Thursday's walk to the seaside
Jun. 29th, 2024 03:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heleninwalesThis is a favourite walk of ours. I drove us to the car park at Arthog which once used to be a halt on the railway line. Though there's no trace of the station now, access by car from the road to the little car park remains. From there we set off towards the coast.
After the extremely fraught walk where we couldn't get round the low level path due to the very high tide, we always check tide tables before doing this walk. The tide was coming in, but just at the half way point. We could see that some of the tiny beach was exposed so this time we went round the estuary shore instead of over the headland.
Not long ago this area was full of all the machines and equipment needed to replace the curved spans on the Barmouth Bridge. Everything has now been cleared away and the land returned to marsh. It still needs time to recover, but it probably won't be long before you'd never know the work site had been there.
Just as we reached the railway track, a train passed us, about to stop at Morfa Mawddach station.
There seemed to be even more sheep on the salt marsh than usual. Ordinary vehicles are not allowed on the Mawddach Trail, but a farmer on a quad bike (with a small girl riding behind him) drove along slowly, obviously checking the sheep.
A very unusual photo for me! I don't normally include people or things that are moving. The local trekking stables take rides this way to the coast. They have lovely sensible hairy-footed cobs. This was quite a congested moment as a group of young cyclists, shepherded by several adults met the horses just as we arrived at that point. The cyclists seemed to be from a local outdoor pursuits centre of which there are a few in the area.
Though dry and sunny, the day was much cooler than it has been, and very windy. I couldn't keep my sun hat on, despite the chin strap. I had to stash it in the rucksack. The wind is whipping up the waves a long way out.
In fact it was so windy that we left the promenade and made our way via the more sheltered back streets to the convenience store/post office where we bought ice creams.
On the way back there was a good view of Fegla Fach. This large rocky lump of land was once an island. Sea levels have risen and fallen through the ages.
A sign on the newly created pilgrim route from Tywyn to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island). I had to google to find out what this was. I knew of the pilgrim route along the North Wales coast that runs from Holywell to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), but couldn't see how this path could possibly be part of that route. It turns out that back in May this new route was devised to take people from the church of St Cadfan in Tywyn to the holy island of Ynys Enlli.
This also explains the mystery as to why, when we last did this walk a month or so ago, we met about 20 people on this path. Normally you might see one or at most two people, but such a large group was puzzling. But it turns out that there are organised walks to do the new route in stages, so the people we met were pilgrims.
From here it wasn't far back to the car and thence home for a slightly late lunch.
Walking to Rivendell
Miles travelled last Thursday: 7½
Miles travelled this week: 13½
Miles travelled from Bag End: 184½
Miles still to go: 273½
Percentage complete: 40%
Point reached on journey: We are still making our way through the Midgewater Marshes and being eaten alive by midges. What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit, we wonder?
After the extremely fraught walk where we couldn't get round the low level path due to the very high tide, we always check tide tables before doing this walk. The tide was coming in, but just at the half way point. We could see that some of the tiny beach was exposed so this time we went round the estuary shore instead of over the headland.
Not long ago this area was full of all the machines and equipment needed to replace the curved spans on the Barmouth Bridge. Everything has now been cleared away and the land returned to marsh. It still needs time to recover, but it probably won't be long before you'd never know the work site had been there.
Just as we reached the railway track, a train passed us, about to stop at Morfa Mawddach station.
There seemed to be even more sheep on the salt marsh than usual. Ordinary vehicles are not allowed on the Mawddach Trail, but a farmer on a quad bike (with a small girl riding behind him) drove along slowly, obviously checking the sheep.
A very unusual photo for me! I don't normally include people or things that are moving. The local trekking stables take rides this way to the coast. They have lovely sensible hairy-footed cobs. This was quite a congested moment as a group of young cyclists, shepherded by several adults met the horses just as we arrived at that point. The cyclists seemed to be from a local outdoor pursuits centre of which there are a few in the area.
Though dry and sunny, the day was much cooler than it has been, and very windy. I couldn't keep my sun hat on, despite the chin strap. I had to stash it in the rucksack. The wind is whipping up the waves a long way out.
In fact it was so windy that we left the promenade and made our way via the more sheltered back streets to the convenience store/post office where we bought ice creams.
On the way back there was a good view of Fegla Fach. This large rocky lump of land was once an island. Sea levels have risen and fallen through the ages.
A sign on the newly created pilgrim route from Tywyn to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island). I had to google to find out what this was. I knew of the pilgrim route along the North Wales coast that runs from Holywell to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), but couldn't see how this path could possibly be part of that route. It turns out that back in May this new route was devised to take people from the church of St Cadfan in Tywyn to the holy island of Ynys Enlli.
This also explains the mystery as to why, when we last did this walk a month or so ago, we met about 20 people on this path. Normally you might see one or at most two people, but such a large group was puzzling. But it turns out that there are organised walks to do the new route in stages, so the people we met were pilgrims.
From here it wasn't far back to the car and thence home for a slightly late lunch.
Walking to Rivendell
Miles travelled last Thursday: 7½
Miles travelled this week: 13½
Miles travelled from Bag End: 184½
Miles still to go: 273½
Percentage complete: 40%
Point reached on journey: We are still making our way through the Midgewater Marshes and being eaten alive by midges. What do they eat when they can't get Hobbit, we wonder?
