Author Topic: Walking  (Read 822335 times)

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Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2100 on: February 11, 2020, 05:04:14 pm »
The idiots are still among us but these idiots happened to be on the top of Ben Nevis.    Thankfully there were no fatalities but I wonder what the Mountain Rescue teams really think of such stupidity
These volunteers risk their own safety every time they are called out on a rescue and it's not fair to them in cases like this but yet they still go out on the call.     I have nothing but praise and admiration for these Mountain Rescue teams and Mull used to be in the search and rescue team with his dog Fly until he recently retired from it

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51447226

H, I read it earlier, selfish ignorant behavior, putting lives at risk.....I called them the KAGOOL BRIGADE .....you know where I lived by the lake, we would see them in the winter months, going up the forestry road to Craftnant, hardly a Ben Nevis or Snowden, but as they passed the house they crossed the snow line, so a change in the weather would catch them out, a thin kagool poor footwear and no emergency kit, so nothing has changed, trust there was a good donation to the rescue team.   &shake&

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2101 on: March 06, 2020, 03:38:11 pm »
 We couldn't have picked a better day for our walk yesterday as the weather was perfect for walking, it was warm and nice and sunny.   It was a coastal walk along the West Shore to the Gun site in Llandudno and it is interesting because you can see things from the shore that you would not be able to see from the Marine Drive
Starting from the Toll House we went on the beach and after a few hundred yards you can see a purpose built tunnel under the Marine Drive. It must have been built about 1877 when the road was being built but I don't know what purpose it was built for.   I can only hazard a guess that it was for the quarry on the Orme as there was evidence of metal ladders below the tunnel and there were the remains of a jetty that was nearby.
A little further on we saw where the road had collapsed and it's obvious that the repair will not only be costly but lengthy too.   Close by is an unusual structure  that is in a bad state of repair and is the Summer house belonging to St Petrocks which is the large  building behind it.   There is a tunnel under the road from the Summer house that connects it to St Petrocks.    It is sad to see the building in decline because I can remember it being in use and it is in quite a unique position with stunning views across the Conwy Bay to the Carneddau Mountain range.
St Petrocks also has some history too because behind the garage door are the remains of Gogarth Cave where Miriam and Isaac Jones lived and brought up  15 children there.    Mostyn Estates tried to evict them when the Marine Drive was being built in about 1877 but she refused to move and was adamant that they would remain there unless Mostyn Estates provided them with a cottage where the family could live. The Estate did that and then the work on the Marine Drive then continued
We carried on along the rocky shoreline and at the bend are two large upright stones that are known by their local names as Yr Hen Ddyn a'r Hen Wraig (The Old Man and Old Woman.)  they are some distance from the land but are an example of how coastal erosion has had an effect on this particular part of the coast.    In the early 1800's there were two farms on the cliffs above, both called Gogarth and they were situated either side of the stream that flows at the start of what is now Llys Helig Drive.     Richard Jones was the tenant farmer of Tyddyn Gogarth the larger farm and he could remember his father complaining about how his plough used to strike those rocks    ( in the next photo you can see a large White building in the centre and that is the old Railway Convalescent Home and that is where the two farms once where so that shows you the extent of the erosion over the last 200 plus years )
The million pounds plus properties are all around this coastal section but I do like the second house on the Marine Drive as it has a wide lawn, a substantial sea defence together with the obligatory ramp  for a boat and it even has a path cleared through the rocks for a safe passage for the boat.
From this point the cliff goes higher and there are numerous types of sea defences erected to try and combat the erosion problems of this stretch of coastline.
Carrying on along the coast we come to the cliffs at the start of Llys Helyg Drive and at the top of the cliff is all that remains of the Bishops Palace.
Edward I gave the land of Gogarth to Bishop Anian of Bangor as a reward for Baptising Edward's son at Caernarfon.     A large two storey building was built there between 1284 and 1290 and when it was built it was quite a long way from the sea.  Owain Glyndwr burnt the place down around about 1400 and the coastal erosion did the rest,
Some way further on we came to a rather prominent building which is a tower built by Frank Tyldesley a popular guy and local construction owner. In it's heyday it must have been something special because the boathouse was at the bottom of the tower and concrete steps led up to the viewpoint at the top.  It even had a hydraulic lift inside capable of carrying two people.  The tower was connected to Frank's garden by way of a wooden bridge but that was destroyed by erosion many years ago.  It was nice seeing scaffolding there so hopefully the new owner will be bringing the tower back to life.   While we were stood there looking at the tower we were being watched carefully by the local inhabitants who seemed unimpressed by our presence.
A lot of work has gone on to fight the erosion but once we passed the houses in Llys Helyg Drive the Gun site area remains unprotected from the elements.  Our first view of the actual gun site was in the form of 3  WW 2   lookout buildings, still in fine condition  then it was back on the beach until we came to 3 more WW 2 lookout buildings but these were in a sorry state due to subsidence caused by erosion and the great Llandudno flood of 1993.
I remember as a teenager that there were very steep concrete steps going from these lookout buildings to the upper part of the Gun site but the bottom steps have long since been washed away and our problem was getting up that steep slope which was covered in a soft oozing mud

