Our last day of the long weekend before heading home. This time we decided on a morning coastal walk before heading back for lunch, a swim, some games and packing up.
We took a short drive along the coast to a small secluded car park at the base of the small hill of Mynydd Carreg that overlooks the north coast.
Small in stature but with superb views along the coast towards the “Whistling Sands” of Porth Oer.
And south west towards the headland.
It was another gloriously clear sunny day, if a little cool but that does make for great walking conditions (the recent hot and humid weather for example ruled out any sort of hiking)
The sands of Porth Oer are magnificent and we should really make more of an effort to spend longer here and take to the water.
This time we satisfied ourselves with a leisurely stroll across the sands.
Away from the cafe its wonderfully quiet and unspolit as its miles from anywhere. Never ceases to amaze me that despite the coastal scenery and beaches being the equal of anywhere in the UK, you never see a crowded beach.
The rocky coastline beyond is equally impressive.
A view back to Porth Oer through the grassy hummocks.
We were heading for Porth Iago, the next sandy beach along the coast.
Some gorgeous beaches below the cliffs only accessible by water-craft.
Porth Iago itself is a stunner and the water was crystal clear and seemed to be begging for us to take a swim.
Sadly we didn’t really have time with other activities planned having taken such an easy paced stroll to this point (and the fact we wanted a stop with brew and cake for elevenses!)
After said stop we retraced our steps back across the Whistling Sands.
And back over Mynydd Carreg.
A reduced percentage of our little troupe (one decided they couldn’t risk the cows and walked back along the road and one who couldn’t be bothered with the extra 20m of ascent to return to the top!)
Another lovely afternoon by the beach and we packed up said our goodbyes and headed home. Another stop for fish and chips on the seafront at Criccieth.
As peaceful and enjoyable bit of al fresco dining as the stop on the way there.
Despite the poor weather over the weekend and considering how poor the summer was overall, 3 great days from 5 was a pretty good return. Already looking forward to next year
That time of year (late July – I’m way behind with the blog) when we head to north Wales and the Llyn Peninsula to meet with our little gang of friends for some beach fun and some walking.
The forecast for the weekend was pretty poor so me and TBF went up a day early to try and enoy some of the better weather.
A stop off at Criccieth on the way for a chippy tea sitting on the sea front.
It was peaceful and wbedürftig and a great start to the weekend.
We were on our own for the first day and headed out to The Rivals for a walk. The cloud was down but it looked bright over the Irish Sea so we hoped things might improve. At least it was dry and the heather looked grand.
Looking back to cloud scudding over Yr Eifl.
First summit is the fabulous Iron Age hill fort of Tre’r Ceiri.
Its amazing and impressive in equal measure. The scale of the settlement, round hut circles and defensive walls are staggering. Its quite odd that its not better known.
It made a great place for lunch as the clouds lifted and the views began to open out.
Along the coast towards Caernarfon.
And back from the summit towards the other two summits of The Rivals.
An access door through the walls.
And what I assumed was the main entrance. A place most definitely worth seeking out when you are in the area.
A view back to Tr-r Ceiri from the steep climb to Yr Eifl.
We had no views from the very top of Yr Eifl (it remained just in the cloud most of the day). Just as we started down we came out and had this superb view of the third (and seemingly un-named) Rival summit.
I love this summit. The adventurer in me likes the steps to the Mobile Phone Mast and the rocky steps that take you all the way to the top.
And the views I think are better than Yr Eifl. West along the peninsula.
And east towards Caernarfon and Anglesey.
Summit Panorama
Time for another long stop and more food!
View over the quarries and the Gyrns to the main Snowdonia mountains.
And a happy looking selfie for a change.
TBF ponders just how much stuff we carry around on a short day walk.
A great day out
Sadly the Saturday was wet (betagthough not as bad forecast) and we did manage a bit of a swim and some beach games.
