The Glasfryn and Gwysaney 9th February 2017

Walk followed by our Annual Meal 2017.

A big thank you to everyone for your very generous gift.

 It will keep me in printer ink and paper for 2017.

Moel Famau  above Ty-draw Farm taken from the road leading to Black Brook,

On the track near Tan-y-Wal.

Gwysaney hall from the South east.

Heading along the track past Gwysaney Hall.

On wat's Dyke, but only four were listening.

Snowdrops.

Even more Snowdrops on wat's Dyke Way South east of Soughton Farm.

Waiting to be fed at the Glasfryn, Mold.

Waiting to be fed at the Glasfryn, Mold.

Waiting to be fed at the Glasfryn, Mold.

Walk stats: Distance: 5.1 miles. Climb: 360'.

Time: 2 hours 12 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.1 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, Roger and Margaret, Annie, Tim and Carol, Phil, Sue and Dave, Terry, Paul, Dave and Sylvia, Wendy, Celia, Anne and David S.

It was good to have our Stamford and Walsall friends join us for the walk.

 Thirteen of us set off from the Glasfryn at 09-50 with six more joining us just for the meal. 

 The weather was kind to us and thankfully we didn't experience the cold 12 m.p.h ENE forecast and it seemed much warmer than the - 3 Celsius feel-like temperature that we were anticipating.

 Overall the walk was quite pleasant with relatively good conditions underfoot. The muddiest section came as we took a path adjacent to a wood on the North side of Soughton and on a path through rough pasture on the South west side of the same village.

 I anticipated stopping around 11-00 or just afterwards so that we could all have a drink. We didn't see any obvious place to stop, and no-one seemed desperate to stop. The front runners on this occasion had set a cracking pace, so I had to impose a "Crystallised Ginger stop" as we emerged from the path at Vownog, Soughton, otherwise we would have been in danger of arriving back at the Glasfryn before they opened!

 The only really new section of the walk for most of us was on the Wat's Dyke Way across a small section of the dyke, East Soughton Farm.

 Thankfully we had sent Roger along the road as the three most difficult stiles were on this section, requiring you to pull yourself up, something that he finds difficult at present with his right shoulder giving him grief.

 Birds seen or heard today included: European robin, Common blackbird, Blue tit, Great spotted woodpecker, Common pheasant, Common buzzard, Jackdaw, Common starling, Woodpigeon, Wood nuthatch, Mistle thrush and Goldfinch.

 We arrived back at the Glasfryn in plenty of time to change and have a few drinks before our meals. 

 Everyone seemed to have enjoyed their meals and the venue so much, that I'm sure we will use it again for our annual meal some time in the future.

 Thanks to Michel's note system, paying the bill went without a hitch.

 The only downside for some was that they had run out of loyalty vouchers, so I've got an I.O.U for 19 vouchers to collect the next time I visit!