To be continued


Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2102 on: March 06, 2020, 03:41:42 pm »
West Shore to the Gunsite coastal walk

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2103 on: March 06, 2020, 03:46:33 pm »
West Shore to the Gunsite coastal walk

Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2104 on: March 06, 2020, 04:48:45 pm »
Hugo, Another great travelogue, and photos,  &well&

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2105 on: March 07, 2020, 10:32:31 am »
Thanks Steve   $good$   and there's more now

West Shore to the Gunsite coastal walk continued

The 3 observation posts are at the bottom of a very steep valley but we have always been able to climb to the track at the top without any trouble. This time it was difficult as the erosion was on an unprecedented scale and even reaching the observation posts was difficult.   Water was free flowing and bringing with it soft mud and I was the first casualty when my right foot went deep into the slimy stuff then closely followed by Tellytubby who sank about a foot into the mud.  Anyway we made it to the observation posts and they had been subsiding for a while but the mud from the erosion was going inside the buildings making them more unstable.
The next part was very difficult with the conditions and the slope was nearly vertical in places but we carefully made our way up until we found a section of the concrete steps that hadn't been washed away When we got to the top of the steps we were ready to have our refreshments but didn't sit down for too long as I think that we would have both seized up after the effort of getting up there.
We then made our way up to the Gun site.    During WW 2  the Royal Artillery's Coast Artillery School was relocated to Llandudno and it occupied a 1km length of the lower slopes of the Great Orme and constructed workshops, stores, searchlight emplacements, as well as Naval and other gun sites.  It was considered the perfect place for gun practice and they would tow ships into Conwy Bay and point the guns in the direction of Bangor and Anglesey and then use them for target practise.  As a young boy I can remember the gun positions exactly as they were in the old photo I've attached ( minus the guns of course )  and took Tellytubby to show him them. Now sadly all that remains of the gun emplacements are the circles of metal on the ground.
Seeing them again brought a smile to my face and reminded me of an amusing  incident I had a few years ago.   Tellytubby and I were travelling to the car park by the Spinney's Nature Reserve near Penrhyn Castle when we we stopped by the Police who explained that no one could go any further as there was an unexploded shell on the beach and that the Bomb Disposal Unit were setting off a controlled explosion on the beach.    So we turned around and parked our car nearby and walked to the wooden Kingfisher hide on the Reserve and started taking photos of the many birds that were there.    Then there was an almighty bang and the whole building shook and all the birds scattered.    It turned out that the Bomb Disposal Unit had triggered the controlled explosion not far from our hide!
I wonder if that shell was one of those fired from the Great Orme over 70 years ago