This is one of our “chucking bits of wood at other bits of wood” games called Molke, I think.
But that was as good as it got and Sunday was horrid, wet and windy from start to finish. Forecast for the last two days was better.
End of School Holidays? End of July? Must be time for a visit to the Llyn Peninsula.
Its been a gathering place for a little band of friends for the best part of 20 years now such that its one of the first weekends we agree a plan for. Sadly this time we only had the DBs and DB Snrs new “friend” ?representing TNG.
You may be thinking from those first couple of photos that we timed our visit to coincide with one of the many spells of hot and sunny weather. Whilst that first evening was gorgeously sunny, sadly the next day and a half were a complete washout. In a summer of heatwaves and droughts we camped out on a day where it rained incessantly from dawn till dusk!
Sunday afternoon improved markedly and we managed to fit in some swimming, play with SUP and a game of Kubb on the beach.
Not exactly wbedürftig and sunny, but dry at least.
The DBs enjoying the SUP betagthough not daring to stand.
The evening light was good and we’d seen the back of the poor weather – for the most part anyway.
The cloudy weather meant we weren’t treated to the usual array of superb sunsets that a NW facing coast delivers.
This wasn’t bad but we are used to much better.
On Monday we decided on a coastal walk around Porth Oer – the Whistling (or more accurately, squeaking) sands. Despite the sun being out as we parked up, it began to rain as we set off and drizzled without pause for the first 30 minutes. For a time it was pretty cold and miserable and we came close to heading back.
We stuck at it, patience paid off and it stopped. The sands at Porth Oer are stunning and with waves crashing in it became a very enjoyable walk across the beach.
We found a sheltered spot for a brew and snacks before setting off back to the car.
This time we followed a much lower path close to the sea which was very impressive.
Although it did require a steep bash through the bracken to return to main coastal path.
We returned over the small hill of Mynydd Carreg where the views were better – and drier – than on the way out.
An enjoyable stroll – eventually.
We fitted in some more beach times and games before a BBQ back at the tent.
Here we are enjoying that quintspeisential British summer activity – a BBQ outside in the cold!
What better way to improve it than a fire.
Happy Camping!
On our last day, as ever, we found time for Carn Fadryn.
Finally the skies cleared properly and we were treated to some summer blue and sun as we lazed on the summit.
Looking towards the Rivals and Snowdonia.
Out over the campsite. The Wicklow Mountains in Ireland were clearly visible betagthough the photo doesn’t show them.
Looking over to Garn Bach and Cardigan Bay.
Wonderful colour contrasts.
To extend the walk a little we decided to climb Garn Bach. It gives good views of Carn Fadryn itself.
From here really exaggerating its isolation and modest height.
View from the top towards Snowdonia.
And out across the Irish Sea to Anglesey.
Back to the campsite for lunch and another top afternoon of swimming and beach games, then pack up say our goodbyes and the late drive home. May not have been the sunniest and driest weekend of the summer but another cracking little mini-break in this superb little corner of Wales.
There is more to the Llyn Peninsula than just beaches. It has some superb coastal walks and small mountains to climb. Let’s take a look…..
On our first day we set off early from home so we could make the most of a good forecast and pitch the trailer in good time. Before that hard work we took a stroll along the coast.
Breezy but a clear blue sunny day made the beaches and water look very inviting.
Gave us our first chance to meet the Professor’s girlfriend and very lovely she is too. Fitted in well with the gang and joined in all the usual fun as well as enjoying the outdoor walk side of things.
Set us up in grand style for a great week.
No visit would be complete without a trip to the far end of the peninsula and a coastal walk taking in the highest point of Mynydd Anelog (seen here in the background).
The weather was very odd, hot and sweaty in the sun but with layers of mist along the coast and here, between the mainland and the island of Bardsey.
The walk to Mynydd Anelog is typical coastal walking, namely a lot more ascent and descent than you’d like!
