Category: travel
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Teifi Valley Trail, day 4: Lampeter to Llanybydder
These days Lampeter is a quieter place than it was. The main reason is the loss of St David’s College. The closure of a university is a blow for any town, but when that town is small and rural and far from a rail line, and when it has no other economic focus, then the…
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Teifi Valley Trail, day 3: Llanddewi Brefi to Lampeter
In Llanddewi Brefi the night has been hot and close, and sleep difficult. Awaking before five o’clock, I find it impossible to nod off again; a wood pigeon sets up a constant call as soon as it becomes light. So I have an early breakfast in the New Inn, pull on my boots and make…
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Teifi Valley Trail, day 2: Pontrhydfendigaid to Llanddewi Brefi
I’d arranged to meet a friend, H., for breakfast in the Black Lion in Pontrhydfendigaid, but she rang to say that, because of her asthma she’d need to stay indoors at home in the morning to avoid inhaling the wildfire smoke. So I make an early start, pass through the village, cross the Teifi bridge…
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Teifi Valley Trail, day 1: Teifi Pools loop to Pontrhyfendigaid
Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida) is the official starting point of Teifi Valley Trail. At least it is if you’re walking from source to sea, which is the best way, unless you’ve mastered the art of reading guidebooks backwards. It isn’t the easiest place to get to, if you start out from Mumbles, as I have. …
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Three Castles Walk, day 2: Llangattock Lingoed to Grosmont and Skenfrith
Another hot day looms. This morning, to avoid the worst of the late afternoon heat, I’m starting out earlier, at eight o’clock. P & C have kindly given me a lift to where I left the Walk yesterday, south of Bont. A slight breeze has blown in overnight. The road leads eastward. Swifts dart about,…
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Three Castles Walk, day 1: Skenfrith to White Castle and Llangattock Lingoed
In my cycling days I used to mooch round north Monmouthshire often enough, but it’s a while since I did much wandering there on foot, except when tracking Offa. So the Three Castles Walk seemed a good way to rediscover the area – like Radnorshire, a place full of unpeopled paths and quiet lanes. It’s…
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In Nantlle
These are torrid days. On my way to the Mumbles shops this morning, on the shaded side of the road, I met an acquaintance walking with her stick and small dog. She looked down at the dog, a pug with a facial expression of one with a long prison sentence still to run. ‘He’s as…
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Snowdonia Slate Walk, day 8: Capel Curig to Bethesda
On the map today’s walk looks straightforward. The Trail leaves Capel Curig and moves east and then north to Bethesda, its final destination. Surely there should be no navigational problems this time? The worst we should face will be spots of rain. Some small rain has already fallen, the all-sun weather of the last few…
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Snowdonia Slate Walk, day 7: Penmachno to Capel Curig
If yesterday was Mountain Day, today is the Day of the Three Rivers, Afon Machno, Afon Conwy and Afon Llugwy. And because the Trail, on the whole, follows the course of the rivers, the going promises to be much less challenging than yesterday’s. The other factor is that yesterday’s furious wind has dropped to a…
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Snowdonia Slate Walk, day 6: Llan Ffestiniog to Penmachno
M has left us for Cardiff, so we’re now reduced to a trio. Our taxi turns up on time today, and takes us back to Llan Ffestiniog. We leave the village and drop down through fields to make for the Cynfal Falls, whose waters cut a gash of white though the dark stony ravine. The…