What an epic walk we had yesterday! After staying the night in an adorable apartment in Barmouth me, my mum and my sister parked in Arthog and set out for this varied and beautiful walk. We went alongside the estuary on the well kept Mawddach trail for about 3 miles and watched the geese and an otter going about their business on this peaceful Sunday morning. Following directions in mum’s Barmouth walks guide book we turned inland by a lovely fast flowing river and crossed the main road to go uphill on a lane to reach Kings Hostel.
From there we passed an old and atmospheric graveyard before heading to open country across a gorgeous valley near the imposing Cader Idris range. We came to the lakes where suddenly there were a lot of people making use of the National Trust car park and enjoying the beauty of Snowdonia. We spent some time walking around the lake and got cold quickly when we sat to finish our coffee and snacks. We carried on down the hill and along mossy lanes, over ladder stiles and past quaint stone cottages to make it back to Arthog. We were moving fairly slowly as mum was a bit under the weather, so it took four and half hours to complete a challenging 8 miles.
This walk had it all and was a great way to end the years walking! Calm, moody estuary waters, hills and mountains, grassy sweeping valley, adorable homes, woodland, rivers and lakes. Would highly recommend!
#50- 8 miles of sheer beauty
I am feeling reflective as I finish off this post. I am sitting here on December 30th thinking about how I am going to finish this year two hikes short of the 52 goal (I am running errands/working today and travelling to London to see friends for New Years tomorrow). I thought if i didn’t reach this goal of 52 hikes I would feel disappointed or like I had let myself down. However, I don’t feel that. I am so grateful for the wonderful experiences in nature I have had this year- camping and exploring Vancouver Islands rugged coastlines and forests, traversing rockfalls with my sister in Nepal and re-engaging with the trails near my home in Shropshire. The little rules I impose on myself for this challenge- the main one being each one i include has to be new to me- are just that: self imposed rules. I have walked usually about 3 times a week for a quick hour on local trails here and there and have found lots of calm and clarity from making this a routine. So how can missing two off my challenge be a failure?! Next year I will reboot this challenge and start again with a new blog! It will be even more challenging as I will be in warm countries where hiking is probably not the norm. But i know for a fact I am book ending the year with a 3 day trek in Guatemala and hopefully a week on the O trail in Patagonia- so exciting things to come!! Happy new year to everyone and here’s to a peaceful and joyful 2020!
1Year/52Hikes 2019 