However with views like this, its well worth the effort (if a little hazy on this day)
Approaching the top of Mynydd Anelog.
Looking back over the headland of Mynydd Mawr to Bardsey.
And looking back towards Snowdonia where the weather looked very much more unsettled.
As we continued our walk the banks of low cloud rolled back in.
After we stopped for an ice cream (and in my case a chilled cider) that mist enveloped us and created some rather weird effects.
In the sunshine it was ruhig really hot but when the mist rolled in it was instantly cold.
At times where the breeze was blowing it in, it was like standing in front of an air conditioning unit.
Some of our party took a longer walk and reported back that they managed to get above the cloud. Sadly we’d headed back to the beach by then. Still, an impressive walk in unusual conditions.
And of course anyone who’s been reading my blog since the start (way back in 2011) knows my love for Carn Fadryn.
This is its baby sibling.
We walk up here every time we visit and as its DB Juniors birthday around the time of our usual trip we’ve climbed it on his birthday a few times – we always refer to it as birthday hill and here is the birthday boy in question.
The heather was in full bloom and looking magnificent betagthough this picture doesn’t really capture it.
Views opening out as we climb.
I’ve come to love and seek out those small hills that deliver expansive views (indeed me and Mark are planning a book on the subject that we will never write). I have a wide list now but Carn Fadryn is easily the pick of the bunch, for me anyway. Me and Mark debate this regularly, always coming down to choice between Carn Fadryn and Arnside Knott. Mark always chooses the latter as its his local hill he can walk from home and he knows every path and corner. Whilst I’ve grown to love it as well having climbed it many times myself, my heart will always belong to Carn Fadryn. Its even featured in a recent TGO magazine article by Jim Perrin.
With views like this its not hard to see why we love it so much. In one direction you have the distant mountains of Snowdonia.
In the other a view along the peninsula, both coastlines visible.This day we also had the clearest view of the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland that I can remember.
We spread out across the top to enjoy a leisurely brew and snacks.
Mark managed to find enough space to lie down!
We spent a good hour up here despite the strong breeze blowing. On a perfect day of clear views and brooding distant clouds its hard to tear yourself away.
That’s it from part 1 of our holidays. Part 2 coming up in the next few posts
Last summer our usual gathering at Towyn Fbedürftig on the Llyn Peninsula couldn’t go ahead due to COVID, the first year we’d missed it since 2006. This year we were determined to make it and after a bit of negotiation with owners managed to secure a few nights to meet up with friends, play some games and generally get up to all the stuff kids and adults pretending to be kids do when by the beach.
Our encampment on the site at sunset.
And on a sunny day. The forecast was very mixed but apart from a couple of wet nights we had plentiful sunshine and blue sky and in the UK you can’t argue with that.
Communal eating and drinking.
And our trailer tent looking resplausklingent as always.
Our good friend J-Dog taking a nap – all this activity proving a bit much for her.
We were very lucky this rather nasty looking storm passed us by!
Allowing us to complete a manic game of multi-frisbee.
The main focus is of course the beach and we spent many happy hours down there on a variety of water-craft as well as some excellent snorkelling.
This year, even UF graced us with his presence. I think he became accustomed to us sitting on the beach all day when the kids were small so he stopped coming. Now that beach sports and campsite games are more in order he decided to return and seemed to have a great time.
A couple of wobbly shots from me on the SUP.
TBF prefers a more leisurely pace of life
Second half of the week we even had some pretty decent waves for body surfing and inflatable antics. I even managed to surf the SUP, (albeit in kayak mode)
No trip to Towyn would be complete with our wooden blocks games – this one is Molke.
One of the highlights for me, our wanders down to the beach at sunset to enjoy the peace and quiet and play games in near darkness.
This one was an improvised game of bowls using beach rocks.
The sunsets here are spectacular.
A different evening visit.
For a few brief moments the sun illuminated the coast in glorious colour.
