Category: Europe
Revisiting Llangollen
14th August 2011 Though there were a few years when I made a good number of visits to the area, Llangollen seems to have slipped off my radar in recent times. What made those earlier attentions come about were some designs on exploring the hills surrounding Dolgellau that began to come into my mind at the start of 2004. When first attempts to make that happen in the spring of 2005 proved to be abortive, I consoled myself with a few Sunday day trips to Llangollen instead. What caused Llangollen and the countryside surrounding it to come to mind was that my preferred route to Dolgellau passed that way and drew my attention to what lay undiscovered around there.
That set in place a pattern that dominated subsequent walks around there afterwards. Both Valle Crucis Abbey and the Llangollen Canal have been part of those various trots, but that hasn't been all. The idea of walking from Llangollen to Ruthin (Rhuthun in Welsh) even sprang to mind and resulted in a hike along Offa's Dyke Path as far as Llandegla before sense intervened on that summer evening to send me to Wrexham instead. The rest of the way remains undone, and the prospect of approaching the Clwydian Hills is another lure. Alternative transport arrangements may make this happen yet, but it stays in my ideas bank for now.
That's not to say that all of my visits have taken my north of the Dee, though, because January 2007 saw me walk from Chirk to Llangollen using a few paths and bridleways. Sunshine was scare and Chirk Castle further away and better hidden than was photographically ideal, but the walk was good to do nonetheless. The Ceiriog Valley is another prospect that I merely sampled a little at this sitting, and it's one that I won't rule out for further investigations, either.
Even though it was immersed in a period laden with energy sapping demands being made of me by my working life, the long Easter weekend demanded that I head away somewhere, even if it only was for a short break. My resolve was strengthened by my having to abandon a planned trip to Caernarfon and Beaumaris before that. Even so, the first part of the weekend was so chilled out at home that I questioned why I was truncating that to get away at all. However, my efforts were rewarded with some alluringly sunny weather for a stay away from home that punctuated the way things had been going until thing. After all, that's why these escapades get called breaks, and one certainly was needed.
Easter Sunday
It was a late departure that got me away on Easter Sunday, but I still had a golden evening to enjoy after arriving in Llangollen and checking into a hotel there. Making a booking was easy, though a fair few folk were around Llangollen when I got there. While I am not certain that you get the most from the surroundings by remaining stationary in the town, it does seem to be a well-frequented honeypot, with most folk doing exactly just that. Like other such fleshpots, leaving the assembled collection of humanity is an easy affair: just head up a steep sided hill, and the one hosting Castell Dinas Bran was more capable of doing just this.
My trot up to Castell Dinas Bran was the start of a stroll that retraced some of those steps taken on earlier outings. While very little of the castle actually remains, it is the panoramic views that are the real draw here, as they were on my first trip to the area. With all the glorious evening light, the scenery was made to look even more alluring again, and it was no surprise that more than me were lured away from the banks of the Dee. In fact, I was spotted using my DSLR and asked to take a photo of a few folk that were relaxing in the middle of the antiquity. It was a task happily fulfilled despite my own misgivings about not doing much in the way of people photography; hopefully, the photos turned out all right. After that deviation from my more usual subjects of landscapes and buildings, I soon enough returned to capturing a little of what surrounded me.
Steep slopes do keep the less determined away by requiring energy to be expended on the ascent, but it's on descending where they really take their toll. In this regard, the way down from Castell Dinas Bran on its eastern side was completely typical. Having negated to bring a walking pole, I needed to depend totally on my legs to keep the pace steady until the gradients eased; this was an unladen saunter with just a map and a water bottle having come with me.
Much to my amazement, I noticed a large party out for a stroll, and they were heading in my direction. Thankfully, I was on the level when we passed, but the sheep weren't too happy about what they saw, though. There were plenty of young lambs about and the size of the walking group really caused quite a commotion, with ewes and lambs filling the air with a cacophony of bleating that shattered the peace of the evening. It is the sort of experience that starts you thinking that animals are distressed and makes you wonder if those causing it realised what they were doing. Now that I ponder it, I would counsel against large walking groups going through fields where there are sheep until later in the year.
