Yes, I know what you are thinking. Doesn't she know how to get to anywhere else!? Well you may have a point, the blog is called Navigationally Challenged for a reason! However, on this occasion it was because I wanted to take the new kit there for the first time and the weather conditions made it just perfect.
This is taken from the Castle. Me and a solitary blackbird looking down over the beach. I am finding the new kit brings so much more life to my photos and I am loving that.
The crazy thing was that although it was the hottest day of the year so far, gloriously sunny with only a balmy breeze, there was still hardly anyone around. I am making the most of that because we all know how much I dislike crowds on my hikes!
The chap above was having a great time skimming stones and he was actually quite good at it too.
I joined Cadw last year so i get to go in an assortment of Welsh Heritage sites as often as I want and I have been into the Castle a couple of times. There isn't actually a lot left of it, just a few walls, but it is worth it for the views.
This side of the town tends to get a bit neglected, but the beach is fabulous and you can walk for miles along the coastal path, but I do love the parade of beautifully colourful houses.
Now I do know that there are regular readers who only want to know about one thing on my trips to Criccieth. Nice views? Whatever. Sandy beaches? Yada yada yada. Important Welsh Heritage? Yawn! Cadwaladers? Finally, now we're getting somewhere!
Of course I had to stop for breakfast and because I haven't been for ages, a simple toasted tea cake wasn't going to cut it. So Breakfast waffle with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup. Not too bad and got to be at least 2 of my 5 a day! And by heck it was lovely, and sitting in Cadwaladers looking out over the sea with the sun streaming in and warming my face, it was simply idyllic.
Only criticism of Cadwaladers is that they have stopped doing the rhubarb and cherry cake and I do really miss that!
So, suitably refreshed, on with the walk.
There were quite a few people with dogs playing on the beach. I believe dogs are not permitted after the 1st of May so they were all probably making the most of the time they had left, and there is little else that is as joyful to watch as a dog playing in the sea, chasing a stick.
Its a fair trek to the end of the beach, and being mostly stone is a good work out for the legs, but you are rewarded with a beautifully sweeping view and if you are brave and clamber up the rocks you have just walked to, you are rewarded with a peek at somewhere very special. Black rock sands. Seen this view many times and it still takes my breath away.
Something else that takes my breath away, but for completely different reasons is this...
And this..
Marine debris is still a terrible problem at Criccieth and although groups like The Plastic Project and "2 minute beach clean" are doing a fabulous job of raising awareness, there is still an awful long way to go.
And this gentleman, standing at the end of the jetty, watching the mist rising over the sea is certainly giving this matter some thought!
Lessons Learned: If I seriously want to get back on track with my diet, don't go anywhere near a Cadwaladers!
Diet Diary: See above!
Right. Come on Sharon. Bum in gear. Let's stop faffing around making excuses and get out there!
Oh, but everywhere is crowded. It's too hot. It's raining. I have housework to do. OK that last one never happened, but you get the gist.
It was when I found myself digging out the comfy jogging bottoms and cardis that I realised that something had to be done. And soon.
So first opportunity after the holidays, out I went. Ease myself in gradually I think, so back to Criccieth.
Going back for the first time in ages was like reconnecting with an old friend. Since my last visit I had joined Cadw, the Welsh Heritage Association, so decided to visit the Castle.
As you know I have been to Criccieth about 427 times, and so the challenge as always is to find a fresh approach.
So this is the view from the top, looking down onto the town and all the beautifully coloured houses. The sun was hovering, the clouds made an interesting sky and the rain kept off. But by heavens it was blowy at the top.
This is the view on the other side of the Castle, looking down onto the jetty with a couple of people precariously close to the end and the waves, admiring the view one assumes! Lovely to see the water that colour.
Regular readers will know that my hair has been a variety of colours over the last couple of years and is currently shades of purple. (went a bit overboard with Plum and it completely covered Flamingo!) I love it and what I hope it says about me, but at the top of the Castle, it was so windy and my hair kept going in my eyes. So I decided to put on my hat and it was awful. It was almost like wearing a mask, covering up an important part of what I am. It was the strangest feeling, almost an anonymity, so the hat came off! I have never been one to seek the limelight, but I like the feeling of being a bit different that the unicorn hair gives me!
Not sure what I am going to do when it gets really cold! Do they make see through hats?! I'll Google it.
I love this view from the Castle, through the arrow slits (apparently that is the official name because Google said so, although it doesn't sound grand enough). You can imagine that that is exactly the same view the archers would have had when the Castle was built. Keeping away those marauding English, nothing but trouble them!
After the Castle, I followed the railway tracks for a while. Not taken up train spotting yet, but I hadn't done it before, so I thought I would see what I found. And I found this by the crossing.
These gorgeous little pyramid stones with a sprig desperately trying to grow through the rubble. I am sure there is a metaphor for life there somewhere!
This is probably another metaphor, something along the lines that everything will end up in rust and decay anyway, so make the most of everything before that happens! But I do love a bit of rust!
So exploration started, new adventure beginning, cobwebs blown away and comfy trousers relegated to the back of the wardrobe!
Lessons Learned: Life is full of adventure and exploration. You never know what or who is around the corner, so take off the comfy clothes, grab your boots and discover what you are capable of! You won't be disappointed.
Diet Diary: You had to spoil an uplifting moment and ask didn't you! Well, don't. Not yet. We'll get there. Eventually. Still going with voluptuous, and after the selfies, quite frankly, ravishing!