Anyway we then continued on the track until we came to the main part of the site.   After the end of WW 2 the School handed everything back to the Mostyn family who owned the land but at the time there was a serious housing shortage in the area so as soon as the School left,  families of squatters soon moved in and took over the buildings.   My Aunty Peggy lived in one of the buildings and it had a prime spot on the site and I can remember visiting her there.    Other forum members were also living there at the time too and Quiggs has written a fascinating account of the life and times of the squatters.    It is well worth reading and tells of the tough times that the families had but also of funny things that happened there, even if you have already read it, it is still interesting to read over and over again.
We then took the concrete road out of the site to Llys Helig Drive but before we went past the locked gates I stopped to take a photo because this is where Tonyf once lived.  Tony is another forum member and contributor to the stories that Quiggs started on here.  I bet Tony would like to own that plot of land now.
At the end of Llys Helyg Drive on the left is a well with the water coming down from Ffynnon Gogarth high above the road.    At the Marine Drive we turned right but not before I took a photo of  a cottage that had been converted into an ultra modern building and noticed water pouring out of the garden wall and that water also was coming from Ffynnon Gogarth.
A short distance down on the left is Pen Y Ffordd Goch which is a tarmac lane going up to the rear of some properties whose frontage is on the Marine Drive.
This is part of an ancient right of way called the Monk's Path that starts just above the Toll House it sescends down Pen Y Ffordd Goch before crossing the road and goes through the gardens of the private houses until it comes to the Bishop's Palace itself.   The path also continues from the ruins up the Great Orme on a diagonal green path until it reaches the walls of the farm at the top
As a point of interest Miriam and Isaac who lived in the cave I mentioned earlier moved to a cottage on the corner of Pen Y Ffordd Goch and the Marine Drive and set up a small business and called it the Gogarth Tea Rooms.  Little remains of the cottage now apart from a low wall, some steps and the terracotta kitchen tiles
Because of the recent landslide on the drive the road ahead was closed to cars and pedestrians so we walked up the Monk's Path and back to our cars.     It had been a good day for a walk but it was also just nice to get out again
   








Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2106 on: March 07, 2020, 10:40:37 am »
West Shore to the Gun site coastal walk

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2107 on: March 07, 2020, 10:55:01 am »
West Shore to the Gun Site coastal walk

Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2108 on: March 07, 2020, 11:15:43 am »
Again excellent work, I can feel the mud on my boot.   $good$   your piece certainly highlights the erosion problem.

Offline Blongb

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2109 on: March 07, 2020, 11:36:39 am »
I'm surprised I didn't bump into you Hugo, as my wife and I went over the Monks Path Yesterday afternoon looking down on the Land Slip after we found Marine Drive blocked off. We have always referred to the two rocks Yr Hen Ddyn a'r Hen Wraig (The Old Man and Old Woman.)as the Walrus and the Carpenter (from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland) so I'm glad I can now give them there correct Welsh names.  $walesflag$
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 #2110 on: March 07, 2020, 11:48:24 am »
We did pass some people on that track Blongb and they were walking their dog.    That track is quite safe but I can see future problems in one particular section.
It'll be a while before that road will be fixed so in the meantime everyone who lives on the Marine Drive or Llys Helyg Drive will have to drive along the one way system around  the Orme.     I'm assuming that traffic from the Pier end will be banned unless they are residents of the areas affected

Offline Nemesis

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2111 on: March 07, 2020, 11:56:53 am »
My OH went earlier this week and was informed that he could drive to R&BT but then would have to turn round and come back. Not a very safe option. Then to cap it all the form for the renewal of the Orme pass came in the post. Comments..... Not repeatable !!! $hands$
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Ian

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2112 on: March 07, 2020, 02:57:42 pm »
And as you drive back down (a very pleasant drive) there's no shortage of folk waving you down and telling you it's one  way only :-)
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2113 on: March 21, 2020, 03:04:52 pm »
This was the scene this morning on Snowdon as mountain rescuers warned they cannot guarantee help amid the coronavirus crisis.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/crowds-gather-snowdon-mountain-rescuers-17959085

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #2114 on: March 21, 2020, 05:00:44 pm »
I wonder if there are so many walkers  there today because they think that there may be some restriction to this type of activity in the near future?
Bondi Beach in Australia was closed because the people there did not take into account the request from the Australian Government. 
Walking up Snowdon may be in a completely different league but how many walkers travelled alone in their vehicle and kept a social distance from their walking mates?      Not many I imagine.     The Government have set guidelines to stop this pandemic from spreading and if we choose to ignore it then they could introduce measures to restrict any movement of all the people just like they have done in parts of Europe.
We cancelled a walk today as we chose to follow the Government guidelines and sadly won't be arranging any future group walks until we know that it is safe to do so.      It's a shame but we don't want to be infected or pass any possible infection on to others either.