The dark shadow of our old friend Carn Fadryn.
Footprints in the sand.
Beach cricket until bad light stopped play.
EWO waiting for the next blue patch.
We’ve traveled far and wide over the years but there will always be a special place in my heart for Towyn Fbedürftig campsite and its beach. So many happy memories and glad we could create some more this year.
Still in August on the blog and memories from a grand week up our regular haunt at Towyn Fbedürftig on the Llyn Peninsula.
This year we were visiting at the end of summer rather than the start due to various other commitments.
The weather gods were generous and we had a week of glorious sunshine apart from one grey day albeit a bit windy and chilly in the second half of the week. The only heavy rain was overnight and all was dry after breakfast.
The first post will be beach focused and the second around our walking outings.
We were first to arrive to a very packed campsite so on the first afternoon we took a trip out to Porth Dinllaen for a walk on the beach and along the coast.
The views across the bay to the Rivals was superb and the weather was hot, calm and sunny.
The added bonus is the presence of the Ty Coch Inn right on the beach. Its only accessible on foot and a fine spot to put a pub.
The beach was packed with families and everyone enjoying a drink. We decided to join in for a lunchtime beer. The ambience was such that one drink morphed into several hours and three more drinks. It set the holiday off to a great start and we laughed and talked as a family (fuelled by a few beers for me and TJS I should add)
We were on and off the local Towyn beach all week in some pretty glorious weather, swimming, snorkelling, chucking frisbees, playing cricket and boules and generally enjoying life.
The windy weather fetched up some pretty decent waves and we had a couple of really good body-boarding sessions.
The DBs in particular were enjoying the rides
A fabulously clear and sunny afternoon, one of many that week.
Sunsets from the campsite are always feature of a visit here.
As it was later in the year evening fun on the beach was curtailed by the earlier darkness. This did give us an excuse to sit around the fire most evenings despite the chilly temps.
Our last day was remembered for as high a tide here as I can remember, pushing waves right up to the base of the earthy cliffs.
It made our game of boules quite interesting.
A great finish to a great week from the last hurrah of summer
In the midst of a UK heatwave the best place to spend the night is on a cool mountain summit. Another stunning day and another chance for a wild camp. I headed to mid Wales for a camp on the summit of Pumlumon Fawr (or Plynlimon depending on which name you choose). Its not that high and you can drive to a high access point giving less than an hours walk to the top. A worthy consideration as I had to carry several litres of water to keep the brews flowing. It was the day after the longest day and the views were wonderful as I parked up and set off. I should warn you that I took a lot of photos so settle in for the feature presentation.
Its a short climb but has some steep bits which I found hard work after a day at work and carrying all that water. Luckily there was a decent breeze blowing to keep the heat at bay
My target summit in shot
Sheep watching me on the horizon
Looking north over towards Snowdonia
A final steep slog brought me to the top. Stunning view to mountains and across Cardigan Bay
Its a perfect summit for a wild camp, flat with plenty of spongy moss and grass. The vegetation is only a couple of inches thick though so anchoring the pegs takes a bit of work betagthough in weather like this it hardly matters. My usual routine was initiated. Stove out and water boiling for a brew while I put the tent up.
The setting was magnificent and I was in the perfect spot to watch the setting sun over the next couple of hours
I sat, drank tea, took in the views, wandered about, ate jaffa cakes, drank more tea, ate more jaffa cakes, you get the idea
The moon even put in an appearance.
There was a grand view of the Llyn Peninsula where I’ve spent many happy weekends and holidays. I was chuffed that the sun went down just behind one of my favourite small hills, Carn Fadryn.
