The Day Before The Gale

Saturday (the day before the gale) was a very good day to be out of doors. Kate and I used our bus passes to get from Llanfairfechan (0924) to Bethesda (0950), then sat outside Café Seren in warm sunshine until the Sherpa bus arrived (1015) to take us into Snowdonia. Good to see 10 passengers on board. Up the Nant Ffrancon in glorious sunshine with fabulous views, past Llyn Ogwen and Tryfan (cars and walkers everywhere), then through Capel Curig to Ty Hyll (The Ugly House). This is now open as a café and honeybee information centre, see www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18292406. Closed Mondays. Snowdonia Society members maintain the lovely gardens and woodland.

Suitably refreshed, we set off uphill, away from the busy A5. After a steep climb, we turned left onto forest tracks through Gwydyr Forest, past Llyn Bychan, out of the forest onto an open stretch with rowans and bog myrtle. Through a new gate, then left onto a public footpath leading back into the forest and down to Llyn Crafnant. Lunch beside the lake, again in warm sunshine.

Then down quiet lanes, past an old water-mill with its wheel still more or less intact, down to Trefriw on the west side of Dyffryn Conwy. We had just missed the hourly bus to Conwy, so continued on the minor road leading to a footbridge over the Conwy, and so to Llanrwst North station. The two-coach 1531 to Llandudno was very busy – the collector was almost out of tickets – not needed by us anyway, as our Gwynedd bus passes allow us to travel free. Finally, a short wait at Llandudno Junction for the bus back to Llanfairfechan. Cost of the day; just three coffees and a piece of cake.

After a good night’s sleep, we can stay in bed and listen to Huw Jenkins on BBC Wales Country Focus, telling us how the EU is stopping the aerial application of Asulox, used to control the spread of bracken in the hills. Still time to catch it again on iPlayer.