Author Topic: Walking  (Read 820871 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #45 on: October 05, 2010, 03:47:52 pm »
The leader of our retired walking group was a Head Forester during his working career and told us on one of our walks in that area that about 50 years ago they had a petition in Betws to stop the planting of trees for the coniferous forest
In more recent times when there has been a threat of chopping down these same trees there has been a petition to stop that to!
the nice thing about Betws though is that it is still a beautiful and popular village.
I'm glad Dave made the most of it and enjoyed the walk along the river in Betws, we did the same a few weeks ago when it was raining and also ended up in the same cafe.    :)

Offline DaveR

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Re: Walking
« Reply #46 on: October 06, 2010, 02:03:31 pm »
we did the same a few weeks ago when it was raining and also ended up in the same cafe.    :)
Great minds think alike, Hugo.  ;D Hadn't been to that cafe since it was the Milk Bar with its steaming mugs of coffee on a cold Winters morning - a welcome sight indeed.


Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #47 on: October 06, 2010, 03:28:18 pm »
The first time I went there was many years ago when they had special train rides from Rhyl for 50p!    We ended up in that cafe and had the most delicious Blackberry pie and ice cream.  ;D
Nice to see that the place is still busy and going strong today.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #48 on: October 07, 2010, 08:33:12 pm »
Today was such a lovely warm sunny day that I thought I;d make the most of it and walk around the Orme.   It was T-shirt weather all day and dozens of people were on the Orme doing the same thing. Starting from the West Shore I walked up the Monks Path and just stopped long enough to watch the work going on in Abbey Lodge.  It seems that the foundations for the new building were well underway. Then downhill to the Rest and Be Thankful for a coffee and cake before setting off again for the Summit.  I hadn't seen a goat until reaching the Cottage Loaf area and there I met a herd of about 40 of them just lying down in the sunshine. The Summit was busy and it was nice to see so many taking advantage of the good weather.  Downhill from there to look at the Bronze Age Copper Mines,then the Cromlech Llety Y Filiast.  I could see some activity going on at Mike's Golf Course so I went down the path to see him.
When I got there Mike (on L in photo) was legging it up to the top of the course and my knees wouldn't allow me to catch him up. Sorry Mike but I'll call again. 
Down through the old terraces in Haulfre and only two Billy Goats there and still no sign of that brown one!
Back to the car along Invalids Walk and the only blot on the landscape was the building site where Penmorfa once stood, :'(

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #49 on: October 07, 2010, 08:37:17 pm »
Great Orme Walk

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #50 on: October 07, 2010, 08:39:58 pm »
Great Orme Walk

Offline TheMedz

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Re: Walking
« Reply #51 on: October 15, 2010, 09:59:16 pm »
Really pleasant easy circular walk from the "Walking in the Conwy Valley" book by Carl Rogers went round Moel Trefriw starting out from Capel Garmon.  Excellent views over Llanrwst and the Conwy Valley. Didn't see a single person from start to finish. Plenty of local wildlife though. Surprising number of woodpeckers and nuthatches noticeable by the really loud tapping noises as they went to work on the upper trunks of the trees.  Lots of Goldfinches on the feeders on the bunglalows in Capel Garmon.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #52 on: October 16, 2010, 11:32:53 am »
Sounds like a nice walk Medz,  which one was it as there are two (17 and 18) that go to Capel Garmon?
I've done No 19 in that book and part of the route is on Walk 17. From Fairy Glen to the Fairy Falls Cafe.  That part of the walk covers the old stage coach route prior to Thomas Telford building the A5 and it's a lovely walk with great views.