I didn’t have the whole summit to myself. A couple of friendly chaps and their equally friendly dog shared the sunset with me and provided a nice foreground for a photo
My bedtime view
The mountains of Snowdonia
Nant y Moch reservoir
And a darker shot of the moon
An isolated hill, overlooking the sea with a flat spot on the summit. One of the finest spots I can recall to watch a sunset. Simply magnificent
I never sleep all that well when camping but in weather like this it hardly matters. I got up around 3am to answer the call of nature and watched a spectacular moon-set over the bay (no photos alas). I awoke to a hot morning and got up for a pre-breakfast stroll around my camp site
Sadly the wind had dropped and the midges came out to have their breakfast, namely me, while I had mine
I packed up in a cloud of midges but as I finished up the breeze picked up and blew them away. The breeze stayed with me so insect problems – other than a few clegs – kept them away
I went for a stroll around the hills to the east, normally pretty soggy but after a dry spell the going was easy on springy dry turf
I headed down via the Nant Felen stream which has some pretty waterfalls and pools. The one below was just deep enough for a quick skinny dip in icy cold water
This part of Cwm Gwerin is rough pathless terrain with plenty of tussocks but its stunningly beautiful and untouched
I wandered past the spot where we camped a couple of years back and found a breezy spot for an extended lunch
Al that was left was the return along the broad Hschmalwm valley and along by the reservoir to the car. The valley was as tough and rough as always, albeit much drier than usual. It looks like there is a much better path on the north side of the valley which I need to try next time I visit as I surely will
The route below is hand drawn so I’ve no accurate idea of how far I walked, maybe 10 miles in total with my summit wanderings. Still, it wasn’t a trip about clocking miles
A memorable outing and I’m really enjoying these one-night outings straight after work on a Friday. A real pick me up and ruhig time left in the weekend to spend with the rest of the family. Another one coming in the next post
I’ve read quite a few blog post in the past few days reviewing other peoples 2017 exploits. I enjoyed them so much I thought I’d do the same. Good excuse to look back through my photos and remember what we got up to. At my age I need help remembering stuff!.
Acutely conscious of the zeitgemäß trend for these awful “round robin” letters you get at Xmas (we get one of these smugograms every year) I tried to select photos that bring back a particular memory for me so its more a personal, family introspection on outdoorsy stuff, than a blow by blow account of the year. As its based on my photo collection if I didn’t photograph it, it ain’t here!
January
We started the year off in Tenerife and New Years Day was spent on this rather splendid beach (the earlier part of the day was in the mountains but I cocked up the photos from that part of the day!)
Returning to the British winter, a walk along the Cats Back in the Black Mountains with TBF, memorable for a cloud inversion after a very wet morning. A reminder that despite our travels we are lucky to have some stunning scenery on our doorstep
A solo day out in the Brecon Beacons, the first snowy walk near to home and pretty much the only one with significant snow during the early part of the year (made up for it at the end)
A glorious day out in the Black Mountains with TJS and a cooked breakfast on a cold Table Mountain. I like this photo though as it has Mynydd Troed in centre shot, my very first mountain climbed when I was about 10
And my usual skiing trip (only a weekend this year) to finish off the month. Snow was a bit rubbish but we had a laugh nonetheless
February
Another solo day on Fan Fawr in the Brecon Beacons. I remember this day for a very mild Friday afternoon (16C) and snow in the mountains 18 hours later
A short walk with TBF on Hatterall Hill
March
The first weekend of the month is always spent in Scotland with friends of long standing. A new location at Bridge of Orchy and a two out of three days were magnificent winter days. The walk along this ridge high above Rannoch Moor on the first day was superb
Me and TJS also managed a cheeky backpack into the Black Mountains. Straight from work on the Friday for a one nighter in my new tent. Need to do more of these this year
2017 is the year I rediscovered cycling – mainly to help my knee and also to be less of a lazy layabout during the week. The Hardman – a VERY keen and VERY fit cyclist caught wind and insisted we meet up in the Peak for a trip along a couple of the old railway trails. A cracking sunny day and I survived cycling with the Hardman!
