Christina Howarth – Page 3

What I carried on the Ceredigion Coast Path

Clothing

Lightweight Scarpa boots
Fresh socks for each day
Fresh pants for each day!!
Short sleeve merino shirt
Long sleeve merino shirt
Fleece jacket
Very lightweight Mountain Equipment insulating jacket
Thick walking trousers
Very lightweight trousers (for wearing in my accommodations)
Sandals (for wearing in my accommodations)
Two pairs of winter gloves [not used]
Two buffs [only used one]
Waterproof hat
Woolly hat
Lightweight Rab waterproof jacket
Lightweight Rab waterproof trousers

Gear

Osprey 30 litre Tempest rucksack
Map
Compass
First Aid kit including emergency kit e.g. headlamp, knife [took way too much stuff here]
Backup emergency phone
1 litre water bottle
0.5 litre water bottle
2 Trek bars
2 fruity bars
iPhone including maps, charger and back up charger case
Camera and waterproof bag
Emergency loo events bag [not used!]
Toiletries – toothbrush, toothpaste, moisturiser, sun cream, arnica salve (worked wonders on my feet)
Contact lenses and small mirror
2 pkts tissues
2 lightweight Fizan walking poles
Little Ted

The Osprey Tempest prides itself on its walking pole stowage system which on the couple of times I’d used it prior to this trip worked fine. I decided to use just one pole through the mud and stowed the second one. I’d tightened it as much as it would go. And then of course, it disappeared. I had no idea when or where, probably one of the many times I fell over on Day 1. So I had a failed rucksack and a lost pole. All very irritating. I’m now waiting to see what Cotswold Outdoor are going to do for me. Osprey themselves seem to have a very good customer service section. Will report back.

https://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.

1st Stage of the CCP, postscript

Hotel Penwig breakfast was very good. A small cooked veggie breakfast was 2 sausages, tasty ones, 2 poached eggs, also tasty and beans. Weak coffee.

Went off to book a 2 hour dolphin boat trip and had a Grumpy Mule coffee from a fish and chip shop before going to the boat. At last a nice cup of coffee. I’m sure there is good coffee to be had along the coast but the hotel trade makes a habit of weak breakfast coffee for no apparent reason and no excuse these days when the fish and chip shop is able to do it.

Got chatting to nice family from Manchester whilst waiting for the boat. A fellow blogger. We were only a handful on the boat which I liked as we could spread out and move about. Not a dolphin in sight. Oh well will have to come back. Lovely day to be on the sea and great to see most of my walk yesterday. The boat turned at Llangranog. We did see seals and loads of sea birds.

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Back to New Quay. Up the road to the bus. I’d asked directions at the pub earlier which I heard as “next to the greenhouse” but was meant as “next to the green house” and took me a while to realise. Still tired I guess. My car was still at the college car park, free because half term. Nice to be reunited with shoes not caked and crusted in Mud. Tesco then Borth to visit Chris for a couple of days.

The path, the Mud

This section of tarmac started in the middle and ended quite soon after

When I come back for the rest of the path I will do shorter mileages.

There are several converted railway carriages along the way. Must have been a lot of bother to get them sited. And then they are probably quite cold to live in.

Signs

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https://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 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.