Thursday 31 May 2012

Making our way down the Llyn

Rain, Mist & Blisters



I'm sorry to Dave's sister-in-law Muriel for calling her Audrey in last nights blog especially after her and John's kindness yesterday. I had the opportunity to apologise personally as they delighted us by waiting for us to arrive at Waterloo Dock at Caernarfon to commence our walk onto The Llyn Peninsula. John & Muriel walked with us for a couple of miles guiding us through to the Welsh Mountain Railway onto the cycle path. 


Most of the track is originally from South Africa as is nearly all of the rolling stock. The new track laid is one of the longest rail projects in the UK.
Rain had already been falling for sometime and we set off knowing it was likely to accompany us all day. Using the cycle route we made good time towards Pen-y-Groes where we headed back towards the coast along a country trail.

Dave decided to change into more robust water proof clothing and just at the moment he was struggling to get the saturated trousers off Bobby rang. I thought he was going to perform a summersault as he scrambled to find which pocket the phone was located and in reply to Bobby’s enquiry as to how he was he retorted; “one leg in and one leg out I’ll have to call you back”. Once suitably attired he called Bobby back to explain.





Dave has done very well today as he acquired a blister yesterday and has persevered through the pain as we clocked up nearly 20 miles and on more than one occasion his map reading and sense of direction kept us on the right track.





On our way through to Clynnog Fawr my brother Keith phoned to say he and my Mother were near by so we met up at Pontllyfni and it was their turn to watch us eat a late lunch, it was great to see them especially after making such a journey for a few minutes with us and helped us with setting off down the coast to St Bueno’s Church in Clynnog Fawr.



The church is an amazing building with wonderful windows and a unique footprint.

Sorry for the lack of photographs today but the constant rain did not help with conditions or photogenic opportunities. None the less it was great to arrive in Trefor especially as John & Muriel had phoned to arrange to take us back to the car in Caernarfon, we are extremely grateful to them for their kindness and support over the past couple of days.



Bobby and Helen joined us at our hotel and we had a good dinner in readiness for the last full day of walking tomorrow. The ferry master phoned back this evening to confirm all is well for the crossing on Saturday morning.



Facebook has gone wild since Keith posted a picture of us earlier which is fantastic, unfortunately there now seems to be a block on links to this blog from Facebook so if you are having problems please use this link; http://www.zen68936.zen.co.uk/pilgrim/blog.htm Thanks to Neil for putting this temporary fix in place and for taking up our cause with Facebook. Please keep liking and retweeting… as every little is very helpful!

Well thanks once again for taking time to read this and for your support. www.Justgiving.com/chrysalis-pilgrims-way continues to grow and we are delighted to hear that sponsorship from Mold Golf Club, The Crown Pantymwyn totals an additional £650 pushing the total close to £3,000. Another 20 miles tomorrow will put us within a 3-4 hour walk Saturday morning of the ferry.


Wednesday 30 May 2012

Abergwyngregyn to Caernafon

Two stunning coasts, ancient towns, hamlets, city, harbours and sacred places





Bobby and Bosun kindly drove us back to where we finished last night and we set off walking through to Aber Falls above the ancient town of Abergwyngregyn (stronghold of  Llywelyn ap Gruffudd) via the Coedydd Aber National Nature Park. The stunning falls are well worth a couple of miles detour with good car parking, display panels and way marks. 












We were soon back on to the North Wales Path taking us high over the town and overlooking Anglesey. Dave's keen ear picked up the sound of a Hercules aeroplane which we eventually sighted flying below us above the straights.














It was good to witness a shepherd caring for several flocks, working hard on his quad bike supported by two very well trained dogs whilst we enjoyed a nice gentle descent towards Tal-y-Bont. Once the off the path joined a steep road leading down to the road bridge crossing the A55 at which point the imposing Penrhyn Castle stood imposingly on the outskirts of Bangor. 






Arriving in Bangor we made our way up the longest High St in Britain to the Cathedral. It was really nice of (and very much appreciated) Dave's brother John and wife Audrey to join us whilst we ate our late lunch, checked on feet and changed foot ware, they were doubly kind in making a£10 donation for the collection tin! Bangor was busy and gave off a cosmopolitan vibe with quaint shops, old and new grand public buildings oozing vibrancy.










