Friday = Isabella Day (5)

   "The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round, round and round. All day long."

Running up and down a hill, in Walton Park

Freedom at last! Where's Wally Isabella?

Full of beans today, and fresh bread, fish fingers, melon, banana and yogurt

'Walking in Lancashire' - Mark Sutcliffe

I noticed the publication of this book last year, and was reminded of it through a couple of BC's recent postings - here and here. (And probably more by the time this posting is published.)

Anyway, BC's efforts triggered the purchase of the book. It's in the same format as the 'Snowdonia' books that we've so much enjoyed using during our recent visits to Porthmadog. And .gpx files for all the routes were downloaded to my Anquet mapping software in about five minutes, so they are now all on my phone.

This coincides with my demands from Jen regarding her Cheshire walks books having been met, and me visiting Lancashire a lot at present as I am part of my daughter's extensive support team whilst she spends a few months getting rid of a nasty lump on a tonsil by way of chemoradiotherapy. She lives in Bacup and needs 30 visits to Preston hospital over a six week period - we are currently in week 2. This means I've abandoned my regular walks programme for the first time since 1972, but I'm looking forward to doing some of these Lancashire walks at short notice when I get a chance, and Kate may even be fit enough to join me at some point during her recuperation, before she returns to work. For the moment, journeys to Preston, cooking, housework, dog walking and childcare, jobs shared with a number of others - Kate has lots of good friends and neighbours, take priority, but we are able to continue to enjoy the pleasure of looking after granddaughter Isabella on Fridays.

Meanwhile, I've been busy digitising a diary from 2004 that will soon be published here....

A Postcard

                              5 March 2022 - Wythenshawe parkrun number 463

6 March 2022 - De Quincey park, always a pleasure

Monday 7 March 2022 - The Dixie Beats at Eagley Jazz Club

Sue insisted that I report on last night's gig, despite my taking no photos. The picture above was taken on 2 March 2020, shortly before Covid struck, on which gig I reported here.

Anyway, the same line up continues to perform, and judging by last night's effort they are loving it.

This really was an excellent night out with some talented musicians - a bargain at £8 a head for members, and cheap beer to boot.

Efforts are being made to better publicise Jazz in the North West. There's an extensive website here - www.jazznorthwest.co.uk that contains masses of information - over 700 pages of it! Whilst for historical reasons we go to Eagley, in Bolton, Didsbury Jazz Club is closer. We should go to some of their Thursday evening offerings. We could do worse than follow the Dixie Beats in that direction on 24 March...

Sunday 6 March 2022 - Burnley Junior parkrun

Here's one for Dot - Jacob and Seb leading the way in their 2km Sunday morning dash, with Jessica not far behind. Results are here.

A Postcard from Timperley

Crocuses in Newton Park

13 February - Wythenshawe Community Run - rain...25 runners plus children

20 February - Wythenshawe Community Run - cancelled due to fear of smaller competitors drowning!

27 February - Wythenshawe Community Run - sunshine...35 runners plus children

Wonderful

26 February - after Wythenshawe parkrun - two age category first homers - results here

27 February - Sunday Lunch (those missing were asleep)

Antics in Newton Park were needed to work off that huge lunch.

1 March - a visit to Bacup, featuring a walk with Oscar.

This seemed a lovely view on a frosty morning at the time, I think it's across to Scout Moor

"What's going on? You know I don't like to be photographed!"

Near Barista, Kate's favourite coffee shop, in Bacup city centre.

Friday = Isabella Day (4)

              "Oops, I think that was Grandma's £50 note...?" "Now in my tummy!"

"I'm trying my best to regurgitate it!"

"Harder, harder, I want that cup of coffee..."

"You should be driving, not taking photos!"

"Sunflower seeds.. huh...!"

A happy girl all day. A pleasure to be with in these dark times.

An Isle of Skye View - April 2005

It's the second time my random picture selection has arrived here. I posted a similar image in November 2020. One day this trip will get a write-up!

Porthmadog 2022 - Index

Our walks so far in 2022 have been based on those in Alex Kendall's Cicerone guides, Snowdonia North and Snowdonia South, so rather than create a separate index, I've added to the 2021 index, the result of which is here.

I've tried to make the text and links consistent, but as we know, Google's 'Blogger' facility leaves a lot to be desired, so even if you select all the text and make it one size, it seems to come out as random different font sizes.

