Days in the Sun!

Last few days of our holiday, and we were off to visit family - with a stopover in Stratford on the way.

The weather was still beautiful, and the drive through the Welsh countryside was stunning.

Along the way we also took the opportunity to revisit Brockhampton Estate - just as picturesque as we remembered, but so hot!

It felt even hotter when we got to Stratford - and our Travelodge was baking (no air-conditioning), although they'd done their best to keep the room as cool as possible.

At least by the evening it was a bit fresher outside, and we had a nice walk along the river - enjoying some the cooler air before we had to return to our Travelodge oven!


The next day we were moving on to visit family, where (thankfully) our room in the local Wetherspoons had air conditioning!


Wandered round the old home town (a walk or two might have taken place during World Cup football matches!).

Also took the folks for a sunny day out to the Suffolk village of Lavenham - very picturesque with its half-timbered medieval cottages and historic Guildhall:

All in all a nice (if rather hot) end to the holiday . . .

Ceredigion Coastal Path 8 - Aberporth to Cardigan

Today we were setting out to finally complete our challenge of walking the Ceredigion Coastal Path.  The official website stated that this section would be approximately 12 miles over three different stretches - as will be seen, one of us made it all the way!

For me, this was also the opportunity to smash my personal steps record - aiming for 50,000 steps I knew the walk alone would not be enough, so my day started just after 6am with a long walk around the local country lanes - clocking up my first 10,000 steps before breakfast!  

Doing this walk on a Sunday limited our ability to complete the walk using public transport, so we drove to Cardigan and took the still free weekend bus to our starting point at Aberporth.


The first part of the walk involved a long diversion from the coast around MOD Aberporth - with a long road climb up to the base and a short trek through fields / overgrown shrubbery before arriving at the top of the cliff.

The path along the coast here was also very overgrown and we ended up carrying the walking poles as they kept getting caught on the grass. Views of the cliffs below were few and far between, although we'd occasionally catch some dramatic scenery through the foliage.

It was also very still and hot, with lots of annoying little flying creatures buzzing around us (despite the insect repellent), all of which made the 5 miles to Mwnt feel interminable.

It was almost worth it - Mwnt is one place we'd like to return to, although I don't think we'll be walking there from Aberporth again!  It was nice to sit in the sun and refuel (with homemade energy bars), enjoying the view.


Needing the steps for my 50k step challenge (and also because I like going up hills!) I decided to walk up Foel y Mwnt while Sarah continued along the coast path.  The view from the top along to Cardigan Island was stunning and I was fortunate enough to see dolphins. Well worth the effort to get up there, and as I walk much faster than Sarah, it wasn't long before I caught her up, especially as she stopped for an ice-cream from the beach cafe!

The walk from Mwnt to Gwbert (another 3.5 miles) was mostly along the cliff edge, a lot more open and breezy, and with some stunning scenery. This is the one part of this section of the path I could see us doing again.

Initially the walk was enlivened by a small flock of sheep which got themselves stuck on the path ahead of us - we were 'herding' them for some distance before they finally made a break for it - but we also saw dolphins and donkeys.

There was a large diversion inland round Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park, which involved walking through fields (and not for the last time).


I cannot help but feel the owners of the Park have made an error in not allowing walkers through their property as a few of us may have stopped for tea and cake.

On the hill down to Gwbert, Sarah’s knee was giving her major discomfort, so the decision was made for her to wait in the Gwbert hotel while I continued and collected the car.

This is how Sarah ended her coastal path challenge, chugging cider, as having heard about my experience getting to Cardigan she has no desire to walk it!

The final leg from Gwbert to Cardigan (3.5 miles) followed the estuary, and was lovely, right up to the point where the path turned into a boat yard.

After this, it once more became fields and overgrown paths - I got turned around in one field and could not find the way out, perhaps I missed a signpost, and it was all getting a bit frustrating.

Very unglamourously, the walk finishes with a tight squeeze between the sewage works and an overgrown hedge before arriving in the main Cardigan car park.