With the air finally clearing of bleating, I made for a lower level path along the northern slopes of Dinas Bran to embark on a course that was set to drop me on a single track road. When I first came to these parts, this would have been a case of stitching together a few rights of way to make a walk from them, but a look at a current OS map reveals that I have been a user of part of the Clwydian Way, a long-distance trail that seemingly has come into place recently. Even on tarmac, I continued to follow the trail as I walked past Dinbren Hall. Like the trail, I took a right turn onto another road that is signed for World's End before leaving that for the bridleway that was to carry me closer to Valle Crucis Abbey. Retracing some old steps had me following a trail that I never noted before.
As it so happened, that track was to bring me past the old priory ruins as it hugged the lower slopes of Fron Fawr. It was at Abbey Cottage where I reset my direction of travel to use a footpath leading towards the abbey and the caravan and camping grounds that surround it. Whatever designs I may have had on photographing the attractive ruins amid their surroundings were stymied both by the lowering sun and the number of folk that had come camping for the weekend. A pleasant evening's walking ensured that there was neither disappointment nor disgruntlement at this outcome. An upshot might be that I come this way again, and I hope that I do.
With the sun now really declining for the day, I made for the Llangollen Canal by road. In hindsight, I think that I may have overshot my rendezvous with the canal by a little, but there was no point dwelling on that easily corrected triviality. Familiarity with where I was going meant that there was no rush in my stride as I closed in on Llangollen again. In the past, there have been a few times when I have trodden the towpath in a rush because I was making for a bus. This time, I was heading for a nearby base for the night, where getting something to eat and hitting the sack could be allowed to come along in their own good time. It was another reminder of why I was basing myself here for a springtime getaway.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday turned out to be a contrast to the day before in a number of respects. Firstly, it started out cloudy after the clear skies brought by the preceding evening. Secondly, I decided to spend a few hours exploring more of what lay to the south of the Llangollen. Before that, though, I whiled away a little time dawdling in Llangollen itself to take in what the morning sun might do for the place, whenever it got out from behind the clouds. Once satisfy with any photographic endeavours, I set off searching for the North Berwyn Way.
It takes more effort to scale the southern slopes of the valley where Llangollen resides than it takes to reach the attractive countryside to its north. This is what I discovered after making my way out from the town and leaving tarmac after me for a few hours. The work was sweaty, too, a hint of the heat that visited us sporadically in April. After crossing two fields, I picked up a bridleway skirting Cae-Madog Wood and this track was to carry me for a good share of my trot too. Though most of the steepness was past me on reaching that wood, there was some ascent left before reaching a crest near The Brow.
Gradients grew kinder after that point, and the pastoral nature of my surroundings was a contrast to what I was seeing to my north and where I was the previous evening. It was if everything was flatter once you had made the ascent from the valley floor. In fact, you have thought that this was the natural level of the area were it not for the whistle of steam trains beneath. Being of a mindset that I was seeking peace and quiet made me understand John Ruskin's irritation with the idea of trains travelling over Monsal Dale in Derbyshire. Usually having little dislike for trains, I was surprised at how all that whistling was perturbing me an and how its subsidence was welcome.
With peace restored, my progress was to bring through a varying landscape that contained a mixture of pasture, tillage (oil seed rape was in flower in one field) and grouse butts. There was a single-track road crossed too and some silly sheep around Ffynnon-lâs Wood who took a while to realise that I wasn't driving them along the track too; thankfully no bleating this time but a little running before they left the track to get away from me.
It was after Ffynnon-lâs Wood where I reached the access land that was to come in handy for setting a more freestyle course without making anyone cross about it. Views to the north took in hills that I have yet to really explore, and figuring out which is which will need a future excursion because the countryside looks like a complex mix of gradients on an O.S. Explorer map. Things looked simpler where I was, and any inclines weren't too steep either, though a healthy carpet of heather meant that some forethought was needed before heading off on a very independent course. After wondering if anyone goes wandering around these parts, I was to encounter a few that were out and about, even passing a few words with one woman who had come up from her home in the nearby Ceiriog valley to the top of Vivod Mountain.
