Walking

[Hugo]

Aber Walk

[Hugo]

Earlier in the week I had a phone call from Pete saying that he had found a new walk to do.   It was from Bethesda to Ogwen and was about five miles long and after that walk he said that we could have a leisurely walk around Cwm Idwal before catching the bus back to Bethesda.  He said that the weather forecast for Friday was good so we arranged to do the walk then.  His last words to me before we met on Friday were "don't forget your bus pass"
So yesterday Wayne, Pete and myself parked our cars in Bethesda and all of us armed with our OAP bus passes set off for the start of the walk.  We hadn't gone far before it started raining and was quite misty so we put our wet weather gear on and headed for Rhes James and the start of our walk through the forest and steeply uphill.  The views would have been great except for the unexpected mist but we could still make out the quarries and the zip wire across the other side of the valley.  After about an hour the rain had stopped and the visibility continued to improve and by now we were high above the busy A5 and the terrain was covered in bracken and reeds which isn't too good when we were all wearing shorts!    The views were now superb and the walk had not been too strenuous.  After a bit we started heading downhill to the A5 where we crossed over and followed the yellow marker posts over the Afon Ogwen and we had our lunch sitting on top of a huge glaciated boulder in the field.    Once we had finished lunch we carried on to the old road and followed this for 2.5 km until we reached the visitors centre at Ogwen.    Here we stopped for a nice coffee before carrying on to do the Cwm Idwal walk.      I thought it best to ask the guy serving us about the times of the buses going back to the Ogwen and then it hit us!   NO buses go from Capel Curig or Betws Y Coed to Bethesda because of the Padarn Bus insolvency.   Our faces must have been a picture        so our thoughts of a walk around Cwm Idwal were quickly tapped on the head and we had to get back  to Bethesda on foot along the A5       Having said that we were able to appreciate the beautiful scenery along the route and even walked on the old packhorse bridge that sits below the present day road.  We also went over the old bridge by the Ogwen Bank Holiday Park and followed the old tramway back to where we had parked the cars.   Another nice walk and places that I hadn't seen before.

[Hugo]

Bethesda to Ogwen walk

[Ian]

The Nant Ffrancon pass is a stunning walk and possibly one of the best preserved Glacier Valleys in the world. The old Bridge - the original A5 built by Thomas Telford - is exquisite and worth a view, as is the spate after heavy rainfall.

[Gwynant]

          As the good weather was coming to an end, we decided to take a short walk on Thursday and as my mate's back wasn't too good it would have to be a fairly easy one. We took the BR train to Blaenau Ffestiniog and as we left the station bumped into a local mate who told us to follow the narrow gauge down Glan-y-Pwll Rd and shortly after the King's Head ("Y Tap") take the signed footpath over the railway and follow it over to Tan-y-Grisiau. As we climbed up the views behind us back to Blaenau and over to Trawsfynydd opened up and it was a beautiful day. We passed through a couple of gates and stiles and soon the lake came into view and we dropped down back over the railway and down to walk across the dam and back at the end of the lake,where we had our butties, with good views up to the Stwlan Dam high up in the Moelwyns, and all the old tramways and inclines used by the slate miners up in Cwmorthin years ago. We walked back along Glan-yPwll Road as the train passed us (pulled by the loco "Merddyn Emrys"!) and had a coffee in the town before taking the BR train back down the valley. A nice easy walk with beautiful views.

[Gwynant]

                     More Tan-y-Grisiau Walk Pics.

[Hugo]

It's good to see that you are out and about Gwynant and making the most of last week's lovely weather.   There are some nice walks from that area, we've another one lined up there for the future.
I went to Tan Y Grisiau to see someone there some years ago and had to cross the footbridge over the railway to get to their cottage,  Their lawn went right up to the railway track which was handy because the Porthmadog train used to halt at the cottage and the driver would deliver groceries that had been purchased in Porthmadog.  I thought it quite quaint especially in this day and age

[Gwynant]

  You're right Hugo, there are some very good walks in that area. In the past I have walked from The top of the Crimea over into Cwm Cwmorthin and down the incline into Croesor (two cars needed), and also from Croesor up over Cnicht and along the ridge above Cwm Croesor and then up again over both the Moelwyns (Fach and Fawr) and then back to Croesor which is a long pull but gives tremendous views on a good day. My Blaenau mate tells me another good long one is to walk from the Crimea over to the ruined miners barracks above Llyn Cwmorthin and then carry on down into Cwm Croesor and on round to Tan-y-Bwlch to catch the F.R. train back to Blaenau. I've done a little bit in Maenofferen and the lakes beyond on the other side above Blaenau but I want to get up to Manod next year. There is talk of the guy who has set up the Zipwires in Penrhyn and Llechwedd Quarries, "Bounce Below" in Llechwedd and also the Ropeways in Betws-y-Coed trying to establish a Velorail (which apparently is a self-propelled railway bogie) on the old British Rail line from Blaenau through to Llan Ffestiniog and beyond up to Trawsfynydd. He seems to have very adventurous projects but if they bring people into the area, creates spending and also local employment and that's no bad thing.