We chose to follow the cycle route to Caernarfon and enjoyed a brief interlude on the harbour at Y Felinheli away from the traffic noise and general business of the main road. Walking as close to the Menia Straights as possible it dawned on us how we were fortunate to be enjoying two coasts at the same time. 












Arriving in Caernarfon at Walterloo Dock the weather has changed considerably since Saturday. We have been watching the clouds getting darker all day and survived a couple of showers. 












It was great to see Helen waiting for us in the car park. Helen had represented us at the funeral of Dave Thomas in order we could continue the walk. Since Dave's untimely death our thoughts have been with Kath, Roly and family. Dave was a wonderful man and will be sorely missed though fondly remembered. We are saddened at not being able to attend his funeral but hope our efforts on behalf of Chrysalis will help to enable the charity to continue its work for families at distressing and difficult times.


The total on www.justgiving.com/chrysalis-pilgrims-way.com is growing so thank you to those of you who have donated, if you mean to and haven't yet, please do and if you know of anyone who may be able to help please forward the link to them.


Tomorrow looks like it will be tough with rain forecast for all day (good job we've kept out of the spray tanning studios) as we need to make a good inroad to the 50 or so miles left to cover before Saturday mornings crossing to Bardsey Island.


Thank you for your texts, phone calls emails and posts of support. 

Tuesday 29 May 2012

75 miles & 4 days completed and left to do

Another stunning day on the North Wales Pilgrims Way



Setting off from home at 08.30 made good sense allowing for a good nights sleep. We arrived back at Tal-y-Cafn (sorry for spelling mistake yesterday)
and headed towards Conway Water Gardens on our way to Penmaenmawr stone circles via Llangelynnin Church. A gentle slope helped us to settle into a good pace and was warmly welcomed by a hill farmer and his two black Labrador's who whilst wishing us well made a donation in the collection tin. 




Eager to maintain a good pace we resisted the temptation of Dutch pancakes at the water gardens continuing through a lovely hamlet of holiday cottages. 






The road soon became a track into Parc Mawr and what was a steep hill became a very steep track, we took it in turns to stop and admire the view as we gained height  (nothing to do with fighting for breath!) the vista of the Conway Valley and the Clwydians really is worth the climb. 







As we came through the woods we noticed derelict buildings hinting this was once quite a substantial settlement.








Leaving the tree line behind us we continued to climb and the stone walls prepared either side of the track us for the welcomed sight of Llangelynnin Church, dedicated to St Celynnin a local saint of the sixth century. 


The oak archway standing since the 12th century evokes strength and simplicity reflecting its setting perfectly. After visiting the church we stayed for a while to take a little lunch and to recover. 








On leaving  Llangelynnin we set off for the stone circles and after another hill enjoyed panoramic views into Conway Valley with the castle a prominent feature the further we walked the more of the coast we could see and the Great Orm and surrounding area take on a new magnificence when seen from above. 






                                     





 As we arrived at the stone circle above Penmaenmawr the clouds gathered and it looked as if it might rain with many of the famous wild horses lying on the ground appearing to agree. 







Fortunately it did not rain however the lower temperature and cloud cover made for easier walking. On leaving the stone circle we headed towards Llanfairfechan, a much welcomed mainly down hill section.


Making our way through the town we were struck by the many independent retailers making a return visit high on the list of things to de next. On reaching the promenade we walked along the coast through Nant-y-Coed Nature Park on our way to Abergwyngregyn. 


It was enjoyable and a nice change watching the many sea birds, looking out to Puffin Island and Anglesey. Rhys and Bobby met us at Abergwyngregyn from where we will set out tomorrow towards Caernarfon.



Please help to keep the total growing by spreading the news!http://www.northwaleschrysalistrust.org.uk/ 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Wales-Chrysalis-Trust/194819710552647 

Monday 28 May 2012

Gwythering Heights


An early start today with a quick photo call from where Helen picked us up less than 12 hours earlier.




The walk out of Gwytheryn commences from the right of The Lion Inn and I must admit that from a standing start the steep climb of some 500ft was a strenuous beginning of the day however once we got our breath back we enjoyed some spectacular views and proceeded towards Pandy Tudur via the moors. Wind turbines dominate the landscape and provide a point of reference. It seems there is a strong feeling in Gwytheryn that there should be no more, though I must admit to being comforted by their increasing presence as we made progress taking reassurance we should soon reach the heights above 
Gwytheryn. 

