Tag: National Trails

So the walk is done, and as you would expect the experiences of that walk prompted a few thoughts about how it went, what I'd do the same/differently, and generally what were the highs and lows. So here goes.... The Plan vs RealityNavigation, Trail Hazards etcWeatherFacilities along the TrailWaterAccommodationGear that WorkedGear that Didn'tFinally The Plan … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way: Afterthoughts →

A terrible night's sleep courtesy of both my lack of mat, and the late arrival of a family at dusk. There seemed to be a lot of opening and closing of car doors throughout the night. I was up early, and they looked like they'd never actually been to bed (and it sounded like that … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 9: The End →

This morning on the way back from the facilities, I was offered a lift to Welshpool, and I surprised myself in how readily I turned it down. I'm not sure the answer would have been the same if the offer had been made last night. Day 8: Abertridwr to Meifod - 25.71km, 624m ascent / … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 8: Looking After My Feet →

A peaceful night was had, but the sleep wasn't great quality - still feeling the loss of my mat, and for that reason keen to get the walk done. Midges besieged the tent as I made tea, and attempted to eat a cereal bar under my midge net. I copped for quite a lot of … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 7: Ouch, my feet →

Last night I booked a campsite at Lake Vyrnwy for tomorrow, as I wasn't that happy with the way potential wild camps aligned with places to get water. I decided to create some certainty and effectively break this final 4 days into 2 sections of 2 days. That just left tonight to think about, and … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 6: Still no Water →

...It was not OK. As soon as the sun went down last night, the wind picked up, and with it the rain. The mountain forecast I was using had last updated at 6pm, and didn't reflect the late build up of the storm. The forecast I did myself as darkness fell, was a little more … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 5: Calm After the Storm →

A slower start today due to the constraints of staying in a B&B or pub. I generally love the day leaving "proper" accommodation, though: it's like a reset back to the start of the walk when everything is fresh and new. Of course if the weather's poor, it just feels like going out from the … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 4: The Best Day Yet →

Another middle-of-the-night sleep disturbance: this time at 4am, when I woke to find myself on a deflated mat. Attempts to re-inflate it failed miserably, with the air coming out as fast as it was going in. I gave up and simply lay on the flat mat. At least I had a thin closed cell foam … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 3: Trials, Tribulations and the Field of Doom →

Day 2: Black Mountain to Ysgŵd-ffordd - 27.84km, 734m ascent / 780m descent It's amazing the effect of a decent night's sleep, and last night's was just such a night. I woke feeling a lot more positive. My pack up was more efficient too. although I still wasn't quite fast enough to do it with … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Day 2: Under Surveillance →

It was a long and excruciatingly slow journey to Wales, with speed restrictions/engineering work doubling the journey time to Crewe. This was also my first train travel of any kind since You Know What. So, it was a relief all round to complete the last leg of the journey and step down onto the platform … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way – Days 0 and 1: To Knighton and Beyond… →

Recently I decided to make a determined effort to tick off the National Trails, and moreover to thru-hike as many of them as I can. To date I've only completed the North Downs Way, and am just over 90% done on the South West Coast Path, but neither of these have been done in one … Continue reading Glyndŵr’s Way: Planning →