Wales – Page 4 – JaksTrips

CCP Day 2. Aberporth to New Quay. More mud

I’m doing this walk to raise money for research into amyloidosis. My JustGiving page.

I know Chris would have liked to do this walk as it’s by the coast that she knows so well and goes past her favourite camping spot at Mwnt. I miss walking with you my trusty companero, my darling best friend.

Croissant then sausage and tomatoes for breakfast. I didn’t eat the fried bread as it was not fried in butter. Coffee was a bit weak. I set off at 9.30 as it was a bit further to go today. 10 hours later I reached New Quay. Ow! From Aberporth the path goes to Tresaith, it’s Tarmac most of the way, lulling me into a false sense of confidence. Espresso at Tresaith but horrible. Then back to Mud to reach Penbryn. Stopped for expensive almond and plum tart at The Plump Tart. I thought she was quite well rounded but a bit stingy on the portion she gave me.

Then to Llangranog where I was already thinking of throwing in the towel but no buses so no choice but to continue. It would have been sensible to stop here but I didn’t know how bad the paths would be. Thick clay Mud weighs down the boots and slows you down. Plus there are a lot of ups and downs on the route. A lot. I chatted to some Ramblers’ volunteers doing path work near Llangranog.

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The weather was fab, the views were stunning but I worried about reaching New Quay before dark. I rang the hotel from Cwmtydu to say I would be late. No problem. I passed a couple of walkers doing the whole path. We all talked Mud.
I got so tired I could barely put one foot in front of the other. It was so good to see New Quay.

Didn’t see any Dolphins but saw horses, a kite, a jay, a rabbit, sheep oh and some Mud.

Hotel Penwig room is fine. Biscuits! They all go to Carol! Supper of chicken and bacon linguine so hungry it barely touched the sides. Choc crunch tart. Half of Brains bitter. Half of Rev James Gold.

Lying down. May be able to crawl to bathroom.

Today my song was Bruce One Step Up (and two steps back).

There will be a postscript when I get home and load up pictures from my camera.

These 2 days have been terrific scenery but hard work. I’ve renamed it the Ceredigion Mud Bath.

JustGiving: Walk Ceredigion Coast Path for UCL because we need to research much more about amyloidosis.
http://www.justgiving.com/Jak-Radice2

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

CCP Day 1. Cardigan to Aberporth. Mud hideous mud

I’m doing this walk to raise money for research into amyloidosis. It will soon be 2 long years since Chris got sick. Chris has this disease and it is truly horrid and hard for her and for those of us who love her. My JustGiving page.

Breakfast was a shining example of how to feed lots of people very cheaply but not necessarily well. However I had some fresh pineapple and yoghurt and then a poached egg with beans on toast. Despite the 2 guest houses being related to each other, the one where I slept had a cafetière but the breakfast one only gave me horrible instant coffee so I didn’t drink it. Glad I wasn’t staying there.

On the Ceredigion Coast Path at 10. First you go along the estuary including the sewage works where I found that Wales’s most famous poet has a sideline in crane hire!

Then you start on the mud after about 1 km and so it continues for most of the day in huge sticky slippy slidy quantities. Sometimes my boots were heavy with it. There was a field with cows which I would normally think twice about but no options other than to talk to them. They were quite inquisitive but I felt the fear and did it anyway! It took an hour and a half to reach the sea. Quite a long stretch on the quiet road to Gwbert. I fell over 3 times during the day because of the sodding mud. The mud slowed me down as I had to be very careful on the descents and still managed to fall down.

It took 4 hours to get to Mwnt where I had a hot chocolate and some shortbread in the hut on the path. No hot Welsh cakes today because “it’s been dead”.

I saw only a few other walkers, about 4. There were some scary signs about danger of non-ionising radiation about which I’m still none the wiser. There were sheep in the field with it. Did it stop at the fence exactly?

Then it was a muddy slog to Aberporth with occasional downpours and hail. I did curse the mud. DERA takes up a lot of ground at Aberporth and must be responsible for the radiation. Not sure what the point of the notice was, I didn’t have a handy lead apron with me.
After a final section of thick deep mud I reached the Penrallt hotel. I had to remove my muddy gear before going in as it looked like I’d bathed in it.

No biscuits or flannel in the room and only cheap toiletries but I had a lovely hot bath. Sat by the fire with my first half of San Miguel. Dinner was chicken supreme which was a sort of tomatoey sauce with chorizo with potatoes and broccoli spears. Two more halves of San Miguel and a berry panna cotta.