The Pilgrims Way takes you through several farms and we are both impressed with the openness and friendly welcome provided by the farmers we have come into contact with. Everyone we have spoken with is aware of the trail and are keen to pass on local knowledge and help us to enjoy their landscape. After one such interlude and a friendly exchange with a sheep shearer happy for a little break from his back breaking work we duly arrived in Pandy Tudur though not before some brave sheep and lambs decided to race us down the steep hill.

Once recovered from racing sheep we set off towards Llangernyw, a very nice walk especially once we joined a path running along side a stream that takes you into Llangernyw. 
The rhododendrons, bluebells, large deciduous, giant pines and cascading water complimented with a light breeze was very enjoyable. It was good to see Debbie Barton waiting for us when we arrived in the village. We paid homage to the yew tree in the grounds of St Dygain's Church which is estimated to be 4,500 years old and is recognised as one of the oldest living "things" on the planet. 






After we visited the Church Debbie joined us for a quick snack before all setting off for Eglwysbach, after a couple of cheery miles Debbie left us and returned back to her car.








It was beguiling as we began to recognise physical details in the mountains ahead, only yesterday these were purple silhouettes and it felt fantastic that by the end of today we would almost be within them. 






The heat and climbs made for a difficult couple of hours but once again the vista gave us much encouragement especially when we could see Eglwysbach and the Conway river and valley and the Snowdonia range providing a perfect backdrop. 






We safely negotiated our way down to the village and enjoyed a few minutes rest opposite the post office.








The final stretch today took us through to Tan-y-Cafe. The walk from Eglwysbach providing a great view of where we had been walking earlier and the neat white house's through the valley. Arriving at Tan-y-Cafe sligtly ahead of Bobby who had left an hour earlier to pick us up we walked across the bridge to enjoy the river Conway.

We are both tired today after the early start and a third day of continuous sunshine, however the journey so far has been very rewarding even if a little challenging from time to time, words of encouragement from Diane were very touching and Debbie taking time out to see us was uplifting and we do appreciate the support from so many. It was great yesterday for "official" raised funds to top £2,000 and we do know of approximately £600 of sponsorship has been pledged at Mold Golf Club and The Crown Inn, Pantymwyn so we are getting close to £3,000! Please help to keep the total growing by spreading the news! http://www.northwaleschrysalistrust.org.uk/ 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Wales-Chrysalis-Trust/194819710552647 

Sunday 27 May 2012

Day 2 another scorcher and more than 40 miles now clocked up

Phew! What another wonderful day walking the North Wales Pilgrims Trail. Leaving St Asaph this morning we were making good progress and had to stop and enjoy being treated to a swooping and diving exhibition from what we thought was a Red Kite not far from St Mary's Church, Cefn.


There are many old oak trees each it seems are numbered, do they know their unique ID?


We soon made up time and soon arrived at Bont Newydd, I don't think the bridge is very new now but it provides a stunning resting point before heading up through the woods. Dave was  relaying how in these woods he has seen deer when we noticed hoofed tracks and then on the horizon less than 300 yards away was a beautiful deer who seemed to be enquiring if we were talking about it, of course once spotted it disappeared into the undergrowth, magical moments like these make walking such an unpredictable pleasure. The next couple of hours were spent making our way towards Llanefydd taking time for our lunch looking back across to St Asaph, St Bueno's College and other areas we had walked yesterday.

A lovely if not trying walk then through to Llansannan, along the way marvelling at the hidden valleys reservoirs, farms, small holdings and hamlets. I could not believe my luck when seeing a coin embedded in the ground on a rough path, cleaning it up a little revealed a 1919 penny, I think many a tractor has ridden over it but it will now become a very real memento of our walk.


We appreciated a very hospitable welcome at the Black Lion in Llansannan and those who know us well may find this difficult to believe, but we had two pints each.... of orange juice and soda! Very nice atmosphere and very reasonable prices. Once suitably refreshed and encouraged by locals and landlord we set of towards Gwytheryn and for the next 3.5 miles climbed onto the edge of The Denbigh Moors, it was a relief once we had stopped climbing to enjoy the flat-ish walk. The final 3 miles or so were very difficult made more so by a missing bridge that made crossing a stream "interesting". We encountered some sheep with a new pastime of running at walkers, the strange thing was it seemed it had to be a mother and lamb taking it in turns to run head down at us. Fortunately we remained light of foot and avoided collisions, we did suspect that there might have been an old goat somewhere watching and commentating on their activity.