[SteveH]

Hugo and fellow walkers, thought you might like this...Rob Johnson    Mountaineering Instructor (MIC) International Mountain Leader

"My film, A Year in the Mountains 2013 has now had over 9000 views on You Tube and was a great way for people to look back on their time with me in the mountains last year.
I have been doing a bit of editing this week on my film for this year which will have much more of a UK theme, simply because I haven't been away as much this year! Here is a still from a time-lapse of the dawn in the Ogwen Valley that I took last night and this morning which will appear in the new film later this year."

http://www.expeditionguide.com/blog.php

[SteveH]

Couple rescued from Snowdonia by mountain rescue team

A 23-year-old woman with little mountain walking experience was “commended for her efforts” in helping her seriously injured boyfriend after he fell about 30 feet on a Snowdonia mountain.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/couple-rescued-snowdonia-mountain-rescue-7887356

[Hugo]

Tryfan isn't the best place to be on a wet day and that area by the buttress is difficult at the best of times.   I hope that the boyfriend makes a full recovery from his injuries.
Personally I won't go on Tryfan when it's wet or windy as  the rocks seem to be very slippy there and you know that you have to do some rock scrambling to get to the summit

[Hugo]

On Wednesday,  my friend Pete and I stopped in Bodfari to have a look at St Stephen's Church and the now derelict Dinorben Arms pub.  It was quite depressing to see this once popular pub just decaying and waiting for the inevitable builder to come along and demolish the property.
We then continued on our journey across the valley to the pretty village of Aberwheeler which sits on the slopes of the Clwydian Range.    Our walk was a short circular walk down to the River Clwyd and then  along it for a while before returning back to the start.  We took the lane by the Chapel and headed down country lanes then across open farmland and a wood before coming to the river.   To get to the river we had to cross a bog and needless to say both Pete and I sunk up to our knees in this black gunge and didn't smell too sweet when we reached the banks of the river.      By this time we were quite hungry so we sat on a fallen tree by the river and tried to forget the pong as we had our refreshments.   It was so quiet and peaceful there as we watched the fish swimming and jumping in the water.  We kept our eyes out for the Kingfishers and Otters that live in this stretch of the river but couldn't see any unfortunately.
We walked along the banks until we could see Lleweni Hall on the other side of the river and then headed inland and back to the start.
I don't think any cafe would have appreciated our custom after sinking in the bog so instead we headed straight home.

[Hugo]

Aberwheeler walk

[DaveR]

On Wednesday,  my friend Pete and I stopped in Bodfari to have a look at St Stephen's Church and the now derelict Dinorben Arms pub.  It was quite depressing to see this once popular pub just decaying and waiting for the inevitable builder to come along and demolish the property.
We then continued on our journey across the valley to the pretty village of Aberwheeler which sits on the slopes of the Clwydian Range.    Our walk was a short circular walk down to the River Clwyd and then  along it for a while before returning back to the start.  We took the lane by the Chapel and headed down country lanes then across open farmland and a wood before coming to the river.   To get to the river we had to cross a bog and needless to say both Pete and I sunk up to our knees in this black gunge and didn't smell too sweet when we reached the banks of the river.      By this time we were quite hungry so we sat on a fallen tree by the river and tried to forget the pong as we had our refreshments.   It was so quiet and peaceful there as we watched the fish swimming and jumping in the water.  We kept our eyes out for the Kingfishers and Otters that live in this stretch of the river but couldn't see any unfortunately.
We walked along the banks until we could see Lleweni Hall on the other side of the river and then headed inland and back to the start.
I don't think any cafe would have appreciated our custom after sinking in the bog so instead we headed straight home.

Funnily enough, my partner and I were walking down by the River Clwyd earlier this year and both ended up sinking into thick mud not far from Lleweni! 

[Hugo]

Were you on the other bank Dave because I can remember some nice photos you took of the Barracks there?