Offline TheMedz

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Re: Walking
« Reply #53 on: October 16, 2010, 02:48:50 pm »
Hugo
  the book I picked up at the 2nd hand book shop in Colwyn Bay has only 15 circular walks (ISBN 0 9522409 7 1) . The walk starts at the White Horse pub and goes up towards the ruins of Pen-y-ffridd continuing on up the slope to the high point where you get views of mountains of Snowdonia and a little bit further on the valley containing the original coach road from Nebo to Lllanrwst. You then go down an extensive track where at the lower end you get a full view of the whole of the Conwy Valley opening up in front of you. Through a kissing gate directly across a couple of fields to Belmont, a large farmhouse which appears to have been totally refurbished as one or several really nice looking holiday cottages. Onwards through another couple of fields to a large farm house with the amazing sight to the right  of a hillside of hundreds of free range chickens running about all over it.Must be an absolute hell of a job picking up the eggs. You then continue on through three gates and several fields back to the starting point. About 2.75 miles in total.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #54 on: October 16, 2010, 03:27:25 pm »
Medz
It's a different book to the one I've got but that walk sounds really nice and I'm glad you enjoyed it.  It sounds similar to the walk No 18 in my book although that one  starts at Garthmyn and then goes up to Capel Garmon. It mentions Pen Y Ffridd and the old coach road and the dramatic views you get from up there.
I'd also like to do the one from Capel Garmon that goes down to the Neolithic Burial Chamber  and then down to the old stage coach road that goes past the beautiful Fairy Glen. Then it returns uphill to Capel Garmon, that walk is 4 miles.
There are so many nice walks in the area that it's just impossible to do them all but you have to make the most of it and do what you can.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #55 on: October 18, 2010, 11:09:11 am »
Sunday was a dry sunny day so my friends and I set off to do the Llangollen History Trail walk and drove past the Ponderosa Cafe and down the beautiful Horseshoe Pass for the start of the walk. The Sun was shining but the mist still hung over the old Abbey. We parked in the Eisteddfod car park and made our way to the canal for the start of the walk.   We walked along the canal passing some nice properties and after a short while came to the Horseshoe falls.  These falls were designed by Thomas Telford and feeds 12 million gallons of water per day from the River Dee into the Llangollen Canal.    When Telford did this it reduced the river flow so much that it could no longer power the mills downstream!

Offline DaveR

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Re: Walking
« Reply #56 on: October 18, 2010, 11:19:48 am »
 $cool$

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #57 on: October 18, 2010, 11:32:32 am »
After admiring the falls and the surrounding beauty we made our way up to Llantysilio Church and turned right to follow the path towards the Abbey, just stopping to look back on the falls.  We picked up the footpath on the left by the car park but then made a deviation to the left so that we could climb up the steep slopes of the Velvet Hill.   The views from the top were superb and no wonder it has been described as one of the prettiest walks in North Wales.     We stopped there to have our sandwiches and drinks and looked down on the Abbey and across to the Castle Dinas Bran which was perched at the top of a hill across the valley.
After a short while we made our way down the other side of the hill and walked through the caravan park to have a closer look at the Abbey.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Walking
« Reply #58 on: October 18, 2010, 11:54:43 am »
We had a closer look at the Valle Crucis Abbey that was founded by the Cisterian Monks in 1201 and it became the second richest monastery in Wales after Tintern.  The monks were forced to leave after Henry VIII dissolved the monastries in 1537.   At the back of the Abbey in the Caravan Park we came across these unusual Pods.  They are actually for campers and replace having to bring your tents along.    After inspecting them we crossed over the wooden bridge and walked through some ancient Oak woodland towards our final destination of the day Dinas Bran ( Fortress of the Crow)     There were thousands of acorns lying all over the place so it's no wonder the Squirrels looked so well fed here!
After about 2 miles we reached the start of the steep zig zag path up to the castle and after huffing and puffing our way up we reached the top. No wonder the castle was built here with its commanding views of the area,
The Castle was built in the 1260's by the Welsh Prince Gruffudd ap Madoc to guard the route into Wales along the Dee Valley. It was abandoned to the English forces of Edward 1 in 1277.
We finished off what food and drink we had before heading back to the car park but stopped at the Wharf Cafe for a nice cup of coffee to finish of a very enjoyable walk.

Offline TheMedz

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Re: Walking
« Reply #59 on: November 19, 2010, 09:21:47 pm »
After all the winds and rain in the last week my wife and I decided  to make the most of the good weather today to go and have a walk along the coast line near South Stack on Anglesey. On arriving at the RSPB centre at Ellins Tower we decided to go on up towards the summit of Holyhead mountain. We'd been up there from the country park in Holyhead before but not approached it from South Stack. It was a really easy and pleasant walk with a bit a climb towards the end but well worth the effort and the views from up there included the Irish mountains. (NB turn your mobile phone off when you go anywhere near South Stack because according to my roaming profile I was somewhere in Southern Ireland and picking up O2.IE phone signal. at £2.40 per minute)