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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-7 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Wednesday 21 July 2021

Gopa Woods and Cwm Dulas from Abergele 21st July 2021

 

Views of Gopa Woods an Gwrych Castle from Pentre Mawr Park.
A better view of Gwrych Castle from the view point in Gopa Wood.
A better class of waymarker pointing the way out of Gopa Wood.
Admiring the views towards the hills of North Wales.
Making their way trogh a field of barley.
Lunch time in the shade on the south side of Rhyd-y-foel.
Is it a Northern marsh orchid?
A star plant on the Wales Coast Path between Llandulas and Abergele.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.2 miles. Climb: 883'.
Time: 4 hours 50 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.3 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Max temperature: 29.2 Celsius,
Beaufort Wind Force: 0 (occasional welcome breeze, but never enough to even register moe than calm on the BWF scale.)
Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, Mike and Fran.
This was a day that had weather forecasts predicting temperatures approaching 30 Celsius, so as we set off we were all wondering had we made the right decision to walk today.
Sue suggested that it might be better to climb to Gopa Wood first and leave the two plus mile coast path walk to the end. Never to question a lady, this was what we did.
It turned out to be a good choice as completing the walk this way round gave us more sections in the shade than we thought we would get.
As we walked south of Betws Lodge Wood we had our first hazy distant views of Snowdonia.
Lunch was taken in the wooded area below Pen-y-corddyn mawr ( Rhyd-y-foel) as this meant we were out of the direct glare of the sunshine.
The stretch from the wst side of Ryd-y-foel was along the road, but we didn't mind as it was a largely tree lined vroad and we were in the shade.
A rs we crossed a bridge over the Afon Dulas, we were a little jealous of a couple bathing the river below.
The hardest part of the walk was the final 2.5 mile trek along the Wales Coast Path from Llandulas to Abergele, easy walking on tarmac that made us feel our feet were on fire!
A good day for spotting flowers, butterflies, grasshoppers, but not that nay birds.
Birds seen or heard today included: Herring gull, Black headed gull, Mallard, Coot, Commo blackbird, Barn swallow, Common pheasant, Oystercatcher and Common buzzard.
Overall and enjoyable walk, with the only regrt, thetide was out too far to tempt us all to go for a paddle in the sea (and more than that for some!0.
I was no time to get over our disappointment and head for the Britannia Inn at Halkyn for an excellent pint of Lees Bitter.I'm still enjoying my takeaway as I watch the first cricket womens 100 match.

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