I've been in practice for a sponsored walk in aid of the Blinded Soldiers (ST Dunstans). I'll be walking 18 miles on Monday from Beaumaris to Moelfre and I'm quite looking forward to it. Like Hugo I think Jacks walk started way too early and as a rule I don't start until at least 9.30am but the walk on Monday starts at 7.30am
Anyway on Monday this week Dad and I went up to Llanrwst for a walk around aParc Lake and Mines on the mountain. The walk was in total between 8 and 9 miles and the scenery as always was breathtaking.
We started our walk along the footpath alongside the river just before Ty Hwnt Y Bont tea rooms (pic 1) We passed through a kissing gate then up through the fields towards the Forestry Commission buildings. You follow the road up until you see a rough path just beyond the gap in the fence to your left. This is quite a trek up hill and the ground is wet and full of tree roots lying in wait to trip you up, believe me I stumbled a few times
at the top of this path turn left again. On the way up we saw this really old moss covered wall where two fallen trees rested(pic 2) It's a shame as walls like these are robbed of the stones bit by bit for people prepared to pay good money to have them around garden ponds and the like. We followed the road up through the natural forest where you can hear all kinds of birds singing (not that I would have a clue which song went with which bird though, which is where Dad comes in handy D) ) we even spotted a Buzzard but it was far too fast for me to get my camera, you reach a fork in the road and again you turn left then cut down the bank to walk round aParc Lake (pic 3) this lake supplied the water for the many mines in the area and there's bits of cast iron pipes and valves discarded in the undergrowth. It was here we sat and ate our sandwiches and had a coffee. We sat admiring the view and just in front of us there was a Pied Wagtail sat on a rock in the lake (pic 4) it was quite happy running up and down the rock. This place is truly beautiful and you can only reach it by walking which makes the lake even more peaceful. We gathered up our stuff and carried on around the lake and followed the posts back up towards the main path passing ruins of old houses or maybe farmsteads then off towards the mines.(pic 5)