Finally got back to the car, collected Sarah from the Gwbert hotel and drove us to Aberaeron for the now traditional post-walk chips - with a final stroll around Aberaeron to knock up a few more steps and reach my 50,000 steps:

It is very unlikely we will walk this complete section again as there were very few enjoyable bits, and for the most part it just seemed like a chore that needed to be finished. This section highlights for me, the difference between walking to complete a task and walking for enjoyment.

The final stats from my GPS recorder:

Distance 23.32km
Duration: 6:52
Moving Time: 6:05
Calories: 2493
Ascent: 679 meters

North Wales Days

With a few days off, decided we'd make our way up to North Wales and see a few castles (among other things).

First stop - on our way to Caernarfon - was Porthmadog.  Weather was a bit grey, but we had a nice a wander round the town, checking out the harbour and steam railway (although we didn't take a train - too mean!).

On to Caernarfon itself - booked into our accommodation at the Black Boy Inn, and just made it to Caernarfon Castle for a quick look round before closing time.



The castle really is a monumental building - you can see why it's a World Heritage Site!

Its walls provide great views over Caernarfon, and its labyrinth of passages, staircases and towers offer plenty to explore. 

The interpretation is also nicely done, as you happen upon artistic sights such as this model of Edward I's head in the Black Tower - reflecting on how he used Welsh legends to reinforce his position of authority over Wales.


The next day dawned sunnier, and we crossed the Menai Strait to Plas Newydd - the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey, now in the custody of the National Trust. 

The house itself is a long almost low building, with stunning views over Snowdonia, housing a range of exhibitions linked to the family, including memorabilia from Waterloo where the first Marquess lost his leg.

It was the Rex Whistler mural in the house which really captured my imagination though, and in the gardens we were particularly taken by a fern rockery fountain pool, where I caught this picture of a thrush visiting for a quick drink.

We had a good wander round the house and grounds - walking out through the woods to the Rhododendron Garden (although unfortunately we were too late to see it in its full glory).

By early afternoon we were on our way back to Caernarfon with time to revisit the castle and take a proper look around.  Finished the day's activities with a walk up nearby Twthill which offered more stunning views over the town and surrounding countryside.

The next day it was home via Conwy Castle - smaller than Caernarfon, but just as interesting, linked to the main peninsula by a castellated Telford bridge, and with an adjacent railway bridge also disguised to fit with the medieval zeitgeist.

In addition Conwy has a fairly intact set of town walls, most of which can be walked.  It makes for a fascinating excursion, seeing how the town has been fitted inside the encircling walls, which in places are even incorporated into the buildings.

From Conwy we moved on to Llanrwst, where we indulged in toasted teacakes, swimming in butter at the iconic tearoom by the bridge.  Then the final stop on our journeyings took us to Trawsfynydd lake where we walked over the footbridge in glorious sunshine.

All in all a nice few days in the land of castles - although there is plenty more to see!

Ceredigion Coastal Path 7 - Aberporth to Llangrannog

Another sunny Sunday, so time to get back on the coastal path - retracing our steps from Aberporth to Tresaith and completing the extra few miles to finish back in Llangrannog (where we'd parked up for the duration).

From there we took another Cardi Bach bus trip to the start of the walk in Aberporth, then followed the  'mostly' wheelchair friendly path to Tresaith.  (Although the hedgerows had gotten so high in places that anybody in a wheelchair wouldn't have been able to see much!)

With the dry summer we've been having the waterfall wasn't looking so impressive, and after a brief rest by the beach we followed the road and started the climb, past the Ship Inn and out of Tresaith.

The path climbed quite steeply to the top of the cliff, with some great views back over Tresaith towards Aberporth - although a touch of mist was by then coming in off the sea.

The path hugged the coast for a bit before it turned back inland around Penbryn beach (looking stunning below us):

The footpath descended (quite steeply in places) through green woodland - took a bit of a slip on these steps, but the cool of the wood was otherwise much appreciated, and we paused to admire the stream and the general ambience.






