The Watkin's Path

So, today, first major hike to a new place in ages. After brief stop at Misty Mere (see previous post) I headed for Snowdonia. 
After the obligatory coffee, but no cake:-( at Cadwaladers headed for the Watkin's Path. This is supposedly the hardest walk to the summit of Snowdon but I have been told (thank you Adrian) about a beautiful waterfall there, long before it starts to get really hard going. Plus, it's been ages since I have been anywhere new on my Snowdonia App!
After the Summer, my fitness levels have dropped, so will work up to the top another time.
On the way there I pass Llyn Gwynant, and as ever distracted by something pretty, I stop to take a couple of shots.

I took a few of just the lake, the reflection and the hills, but felt that they were lacking something, so gingerly crossed some swampy ground to get a different angle and something in the foreground and I think it works so much better. The water was quite still and the sunshine just lifted all the colours so I am really pleased with this shot.

Headed then to the Watkin's Path. The walk starts off gently through some beautiful light dappled woodlands and over a small waterfall. 

The sun was out and quite strong by this time, so it was lovely and cool in the woods. However, at the end of this part of the walk, the vista opened up and the scenery was breathtaking. To one side of you the waterfall, to the other valleys and mountains. With the sun shining and a beautiful blue sky, it was heavenly. 

Something I have found with my photographs is that they can't capture a magnificent landscape adequately. You don't get the true feeling of distance and depth, so I am not happy with most. This one is actually near the top of the path, after the water fall, but gives an idea of the view.

As I approached the waterfall, the path seemed to veer away from it, which was not good. So I jumped a wall and headed down through the undergrowth to get closer. OK, maybe not jumped, more inelegantly clambered over. But it was worth it.

It was so beautiful. The water cascaded down into beautiful crystal clear pools and the noise was deafening. I decided to forego the path and follow the waterfall to the top, crossing over the "bridge" pictured above. Being a bit accident prone of late, it was with some nervous trepidation that I slowly walked across it, but luckily emerged unscathed and more importantly, dry!

As I climbed further up, more waterfall appeared, there were layers upon layers of beautiful pools and wild flowing water. It was a sight to behold.

The pools were deep and clear and thought they would be ideal for this "wild swimming" I have heard about. It was so hot, I was tempted myself. Even got so far as taking off a boot and sock and dangling my foot in the flow. It was really, and I mean really, cold. So I went no further as blue isn't a good look for me!

As you climb higher, there are the ruins of slate quarry buildings, including the quarry managers house. Apparently, during the war, the fighter pilots used to use this house as shooting practice, and you can see the bullet holes along the walls. The quarry manager had moved out by this time of course.

It was one of those days and places where I had to keep stopping and looking around and just let it all sink it. The weather was perfect, the scenery staggering, the waterfalls so powerful and best of all practically no one else around! 

The waterfall seemed to flow from a small windy stream and it was hard to see how such a small amount of water could turn into the raging torrent I had followed.

Now the walk turned serious. I climbed up to the slate workers barracks and followed a very steep path towards Snowdon. It was hard going and very hot. I had filled my water bottle a couple of times from the waterfall, so at least I had plenty to drink. There is something very special about drinking fresh mountain water at source!

I paced myself and got quite high, with the top of Snowdon tantalisingly close, on the left of the following picture.

Wasn't the sky amazing! However, it got to the stage where I was having to rest and recover for longer than I was walking, so decided that was probably enough for one day. 

This is now my favourite walk ever, it has replaced the Precipice Walk in my affections, I'm afraid that I am fickle like that! Always looking for something new to tempt me!

This will be revisited often, and now that I have the replacement adaptor for my tripod (£9.99 for something the size of a pound coin!) I will go again soon and play around with some silky water shots.

I now have a companion on all my hikes who will be featuring in their own page. Look out soon for the Chronicles of Bert.

Lessons Learned: Know when to stop. Don't want to risk causing damage or injury to myself or the poor soul who is sent out to rescue me!

Diet Diary: Not been brilliant. Had a good week, bad, bad weekend. Hope the hike has helped.

Mini Adventure. Heading South. Day 1 part 1

I had the opportunity to get away for a night again, so decided to try somewhere new. Fancied going a bit further south towards the Pembrokeshire Coast so booked an overnight at Borth and looked forward to exploring the area. Going to split the trip into a few blog posts, otherwise it is going to be way too long.

