in February there are lots of Snowdrops about so we have already pencilled it in for a return visit then.   
After we managed to drag ourselves away we came to another delightful weir, it was built in an arc shape and the water cascades down a number of steps and for some reason unknown to us it is also called the Russian steps, Carrying on, a short distance away was Bersham Mill which was built as an ironworks foundry but converted to a corn mill when the ironworks closed, now it sits empty and neglected.  An octagonal building nearby was were cannons were possibly cast and nearby were a number of lovely old cottages that would have had some connection to the mill at one time.   We headed back along the same track to our car and just stopped at Ruthin Craft Centre to finish off a great day with a nice hot coffee

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1986 on: November 18, 2018, 05:59:10 pm »
Clywedog Valley walk

Offline snowcap

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1987 on: November 19, 2018, 12:02:48 am »
I spent many a day on Minera picking winberries in the summer months and riding over to Llangollen through worlds end. As lads we would leave Brynteg in the morning with some sandwiches and a bottle of water in our bicycle bags ride over the mountain to Llangollen and back up the Horseshoe Pass to the Blue Lagoon in the Quarry at the top. Good old days.
 once again thanks for bringing back some great memories.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1988 on: November 25, 2018, 01:11:29 pm »
Once a year, around the Christmas time we all meet up and have a short walk followed by lunch at a local pub and this year we met up on Saturday, slightly earlier than normal and chose to do the Llangefni Dingle walk.      Tellytubby had heard of some good sightings of Red Squirrels in the woodland so we decided to go there to have a look.
The walk starts from the site of the old Llangefni Railway Station and goes by path or boardwalk through some delightful deciduous woodland and follows the River Cefni up to the impressive dam at the Llyn Cefni Reservoir.    Alongside the path is the disused railway track and what is unusual about it is that the metal rail tracks and sleepers are still there.   The line originally went from Gaerwen to Amlwch and there has been some talk recently of the line reopening as a tourist attraction but as people may remember a lorry got stuck under the railway bridge recently and the bridge had to be removed.   The good news  however is that it wouldn't affect any proposed plan from Llangefni itself.
Anyway we headed uphill and did a short circular walk but the Squirrels must have been hiding as we only got a quick glimpse of a couple so we decided to head along the boardwalks to the Reservoir.    It's an easy well made path and it wasn't long before we got to the reservoir where we stayed for a short time and had a wee dram to celebrate our walks and friendships before heading back.  As we got back into the woodland we were rewarded with the sight of a number of hungry and active Red Squirrels so we took a load of photos but we were also getting hungry so we drove off to the Bull in Pentraeth.     It's a favourite of ours for a meal and excellent value at £7.50 for their carvery,   old Uncle Albert and Rhuddlan had their plates piled up so high that it's a wonder that they could carry them.  I must admit that mine wasn't far behind theirs in quantity but I couldn't manage the last piece of meat so I took it home for my dog Marco and he devoured it in no time at all.       Another nice walk and good company too

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1989 on: November 25, 2018, 01:13:24 pm »
Llangefni Dingle walk

Offline hollins

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1990 on: November 25, 2018, 03:40:39 pm »
What a lovely thing to do and the photos of the squirrels are amazing.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1991 on: December 05, 2018, 03:03:38 pm »
When we did the Minera walk I remembered something, but have only just read about it again.    If anyone has walked over the Roman Road from Rowen to Llanfairfechan they may have seen a modern concrete replica of a Roman milestone.   
The original cylindrical milestone was nearly 7 foot tall and was of the finest quality stone, a hard sandstone with small quartz pebbles and may have come from Minera
The Milestone was dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian and had a clear Latin inscription that dated it to AD 120-121 and what was incredible is that the stone was brought to the legionary base at Chester and was then dressed and professionally inscribed at the legionary workshop before being shipped direct to Kanovium ( near Caerhun)
It was then carried over Bwlch Y Ddeufaen to be set up at 8 Roman miles from the fort at Kanovium

