The first walk of 2016!!
The weather forecast, again, was miles off, forecasting cloud, but instead it rained heavily for most of the walk. This was a very early start and required me to drive to Llanbedr and park in the free car park just outside the village. It was pouring down as I made my way into the village to catch the 06:38 #38 bus to the Oakley Arms, Tan-y-Bwlch then the no. 1B bus to Porthmadog. Both buses were very busy, as there was a train drivers strike on Arriva Wales.
I set off from Porthmadog in the dark walking along the sea-wall. Visibility was ok and it improved as the morning wore on, but still raining most of the time. I walked around Port Merion, but not the actual “Village”. For those who have never visited Port Merion it is well worth a visit. I remember watching “The Prisoner” as a child, where the series was filmed.
I walked down the main road into Minfordd then into Penryhdeudraeth before taking the upgraded road out past the small train request stop at Llandecwyn. The path continued out towards Morfa Harlech on a levee, which unfortunately cattle had been using; so I therefore jumped down and walked along a rough track on the shore side.
Before coming out of Morfa Harlech, I took a wrong turn, I heard some shouting and the farmer was pointing in a different direction, I retraced my steps and found a partially obscure sign. I opted for a more direct route which did not take me into Harlech itself, but headed straight through the golf course. Although the ground was very wet, I was not greatly hindered by flooding.
The final mile saw the rain beating down on me again, but my new Scarpa boots held up really well, both in comfort and dry feet. I made excellent time for the 16 miles taking 4hrs 50 mins.
Distance today = 16 miles
Total distance = 1199 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 