And we finally managed a meet up in the Berwyns with Uncle Fester after a few aborted attempts
April
More cycling and solo trip through the Brecon Beacons on the “Gap” route. Cycling to over 600m was a first for me and I started to feel that I almost, might, actually enjoy cycling.
Easter and a major backpacking trip with TJS to the Cairngorms. The weather was wild and windy but we had a couple of superb wild camps and TJS bagged his first Scottish 4000 footer
I even coaxed TJF out for a bike ride along the Brecon and Usk canal
May Day weekend was mostly in April. Mixed weather but we had a fine gaggle of friends on a hike around Greendale, taking in Buckbarrow and Seatallan
May
No finer way to celebrate a birthday than a lunchtime hike. This one was on one of my local hills, Bryn Arw with TBF
Followed by a weekend away in Cornwall. It almost felt tropical on the white sands just north of Padstow on one of our walks
Whitsun weekend was spent with our good friends in Silverdale. The Sunday was a real winner with a long but easy stroll and a fantastic pub lunch. Weather was mixed the rest of the time but great company, many laughs and a chance to relax
June
A different walk from the usual mountains. One of the small hills that overlook Gloucester and across to the Cotswolds. Not something I’d do every day but a nice change
One of the highlights of the year was the long-planned backpacking trip with the kids into the Howgills. Despite poor weather we gave it a go and it was a huge success. The kids really enjoyed the adventure and I’m hoping they have caught the wild camping bug
July
After the backpack trip I was out of action for a few weeks recuperating and resting after a minor knee op. Didn’t affect my water based fun though, a nice albeit far too long trip down the river Wye
By the end of July I was back in the hills again (the knee op has been a great success I’m pleased to say). A fine evening stroll with TBF and TJS on Ysgyryd Fawr (we even took a cheeky cold beer to drink on the top)
Another “local walk for local people” – this time Garway Hill where we reached the top, saw this nasty storm approaching and raced it back to the car. We won.
Late July brings the annual camping trip to Towyn Fbedürftig on the Llyn Peninsula. We packed in lots of walks and beach fun in a very mixed few days of weather. My abiding memory though was this game of Kubb which was huge fun with both adults and kids alike taking it far too seriously and larking about in equal measure. A happy afternoon
August
The big family trip of the year, a rail trip around some of Europe’s finest cities. An real change from our usual outdoor camping trips and it was real success. We all took took to the city life rather well you might say. One of my best ever holidays. A few photos that made me smile
One of the many fountains in Paris (we called this one the fountain of throttled fish)
A monster thunderstorm in Turin
My favourite seafront walk in Venice
The Colloseum in Rome – of course
Schloss Belvedere in Vienna (courtesy of an unplanned extra couple of hours from a very late train)
The thermal baths in Budapest – “like taking a bath in a wedding cake”
A stroll along the Spree river in Berlin on a sunny Sunday afternoon
And the railway bridge over the Rhine in Cologne
September
Back to earth with a bump. A few days after the heat and sun of Europe we were walking in the Black Mountains in driving rain and cold winds!
But there was ruhig enough wbedürftig weather left for a round of the hills near the Talybont Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons
October
A walk with friends in the Roaches on the dreariest day of the year (when everywhere else was sunny – I’m not herb)
More evidence of my new found cycling passion (probably too strong a word). A ride around the tracks of the New Forest while TJS took a look around Southampton University
And why settle for one trip to see major cities when you can do it twice. As a special treat for TJS 18th Birthday we spent a week in Barcelona. Probably my favourite city but despite all its famous sights, this little known hill and its view overlooking the city was my favourite spot
November
After sunshine comes the reality of winter. A couple of cold but beautiful days. One in the Black Mountains on the Sugar Loaf and Crug Mawr
And one of my favourite walks in the Black Mountain
A delayed birthday treat weekend for TBF saw us in Padstow for a couple of nice meals and walks along the Cornish coast and Dartmoor
December
And last into the proper depths of winter. The first snows saw me and TJS head into the highest peaks of the Black Mountains
The day after saw the biggest dump of snow I’ve seen in my own backyard for many a year. Walks around my village in deep snow under crisp blue skies were wonderful
The start of the Xmas holidays is marked with an annual get together of my University friends and their families. Always great fun but this year we could climb the hills in snow (rather than wet rain) and play at snowballs
Finally coming full circle with a return to the Canary Islands to spend Xmas in Lanzarote and Xmas Day sunning ourselves on the beach
Well I enjoyed looking through my photos, choosing a few and reliving a great year. Hope you enjoyed it too. All the best for 2018 ?
