Sue and I went to Criccieth, where Julia investigated the castle. It was cool and a bit rainy, so we warmed up with a brisk stroll along the coast path. There were fine views back to the castle, silhouetted against the backdrop of Moel-y-Gest (pictured).
We soon left the coast path in favour of heading into Llanystumdwy, where we enjoyed a cuppa in the shelter of the church porch before continuing past flood damaged houses and a monument to David Lloyd George. Considered by some to be one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century, despite a 'colourful' private life, he grew up here and is buried in the village. He served as a Liberal MP for Caernarfon from 1890 to 1945, including spells as Chancellor and as Prime Minister. He was a charismatic and controversial figure who laid the foundations for the Welfare State.
We followed a lovely riverside path for a while before doubling back along a lane to Trefan Farm. Between here and Cefn-y-maen a 30 metre stretch through ankle deep slurry took us by surprise! It was one of those paths that looks concreted, but of course it isn't.
We came across a few signs that showed the Welsh at their worst. Instead of polite 'Please close the gate' signs, there are signs such as, simply, 'Penalty for not closing gate £1000'. And on a signposted public footpath, 'Private Land. Your insurance is void'.
Later in the day we returned to our car to find two locals parked either side, one with his children. They all completely ignored us, 'blanking' us in a manner we have come to expect from Russians. The only difference being that the Russians understand English whereas these people don't seem to....
I digress. After making our way back to Criccieth on pleasant paths and beside a stream useful for boot washing, we enjoyed lunch with a view across the beach into the mist.
By the time we reached Mynytho the rain had stopped. We were soon on the summit of Foel Gron, from where the view to the north is shown above. Onwards then to Mynytho Common and to the remains of a windmill on National Trust land at Foel Felin Wynt. A stile pointed the way down to a path that came to a dead end beyond Foel Bach. Never mind, we come to expect such blockages here; we easily found our way around via a gate. Then we popped up to the summit of Carneddol before returning by a fairly direct route to the car and our unfriendly Welsh neighbours. Or were they Russians?
No comments:
Post a Comment