Saracans head bar. I realise I am travelling now as if I will never return to a place. Following a camping site sign, I arrived at a stunning place, Cae Du, just outside B. With a warm welcome, I ask, can I stay a night with 3 dogs, the receptionist said, yes, of course, you said 2 nights and 2 dogs? Why not.
Time enough to explore the local hill. I am puffing up the easy steps. This is the first time I feel and know the damage to my lungs. It does not seem to get better. I take it slow. Kali beside me, as if encouraging, the other younguns frolicking ahead. I am sweating at the top. With no one around, I stripped off, and walked on in knickers and t-shirt – thankfully a bit long. Legs out for firs time!
We come to remains of working of a copper mine, red rock, and once again I wish I knew more of geology. A very inelegant descent, through a field of cows, and sometimes on a bottom. Gosh gone gone the mountain goat. Must cut little toe nail!
Fixated with moss.
Walk 2
The first morning I met Paula, walking down to the showers. Do you live here? I began. It was more complicated, and unusual. She and her husband had built up the camp site over 30 years battling with permissions from castodian authorities like the National Trust. They had just sold the site, in March, and were looking for a place to live, so temporarily living in a motor home on the edge of the site.
Where are you walking today, she asked. I do not know, I said, so she gave us our walk, to a waterfall. Marked all the way with black arrows, and relatively easy, she said. She was right. Walking passed the entrance to the copper mine, we would return to later, we began the ascent through remarkable moss covered oak trees, the way easily marked.
A few challenges. The stiles over dry stone walls were increasingly tall, and I had to lift Kali over them. The first one I said, I’m not stopping now, Kali. The last took several attempts. We occasionally found sheep around the corner, but Brow was good, with STOP DOWN command. A cow appeared over the brow of a hill. We lost our way at the top, the useful black signs missing, mist descending, no GPS but after some false starts found some tracks which worked. Passed old copper workings and habitations
At the waterfall, two lads from Surrey who had come down from Snowdon (starting 4am) photographed themselves plunging in. Endorphins arising!
Fabulous tea at the Cafe Gwynant, where I had a mushroom Raman – the best food in all of Wales so far. Great energy of the new owner, a biker himself.
The copper mine the icing on a perfect day cake. Described as ‘self tour’, with a helmet, I entered the mine, alone. Jeeze the conditions these people worked in. Of course, comradery engendered, it was dangerous, dark, wet, cold.
That evening walked to the town, drank a pint and wrote up a few notes, before a small dally in the church yard.
Back on the road tomorrow. We tucked in, dogs and I. I persuading Kali not to sleep on my single bed with me, which did not work for long. Dead weight and urine my sleeping companions. I love him still
Love being on the road. Looking out.
Kalikellett 