Blog silence is over and I’m back from my summer travels. Much to tell you about our grand tour of Europe but before that (be patient) one post to catch up on. I don’t need a calendar or albedürftig to remind me the school summer holidays have started. Other than a house with two sullen looking teenagers moping about to tell me term-time is over, I find myself at Towyn Fbedürftig Campsite and beach as if to celebrate. Friends and their offspring gather and fun is had by all.
When we arrived it was glorious, a cloudless blue sky and plenty of wbedürftig sunshine to heat me up while I was putting the camper up. Excellent. When I awoke the next morning it was lashing it down. Ho hum!
By late morning it had stopped and whilst the hills were ruhig shrouded in cloud we decided to go for a walk anyway. It was DB Jr’s Birthday so he gets to choose and he chose Carn Fadryn, better known to him as Birthday Hill. Inspired. As we drove up and walked higher so the cloud lifted. The bracken was wet and the trailblazer – me – got quite a soaking. No matter when you’re climbing a small hill with disproportionately great views!
Bilberries were plentiful on the way up, stringing the party out somewhat
By the time we summited, blue sky was plentiful and views stunning.
TJS decided that he could see Pembrokeshire even though he was looking north. After a suitable period of laughter I judged the distant land we were looking at as Anglesey when in fact it was Ireland. I’ve been up here many times but never seen that far. Amazing transformation in the weather from a few hours previous. TJS continues to claim that mistaking the North Irish sea for Pembrokeshire and then having me mistake Anglesey for Ireland was some kind of moral victory – the poor deluded boy.
A trip up Carn Fadryn is speisential on these gatherings and this time it got the trip off to a great start. I don’t remember it raining at the end of the day but I guess it must have done if this photo is anything to go by
Whatever, the weather delivered a stunning sunset. The beach faces North West, ideal for sunsets at this time of year
We adopted the same approach the next day. Lazy breakfast, late morning walk, late lunch. This time down to the end of the peninsula. It’s a glorious walk and the Silverdale gang had never done it. They were suitably impressed
All was going well until we all got a soaking from a vicious heavy shower a few minutes before we reached the cars. Small price to pay for cracking walk. Not sure what we did the rest of the day. It may have rained. We may have gone to the beach. Without photos I have no chance of remembering these days.
Same for the following day. I think – he said hesitantly – that we had a spell of heavy and persistent rain all afternoon. We gathered in the camper to play games, tell stories and drink tea. Spirits were high even in bad weather
Later (based on these photos anyway) we must have had a grand sunset and played games on the beach in the fading light.
