About Me

My photo
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.

Thursday, 22 September 2016

A Ceiriog Trail North of Rhiwlas 22nd September 2016

The River Ceiriog at Pontricket.
A lesson in map reading?
Unexpected rock cliffs North of Cwmclwyd.
Looking West Nant Llechwedd-gwyn towards the Ceiriog Valley as we ascend the Lower Ceiriog Trail / Upper Ceiriog Way past Springhill Wood.
.Rowen with abundant fruit. glistening in the bright sunshine.
A suitable spot to to wait for the photographer and have a drink at the same rime or eve adjust one's.attire to suit the ambient temperature!
The Berwyns from the Upper Ceiriog Way North of Foel Rhiwlas.
The panorama from South west of Pen y Gwely just before our lunch spot.
An abandoned plough next to the path heading down towards Rhiwlas.
A gate that we had hoped to go through, but without a machete at hand we had to make a slight detour.
Foel Rhiwlas seen the North west. 
Walk stats: 7.3 miles. Climb: 1136'.
Time: 4 hours 59 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.0 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.5 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Roger, Celia, Wendy and Phil.
Overall this proved to a good day for walking, plenty of sunshine and only a gentle breeze that occasionally make us feel on the cool whenever the clouds blocked out the Sun. Thankfully that didn't happen often.
 The walk in the morning was superb, starting on a delightful path through woodland towards Pont-y-Melbion. As we climbed up the  Nant Llechwedd-gwyn Valley we had delightful views towards the Ceiriog Valley and once we had climbed to the top of the Nant Llechwedd-gwyn Valley  the views towards the Berwyns couldn't be bettered.
 Lunch was taken just South of Pen y Gwely, where the remains of an old stone wall made convenient perching spots with fine views of the Berwyns to look at and the warm sunshine on our backs.
 The section of path on the East side of Foel Rhiwlas presented us with one or two problems and will be missed out on any future walk in this area. This will probably be sooner rather than later, maybe in November or December of this year,
At the end of the walk Roger commented on the fact that we had been stopped for 90 minutes or more, but looking back we stopped a fair while to allow a farmer to drive his flock of sheep along the trial first, then waited while three horse riders went through a gate before we closed it, and of course there was our lunch stop that now seems to last for at least 30 minutes and that's before you take in to account stops to look at the map, admire the view or visit happy bushes!
 Birds seen or heard today included: Coal tit, Common blackbird, Common pheasant, Goldfinch, Barn swallow, Rook, Common buzzard, Black-billed magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion crow and Wood pigeon.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Pant-yr-Ochain at Gresford where a brew from the Stonehouse Brewery went down well.

No comments: