A Walk Along Afon Llolwyn To The Coast.

Having picked up two of my fellow walkers we met the rest of our happy group by the side of the main road where the Afon Llolwyn (really just a tiny stream) enters the Afon Ystwyth.

To reach the wooded valley through which the stream runs we had to pass between a couple of cottages and their gardens. A chap came out of the first house and offered to move his car if we needed more parking spaces but fortunately we were okay. More conversation ensued and some of the group went in to see the work he was doing to convert two cottages into one. He was then invited to join us which he did. Funnily enough it turned out that he had met one of the group at an Extinction Rebellion demonstration in Parliament Square (London) and they had a number of friends in common. He only moved into the area at the beginning of the year and may well join us on further walks. Later towards the end of the walk we got talking to a lady clearing bushes on the path alongside her garden and she too may join us on future walks. We're nothing if not a friendly bunch.

The wood was full of English bluebells (the ones in my garden are the not so welcome Spanish bluebells but I'm not going to get rid of them). In previous years the wood has been carpeted with white wood anemones but they hadn't flowered yet. The weather has been so strange this year with the very hot weather of the last few weeks bringing on some flowers while others have been delayed due to the lack of rain. One of our group lives above Cwm Rheidol and after having to put out numerous fires near her place is still having to keep an eye out for fires associated with the mile long fire that burnt for many days.

Having walked through the wood and admired the flowers and varied trees (it was once part of the grounds of a 'grand' house) we walked through countryside lanes and then up a steep hill. Almost at the top of the hill (above photo) we perched on a grassy bank to enjoy our lunch and the views.

From there we continued upwards through some rough ground where the normally muddy track had dried into rock hard cracks and deep (cow) tracks.

Then finally we began to see glimpses of the sea and then far across to the Llyn peninsula.

And from this high point there in the hazy distance was the triangular peak of Mount Snowdon.

Then following a different route we made our way back into the green countryside, through the wood and back to the cars.

This evening while Peter watched how the boat crew managed coming inshore I was more interested in the group with their horses and the girls practising their vaulting.