The path finally climbs again to emerge in the National Trust car park by the Plwmp Tart cafe. 

We came close to stopping for tea and cake, but eventually decided to press on - if we'd known then about the climb ahead we may have chosen differently!  It was a steep haul, with the sun very warm after the cool of the woods and the earlier mist, but we were soon back on the cliff path again, enjoying the views, as Llangrannog crept ever closer:

We arrived back in Llangrannog after about 3.5 hours - Martin had hoped to combine this walk with one of the other legs, but I wasn't sure that my legs were up to a 14-16 mile walk! 

I was glad we stuck with the shorter option - time for what Martin would refer to as my 'traditional cider' - sitting in the sun outside the Pentre Arms watching the world go by. 

Finally it was back to the car and home (no chips in Aberaeron today).

The final stats from Martin's GPS recorder:

Distance 9.43km
Duration: 3:25
Moving Time: 2:55
Calories: 1008
Ascent: 395 meters

Ceredigion Coastal Path 6 - New Quay to Llangrannog

Finally the weather was looking good, so we decided it was time to continue our Ceredigion Coastal Path journey from last year - when we had managed all the sections north of New Quay (finishing in September with New Quay to Aberaeron). 

Today we headed south  to complete the New Quay to Llangrannog stretch - driving to Llangrannog and taking the “Cardi Bach” bus service to New Quay to the start the walk.  (This way we did not have to worry about completing the walk in time to catch the bus back to the car!)

The bus trip itself was interesting, bumping our way along minor roads and stopping in a few of the places we would be walking through later - arriving at New Quay with time for Sarah to fortify herself with a huge slice of bread pudding from the bakery we coveted last year (Bosun's Locker).  Having substantially more will power, I abstained from indulging on cake calories before I had actually earned them!

Cake eaten, sticky hands washed and walking poles adjusted we finally set off (some 30 minutes later). Amusingly, the GPS trace shows me wandering around during this 'downtime' orbiting Sarah's position.

We firstly made our way to the end of the stone jetty - disappointingly, no dolphins were to be seen on this occasion, but there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine.  

The coastal path out of New Quay then took us past the Fish Factory before climbing steeply to the top of the cliff via a shale quarry and an overgrown path at the back of some houses.  Nice views from here back over New Quay:

The path hugged the cliff then all the way to Cwmtydu (the section way-point at about 3.5 miles in), with some spectacular coastal views over hidden coves, and winding up and down paths.

Along the route there is an old coastguard lookout at “Craig yr Adar” (Bird Rock), where we stopped for a few minutes looking at the wildlife - sadly again no dolphins, although plenty of dolphin watching boats!

This first part of the walk to Cwmtydu felt like hard work, and by the the time we reached the hamlet we were both feeling a bit broken. Sarah admitted she'd have happily stopped there and taken the Cardi Bach back to the car - but we had an ice cream and carried on, starting the long climb back up to the cliff top.  

(This pic and the GPS elevation profile below - Cwmtydu is at 8km - show just how much of a climb it was!).

The final stretch of the walk (5.9 or 4.2 miles depending on which information source you believe) saw us heading towards the Ynys Lochtyn peninsula, and the distinctive shape of Pen y Badell hill, with its hillfort.

Along the way we passed the Urdd residential centre and its somewhat incongruous dry ski slope (just visible on the left of the above pic).

It came as something of a welcome relief when we finally reached the headland.  Although I did manage the detour out onto the Ynys Lochtyn peninsula . . . 

. . . while Sarah (claiming to be nursing a dodgy knee) made her way down into Llangrannog, for a welcome cider - as designated driver I had to settle for a diet coke  :(  - before the trek (uphill again!) back to the car park.

All in all a not unenjoyable, if rather exhausting, walk on a beautiful day, with fantastic views - perhaps we were just a bit out of practice!   

The final stats from my GPS recorder:

Distance: 17.35km
Duration: 6:21
Moving Time: 5:06
Calories: 1885
Ascent: 677 meters

Final treat of the day - chips sat at the harbour in Aberaeron!