Catching up - highlights

 and, I hope, photographs…

June 15th & 16th Y Rhiw, local short walks

Sunday 15th June 2025

The weather much better this morning…the clouds have rolled in but it’s forecast to be dry…

We took a walk up the track and along the road to the car park area for Mynydd Rhiw.

The cloud lifted and things warmed up slightly.

Another walk up the road after dinner.

We saw several glow worms on the track tonight.

 Monday 16th June

A little cloudier than forecast. The cloud should burn off… then it grew very windy.

Pre-coffee walk along the track and road for a couple of miles. Saw skylarks, and a partridge herding her chicks and leading us away from them.

Short stroll along path behind cottage. Speckled woods and various insects there in sheltered spots.

Later Harry suggested exploring the path down to Treheli - which was almost impassible - certainly not one we’ll try again soon.  Checked ourselves over for ticks…

We returned via the Plas yn Rhiw road - how steep is that one! 

After dinner we do another up and down of the track and then today’s crossword (easy-peasy), and last Saturday’s  prize (tricky, but finished)- feeling  quite well exercised.

Stanwick Lakes to Little Addington and back.

Wednesday 27th August 2025

A short afternoon walk from Stanwick Lakes to Little Addington along the Nene Way, with a break for a late-ish lunch at The Bell.

There were a couple of moderate showers on the way back, but luckily they were very short. We saw a couple of martins flying.

 

June 14th travel to Pen Llyn

 Bryn y Ffynnon - magical as ever. We set off around 11 am. We broke the journey with a stop at Corley services for coffee. It’s much better, more spacious and green, than the Rugby Services we used once before.

Stopped at Leisure Salop for a break (there’s a campsite/cabins/ garden centre/ shop and cafe. Busy ish on a Saturday). I had a short wander around. 

 We ate our packed lunch at LLansantffraid ym Mechain for lunch, just after the bridge over the river Vyrnwy, where it is joined by the R Cain.

There was once a view before the trees hid it, and once a path, though now the gate is locked and the steps are overgrown - I wonder if it was damaged by floods at some point.  

We were lucky enough to get a table for dinner at the Ship Inn (Y Llong) near Pwllheli - veggie crumble/ chef’s chicken pie.

Mynytho, near Pwllheli

 Down the steep track to the house - where it was quite chilly, so we lit the stove.

June 12th - Rushton to the Bull Pen

 

Thursday 12th June

A warm morning with some sun. I walked with Marta from Rushton to Bull Pen cafe. No diversion into Barford Meadows Reserve this time. We passed a field with a large bull, cows and calves. (All behind fences).  Another field contained shorn alpacas from Homefield Spa.

We had coffee and teacake at the Bull Pen cafe, then walked back a slightly more direct route.Just over 4 miles of pretty flat terrain. 

Local strolls to West Hill x 2 and Kirby Hall

June 10th 2025 Sunset over West Hill.

June 11th 2025 

We walked to Kirby Hall, starting about 5.45, and returning just before 8pm. Quick dinner and a walk round the village and to top of West Hill again.

June 9th 2025 - Seaton to Gretton linear.

Monday 09 June

Harry collected Maureen and drove us to Seaton. She presented us with scones and a ginger cake. He dropped us off near the pub. We walked through the village past a display of perennial sweet peas which outshone even ours at home.

At the end of the village we took Grange Road downhill and along the public footpath, through fields and past Prestley hill - one of the twins peaks, or paps of Lyddington.

Our route goes past the site of the ancient fish ponds behind the church and Bede House into Lyddington.

We refreshed ourselves with a leisurely (45 minute) coffee stop at the White Hart, before taking the quiet Thorpe Road, and the footpath on the other side of the slightly busier road at the end. 

We followed this across the fields, under the disused railway bridge to the footbridge over the Welland.

A few more fields, then it’s back uphill to Gretton, crossing the railway line, and along the short stretch of tree-covered path. 

A final uphill pull through the ridged and furrowed field to Church Gap brings us into Gretton. About 5.5 miles.