That was the first hummock that took my fancy, and it is very flat topped too. In hindsight, that crossing that I made over the heather to reach it could have been avoided, but these are the things that you learn by actually going somewhere and not just exploring it on a map. Though the position of the sun limited any photo opportunities for them, rockier hills could be seen further to the west, as if to remind me that my previous incursions into this part of the world in reality only scratched the surface. Reasons to return were mounting steadily.
After a circular route of my own devising had taken me to Vivod Mountain, I returned to the track that I now realised was what probably brought that lady up from the Ceiriog Valley. Y Foel was the next hummock that took my fancy, so I plied another route of my own devising to get there while cutting down on the amount of heather jumping that was needed. It helped that some patches had been burnt recently to encourage fresh growth for the grouse. There was some time for lunch too before I reached the top of Y Foel, a benefit of not taking on too much at one sitting. Once on that top, I was left wondering what the O.S. were marking when they inscribed Biddulph Tower on their Explorer maps. Apparently, there once was a tower here but so little remains now that you'd mistake it for a rocky outcrop nowadays. It's curious that a name that I'd associate with Staffordshire is to be found around this part of Wales.
Whatever about any curiosity, I needed to return to Llangollen and start my journey home. First, I left the hill to go down towards Finger Farm and re-enter more pastoral countryside. Some road walking was ahead of me, but I had chosen one with signs highlighting its later unsuitability for vehicles at the crossroads where I joined it. It did take a good while for that forewarned roughness to materialise, but soon did after a sign for a turning area ahead of it. The tarmac gave way to a rough and steep track that left you wondering what if any vehicles could negotiate it. Quad bikes and other ATV's should manage it, but what about conventional tractors? Something tells me that they must go this way to get to the fields too.
What my knees were telling me was that this was a steep descent to get to Llangollen, but that probably was difficult to avoid anyway. The roughness of the track accentuated the desire for a kinder walking surface, but it was a case of being patient and letting steady progress do the needful. For some reason, I have stronger memories of the heat of the day at this point than the temperatures that I met higher up; maybe there was a cooling breeze that is lost to my recollection now. A cloudy morning had transformed into a hot, sunny afternoon and a repeat of the previous evening's weather may have happened, but I was unable to stay longer to find out if that was the case.
The track eventually grew less steep and the surface changed to tarmac. There still was more height to be lost, but this had become less strenuous, and I was lured into the Denbighshire county council managed property of Plas Newydd, a Tudor-style building reminiscent of Gawsworth Hall and Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire. While I may not have stayed there very long, it was a useful rest for tired limbs before continuing on to catch my bus home, satisfied by a good if short break from everyday hurly-burly. That there are reasons for going back is an added bonus.
Travel arrangements:
Train journey from Macclesfield to Chester with a change in Stockport, Arriva bus service 1 to Wrexham and Arriva bus service 5A to Llangollen. Arriva bus service 5A from Llangollen to Wrexham and by rail back to Macclesfield from there with a few changes of train along the way (think they might have been at Chester, Crewe and Stockport but my memory is getting a little hazy now; should have started writing this piece earlier).
Reassembled
11th August 2011 After last weekend's bout of madness on the web hosting side of things, this place is more or less back together again. Along the way, there may have been a lot of poking around backups to get things sorted but there are also were reminders of places where I haven't been for a while as various entries saw reinstatement. In some cases, I ended up asking myself if it really was that long ago when I last was in some areas. The Brecon Beacons is one such hill wandering destination that hasn't been savoured for quite a while and Pembrokeshire and Perthshire fall into the same category as does Galloway. Maybe I should poke around here more often whenever I run out of ideas though the likes of TGO should keep replenishing them, especially as I am catching up with a few issues of the magazine at the moment.
These inadvertent reminders have had me recalling how things were when I first started out blogging and how far things have moved since then; those early postings were more pithy and there may a point in returning to a little bit of that, especially if it means that you hear from me more often. There was a lot of talk about motivation and hibernation even in those days and those haven't gone away though interruptions by work and family life make their intrusions known too. In one respect, seeing what I have already written should stop me repeating myself too often but being confronted by unfinished business is another counterpoint to those occasions when it is too easy to say that I have seen enough of hill country. After you, there always are new sights to see even if it is different light falling on a familiar location.
Introductions and reintroductions
31st July 2011 July hasn't been too unkind to us this year though that is far from being the case always as anyone with a memory can tell. That has meant a fair few weekends away for me and this one introduced me to Swansea and the Gower (the non-usage of the word peninsula is deliberate). Though were white skies instead of blue ones, the few hours spent around Rhossili were pleasant enough to leave me pondering a return when there are blue skies and sunshine. The coastline that I saw certainly was sufficiently alluring to deserve a return and one reconnaissance outing can be the starting point for more.
Speaking of starting points, I travelled to and from Swansea this past weekend via the Heart of Wales train line to see what the countryside surrounding it is like and what the railway has its supporters. Grey skies didn't show things at their best but there were shapely steep-sided hills on which to set eyes but it looks as if a little more homework is in order before this part of Powys starts to see me exploring it. Much of the countryside looks lush with tree-lined fields so it can be difficult not to think it dramatic enough for further attention. In fact, it took the second journey through there for me to start to see the potential that exists for hill wandering and travel plans will need careful thought too. As things stand, this will remain a work in progress for now.
Last weekend also saw me head to Wales. This time, my attention centred around the Menai Strait with visits to Caernarfon and Bangor together with a little time to savour the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path between Beaumaris and Glan-yr-afon. Following a public footpath and a spot of road walking extended the trot to Llandona and a stroll over Thomas Telford's bridge over the Menai Strait was fitted in too. It was the prospect of viewing the hills of Snowdonia from afar that drew me and could do so again. It was a weekend of hot sunshine and blue skies, which was a bonus though hydration and avoiding sunburn were items needing attention too.
With all the gallivanting in recent weeks, there is a pile of trip reports needing writing and they include those earlier escapades from the Easter and Mayday bank holiday weekends too. Nevertheless, the one for my Easter visit to the Vale of Llangollen is nearing completion with photos and final edits needed before it appears on here after what feels like quite a delay. Also, it is around this time of year that I have been known to take a longer trip away but I have no idea what's going to come of such a venture this year. There are ideas in mind but weather is looking a bit uncertain so it'll be a case of telling what happens after any event rather than following any fixed notion. If anything does happen, it'll add to that backlog but that is a non-complaint with what getaways do for the mind and spirit.
Movement
16th July 2011 Since I have been adding musings regarding the delights of exploring the countryside on hear for over five year, I an pondering a little relocation. Recently, the part of the website that used be called the miscellany has been refashioned into travel jottings and correspondingly moved to a new home on the website. It was that spot thinking that got me looking at the possibility of doing something for my outdoors musings (replacing "blog" with "outdoors" in the address is what I have in mind) albeit with a good deal in the way of redirection for regular visitors. That's because I wouldn't want you to miss anything.
What may been apparent this year is that there have been less postings on here. The main reason for that is that work has been getting in the way of life more than used to be the case and I hope that things don't keep going like that. Saying that, there have been outdoors that been needing writing up too and the last few weeks has seen me add to that number. The first of these escapades had me sampling more of St. Cuthbert's Way, this time walking all of the way from Wooler to Kirk Yetholm. Having suffered reminders from my knees regarding what I'd done, it was just as well that the next day took an easier tack with a trot from St. Boswell to Melrose with some time spent around Dryburgh Abbey too. While there was a section taking me through the Eildon Hills, it wasn't too harsh at all. In fact, the heat of the day was reduced by the arrival of some cloud cover though it did break up while I explored the Eildons, taking in each of the three tops of what once was called Trimontium. Well, the Romans certainly didn't mess around when it came to naming things. The final day of my borders escape involved a bit more in the way of dawdling and, given the heat of the day, that was just as well and I got to see more of Melrose Abbey too.
