Saturday 3 December 2022 - Dolgellau parkrun and The Precipice Walk

After a quick cup of tea, we drove over to Dolgellau to join 20 or so other joggers for their Saturday morning 5km parkrun.

We both made it up and down the old railway line route twice, before adjourning to the delights of breakfast at the TH Roberts café. 

Results of the parkrun are here. Numbers were lower than usual due to support for the Bala event, which started up today after a long break.

Then we went for a stroll along the nearby Precipice Walk, previously walked on 10 July 2021. I think some new signage has been installed since then, but thankfully no parking meters. (Yet.)

The view across Llyn Cynwch was lovely, despite today's overcast sky.

The dull conditions didn't stop Sue from attempting to identify fungi...

Shield Lichen was as close as she could get to identifying the lichen below, whereas the one above was clearly Gray Reindeer Lichen.

Several more lichens were identified - see Sue's Facebook page if you are interested.

Our walk continued around the fine belvedere path, with more superb views.

After a good 3km we got back to the Llyn Cynwch reservoir and, just for a change, returned by way of the path along its eastern bank.

Here's the fine 6km circuit, from which we returned home for what would have been a late lunch had we needed one.

Then Sue popped out to stumble up and down the gnarly nearby peak of Moel-y-Gest,  from which excursion she posted these final three pictures.

Friday 2 December 2022 - Cnicht, Mawr Moelwyn and The Cob

Sue enjoyed a romp over Cnicht and Moelwyn Mawr - these first three pictures - whilst I stayed in Porthmadog recovering from a cold.

On Moelwyn Mawr, Sue met a chap who had been encountered two months earlier on Ben Wyvis, where she had also been observed identifying fungi! It's a small world!

I went for a walk along The Cob and back.

Sue was over there somewhere...

Moel-y-Gest looks like a substantial peak, seen above Porthmadog from the path around Llyn Bach. 

Low sun over the harbour, and a final image before I returned to base.

Thursday 1 December 2022 - Coed Llyn y Garnedd

After a lovely meal at Y Sgwar restaurant last night, we rose late, for an easy day.

We took a 7 mile drive to revisit Walk number 26 in Alex Kendall's 'Snowdonia North' book, last done on 14 November 2021.

Fine sunny weather again. 

Lunch on a sunny bench half way round.

Leaf litter exposed a couple of Blewit mushrooms that we will enjoy fried in butter.

Llyn Mair was in shadow, with nice reflections.

Here's the 6km route on which we spent a very pleasant couple of hours.

 

We met a group of four today, and a couple of folk yesterday, but the roads and the paths are very quiet at this time of year, despite the town of Porthmadog being pretty busy.

Wednesday 30 November 2022 - Nant Gwrtheyrn and Pistyll

Today we ventured into the Lleyn Peninsula, for walks numbered 24 and 25 in David Berry's 2007 guide book.

It was a lovely sunny day. We started from the car park above Nant Gwrtheyrn and strolled down the steep road, with good views across to the quarries that ceased operations in the 1930s.

There's a residential Welsh Language Centre at the foot of the hill, with a good café. The students must all have been studying!

After enjoying coffee and cake, we went down to the stony beach and worked our way around to a quarry the other side of the bay. The views back to the Centre were excellent. 

A steepish climb out of the quarry led to a nice lunch spot, then a white post pointing along the Wales Coast Path.

The well engineered coast path took us all the way to St Bruno's Church in Pistyll. The church is dedicated to the Celtic saint who founded a church here in the 6thC.

The floor inside was laid with straw, and illumination was by candle light. 

From there we headed along a marshy path all the way back to the car. At a farm by Ciliau-uchaf we found a freshly dead fox. Poisoned?

This ancient iron ladder stile provided some amusement. 

Here's the 10km route. It took us 3-4 hours and proved an excellent way to combine the two routes in David Berry's guide book. 

Oh yes, en route we encountered numerous feral goats, and in the air choughs and buzzards dominated at times, with lots of wrens in the hedgerows and a cormorant on the beach.

This was a fine day for a return to the peninsula. 

Tuesday 29 November 2022 - some Porthmadog strolls

We are back in the living room in Porthmadog with a favourite view. 

This morning we set off around Llyn Bach on a favourite Tremadog circuit. 

Above - Ted by Llyn Bach with Moel-y-Gest in the background.

Below - Ted's view.

Autumnal colours were great today.

Sue identified a 'new' fungus - Hairy Curtain  Crust - on lots of old trees and stumps. 

That was on our sunny 6km stroll around Llyn Bach to Tremadog, returning through the woods to forage supplies from Tesco then spend a similar sum on coffee and cake in the Portmeirion café opposite the supermarket. 

There were fine views over Llyn Bach to Cnicht and the Moelwyns - very tempting but out of reach today.

Here's the 6km route.

After finishing off last night's kedgeree for lunch, a second 8km stroll via Borth-y-Gest provided good afternoon entertainment, especially after trying to leave the caravan site beyond the Mud and Sand bay, by a path that is incorrectly marked on the map. A dog walker came to our rescue after we got entangled in a forest of briars and were forced to retrace our steps.

Here are a couple of snaps from Borth-y-Gest and 'Mud and Sand.

Apart from that entanglement, a lovely 8km circuit. Here's the route.