First stop was Dolgoch Falls. This had been recommended to me by Richard (See photographers to inspire) and it sounded gorgeous. So early start on an absolutely glorious morning and got there 10ish ready to freshen up and go on a hike. Unfortunately there were no facilities (open during "the season" which apparently July 1st isn't) and I didn't have enough change for parking. Again. When will I learn!

Passed the station for the Talyllyn Steam Railway en route so thought I would try there. It is a very quaint narrow guage steam railway and the two lovely ladies working in the tea room couldn't have been more helpful, providing tea and toast and listing all the best places to visit locally.
So suitably refreshed I headed back to Dolgoch. 

The walk follows the river upstream and over a series of gorgeous waterfalls. The way up to the first one is paved and is accessible for all mobilities. Then the path gets a bit more steep and tricky, but no problem for a seasoned hiker in sensible shoes!

The setting was idyllic. It felt almost like a bit of a tropical oasis. You had beams of sunlight shining through the trees and the only sounds were birds and the rushing of the water. It has been suggested that I go into a bit of a dream state on my walks and I think that is sort of true. Because I tend to do these solo I can completely switch off. My mind can wander where it will and its all very Zen. This does probably explain why I get lost so often!

You could cross the stream in a few places and I just loved this bridge.

Apparently there is an abundance of wildlife there but I haven't yet developed the patience needed to wait for it to appear. If they drop into my line of vision when the camera is poised, great. If not, then they have missed their photo opportunity!

It was nice tho to be able to set the tripod up and play around with shutter speeds and change the look of the water. I find waterfalls quite tricky to get a good photo of. Generally they are long and thin and surrounded by an awful lot of green and although spectacular in real life, can be a bit flat in a photo. Took loads and these are probably the best. I find that the camera can never completely replicate the detail that you see with your own eyes. Your brain compensates for the differences in brightness much better than any camera so you are able to see all the contrasting detail. Plus there is nothing like standing there feeling the spray, smelling the freshness in the air and hearing the roaring of the water as it wends its unstoppable way.

There is a picnic area at the top of the falls, but unfortunately the bugs got there first. Now that I have pink hair I think they mistake me for a flower and I am covered in bites which are currently driving me crazy!

Spent a very happy couple of hours here then headed for a castle that my tea ladies had told me about. It is at the end of a very narrow, windy and steep road with a bit of an uphill hike at the end of it. Although there is not an awful lot of castle left, the views are fantastic all around. There are plaques all around showing how the castle would have looked and apparently it was well defended with a series of deep ditches for the invading armies to fall into and then have all sorts of unpleasant stuff poured over them!

End of my first morning and a lot of ground covered.

Lessons Learned: Talk to the locals as they know all the hidden treasures.
Wear bug spray.

Diet Diary: So the extra bit of hiking didn't compensate for the comfort eating last week and I put on 1.5lb! Still feeling determined this week.

Llyn Ogwen and Cwm Idwal

I think I have attempted the Cwm Idwal walk about 5 times so far and due to adverse weather or unwilling companions have not managed to get all the way around.

Well today I was determined. Partly because I wasn't going to let it beat me and partly because having had a really stressful few days the diet has taken a bit of a hammering and so some serious hiking was a bit of a necessity if I'm not going to break the scales at Slimming club tomorrow!

So I parked up by Llyn Ogwen and walked to the Visitor Centre. The scenery here in the Ogwen Valley is so dramatic and although you walk along the A5 there is very little traffic.

By the Visitor Centre (where there are toilets and a cafe selling some gorgeous cake, but only to those not needing to get back on track with their diet) you follow the path up and very quickly come upon the view below. The peak in the distance is Tryfan. This is one of the most recognisable peaks because you can see a reclining facial image. Apparently some say Native American Chief with headdress, or Neolithic Man. Although the current most popular is apparently Homer Simpson!

Just along from this view is a small wooden bridge that goes over a waterfall.

This view is from the far side of the bridge, looking back to Llyn Ogwen. The gate in the centre has been designed to reflect the landscape of Cwm Idwal.

There is an obvious designated path which takes you along the side of the lake, towards Devil's Kitchen, the scooped out end of this glacial valley.

