What with work commitments and leaving it late to make the final arrangements, the original intention to do the Cambrian Way in one 3 week (ish) adventure had to be reconsidered, and I planned a shorter trip to do as much of the southern section in a week to 10 days as I could. Here’s … Continue reading »
It will be clear from the last post that the trip didn’t go quite to plan, as I stopped short of my intended end point of Llandovery. But that’s not to say it was a failure, and I’m looking at it as simply having altered the plan further as I went. Nevertheless, there were some … Continue reading »
Day 9: Monday 6 May The best night’s sleep so far, and in a dorm to myself, following a half-rest day and a decent feed should have all meant that I would feel up to today’s walk. With today’s walk one of the toughest days for a while, I deliberately managed the preceding couple of … Continue reading »
I’ve now reached Talybont which marks approximately 2/3 of the walk for this southern section of the Cambrian Way. Replanning this stage as a 4 day rather than 3 day walk was the right thing to do, with the result that I arrived at the youth hostel in much better shape than I arrived in … Continue reading »
I’m writing this at the end of a chilled out day whilst waiting for my curry to arrive. I’ve only walked around Abergavenny town today, certainly not set foot on a hill. And that’s actually a good thing…
It was just as well I delayed setting off for the walk by a day, caused by a final flurry of work issues, as it took most of yesterday to get it all together. This was going to be a post on the final preparations for the walk, but in truth apart from booking the … Continue reading »
Those who had the stamina to endure my recent succession of Cambrian Way planning posts may have been wondering why it suddenly seemed to go a bit quiet. The truth is I’ve had to alter my plans. But unlike several other people recently who’ve had to change their walking or running plans, it’s thankfully not … Continue reading »
Hopefully you can see where I’m going with the title of this one…
I lay in my sleeping bag nervously watching the tent flexing and straining under the force of the icy wind blowing down from the head of Eskdale, hoping it would hold as it was now too dark to shift camp to somewhere more sheltered. Memories of a past windy camp came back to both haunt … Continue reading »
I’m heading off to the Lakes for a week-long backpack at the weekend as a key part of my preparation for walking the Cambrian Way in April. Here are a few notes on the process of preparing for the preparation trip. The Concept The concept of this trip was simple: a multi-day route that mimicked … Continue reading »
It’s been a whole month since my last local walk, (not counting walks involving the portage home of comestibles) and it really was time to get out again. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve lived in this area for 16 years, and never done any exploring of the walking that is to be had along … Continue reading »
Thin tendrils of mist swirled around my feet in a vain attempt to escape the strengthening rays of the sun. Coupled with the alarming growth in the size of my feet as I trudged up the muddy field, it felt as though the forces of nature were trying hard to stop me. Add to that … Continue reading »
Andy came over and delivered the news that would tip any cider connoisseur over the edge into a full breakdown: “They’ve run out of draft Addlestons, there’s only bottled Magners left.” This was on the very first evening of the meet, which therefore put in jeopardy the whole “social” aspect – or at least it … Continue reading »
Beddgelert disappears behind me as I tackle the steepest part of the walk and head for the climax of this trip. This is a time to enjoy the finest mountains in Wales, but also to get used to seeing people again, for soon I have to re-enter civilisation.
And now things get serious with the most controversial section of the Cambrian Way. Rough walking over demanding terrain, nowhere to stay overnight, but in the eyes of Tony Drake the most rewarding part of the whole route. Except in my case, I don’t have the accommodation issue…
