Pam's coastal walk for Velindre: Final Lap! 13-16 March 2015

This really is the final lap of the coastal walk proper now. Chris had missed out the Barmouth to Harlech miles last year due to bad feet and was determined to win his certificate by fair means and with pride! So we organised this weekend before Christmas. All the Wales Coast Path helpers were with us to celebrate!
We set off on Friday 13th (always been a lucky date for me!) with great excitement and anticipation to be on the WCP once more. We were driving first thing through some sleet and the hills had icing sugar tops which was a bit worrying but the forecast looked not bad....we hoped! So we arrived at Dyffryn Ardudwy and parked up (expensive at £5 we thought) as we had decided to walk back to Barmouth from here so that we could meet up with Julia and Richard who would be walking back towards us from Barmouth. We said hi to the beach and then headed inland - always annoying to do that on the coast path but the daffodils in the hedgerows made it prettier and it had to be done!

Crossing some fields, this time with many new lambs, we soon headed up to the road and having passed around Tal-y-Bont, we had good views back towards the Llyn and to the beach below us...... a shame the tide was in or we could have beach walked! (My never ending WCP cry!!)

.....and ahead towards Barmouth and over the estuary to Llwyngwril with memories of that lovely walk almost a year ago now! The sky was quite glowering which added to some of the views...It did seem strange to be going the WRONG way round again!

And soon we arrived at the Barmouth sign to welcome us once more...

It wasn't long then before we spotted Julia and Richard heading towards us. They had had a long journey to get to us from Surrey!

Julia and I remembered our walk here, the couple of times when we got lost particularly! We had liked this little church on our walk last year - what a lovely place...

It wasn't long before we were dropping down to the promenade across the railway, ready for lunch! And with wonderful views of the sea and the whole of Barmouth Bay..

We had made good time achieving our 6 miles and headed across the dunes to meet up with the next WCP comrade, Chris's sister, Joanna.

We drove to the lovely house we had booked for the weekend, Tan Llan just up the estuary in Llanelltyd, passing a snow dusted Cadair Idris en route! What a spectacular mountain!

During the evening, after we had enjoyed a good meal at the Last Inn in Barmouth (Julia's favourite!), the rest of the party assembled......Helen, Greg and the boys (our partners from the end of Anglesey) then Jane and Arthur and the girls (partners from the Llyn peninsula) and then Catherine and Olwyn (partners from Pendine to Stackpole).

Saturday 14th March

After a wonderful night's sleep in the luxurious house, we set off with a cunning plan of where to leave which cars which actually worked perfectly! All foregathered on the beach at Dyffryn once cars were in place....

It had been decided that the remaining 9-10 miles to Harlech was too far for the smallest so the party split.

Chris was accompanied by Jane, Julia, Catherine, Greg and Richard for the whole distance.

Off they set.....

...........soon disappearing ahead of us....

..............whilst I walked with Joanna, Helen (suffering with sciatica), Arthur, Ben, Alex, Olwyn, Abigail and Susannah. We had parked a car at Llanbedr so our party needed to walk to shell Island. What a fun day!

As we set off around midday finally (!) the sky was bright with wonderful light over the sea...and the children loved the dunes...There was hardly anyone else on the beach until we arrived closer to Shell Island.

The children were all so good and enjoying themselves. But after we had stopped for lunch in the dunes, the cloud seemed to make the temperature drop and although there was no complaining, I was aware that we still had a way to go and the little ones were really cold.....

As we left the beach at Shell Island - I think we had walked 3 or so miles in fact - I called the forward party thinking they would nearly have finished and be able to assist with cars and was surprised to find they had only just passed Llanbedr. I was in trouble for such comments.........in fact they averaged 2.7 mph that day!

So in the meantime, here they were heading off the beach...

It seems the signposting is better than last year here as Julia and I ended up walking across the causeway and now the signs are clear to see. Then they headed over the dyke beside the river after the car park in Llanbedr.....

..........and then out around the estuary at Pensarn station ( the bridge is repaired now so they didn't get lost on a diversion here as Julia and I did!!)

They passed the lovely little church at Llandanwg - Richard loved the word....

..then headed up to the road for a short distance before heading back down to the beautiful Harlech beach....

...Chris was especially pleased to be here at last!

And so having crossed the railway and scrambled across the rocks...

............. they were beach walking once more,

.and almost at the end...

......just heading up to the car park near the imposing castle...

...and ready to celebrate!

I'm afraid I don't have photos of my little party finishing at Shell Island. I was just so relieved to find the cafe open there!!!!! It was warm and we had food and drinks whilst poor Arthur had to retrieve the car, easily a mile and a half further. Oh dear my planning had gone a bit to pot! We rendezvoused with an extra car and got home before the Harlech group but only just really in the end. Warm baths and showers and we were ready for the meal that Arthur prepared earlier.

We were also celebrating my niece, Catherine's birthday!

And so the Path is completed.....we will be returning to favourite places but that will probably be later in the year after we have walked Offa's Dyke....all booked now so a new blog will be following I feel sure!

POSTSCRIPT : Sunday 15th and Monday 16th March

We had a relaxing Sunday with much table tennis played before Richard prepared a superb brunch before the various groups left once more. How quickly it went!! Julia and Richard stayed with us for an extra night and we wanted to walk up Rhinog Fawr the next day. Sadly it was raining as we left the house but as we approached Harlech it brightened so we headed up Cwm y Bychan, the start place for the walk and set off after all.

It was a super walk, quite steep going up the Roman steps where we had walked last in 1989, don't think Julia could remember! But there we were.....

It was very rocky so quite scrambly in parts.

We were quite aware that we had in the end set off quite late and that Julia and Richard had to head back home today so we decided not to go to the top so made it as far as the beautiful little lake, Llyn Du, Black Lake....with the summit of Rhinog Fawr behind...

...and then we headed down. Ahead here was looking over towards Trawsfynydd with its now disused nuclear power station (couldn't see it from here, it was a bit misty!) and the Arenig hills beyond.