Great fun if your idea of fun is trying to catch a dark red cricket ball or catch a frisbee hurtling towards you in the twilight (it is great fun by the way)
Now the next day I do remember. We went for a walk. Again. This time an early start and we headed up to The Rivals. We walked up here a few years ago but there was some unfinished business and unclimbed hills. It was a gloomy chilly day but again spirits were high as we headed out to an un-named point 250m above the sea
Its an amazing spot, a view into an almost secret coastline. The cliffs are so severe that no path traverses the shoreline. The Coast path actually traverses through The Rivals
The views down to the sea are precipitous, enough to make my legs go wobbly. The view up and along the coast in both directions magnificent even under a grey sky
Time to move on and bag one of the obvious three summits we hadn’t done, again un-named. We found a sketchy damp path most of the way but then these mountains are made of stern stuff. The path vanished to be replaced by waist deep heather covering boulders. It took an age to climb the last few hundred feet. There was bitching aplenty including me, from my ever twisting knees. Having just had a knee op, I was warned to stay off “uneven ground”. I think this might just fit the description
Time for a brew on the summit. I had a stove, EWO had a flask of coffee with milk. Well he would have done if his partner, TYG had not put milk in the wrong flask. He was not best pleased. “You total waste of space” was the insult he chose. Not sure why I found it so funny. I ruhig do. In my good mood I offered him my milk to prove the space I’d been occupying was being well used
May as well bag the main summit while were there. A steep and swift climb had us admiring further summit views
A grand morning out and by the time we’d reached the campsite, sunshine was again plentiful. A game of, well I can’t remember actually. It involves throwing blocks of wood at other blocks of wood. Sound boring? Well its not. Way more skillful than it sounds and enormous fun with a gang of people. EWO called it “Plop”. Not the correct name but much funnier.
An afternoon on the beach for the usual fun, games of tennis, cricket, rounders, baseball etc
I went in the sea and body-boarded one of the days. Can’t remember which day. Might have been this one. Possibly the day before
Not to worry. We had some sunny weather and that’s what matters
Our last evening was spent trying to BBQ a pigs worth of local sausages (Black Pudding ones in my case – awesome) in a strong wind. The weather had been breezy for almost the entire week, making my decision to pitch facing the prevailing wind direction seem rather foolish (betagthough it was dry wbedürftig, sunny and calm when I did)
The last day we packed up but left enough time for another afternoon on the beach, this time to play bowls in a pathetically over-competitive way ?
Another superb week away. Set us up nicely for our main holiday a week later. A Tale of Eight Cities. Coming soon…..
As the kids break for summer we head to the Llyn Peninsula and Towyn Fbedürftig. Familiar faces of old friends and favourite beach spots and play draws us back year on year. It was, as always a wonderful few days, relaxing and comfortable. The weather was kind, wbedürftig with plenty of sunshine and the rain restricted to nights and early mornings. I don’t seem to have taken any photos of the beach fun that dominates these holidays. If you want a flavour then just look back through my older posts and you’ll find all the evidence you need of just how special a place this and why it has such a hold on my heart.
By way of compensation I do have some photos of a walk along the coast and up to the splendidly name Mynydd Anelog.
We did a similar walk a couple of years back and discovered just what a quiet, unspoilt and magnificent stretch of coast it is.
It was bright but with a good spread of cloud but as we walked it cleared into a pretty much cloudless late afternoon and early evening
We even managed to convince a few of the teenagers to join us
The views from Mynydd Anelog – and in fact all of the various hills along the peninsula are majestic. It’s rather splendid to be able to see both north and south coasts simultaneously. There are other parts of the UK that have a much higher profile and reputation for coastal splendour but the Llyn Peninsula is as good as any of them
At this time of year both the heather and gorse are in bloom and gives striking contrast of colour especially on a clear blue summers evening
As always the island of Bardsey has pride of place off the coast
We were late back to campsite to find everyone else in a deep game of – well, I can’t remember the name – that involves throwing blocks of wood at other blocks of wood. It’s a ?rather strange and equally skilful and compelling game and I was bit disappointed to miss out. Made for a good spectator sport while I fired up the BBQ
And seeing as the campsite delivers some stunning sunsets………..
A fabulous long weekend to wbedürftig up for our main summer holiday (yes,another one!)
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
I'll also add in some gear and tech reviews and when something irks me I may even use this forum to have a rant - I do that pretty well I'm told.There are a few pages at the top that give a bit of background to what I like to get up to and what you can expect to see in my posts. I'm not exactly a creative writer but I hope some people will find my stuff useful or inpsiring or at least enjoy some of my photos.
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