Walking

[Big Alan]

Superb photos them

[hiraeth]

Apologies for being slow in replying, I've been very occupied shifting two loads of wood into a shed down the field behind our property. Not the nicest of jobs these wet days but a perverse satisfaction when it's all tidily piled up!.

Thank you so much Hugo for the lovely pictures of Cwm Eigiau, you were very brave to set off in such atrocious weather I've been up there in similar weather and there's a weird sort of enjoyment of trudging along wet tracks and looking up to the snow on the heights and enjoying a hot panad o de when you arrive back. I recall breaking off huge icicles up one of the streams,  they tasted good!

Thanks as well for the photos of the gravestones , I wonder if any are ever visited by distant relatives?

I hear the weather forecast for North Wales says icy roads and lots of snow, take care.

[Hugo]

You are very welcome Hiraeth and if you look on the forum under "Hobbies and Interests" and then under "exploring the area" you'll see that I've posted some more photos of Cedryn, that cottage you like in the valley.
I'm afraid that you would need a lot more than a couple of loads of wood to keep warm there as that wind was chilling and it wasn't as bad as it gets sometimes.
There are very few trees in the valley but the cottage called Hafod Y Rhiw had the right idea by planting conifers to act as a windbreak but I bet it's still cold inside the house.
I didn't see any evidence of people having visited the graves at Ardda Chapel but I'll be going there again when the Bluebells are out next and will have a look then.

[Hugo]

Dr Johnson walk Denbigh
   Quote from DaveR  "I've done that walk a few times, it's very enjoyable." 


A mutual friend of Tellytubby and I said that her uncle once lived in Dr Johnson's cottage and sent this photo of the cottage at the time the uncle was living there.
It's a lovely location and a shame that the property was allowed to deteriorate into it's present day condition

[Hugo]

On Tuesday we decided to do a short circular walk in Aberffraw and drove to the small village where we parked the car in the Llewelyn Centre car park.  We walked through the village and took the lane uphill past St Beuno's Church and decided to stay on the lane as the fields were still very boggy following all the recent rain that we have been having.
Just over the brow of the hill we came to a picnic and viewpoint area on the right and it had superb views to the island Church of St Cwyfan which is where we were heading for.  It wasn't long before we got to the rocky beach and to the causeway leading to the Church.
With its stunning location, its isolation and its extraordinary stone-walled island it is well worth the effort to see it.   We climbed up the steps and as the Church was closed we sat on a bench behind the Church having our refreshments and enjoying the views along the coast as far as Bardsey Island.    After looking around the site and taking photos we then headed back to Aberffraw taking the coastal route back.
We stopped at the old rusty winding gear on the cliff top and because it was a very low tide, we were able to spot the sad and rusting remains of a boat in a seaweed covered gully.  The path then took us past the sandy beach at Aberffraw and to the mouth of the estuary where we followed the Afon Ffraw back to the village and the car park.  A coffee and a delicious cream scone in the cafe finished off another nice walk.

[Hugo]

Aberffraw walk

[Hugo]

 We had a nice circular walk of about seven and a half miles on Saturday when Tellytubby and I walked around the Great Orme.     Our walk started from the West Shore and  took the old Monk’s Path above the Toll House  where it was obvious that the erosion in that area has worsened since we last walked there.     The path leads to Pen Y Ffordd Goch and there we turned uphill at a beautiful cottage called Grey Gables that had stunning views across the Conwy Bay.  The path led to a more widely used one past Ffynnon Gogarth and we then walked over the Orme until we came down to the R & BT Cafe.    The cafe was busier than I had ever seen it before and we were lucky to get a seat there but it was well worth it to enjoy the Latte.    Leaving the cafe we continued along the Marine Drive until we came to Pigeon’s Cave and along the way we passed many walkers and numerous cyclists all enjoying a peaceful day around the Orme.   That peace and tranquility was spoilt for a few moments when a moron on a supercharged motorbike came racing around the corner and passed us and a lone cyclist doing a ridiculously fast speed.   He must have been within 3 feet of the cyclist when he passed him.
At Pigeon’s Cave we dropped down to the cove and Tellytubby had a fall on the slippery slimy surface of the ledge but thankfully it was nothing serious.    We had our food and drink on a dry part of the ledge, further along the ledge is a shaft and an opening facing the pebbly beach.  Years ago there were metal ladders going down to the beach but unfortunately they have long since been removed from that spot.  It’s a shame really as it was great diving off the ledge and swimming in the cove and then just climbing back up the ladders.  The good old days!
To get back to our cars parked by the West Shore we continued along the Marine Drive and then through Cwlach Street until we came to the end of it and then turned right and up the 70 plus steps before getting to Invalids Walk and then the cars.