So far so good. The weather is beautiful with a cool breeze making it perfect hiking weather. At the far end of the lake the path suddenly gets very steep. In the picture above, right in the middle, you can see the slope. You follow that path to its end and then scramble up the side of a waterfall which you then have to cross. The path gets a bit vague here and I did my usual trick of waiting for a couple of hikers to pass and then follow them. 

This of course only works if they are heading the same place as you! After we had all been climbing for quite a long while over some very steep and rocky terrain I thought I had better check that this was the right way. Of course it wasn't. They were heading to the top ridge of the Glyderau mountain range and we were almost there. I had missed the path down to the lake completely. Seem to have done something similar before! Still the views were fabulous.

At least I could see the path from up there and it was a heck of a long way down! Still, undaunted, I retraced my steps and headed back down. I slipped once and have now had my first hiking injury. Caught my foot between 2 rocks and came out a bit bruised and bloody. Although to be fair, if I'd known that the hike was going to be so hard I would have worn my walking boots and not my shandals. (Shandal, cross between a shoe and a sandal apparently, who knew!)

So eventually found my way down to the banks of the Idwal. I was tempted to paddle, but unfortunately time was short as I hadn't expected to detour quite so much and I had to get back for the school run.

So I have finally done it, and then some! Definitely going to do it again, and maybe next time I will leave myself enough time to climb to the ridge of the Glyderau.

Lessons Learned: Next time I follow someone, make sure we are heading for the same destination!

If going mountain climbing, wear boots!

Diet Diary Had a good day today. Will find out tomorrow if it has compensated for the sins of the weekend!

Pistyll Rhaeadr

One of my favourite places and the scene of one of my earliest solo excursions. Limited by school runs and horrified by the amount I have spent on petrol recently, I decided to keep it quite local.
Pistyll Rhaeadr is a beautiful waterfall in the Berwyn Mountains, just inside Wales and west of Oswestry and Shrewsbury. At 240ft or 80m it is the UK's tallest single drop waterfall. Or at least that is what it said on the website!

I decided that today was going to be about the photography rather than the hiking, so I packed lenses, filters and tripod. Its a great place to play around with shutter speeds and I have experimented quite a bit.

These gorgeous creatures guard the bridge that crosses the river that the waterfall flows into. The bridge is the perfect place to stand and take photos. Not just because it has a perfect view of the falls, but because it's flat and the tripod doesn't wobble!

To get to all the little tributaries that flow into the big waterfall you have to climb to the top! I did this once before but went up completely the wrong way and ended up scrambling through ferns, bracken and heather which, believe me, wasn't pleasant. So, especially as the beautiful weather had tempted me to venture out in cut-offs, I decided to find the easier path. There are 2. One is very steep with large uneven steps, the other a gradual sweeping incline. Guess which one I found first!

The top of Pistyll Rhaeadr is incredible. The views are amazing and you can see for miles. Its a heck of a climb, but so worth it. There are many little cascades and you can follow the river for quite a long while. Here are a couple of my favourite pics from the top.

I had the camera on the tripod and manually focussed using the live view which helps a lot, although I do have to dig out my reading glasses to be able to see clearly otherwise I can't tell if any blur is due to the focussing or just middle age!

Again I was practically the only person up there and sat for a while on a rock just dangling my feet in the rushing water, felt like a kid again.

Some parts of the top level are very swampy and its like a military manoeuvre getting across, but by channelling my inner mountain goat, I managed it. Was worth it if only to come across these weird and wonderful tree creatures.

Found the gentle undulating path down (typical!) and headed back to the car and home, only to stop with a screech of brakes when I saw these growing out of a tree:

Got to be Alien!

btw. Family have staged an intervention re the tattoo and I have promised to consider it for at least a month before I do anything drastic. So watch this space!

Lessons Learned: Sometimes its good to regress to your childhood. Paddle in the sea, dangle your feet in waterfalls and clamber over large rocks in an inelegant and wholly inappropriate manner! Life is for living!

Diet Diary First week at Slimming World and 4lb off. Very pleased and feeling determined, but then I may have said that before!

Criccieth, Morfa Nefyn and Llyn Ogwen

So now that I have a willing, if occasional, companion on my walks, I decide to share with Carl some of my favourite places. 