A short visit to the Isle of Man came to pass too with another hike along the island's coastal path, Raad ny Foillan. Though the weather was a little on the temperamental side, there only was a single light shower during the time that I walked from Port Erin to Castletown and that was around Port St. Mary. This section is not as strenuous as the one between Port Erin and Peel. However, that is not to say that rounding the south-west corner of the Isle of Man is not without appealing coastline because it happens to be one of those sections that gets good press and that's not without reason.
After those, what's needed is to process a few of the photos that came away with me from those trips without a full report and set to doing some writing. Given that the weather is being unsettled at the moment, I just need to set some time aside for doing just that. After all, there are visits of Llangollen and Cowal that deserve sharing.
Weekends away
5th May 2011 This evening finds Macclesfield a damper place than it has been for a good while. In fact, it could be said that 2011 has been largely dry until now. Of course, that can change and an unsettled summer could be all that many remember yet. In fact, some are asking if we are getting a taste of summer weather too early. However, it's best to try to enjoy good weather whenever it comes so long as life allows you to do just that.
In the U.K., we also gained two four day weekends back to back. That very unusual situation came our way thanks to Easter, a royal wedding and the Mayday bank holiday. With a short working week between them, many made a longer break from working life out of those public holidays. While I wasn't one of those, the long weekends did allow me get out into hill country in parts away from where I live and work.
After last year's Easter Sunday trot from Baslow to Bamford that left me wondering why I didn't book somewhere to stay on what was a pleasant evening. That wasn't something that I repeated this year with an overnight stay sorted for Llangollen. Previous trips to the hills around there have been day trips so this was a departure from that and its proximity to Cheshire meant that a later than planned departure on Sunday did nothing to jeopardise my plans. As it happened, I arrived sufficiently early that I could enjoy an evening stroll that retraced steps that took me by Castell Dinas Bran and Valle Crucis Abbey as well as along the Llangollen Canal towpath. That allowed me to leave a busy Llangollen for a little while before retiring to bed on my return. The next day saw me head in the hills to south of the Dee valley while exploring part of the North Berwyn Way and other trails. That walk took me onto the tops of Mynydd Vivod and Y Foel before returning to Llangollen to start my journey home again. The weather had been kind to me and the countryside alluring so I left for home pleased if tired.
Last weekend saw me head to Scotland after a busy few days at work. My destination was Cowal and my base Dunoon. While I am not sure what Glaswegians do when they go "doon the watter", there are plenty of hills around the town for exploration. Saturday saw me hike from Ardentinny to Carrick Castle and, following a bus ride, from Lettermay near Lochgoilhead to Clachan Strachur by way of the Cowal Way. The day was stunning though a stiff wind took the edge off the temperatures, a useful thing for walking though sunbathing is ruled out for those of that persuasion. The those hills in Wales the previous weekend, they were quiet around Cowal too and there was no sign of the wildfires that blighted other parts. A later start on Sunday had me settling on a walk from Hunter's Quay to Glenkin and back again. There were designs on using the Coffin Trail to reach Bealach na Srèine in order gain views over Loch Striven and beyond but I saw sense because of the time that I had. Still, it has left me with a brainwave of walking from Toward to Dunoon by way of Inverchaolain Glen and Glenkin and there's a forestry track alternative to this too. My first weekend in Cowal was kind to me and I have left with ideas for future trips to this overlooked part of Scotland too.
As is usual for me, I have every plan to write fuller accounts of those two trips on here. The destinations may have been lesser known but there was plenty of pleasure in my exploring them. Legs may have been left fatigued and there was soothing replenishment for the soul and spirit too. Hopefully, that thought will continue to draw me into hill country for the rest of the year, particularly with this blog having reached its fifth birthday over the past weekend.