[Hugo]

Great Orme walk

[Hugo]

      

I posted a photo of the Goat twice and only realised when it was too late to modify it.    Nice looking beast though and at least I wasn't downwind of it.

[hollins]

Great one of the seal Hugo. He has really got his eye on you!

[Hugo]

I had been looking forward to the walk for a while and with Thursday being the best day of the week we set off yesterday to do the walk in the country of Lloyd George.
It's a circular walk of about 6 miles that starts in the village of Llanystumdwy where David Lloyd George lived and goes through the village passing his boyhood home and his grave which overlooks the Afon Dwyfor.     It then follows the banks of the river for two miles and then the route takes you to Criccieth and from there follows the coastal path back to Llanystumdwy.
That was the plan and it went very well for the first two miles.  There were some lovely old buildings in the main street of the village and we passed Lloyd George's boyhood home, the museum and his grave before dropping down to the fast flowing Afon Dwyfor.   The path was boggy because of all the recent rainfall but it was easy to  follow and there were masses of Snowdrops near the banks of the river and later on in the year the Bluebells and Rhododendrons would be out.  After about two miles we left the river bank and headed down a lane and across two very swampy, boggy fields and that's when the weather decided to change.   I nearly slipped twice in the muddy conditions but thankfully didn't,  but the rain started to come down and the wind picked up.    We still had about a mile to go to get to Criccieth but the rain started to get heavier and the wind picked up considerably, so when we did get to Criccieth we abandoned the walk and sought some protection in one of the shelters on the promenade (on the leeward side)   Tellytubby caught the bus back to Llanystumdwy and brought the car back to the shelter and we had our food and drink there.  The conditions were so bad we were unable to take any photos in Criccieth but we promised to come back again in the Spring when the weather improves.
At least the walk finished on a high when we went back to Wayne's house and had a hot cup of tea and a nice piece of cake.

[Hugo]

Llanystumdwy walk

[Nemesis]

Lloyd George and the area was discussed on the Antiques Road Trip on BBC One on Thursday tea time at 4.30pm. Good coverage of businesses in Barmouth, Rhos-on-Sea and Pen. among others.

[Hugo]

I didn't see the TV programme but the others had and enjoyed it.   We didn't stop and look at the antiques in the shop windows in Criccieth though as we were so keen to get out of the driving rain and gale force winds.
I expect we'll have more time there when we next visit Criccieth

[Hugo]

Yesterday three of us met up with a friend in Hawarden to do the historic village, woodland and farmland walk there.    It's a circular walk of about 5 miles but we opted to do in the opposite direction to that shown in the rural walks in Flintshire book.
We started from the car park and followed the path steeply downhill and after about 100 yards we came to a ruined 18th century corn mill.  The mill water wheel and much of the machinery still remains and we spent some time investigating the mill before moving on.   Within a minute or two we heard a Woodpecker drumming on a tree nearby and although Tellytubby spotted it, he couldn't get a photo as the bird disappeared behind the tree.   The walk through the woodland was quite boggy as you would expect for this time of the year and it gradually went uphill until we came to stone ruins which must at one time been the gatehouse to the Hawarden Estate.    Looking over the walls gave us distant views to the ruined 13th century castle and the new castle which was W E Gladstone's home after his marriage to Catherine Glynne.
We then followed long straight tarmac lanes and roads alongside the woodland and found a suitable place to sit and have our refreshments and it wasn't far then back to the village.  Tellytubby and I continued the walk through the park to see the ruined castle and then had a walk through the historic village.  This increased our walk to about seven and a half miles according to Tellytubby's GPS.   We then met up with Rhuddlan and Ian at the car park and returned home stopping at McDonalds in Ewloe for a nice warm coffee.   I haven't been through the village since the A55 bypassed it so it was nice to see it again after so long