So we headed off to start our day. Morfa Nefyn. Carl had played golf at the club there way, way in the past and could remember there being a pub on the beach. Funny what sticks in the memory!

The day was beautifully bright and sunny so I took a chance and left the tripod in the car. I can't actually believe how glorious the weather was. The sky was pure blue and the sea a proper mediterranean sea colour.

You can follow the beach for a long way and most of it was reasonably empty, bearing in mind that it was sunny and in the holidays. All except for the tiny bit of beach around the pub which was packed. Funny that! Think of the pictures of the beach that usually accompany The Sun's "Its a Scorcher" headlines and you'd be heading in the right direction.

However, we still managed to find some pretty beautiful tranquility a bit further around. We followed the path which climbed up the cliffs to the golf course. However, there were people playing so we thought it prudent not to be in the line of fire! Although after watching a couple of people play, the safest place on the course was probably by the pin! Tho I shouldn't mock as it was never anything I was any good at, but with this new found determination, maybe I should have another go!

After Nefyn we decided to head for the mountains. Tryfan to be specific and to see the waterfall near Cwm Idwal. Quite a lot of people around again. I really do think I am going to struggle through the summer when everyone else is out and about too. 

I love this waterfall. If any of you remember my icicle picture, that was taken of the tree sticking out the middle during the winter.

I have been here many times now but never managed to get all the way around the lake. Didn't on this trip either, but got further than I had before, all the way to Devil's Kitchen. Quite impressive. Then the sun dropped below one of the peaks and lit the sides in the most beautiful way.

It was starting to get a bit darker in the shade and I didn't have my tripod, so I upped the ISO a bit but I have realised that although it may be a bit cumbersome, I really should have the tripod with me at all times. I would have liked to have a long exposure attempt on the water, maybe next time when I do finally get all the way round!

So home via Llangollen for a gorgeous curry at The Simla. Its been a long, eventful and completely fabulous day!

Lessons Learned: I must try not to get territorial as just because I have been the only person in many of these places at times, it doesn't make them mine!

Rhaeadr (waterfall) Cynfal

One of the best things that I have on my phone is my Snowdonia App. I found it on this website: snowdonia app and it is extremely useful. It details dozens of walks around Snowdonia suitable for all abilities, from the Hard Mountain Walk to Accessible Walks. You can take it for a 9mile walk up Snowdon or a fifth of a mile along a beach. I have decided to work my way through them, getting more adventurous as the fitness levels slowly improve.

So todays plan was the Moderate Leisure Walk to Rhaeadr Cynfal. A 3 mile circular hike from Llan Ffestiniog.

Early start again, and managed to catch a gorgeous sunrise just the other side of Bala.



That is going to be the main downfall to the start of summer, the sunrises are going to be ridiculously early!

The App is fantastic as it tells you each step of the hike, which paths to follow, which gates to go through plus gives some interesting information about your surroundings. When you have as little sense of direction as I do, every bit of info helps.

The walk started off by taking me through a field of rather gorgeous black sheep. Its a little unsettling to have a whole flock of sheep stop what they are doing and watch you pass by. I found myself apologising for disturbing them and I must admit its not the first one sided conversation I've had with sheep on these crazy outings of mine and I am sure it won't be the last!

So I am then directed through very dense forest and you can hear the waterfall long before you see it.

You walk down some steps right to the base of the fall, and although its not huge, it is very powerful and incredibly loud.

The walk then takes you through some wonderful deep woodland. It warns you that the walk might be a bit wet here, and its not kidding. After sinking ankle deep in mud, the remainder of the walk was accompanied by lovely squelching noises!

Anyway, out of the wood and the scene opens up and you get some amazing views of the snow capped Moelwynion. The hike takes you to the pylon you see in the middle of the picture below and up to the field with sheep on the right of it. A lot of uphill hiking. Must improve my fitness levels!

This then completes the circle and takes you back to Llan Ffestiniog.

After getting back to the car I decided have a closer look at the mountain and it is spectacular. Built in front of it is the dam constructed by the Ffestiniog Power Station and it just looks unreal to have a dam near the top of a mountain.

Lessons Learned: When the guidebook says muddy, believe it.

Talk to the sheep, they are very good listeners and they might be the only creatures within earshot for several miles!