Walking

[Nemesis]

Sorry I missed the actual day Hugo, but Happy Birthday anyway. xx

[Hugo]

Thanks very much for your kind birthday wishes Nemesis.       They say that age is only a number but my birthdays seem to be galloping away quicker than ever         

[Hugo]

The 10 best hiking trails in North Wales according to Tripadvisor
Take a look at the top-rated paths according to Tripadvisor reviews

There are lots of other nice walks in the area if you want to avoid all the tourists




https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/10-best-hiking-trails-north-24629929

[SAJ]

A belated Happy Birthday Hugo and thank you for posting the walks information. We?ve just returned from Ireland where we spent a week in a cottage with no WiFi so just catching up on all the news.

[Hugo]

Thanks SAJ  I hope that you had a great time in Ireland, it's just nice sometimes to switch off everything and just chill out for a bit.     

[SteveH]

Hugo, I think you will like this article.....

Forestry in North Wales in years gone by
This week we take a look at old photos of woodlands and the workers who maintain them.

cont and photo gallery  https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/forestry-in-north-wales-in-years-gone-by/

[Hugo]

Thanks for posting that article Steve,  I found it very interesting.     I wouldn't mind one of those cabins in the forest, I bet they would be worth a few bob nowadays!
When I first started walking with a retirement group about 16 years ago, the leader of the walk was a retired Head Forest Ranger and he made the walks so interesting with details of trees and the events that went on there.
He told us that the trees had a commercial life expectancy of 50 years and when the idea was put forward to create Gwydir Forest the residents of Betws Y Coed raised a petition to reject that idea but the petition obviously failed
Fast forward 50 years on the trees were then ready to be cut down.      The residents of Betws Y Coed then had another petition and that was for the Forestry to stop cutting the trees down!
There has been a lot of tree felling around Llyn Geirionydd so that area has changed since I first went there in the early 1970's but thankfully some of the large trees around Betws Y Coed cannot be cut down because of where they are
I've seen the photo of the three men and one of those looks very much like our walks leader but he's denied that it's him but I'm not convinced

[SteveH]

You are very welcome Hugo, when we lived there, they started clear cutting opposite, and we panicked, before realising there was a stand of hard woods between us and the cut, Phew, unfortunately, although the trees are a viable proposition, clear cutting is unsightly to say the least.

[Hugo]

It does look unsightly when they cut down huge areas of trees but I must admit that I'm not a fan of those Fir tree forests because everything on the ground level looks dead.
I much prefer deciduous woodland but I suppose Gwydir Forest was built solely for commercial reasons

[DVT]

I think most of the forests were planted in the 1920's to replace wood that had been used for World War 1.  Felling has taken place for quite a few years now as the lifespan for commercial wood is generally 50-70 years.  (Bodnant's pine trees were mostly planted 1890-1910!)

One thing that the Forestry people are trying to do now when planting new trees is to have a mix of species.  The traditional pines, as Hugo says, allow for very little to grow underneath.

Obviously the new trees will take a few decades to reach maturity - something that never seems to be mentioned when the greens want to plant loads of trees now to stop carbon emissions - it will not be an overnight thing!

[Hugo]

Anyone of a certain age may remember the western side of the River Clwyd in Rhuddlan.   Apart from the Iron Foundry, The Marsh Warden pub and the Railway Station there was little else there.   Now they have all gone but now it's quite a vibrant area with shops, cafes and a hotel and it's even got a nice Nature Reserve just where the road bridge over the railway was and that's where I met Tellytubby on Wednesday.
We had planned to do a walk along the path that follows the river but when we came to the tributary of the Afon Ffyddion that flows into the River Clwyd Tellytubby made a chance remark and we changed our plans.   He had always wanted to go along the path following the Ffyddion as far as the main road so we did that.   For most of the walk, we walked on the flood embankment as the riverside was covered in Hymalayan Balsam and Thistles but it wasn't long before we got to Sainsbury's and walked along the main road to Bryn Cwnin Road as I wanted to walk along a footpath to see a pond where I did some fishing over 50 years ago.
We found the pond after a short distance and Tellytubby's keen eyesight spotted something on the bank opposite.   It was some Terrapins, really large ones that were resting in the sunshine.     We had never seen any in the wild although we had often heard about them so it made our day and we sat in the sunshine and had our refreshments there.
We had to drag oue selves away and continued along the path crossing the Afon Ffyddion again and stopping for a few photos of the river and bridge.
The lane leads into Rhuddlan so we made our way through the old part of the village and stopped for a nice coffee in a lovely cafe near to the Castle.
Then it was just a short walk back to the Nature Reserve and to our vehicles.     It was a short but very enjoyable walk and we were pleased to have seen those Terrapins that we had only heard of before

[Hugo]

Rhuddlan to Rhyl walk

[Hugo]

Rhuddlan to Rhyl walk

[SteveH]

Don't be an UNTHINKING TOURIST ........9 ways you can help take care of Wales? National Parks during your summer adventures

These simple steps can help keep you safe and and protect the environment

As we spend more time in the great outdoors this summer, the Park Rangers, Wardens, and Officers of Wales? National Parks are asking everyone ? from regular walkers to first-time visitors and residents ? to take up roles as unofficial ?Keepers? of the three Parks.

As inspiration for the ?Keeper? roles ? which can be completed by anyone and everyone ? Alun Gethin Jones, Park Warden for Snowdonia National Park, Sam Ridge, Brecon Beacons National Park Officer, and Vicky Sewell, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Ranger, have compiled a list of 9 ways that visitors can love and care for Wales? National Parks this summer ? and forever?

Read more https://www.dailypost.co.uk/special-features/9-ways-you-can-help-24672551?fbclid=IwAR3n0vXyWJaAUUVCMEFyYXc9PEdB6V7wbYL9Th5kPQyoKilHPQUGKrE72UY

[Hugo]

I'm afraid that  no matter how many times you try to educate some people they still refuse to cooperate

It's time that they brought in the tow trucks and carted the vehicles away, then they may learn



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/50-cars-parked-double-yellows-24783977