Had to leave sitting room as the people I was eavesdropping on were so stupid I wanted to smack them! Going for whisky! Penderyn lovely.

Song of the day: Morcheeba The Sea.
JustGiving: Walk Ceredigion Coast Path for UCL because we need to research much more about amyloidosis.

http://www.justgiving.com/Jak-Radice2

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Before the CCP

Smooth journey to Borth. Popped in to see lovely Chris. Arrived in Cardigan about 7.30. Found the very pink Llety Teifi guest house. Very clean with cafetière and ground coffee in the room. Straight out to Los Caballeros for beef chilli which was chunks of very tender meat, not minced, served with chips, salad and slaw. The veggie options were a bit too dull. I ate it all, washed down with San Miguel. Back to guest house for a bottle of Snowdon lager which is my current fave.

JustGiving: Walk Ceredigion Coast Path for UCL because we need to research much more about amyloidosis.
http://www.justgiving.com/Jak-Radice2

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

West Wales July 2015

Saturday 4th July

Chris and I waited for the clouds to blow away. We eventually drove off from Borth and got to Mwnt where it was at least not raining and the sun popped in every now and then. We’d had some falafel and hummous on the way to keep us going.

On arrival at the campsite, we tried to pay up but no-one was in so we got Chris’s tent up. It’s very spacious and well constructed by Vango. By then time was marching on so we went into Cardigan to the Grosvenor for chicken Caesar for me and Chris had fish with ratatouille. Both meals were very nice and we washed them down with Doom Bar beer.

After dinner, we drove up the coast a little and stopped to watch the sun go down along with some keen photographers who set up their tripods and did a lot of fiddling. This will be me one day.

Then it was back to the campsite and I set up my tarp and bivvy combo. Well now I’ve really looked at the pictures I can see I didn’t get this right at all. The idea with the tarp is that you use your walking poles as the poles (to reduce weight). This part went ok and I managed to stay dry all night as did my book and my shoes even though there was a lot of rain. But I didn’t get the tarp taut enough and it needed guy ropes. It didn’t come with guy ropes which is a serious error on the part of the manufacturer Rab as it ‘s not a cheap item so really they are being tight fisted here. All the photos of the Element Solo in action show it being used with guy ropes so I’ve got some on order now. The tarp acts as a flysheet and then I get myself and my sleeping bag and my mat into the bivvy bag which is a waterproof bag.

I drank rum and read some more of The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters, good book but it will end in tears, I haven’t yet finished it. It was amazing feeling all sleepy under the stars and seeing the moon through the end of the tarp. It was less good hearing a thumping base which it turned out was about 3 miles away.

Sunday 5th July

I woke up early and went up the Mwnt to see the views, someone was making sand patterns on the beach. I also looked in the church which was peaceful. Got back to the campsite just in time to brew up and then the heavens opened again. We sat it out and then packed up the wet gear. First breakfast of fruit and granola in the car. We paid up which was when we found out about the distant noisy party.

We parked in the National Trust car park and visited the kiosk on the path to the beach, hot chocolate and freshly baked Welsh cakes for breakfast no. 2.

Just about missed the next downpour and then off to Llanerchaeron to make further good use of our National Trust memberships. Lunch first, Chris had a ploughman’s and I had a frittata. Yum yum!

We went round the walled gardens and met a nice cat. Then back to Borth where Chris made my supper of pasta and veg and sauce. Yum, yum yum!

A water lily for Claude Monet (Carol in that hat)

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.

Aberaeron and Llanerchaeron 19th April

A racing weekend with Chris.
Saturday night
Out to Machynlleth to see O’Hooley and Tidow who were on good form.
Sunday
A spot of gardening
PetsRUs to get supplies for Patcho and Jim the psycho.
Aberaeron for a wander to find a cafe, we ended up in the Celtic Cafe fish restaurant. Chris had a tuna baguette and I had a tuna toastie. Mine wasn’t very nice really.
Llanerchaeron for a wander round a nice old house, we were the last visitors of the day so had the place to ourselves. They made the phone ring when we went in the study so I picked it up and had a conversation with a clever recorded message.
National Trust shop for more plants for Chris.
Kate and Dels for dinner. Chicken pie and spuds and creamed spinach followed by choc brownie and ice cream and sticky pistachio dessert, possibly I have missed something out there! Delish!
A sort of typical Chris and Jak outing where we did as much as we possibly could. It was lovely to be out and about and doing things.
Both a bit cream crackered!

P1030704 — In the courtyard at Llanerchaeron

Please visit Map and Compass and learn how to interpret a map and use a compass with me and my navigation partner, Cath.