Ceredigion

Day 135 Borth to Ffwrnais 5 July 2023
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Day 135 Borth to Ffwrnais 5 July 2023

We enjoyed our lunch so much yesterday that we decided to go back to the deli to pick up some cheese to take home, and a sandwich for the route. We left my car at Ffwrnais, and drove into Aberystwyth.  We were waylaid by a lovely little boutique where I was able to indulge my passion for scarves, whilst Jane fed her mania for belts.  While we were inside there was a sudden downpour, but that was all the rain we saw for the day. We went to the deli and I got some lovely Manchego with truffle and some Abaty Glas, which is a blue cheese made locally. It seemed only polite to have a coffee and I squeezed a chocolate croissant in as well.  Fully stuffed, we drove to Borth to drop Jane’s car. The walk along the south side of the Dyfi Estuary is flat and pleasant, but not exciting. It is over marshland for about 3 and a half miles.

Marshland near Borth.

The air was still and heavy, very humid. Lot of butterflies everywhere, and dragonflies too. We saw a couple of kites, but no osprey. 

The track hits the A487 at Tre Taliesin – a place where lead and tin have been mined since Roman times.  Along the main road, then a detour through the little settlement of Cletwr where there is a community centre with cafe, farm shop, gallery and book exchange. Another coffee seemed in order to support the local economy.

Historic mining

Immediately after the village the path climbs up into woodland.  It was a steady climb, moderately steep, with mainly larch plantation, but signs of re-naturalisation of broad-leaved species.  We met a walker coming towards us and I stopped to chat – he is also walking round the whole coast but is coming the opposite way. He started in the Lake District. He was extolling the virtues of the Llyn Peninsula, which I will probably reach on my next leg.  Once at the top, we sat down in a field to admire the view.  We soon heard the roar of a trail bike zooming towards us. Presumably the farmer was checking that we were not bothering his sheep or setting a fire.  He seemed reassured by the site of two harmless women, but recommended we move to the next field for the best view.  He was right – from the next field we could see right across the estuary to the walk I’ll  be doing tomorrow.

View over the Dyfi estuary from the south.

We had one slightly tricky path finding moment, but other than that, all was well.  We had completed our 7.5 miles by about 5.30.  I whisked Jane back to Borth, and she drove home, whilst I came back here to my little AirBandB.  I’ve just been to the co-op for food – two pub dinners in a row is enough stodge for a while.

A gold day.

Day 134, Llanfarian to Borth 4 July 2023
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Day 134, Llanfarian to Borth 4 July 2023

After yesterday’s adventure, I was surprisingly perky – I haven’t walked much lately, but didn’t suffer any ill effects. My little Airbnb in Machynlleth is fab.  I dropped my car at Borth, and took the train to Aberystwyth – it is a very scenic route along a single track.

Waiting for the train at Borth. © Melita Thomas

Trains go left to Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and right to Aberystwyth.  I got to the latter place, where I met Jane, and we drove up to Llanfarian, about level with where I left the path yesterday.  It was impossible to get back to t he path without going down a horrible narrow lane, so we took a a delightful walk along the old railway track on the south side of the estuary, meeting the path again just to the south of Aberystwyth. 

We walked along the cobbly beach into the town,  where I have never been before. It was a good morning, and we had a really excellent lunch in a Spanish tapas bar, Ultima Comida. It was so good we’ve decided to go back tomorrow to pick up some cheese etc to take home, and get a fresh sandwich for the walk. 

The approach to Aberystwyth © Melita Thomas

Aberystwyth is, of course, very important historically in Wales as the location for the first non-violent protest by Cymdeithas yr Iath Gymraeg (Society for the Welsh Language) in 1963. In the centre of the town, there is also the location of the first bank in Wales. We left Aber about 2pm, and made our way along the front, which has very attractively painted houses. The town is an interesting mix of university prosperity and deep underlying poverty. At the end of the promenade is a steep hill, with a funicular.  We decided to walk up, and the views were fantastic.  For the next couple of hours we had superb weather, with lots of ups and downs and great views. 

The Funicular to the north of Aberystwyth. © Melita Thomas

We came to Morfa Borth and debated whether to climb one final hill, or go around the foot of the cliff on the shore.  I though the tide was going out, Jane thought it was coming in.

High road or low road? The headland south of Borth. © Melita Thomas

We could see fishermen on the rocks and another walker, so we decided to go for it.  It was not that easy, but we got across the rocks onto Borth beach.  The tide was, in fact, coming in, and as we walked along the main beach, it rushed in quite quickly. 

Tide swiftly coming in as we approached Borth. © Melita Thomas

A drink in the Queen Victoria pub in the evening sunshine capped the day nicely – 10.3 miles. Definitely a gold day!

Day 131 Llangrannog to Cei Newydd 26 Oct 2022
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Day 131 Llangrannog to Cei Newydd 26 Oct 2022

We didn’t manage to start at 10 am as planned, but had a leisurely breakfast in our fabulous hotel and admired the gardens before setting out – I really can’t recommend it enough. 

Castell Ceredigion/Cardigan Castle hotel gardens © Melita Thomas

We wound our way down the twisty lane to Llangrannog again, back past the Cofiwych Dryweryn sign then went along the narrowish bay before climbing up a very steep hill onto the cliff top. 

