A Walk Above The Leri.

Showers today but fairly warm.

We regularly have a pair of dunnocks coming to feed on the terrace and this morning their two fat fledglings turned up. Worryingly unafraid but they soon hopped back into the hedge. Speedy is taking things quietly today, mostly sleeping, after a cat fight yesterday when he came home with a scratch close to his eye and a torn claw. 

I was pleased when I read that the meeting point for today's walk was Tal Y Bont as 1. I know where that is, 2. it's only 20 minutes drive away and 3. we can get up into the hills from there. However as I got there so did the rain, heavy rain at that. I had just worked out that by sliding the car seat back I could get my waterproof overtrousers on when the walk leader drove up and said we were going to wait out the rain at one of the group's home just up the lane. Safe from the rain we chatted and admired her converted mill home filled with all sorts of interesting features and objects until the rain stopped. From there we took a track following the route of the River Leri but higher up.

Even though the sky was grey the view was brightened by the fresh green leaves beginning to appear on the trees that have spent the winter in muted grey hues.

The hillside is common land but last year the owners of one of the farms up the valley spent £58k repairing the road as it's their only way in.

Carefully keeping the farmers' unsightly plastic rubbish out of frame this was a pretty stream tumbling down the hillside.

All around the fields the blackthorn was covered with a white froth of blossom.

We crossed over The Leri and returned along the hillside on the other side of the valley.

From the highest point on the return section we could see down into the village of Tal Y Bont. ( There are a number of villages around with this name that translates as the bridge of/over the stream.) Beyond is the bog and then Ynyslas which is mostly a large holiday park and a few houses as this area is at risk of flooding from not only the sea but the River Leri and the much larger River Dyfi.