Never mind!

8 to 10 February 2022 - Three More Days in Snowdonia

Here are another 30+ images from the last three days we recently spent in Snowdonia. Click on any image for a slideshow.

On Tuesday (original report here) we took a short drive to Tomen y Mur - just as well it was short, as on arrival at the car park we realised a need to return immediately to Porthmadog - for a 9km circuit described in Walk 3 of Alex Kendall's 'Snowdonia South' book.

The cloud was down at our 300 metre starting point at the historical site of a Roman fort upon which the Normans built their motte etc.

There are several information boards; the one pictured above is next to the small car park and imagines the view shown below in the era of a Roman amphitheatre that occupied this spot.

The site has a mixture of Roman and later remains and must be a special place for archaeologists.

Beyond the historical site, a sunken lane led out of the mist towards the main A470 road.

Near the road, we crossed over the remains of a railway line, before taking a farm track past a mountain of beet being used as sheep fodder, and passing back under an old railway bridge.

Once past the farm, tracks and paths guided us along the anti-clockwise route suggested by Alex. Navigation was very easy despite the limited visibility.

After passing a small operational slate quarry we reached Llyn yr Oerfel, from where our misty car park was just a few minute' stroll.

Here's the route (overlaid with Alex's .gpx file) - 9km with 200 metres ascent. It took us a little over 2 hours, but there wasn't much call for pausing to admire views, and we decided that a 'car lunch' was preferable to one exposed to the elements; we didn't want our crisps to blow away!

Wednesday (original report here) brought a change in the weather for a visit to the welcoming village of Trefriw, where we paused for lattes in a friendly cafe before setting off to Fairy Falls, opposite the Fairy Falls pub. This is Walk 5 in Alex's 'Snowdonia North' book.

There's a high footbridge from which to view the falls, but the view from the bench (above) gets my vote.

Forest tracks rise above Trefriw and continue towards the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, which is accessed via the steep descent of a 'there and back' path. It was well worth the visit.

Continuing along the forest tracks, we admired the views back to Trefriw, and across the valley to Llanrwst.

We passed a car park that marks the start of some mouth watering mountain bike routes - the Gwydir Mawr and Bach Trails.

A navigational error (we missed a left turn downhill) resulted in our arrival at a flat pice of ground that turned out to be the site of a 400 year old bowling green.

After retracing our steps, we tottered on to a great lunch bench next to the River Conwy near Llanrwst.

The remainder of our walk was beside the river, passing an ornate but somewhat redundant metal stile.

Snowdrops provided a foreground for pictures of Llanrwst's iconic Pont Fawr bridge, and the stone circle built in 1951 to celebrate the town's Eisteddfod.

Beside the bridge are tea rooms and a gallery, shrouded in vegetation and sadly not open today. We paused here for a long chat with a man who said he had lived here all his life, desite his Liverpudlian accent!

Our walk finished in sunshine along an embankment similar to that beside the River Mersey in South Manchester, for which flood warnings are in place as I compose this entry.

Here's the anticlockwise route - 11km with 300 metres ascent, taking us 3.5 hours.

On Thursday we had to get home for a folk concert in Sale, so we took the opportunity to park in a lay-by on our road home and stumble along the route of Walk 19 in Alex's 'Snowdonia South' book. The contemporaneous posting is here.

Easy paths and a short stretch of road walking led us to a rising track from which we could look back to the controversial reservoir, Llyn Celyn, whose creation drowned a village in order to provide Liverpool with a water supply.

Looking ahead, Arenig Fawr ('great high ground') soon came into view. It could be easily ascended from this route, via Llyn Arenig Fawr, given a bit more time than we had today.

Llyn Arenig Fawr, the objective of this walk, eventually came into view, offering views of Arenig Fawr from a comfy memorial bench, and shelter for three people, if necessary, in a small bothy below the dam.

From here, the path became rougher and less distinct as it made its way down to cross a river at Fridd y Fawnog by one of a choice of two bridges.

Eventually a grassy track was reached, and this took us down to a farm by Llyn Celyn and the course of the old railway line between Bala and Trawsfynydd.

A pleasant spot on a log beside the track of the railway, which operated for passengers and freight between 1882 and the 1960s, served as a venue for lunch before a hailstorm arrived to hasten us back to the car.

Here's the route we took, anticlockwise - about 11 km with 200 metres ascent, taking less than 3 hours.