Cofiwch Dryweryn yn Llangrannog © Melita Thomas

There was a good deal of up and down all day. The weather was absolutely superb and we walked in T-shirts all the way in golden sunshine, with the bracken glowing orange on the hillsides.  Sadly, we still weren’t lucky enough to see any dolphins or seals on the very calm seas. 

Climbing the hill out of Cei Newydd/New Quay © Melita Thomas

Nor could we see the Llyn Peninsula, which apparently is lucky, as if you can see it, it is a harbinger of rain.  Looking back, we could see Y Mwnt disappearing into the distance.  We went down another steep hill into a little place called Cwmtydu for a coffee, then there was another series of ups and downs into Cei Newydd.   It was a lovely, uneventful day of glorious weather and scenery, covering a comfortable 8.8 miles. Definitely a gold day!

Day 130 Y Mwnt to Llangrannog 25 October 2022
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Day 130 Y Mwnt to Llangrannog 25 October 2022

View looking back to Y Mwnt and the church of the Holy Cross. © Melita Thomas

We spent half an hour or so looking round Aberteifi, buying non-essential items, including an atmospheric black and white post card of the lovely church at Y Mwnt. We then drove to Llangrannog to leave one car The car park is down a very steep road, narrow road – the kind where you are constantly praying that nothing comes in the opposite direction. We then returned to Y Mwnt.  The weather was mixed – low cloud and soft air for most of the day, cheering up to a much clearer eventing. The day was uneventful – a few steep ups and downs as Y Mwnt receded into the distance. Disappointingly, the only dolphin we saw was this one…

We stopped for tea and cake at Aberporth, leaving the path to walk up into the village.  Back on the route, we could see as far as Aberystwyth – a definite feeling of progress.  Over a few more ups and downs and into some woodland: the lichens and the ferns suggesting that it might be a bit of the elusive temperate rain forest that it hanging on in the West of Britain. 

St Crannog, by Sebastien Boyesen. © Melita Thomas

We came into Llangrannog just as it was getting dark. It is a traditional seaside village, which often hosts adventure trips for school children, as the harbour is safe and ideal for learning water sports. There were still people fishing on the beach as we arrived, passing the statue of St Crannog, cast by local bronze sculptor, Sebastien Boyesen, and erected in memory of the sixth century saint who preached the Gospel here. 

We had an excellent supper in the Pentre Arms pub, then toiled up the hill back to the car park.  It was very dark, and the route was a bit confusing, but we found it eventually. 

11.4 miles, including walking back to the car and yet another Gold day.  

Day 129 Aberteifi/Cardigan to Y Mwnt 24 Oct 2022
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Day 129 Aberteifi/Cardigan to Y Mwnt 24 Oct 2022

We had to get up bright and early this morning as neither of us had found the carpark for the hotel yesterday and we were both pay and display carparks which charge from 8 am. We then wrapped ourselves around an excellent breakfast before driving to Y Mwnt to leave one car.  It was not immediately obvious how to find the carpark, but eventually we tracked it down – right at the foot of Y Mwnt – which is a pointy hill on the coast, visible from some distance.

Bridge over Afon Teifi, looking from the north. © Melita Thomas

I decided that we did not need to go back to Poppit Sands, as the walk from there is down the estuary, rather than along the coast, and is a narrow, tarmac’d road – unpleasant and dangerous to walk along, and not part of the coast.  Consequently, we started again from Cardigan Castle, right on the bridge over the Teifi. 

Aberteifi/Cardigan is a pleasant town (allowing for the fact that Welsh towns are not generally as pretty as English ones, although the surrounding countryside is nearly always fabulous). In the paving on the main road there is a slab with the words of the well-known hymn, Calon Lân, (Pure Heart) engraved.

The chorus of Calon Lân. © Melita Thomas

I am not sure why – perhaps it was written by a local bard? The castle was first built by a Norman invader, Gilbert de Clare, presumably as part of his assault across the Irish Sea on Ireland. It was taken for the Welsh in 1165 by Rhys ap Gruffydd (usually known as the Lord Rhys), the mightiest Welsh prince of the late twelfth century. He rebuilt the castle in stone, and some of his works remain extant.  

The weather was bright and breezy, with squalls to begin with, but we made good time along the north side of the estuary – there was a fair amount of road walking to start, but the views of the southern bank were good, and it is always nice to see the boats bobbing (or not bobbing) on the water. We passed some apple trees that were dangling temptingly over the path, so Jane clambered up the five-bar gate to supplement our lunch.

Bobbing and not-bobbing boats on the Teifi Estuary. © Melita Thomas

Turning off the road, we walked through beet fields, with Ynys Aberteifi/Cardigan Island ahead of us – it is known for its colonies of grey seals, but we did not see any there. In fact, the whole day, despite having our eyes peeled for dolphins, which are regular visitors to this part of the coast we only saw one seal. Eventually, the point of Y Mwnt came into view.  The sun had come out by this point, so we sat above the little inlet, where lots of people were enjoying themselves – some hardy souls were even swimming.  I decided that I was not brave enough for full immersion, but I did paddle – it was eye-wateringly cold, but exhilarating. My feet tingled for ages afterward.

Paddling at the foot of Y Mwnt. © Melita Thomas
Holy Cross Church, Y Mwnt. © Melita Thomas

We then climbed up to the top of Y Mwnt, great views in all directions, before visiting the lovely little church of Holy Cross at the foot. It has been there, time-out-of-mind, for the benefit of pilgrims and the tiny local community. It was a very tranquil space, moving in its quiet simplicity.

Another gold day, covering a modest eight miles.