We eventually arrived in Gwytheryn at 8.30pm to be greeted by Helen asking if we wanted a pint.... yes you're right we refused as we've got an early start tomorrow walking to Rowen.



Bobby and Helen have been fantastic taking turns at picking up and dropping us off, Debbie and Neil have done a sterling job getting our efforts publicised with more donations coming through today. So please forgive this plug and reminder of what we are walking for; http://www.northwaleschrysalistrust.org.uk/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Wales-Chrysalis-Trust/ we do need funds to keep this service going so please do encourage family and friends to donate any amount to; http://www.justgiving.com/chrysalis-pilgrims-way

Thank you for your interest and look forward to updating you tomorrow... later!

Saturday 26 May 2012

We are on our way


Day one; Basingwerk Abbey to St Asaph Cathedral

We are extremely indebted to The Reverend Chris Potter who with his wife Jenny made a special effort to see us off on our way. Dave, myself our wives Bobby and Helen were especially touched by the thoughtful and inspiring service conducted by Chris, as I will reveal shortly we had good cause to draw on his words of praise and encouragement during our journey from Basingwerk Abbey to St Asaph Cathedral. Thanks also to Diane, Debbie and Neil who also helped to give us a wonderful send off.

With the words of wisdom and encouragement of Chris ringing in our ears we set off at around 09.00am Within a few minutes we began our climb from St Winefred’s well towards Carmel and hoping this would not set a president for the day we soon realised we had missed a way mark and had wandered half a mile from the Pilgrims Way. Fortunately we were soon back on track but had added an extra mile to our journey. Not long after 11.00am we arrived at Pantasaph unfortunately the tea room was not open but we enjoyed a procession taking mass. On through Lloc we soon were  taking in the view from Pharo Tower dating back to Roman times witnessing a wonderful feature of the wind on long grass as it appeared to be sea of green with rolling waves. We spent a while studying the stone feature of Maen Achwyfan. Feeling suitably inspired we walked through to Gop Hill via Trelawnyd. The next stage was quite difficult with the sun beating down and wading through knee high grass and unfortunately Dave mislaid his walking stick when stopping to take a photograph, however our spirits were again lifted on our way through to Trmeirchion when paying a visit to St Bueno’s College a stunning building in wonderful surrounds enjoying panoramic views through to Snowdonia and the Irish sea. The final few miles were very enjoyable as we fixed our sights on the tower of St Asaph Cathedral. We arrived at 8.00pm and were delighted to find Helen waiting to take us home for tea.

It has been quite a tough first day perhaps more testing than we had expected given the nice weather. Knowing how many family and friends were supporting us is motivation enough to keep going but the pleasure gained from seeing hares, herons, falcons some friendly cows, skitty horses, playful lambs and the comaradarie of Dave has made it a special day. The hedgerows are especially buoyant with colour and insect activity and after a good night’s sleep we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s stage which is just under 18miles St Asaph to Gwytheryn.

As the week progresses I’ll endeavour to add more photographs but hope the two attached will suffice for now!

Thank you for reading and support and I’ll try to get tomorrow post up a little earlier.



                                                               8.30am Fresh as daisy's
                                                
                                                          8.00pm daisy's are dissowning us!

Wednesday 16 May 2012

10 days to go and excitement is building for our walk on behalf of The North Wales Chrysalis Trust. Dave & I are expecting to walk almost 150 miles starting off at Basenwerk Abbey Saturday 26th May. We are delighted that the Venerable Chris Potter will send us on our way with a blessing just before we set off at 08.30am. When we arrive on Bardsey Island the following Saturday 2nd June, Hospital Chaplain, Kathy Collins has kindly agreed to perform a service for all associated with Chrysalis.
There are so many people to thank for their kindness with support and encouragement including Jane, Debbie, Diane and fellow trustees, we are also grateful for the donations made to date as we get closer to our target. Our Just Giving page is; www.justgiving.com/chrysalis-pilgrims-way donations of any size are really appreciated. If you are interested in finding out more about The North Wales Chrysalis Trust please visit our website at; www.northwaleschrysalistrust.org.uk 
Thank you for taking time to read this first blog we hope you will log in to follow our progress and please do spread the word to your family, friends and colleagues in order they too may support our cause.

Adrian & Dave