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1992 on: December 30, 2018, 09:13:12 am »
It was our last walk of 2018 so Tellytubby had arranged an easy walk for us to do and it was one that we have done many times before and always enjoyed.   It was a walk around the lakes of Geirionydd and Crafnant which are set in areas of outstanding beauty and which many forum members will be familiar with.
This time however we parked our car at the southern end of Llyn Geirionydd and walked past the end of the lake and the farmhouses and started the steep climb up the forest tracks. It was then that old Uncle Albert and myself realised how out of condition we were as we huffed and puffed our way up the steep slope.     Before long though it was downhill through the forest to Llyn Crafnant, the wet and warm conditions were ideal for the moss, lichen and fungi that seemed to be thriving there.
At the lane we turned left and passed the old Chapel that has been derelict for years so it was good to see that building work was going on.   We then passed a number of nice holiday homes before reaching the far side of the lake and continued along it until we reached a bench where we stopped for our refreshments.   Very near the bench what at first glance looked like the remnants of a dead sheep but turned out to be the grooming of a golden Labrador or Retriever.   Why anyone would want to take a dog there and groom it and then leave the mess around the place is beyond my comprehension but then we did see a number of dog poo bags along the track and that's so annoying, especially for those responsible dog owners.
Anyway it didn't put us off enjoying our food but it was soon time to move on and we followed the track down to the road and then we walked downhill until we came to a path on the right which was to take us back to Llyn Geirionydd
Along the way we noticed a large cave which was part of the mine workings in the area so we had a quick look inside before carrying on until we reached the Taliesin Monument at the northern end of Llyn Gerionydd.    A few photos there and then we walked alongside the lake back to our car and then back home but not before we had discussed future walks for 2019.    It was a nice walk in the Winter sunshine and a good way of finishing off our walks for 2018

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1993 on: December 30, 2018, 09:16:21 am »
Llyn Geirionydd and Llyn Crafnant

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #1994 on: January 13, 2019, 06:06:59 pm »
Yesterday we set off to Blaenau Ffestiniog to do part of the section 9 of the Snowdonia Slate Trail.   The bit we decided to do was from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llan Ffestiniog and it required two cars, one at the start and one at the finish so we drove to Llan Ffestiniog and old Uncle Albert parked his car there and I drove back to Blaenau.     Just driving there and back was a bit like wacky races with so many duff  directions coming from the back seat passengers that it felt like we would never get to the start of the walk, but at long last we did.
Apart from the banter and the good company it is always nice to get out into the open air, even if the Blaenau weather seemed to be closing in on us.   It’s a walk we have never done before so it was nice to do something different for once.  The first part of it was uphill across open farmland that gave splendid views of the Moelwyns and the Stwlan Dam with the pending rain clouds hovering just above the mountains.  Then we entered woodland and passed an old ruined farm building that was covered in the thick moss that thrives in these damp conditions.
We then crossed a bridge across the river and headed uphill to a large farm, on the bridge I casually asked  old Uncle Albert if his trainers were back in his car in Llan Ffestinioghis, it was then that he realised  that they were in my car in Blaenau and his comments to me are unprintable!.    The wind had picked up by then and the rain had arrived so we took shelter behind trees and a high stone wall where we enjoyed our refreshments but soon we had to move on.
The path took us to the Pengwern pub in Llan Ffestiniog and then we followed the sign post to Cynfal Falls.  It was downhill then to the falls and when we got there the place was nicer than we could ever have imagined.    It was absolutely stunning and is a unique environment where luscious green mosses thrive in the moist air and carpet the river banks and trees.    We went down to a viewing platform that overlooks the Cynfal Falls and the erosive power of the river has carved interesting formations in the rock.   One strange rock pillar above the waterfall is known locally as “Huw Llwyd’s Pulpit after a well known local character, Huw Llwyd in the 17th century used to stand on the rock to recite poetry, preach sermons and converse with spirits!
We returned to the path and crossed a bridge and then followed the gorge upstream through woodland and each view of the river seemed to get better and better until we came to the railway viaduct and the end of our walk.
Uncle Albert did a good job driving us back to Blaenau in his large walking boots but we'll have to double check on things next time.