Well, yet again the weather forecasters got it wrong, well for the first half of the day anyway. It poured down with rain as I drove very early to Fairbourne railway station where I parked my car. I caught the 7:30 train to Llanbedr which cost me £2.95.
The WCP passes right past Llanbedr railway stop (hardly a station!) so I immediatley carried on from my previous trip. Unfortunately, the weather was not playing ball and for the next 2 hours it continued to rain with hale and sleet thrown in. This first part of the walk was along roads which skirted the perimeter of the old Llanbedr airfield now used as industrial offices and with a local flying Club. The path was winding its way out to Shell Island (if you ever go there you will realise how it got it’s name!) and the promise of some beach walking.
When I eventually hit the beach I was fortunate to have the wind at my back, so I literally sail-boated in a southerly direction for three miles. However, there was a river crossing coming up and that necessitated an inland diversion to Talybont and a bridging point. It was quite tough following the way signs and cross-referencing with the map, it was bitterly cold and my fingers were feeling it!
Some of the fields, particularly the ones with cattle in were an absolute quagmire to cross. However, an encounter lightened my mood as I continued to plough through this diversion. Have you ever got that feeling when you you are walking that something is behind you? Well I had just crossed this small field and was about to go through a gate, when I had this feeling that something was behind me. Well imagine my surprise when I was confronted by three alpacas. They had followed me silently across the field and were about 2 metres away. It was quite funny because I had watched, about two days previously, the Aardman production of Shaun the Sheep: The Farmers Llamas which was very funny. Anyhow it cheered me up.
Eventually, I reached the main road which meant pavement walking all the way into Barmouth. I was rewarded by the elevated road looking back and seeing the whole of the Lleyn penisinular, including Bardsey island.
I passed through Barmouth and crossed the Mawddach Estuary over Barmouth Bridge via the wooden planked footpath (which also allows motorcycles strangely!). As I was crossing the bridge a train was coming in the opposite direction. The views up to a snow covered Cadair idris were amazing. The sun eventually came out as I walked into Fairbourne completing the 16 miles in 4.5hrs.
Distance today = 16 miles
Total distance = 1215 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 