Pirouetting on the path - the joyous approach to the Wales Coast Path

North Cardigan Bay is the second in a series of ten booklets each describing ten circular walks on the 870 miles of the Wales Coast Path. It’s highly practical, pocket-sized and has a sturdy cover with a handy fold to bookmark your page.

A great selection of walks makes it into the top ten. Portmeirion combines fantasy and escapism with a walk across the Cob, perfect for steam trains and what must be the ultimate view of Snowdon. A mile south at Ynys is the start of the next walk, down the estuary and back through the churchyard, with the grave of Richard Hughes of High Wind in Jamaica fame. (If you want a bit more background on this area there is an article titled Aberdwyryd.)

In between those two walks is of course Maentwrog-on-Sea which for the time being is an honorary coast path resort; being the lowest point at which you can officially cross the Dwyryd until the new Pont Briwet is built.

The tenth walk is down my memory lane from Borth halfway to Aberystwyth. In 1960 I think ours was one of only two caravans in the village and the sun shone all through the summer. In subsequent student days the walk along the coast was a popular Saturday evening prelude to sampling Borth’s pubs before catching the last bus back to Aberystwyth.

At £4.99 it’s excellent value .... that’s less than 50p a walk!

The other booklet currently available covers Llŷn

More on the Coastal Path celebrations!

I (Kate) also was helping to celebrate the Path opening, I joined a Ramblers Cymru walk from Tal y Bont (near Penrhyn Castle) to Llanfairfechan. It was very cold to start with, but warmed up after we passed Abergwyngregyn. I met a number of NWWT members and collected a few donations. If you would like to see my species list of plants and birds, please email me geoffkate.gibbs@care4free.net. You might even like to sponsor me for a few pence per species, I’m up to about £45 and my target is £100. The species list is only a snapshot as the RA walks don't allow one to stop and search and there was too much chat and adverse conditions to hear bird song clearly (Geoff had been dispatched to the NWWT Rhiwledyn reserve on the Little Orme,  so was not on hand to help). No good for butterflies either, nevertheless there were things to find and admire.

The photo shows the group, with me on the extreme left; we’re outside the entrance to the NWWT Aberogwen (Spinnies) reserve, only half a mile or so from the start of the walk. It was taken by Russell Sheaf.

  Kate Gibbs

A Welsh Mass Trespass

Saturday 5^th May 2012. Across the country groups were out walking to enjoy the first day of the 870 mile Wales Coast Path.  I joined in with the Caernarfon and Dwyfor Ramblers for the six miles from Cricieth to Porthmadog. It was brilliant: good company, fine weather, blooming flowers and a great sense of occasion.  We all waved at the TV helicopter as it hovered then flew onwards up the coast.

Despite fine weather and being a bank holiday weekend, there was plenty of space, with no feeling of being crowded – the long coastline a vast expanse at low tide. You could almost feel lonely!

It doesn’t sound right but, half way up the Vale of Ffestiniog, my local village of Maentwrog is on the Wales Coast Path! Further downstream is Pont (bridge) Briwet, but that doesn’t (yet) take walkers. It’s about to be rebuilt and maybe, in a few years time, there will be a footbridge. Another alternative is to wade across to Portmeirion at low tide but make sure you don’t step in the wrong part of the sands.

So, if you’ve made it half way up the Vale of Ffestiniog, why not go the whole hog? We’ve created this little eighteen mile diversion for your delight and delectation. The route takes you up to the ancient village of Llan Ffestiniog, with its community pub, then high up to the quarry which housed the National Gallery in WWII and down the other side of the valley where the last wolf in Wales was slain.

Here's a description of where to go and what you might see on The Vale of Ffestiniog Way.