BLAENAU FFESTINIOG HIKE DAY 14

 Our last day in wonderful Wales for this holiday. Weather has held out for us, we drove to Blaenau Ffestiniog and hiked past Tanygrisiau Reservoir and up a steep climb to Llyn Stwlan reservoir. We took the easy way back on the reservoir service road. 

We expected to find a coffee shop in Blaenau Ffestiniog but it was like a ghost town, nearly all the shops were closed and hardly anyone about. Not much better in Llan Festiniog so we went to the lovely coffee shop called The Port in Porthmadog and had our last coffee and cake!

We have had the best time here in Wales, I have to thank Roy for all his planning and hiking routes. My hero!

We will return I hope one day, its a great centre for walking.

                                    TANYGRISIAU RESERVOIR

                            FFESTINIOG RAILWAY

                            PRETTY IN PINK

                                    LLYN STWLAN RESERVOIR

PANORAMA FROM LLYN STWLAN RESERVOIR

                            ROCK CLIMBERS

                            SLATE MINE REMAINS

LLEYN PENINSULA DAY 13

 

Our penultimate day in wonderful Wales, we drove over to Porth Dinllaen and had a wander around this pretty area, chosen by Roy as it’s on all the maps of the area!

Sunshine blessed again but a stiff breeze, we enjoyed lunch on the beach then drove to the other side of the peninsula to Abersoch, coffee shop failed but we got takeout coffee and cake to enjoy on the beach.

A lazy but great day without hiking boots!

This to me, puts life into perspective:

I woke this morning with a sore on side of mouth and sore inside nose.

I then took a chunk out of side of my nose while pulling my top over my head.

I knocked a scab off the back of my hand, and it poured with blood.

We walked down to Porth Dinllean and left money in car so not able to get a coffee on beach at the Coch Bar

Roy went for rucksack to eat food on beach and swapped bags so didn’t bring spare camera battery which had run out.

I dropped my sandwich in the sand and it was lovely Comte Cheese and only half eaten!

There was a fly in my crisp bag.

BUT

Life is wonderful, we have each other and we are blessed with our health (fingers crossed)

Sometimes its good to write things down to realise just how wonderful life is!

                    PORTH DINLLAEN

            PORTH DINLLAEN

THIS IS THE CLASSIC PHOTO THAT ROY HAS SEEN ON THE MAPS OF PORTH DINLLAEN

                    PANORAMA OF PORTH DINLLAEN

                            ABERSOCH

            A FEW OF THE MANY BOATS MOORED AT ABERSOCH

                    COFFEE AND CAKE TIME 

                    ST TUDWELS ISLANDS

NANTMOR - BEDDGELERT - NANTMOR HIKE DAY 12

We were blessed again with a sunshine day, had a short drive to Nantmor then hiked over a lovely pass and down to Llyn Dinas, where people were swimming in the lake! Too cold for me!

Had half our lunch at the lakeside then did a quick getaway as a huge school party were heading down. Back up another mountain, not as map as we went over it, rather than along and round. Roy's map reading changed again to his sense of direction and we got down into Beddgelert to enjoy tea and scones!

A lovely end to the hike along the river.

                OLD MINE WORKINGS

                ALMOST TO THE PASS

                SNOWDON IS THE MIDDLE MOUNTAIN IN THE DISTANCE

                        LLYN DINAS

                ROY ABOUT TO GO OFF PISTE!

                    AFON GLASLYN
 

HARLECH HIKE IN THE MISTY RAIN. DAY 11

 

We made the best of a poor weather day, had a short drive to Harlech, walked along the huge deserted beach with pretty sand dunes and lots of washed up Portuguese Man o War jellyfish then the plan went a bit wrong. 

My intrepid map reader Roy got us up from the beach and into the lanes and tracks and fog and got bit lost then his sense of direction took over from his map reading skills and he got us back to Harlech and the coffee shop. Despite the rain we sat and enjoyed the delicious coffee and cake. A quick view of the castle then back to the car in the rain. 

                            PORTUGUESE MAN O WAR

                        PLAYING PASS THE BALL ALONG THE BEACH

                    THE MIST CAME IN

            HAVING TO RESORT TO TAKING PHOTOS OF SPIDERS WEBS!

                        ROYS FAVOURITE TIME!

                        NOT THE STEEPEST PART OF THE WORLD FAMOUS ROAD

                        HARLECH CASTLE

SNOWDON DAY 10

 A glorious day for the ascent of Snowdon, we were up and at the car park by 9am.

Roy chose the Watkin Path, Britain's first designated footpath created by Sir Edward Watkin and officially opened by Prime Minister William Gladstone in 1892.

8 miles there and back and the sign said 6 hours, we did it in 5 hours 50 minutes including lunch at the top for 45 minutes.

A lovely track up apart from a section of really rough rocks just before the top. this is the worst part of the walk.

Most of the trail had big slabs of slate or rock to walk up. Much better than the Pyg track everyone seems to use.

At the summit we were amazed to see the crazy humans queuing up to take a photo from the trig point. Sheer Madness!!

We had a wonderful hike!

                ROY EATING FLAPJACK FOR ENERGY!

                            AND PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!

                    VIEWS FROM SUMMIT

                MY PHOTO OF SUMMIT MINUS THE QUEUING!

                        LUNCH TIME

                AND STILL THEY QUEUE!

   THIS IS OUR TRAIL WE CAME UP AND ABOUT TO GO DOWN

THE LONG WAY DOWN

            

                    AND STILL THE CRAZIES QUEUE, AS I ZOOMED IN ON THE THEM FROM DOWN THE PATH