Walking

[SteveH]

The 10 'must-explore' walks rated among the best in Snowdonia
There's plenty of variety in these walks to suit all abilities

The national park is a place made for walking. Go Outdoors, the national retailer, has compiled a list of 10 routes it rates the best in Eryri. Inevitably, several have a focus on Yr Wyddda (Snowdon), a magnet for visitors that can still offer relative solitude if you pick the right day in the right season. Or you may prefer the company! The list encompasses a variety of terrains and distances, providing a range of difficulty levels, so there should be a walk here to enjoy no matter your experience or fitness.

cont plus maps https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/10-must-explore-walks-rated-27815833?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Yesterday as arranged I met Tellytubby in the car park by the site of the old Dyserth to Prestatyn Railway Station.   Because of the heavy overnight rain we abandoned our original route and decided to do a walk in the local area instead.     Dyserth is an old limestone quarry village and there are many interesting things to see so we started the walk from the car park and followed the fast flowing Afon Ffyddion downstream until we reached some old quarry workings.   The cliff has a fascinating formation with an over hanging section above the river and is a popular place for rock climbers and walkers alike and also for children to explore the caves  there
We then continued down a flight of steep steps that took us to the base of the Dyserth Waterfall.   It's a very impressive waterfall, especially so yesterday after all that heavy rain,  The water was thundering down a vertical 70 foot drop and the spray from the falls was unbelievable, I had to dry out my camera before we moved on,   We then continued on the main road past the Church and took the first turning on the right which took us up a very steep lane.   Crossing over the bridge above the disused railway line we came to the Hiraddug Nature Reserve which in the Spring is worth a visit to see the masses of various plants flowering there at that time of the year.
Shortly afterwards we crossed the main road and then walked across open farmland until we came to a wooden bridge that crossed over the river. The first building we saw was the ruins of the old Grove Mill, then slightly further on were two small waterfalls just off the lane. We made a slight detour to see them and then continued ahead until we came to Felin Fawr, the big Mill.    There's not much remaining of the original water wheel but in it's day it must have been  very impressive.
We then turned around and went back to a wooden bench by the Grove Mill and had our refreshments there.   What a lovely place to sit and contemplate how lucky we are to live in such a nice area and be able to do these walks.   Directly in front of us was a small weir with the flood water cascading over the side of it, the pond above  was calm and only disturbed when a small Brown Trout jumped out of the water and caused the water  to ripple.  We were also entertained by a Grey Squirrel that had pinched an apple from somewhere and was running along the top of a wall with it.   
We could have stayed all day in that tranquil place but we had to move on and took another path back to the main road.     No sooner had we got to the main road, the heavens opened and it was pouring down so we decided to head back to the car park and after all we had had a very enjoyable walk anyway.
  During the walk we had seen the disused railway track, part of the quarry workings, the waterfall and the ruins of Marian Mills but my photos don't tell the full story so I have include links that I hope may be of  interest to some people

The old Dyserth to Prestatyn Railway   
 http://disused-stations.org.uk/d/dyserth/index.shtml

The Limestone quarry
https://dyserth.com/quarrying.html

Marian Mills
https://dyserth.com/mills.html

[Hugo]

Dyserth and Marian Mills walk

[Hugo]

Dyserth and Marian Mills

[SteveH]

Excellent Hugo, one of your best.

[SteveH]

First look at vast new national park in North Wales that may run all the way to Snowdonia
If all areas under consideration are included, it will create a single national park designation stretching across North Wales - see map below

A proposed new national park in north east Wales is set to cover a sweep of land much larger than the existing Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on which it is based. A draft map of what might be included shows the national park could adjoin Eryri (Snowdonia), in effect creating one giant U-shaped designated area stretching across North Wales.

Under consideration is an area of land around three times the size of the existing Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB. No boundary decisions have yet been made but a new ?Area of Search? visual shows the park may reach down into north Powys to Llanfair Caereinion and across to Mallwyd in Gwynedd.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/first-look-vast-new-national-27875324

[hollins]

Yesterday we decided to continue our Wales Coast path walk. We drove to the free long stay car park a few hundred yards down hill from the bus stop that we finished on last time in Bangor.
We walked up the hill to Bangor bus station and caught the very useful number 5 bus again to Y Felinheli. There were some steps across the road from the bus stop leading down to a bridge across the port.
Soon you are walking beside the 7 mile long wall at the side of the Menai Strait which is part of the Vaynol Estate.
Some super seats have been made at a high level (see Quiz question) so that walkers can have a rest while looking out over the Menai Strait towards Plas Newydd on the other side.
Then on towards the Britannia bridge and the Treborth Botanic Gardens. We stopped for a sandwich beside Paxton's cascade and then walked past the fantastic Lucombe Oak tree.
Then on towards the Menai Suspension bridge. There is then a short section along the road before the path goes off the the left near the Bangor football ground.
From here the path weaves around several fields until you get a view of the pier at Bangor in the distance.
At the top of the hill above the pier some filming was going on but couldn't identify any film stars!
The last photo is at the end of the walk looking towards Port Penrhyn where we ended the previous walk.

[hollins]

Part 2

[hollins]

PS. The filming location in Bangor and a well earned meal at Dylan's in Menai Bridge before driving home.

[Hugo]

That's a great walk Hollins and some fantastic photos too.    It brought back some nice memories too as I remember sitting on a yacht in Felinheli in the early hours drinking a few beers.   
I've done part of that walk and the bird hide made me think of the Vaynol Estate in your quiz question

[Hugo]

When we have done the Mawddach Trail walk from Penmaenpool to Barmouth we have started making a detour and walk in front of the Mawddach Terrace.     The residents have now appealed and the public right of way in front of their properties has been overturned.
The terrace is in a stunning location on the banks of the River Mawddach with panoramic views of the hills and mountains so I don't blame them for making their appeal



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/century-old-footpath-row-ends-27881162

[SteveH]

Halloween is coming to National Trust Cymru properties with fun for all the family this half term.

From exciting family trails and harvest celebrations to Halloween crafts and natural play areas; there are a whole host of family adventures to be had.

Most offers begin on October 21 unless otherwise stated. Normal admission applies (National Trust members for free).

Here are the events this October:    https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/23851603.october-events-national-trust-cymru-north-mid-wales/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Although Storm Babet was forecast for yesterday the weather seemed quite settled in the morning so we decided to head to Dorathea Quarry and have a walk around the place.    At the end of the walk we were glad that we had  made the effort because not only did we see many fascinating buildings, the weather was very kind to us and it only started to rain lightly towards the end of the walk.
We followed the blue route on the notice board at the entrance to the quarry and it follows the old slate railway track that goes behind the ruins of Talsarnau Hall and around the large Dorathea Quarry before retuning to the starting place and passing the impressive 1904 Cornish beam pumping house.   On our last visit there we were lucky enough to obtain the keys to the pumping house and we had a good look insude it
I have attached a link about this area and the title sums it up perfectly.  ?The old and forgotten Welsh village that has been reclaimed by nature?
What is nice about walking with Telltubby and old Uncle Albert is that we like to explore things and if we see anything of interest we will stop and have a look at it.   Yesterday there were so many things to look at that we could have spent all day there but the only regret is that we didn't have a torch to explore inside that tunnel.    We'll know better for next time.
I'm afraid that I got carried away with the photos but the link below will give a better insight into the area than I could hope to give

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/old-forgotten-welsh-village-been-26990230?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

[Hugo]

Dorathea Quarry blue walk

[Hugo]

Dorathea Quarry blue walk