Day 0, getting to Wales

This was going to be a day a clock watching, Indeed the clock seem to run super slow on Friday at work while I waited at my desk for the appointed time for me to leave Washington DC and catch the bus to the airport. Bus, Airport, Plane, 2 hours sleep, Saturday Morning, Customs and Immigration, another bus and into a rental car.

I got to Heathrow at 6:30AM, and was on the road by 9:00AM. My schedule gave me 45 minutes to get to Sainsbury’s at exit 12 off the M4, 1 hour for shopping, and another hour and 45 minutes to get me to Tintern Abby and then 2 hours for my first glimpse of Offa’s Dyke.

A Glimpse of Offa’s Dyke (5 Mile Circuit hike)
From Tintern Abby I walked ¼ mile North and crossed over the river on the foot bridge. The path is clear, although it’s muddy and climbs uphill fast. Bearing left and then choosing the middle of 3 routes takes you rapidly to the top of the bluff where Offa’s dyke runs along the top of the cliff, parallel to the river.

I had heard that this is one of the best examples of the Dyke so I was a bit disappointed with my first impression; I guess the years have been hard on it. None the less, although the dyke has seen better days, this is a splendid hike with some great views across the Wye valley. And in fact the condition of the dyke improves as you continue Southwards along it. At the top of the hill I turned Right and walked along the dyke for a couple of miles stopping to admire the view at Devils Pulpit with its view over Tintern Abby in the valley below. Continue past Plumwier Cliffs to the old fort then scramble down the hill and at the bottom of the hill follow the river North back to the bridge to finish the loop.

Hike distance 5 miles

From Tintern Abby I drove the 2 hours to LLandovery to visit my old Mum, then on to the Youth Hostel at Llanddeusant to check in.

I checked into the hostel just after 5:00 PM, I was actually almost an hour ahead of my schedule, but 5:00 felt like Noon, what with the jet-lag, and with so much sitting in the plane and whilst driving I still had some chinks to iron out. The Hostel is just a couple of miles from bottom of Fan Foel (the Black Mountain) So I drive over there and hiked up to the ridge, but no further. The murky sky gave no clue of the location of the sun, but my watch told me it was setting. Turning tail after one hour I retraced my footprints. Two days later I hiked the full 8 miles, so more on that later.

Hike distance Almost 4 miles.
All in all a decent Saturday’s adventure.

My Old Mum

My old mum now lives in a care home in Wales on the edge of Brecon Beacons which is a long way from my home in Washington DC. She has full blown Alzheimer’s and gets tired if you spend a long time with her, so when I visited her in September 2009, I chose to spend a hour a day for 4 days rather than spending half a day with her.
What then to do with the remainder of 5 days in South Wales?
South Wales I discovered has a great deal to offer:
• Offa’s Dyke (a 10 day hike)
• The Brecon Way (a 5 day hike)
• The Presili Hills and Carn Menyn the acclaimed source of the Stonehenge Blue Dolerite stones
• The Dan Yr Ogof Show caves
• The Roman Ruins at Caerloen
Clearly there was enough to keep me busy during my down time, in fact, more than enough so I had to make some decisions. I had rented a car for this trip, so a series of one day hikes seemed the best solution given my constraints.
So here was my Challenge, 5 hikes in 5 days

View Day Hikes in Wales in a larger map
I identified 2 sections of Offa’s dyke, two circuit hikes in the Beacons, and a route through the Presili that took in a stone circle, a Hill top fort and Carn Menyn, the Dan Yr Ogof Caves and Caerloen Roman ruins
During the rest February and March I will try to chronicle my trip to South Wales

The Path Less Travelled (Day 2) Bosigran Cliff to Carbis bay via Zennor Head and Is Ives

View Day 2 Hike Pendeen to St Ives in a larger map
A relaxing Full English Breakfast in an old English pub more than made up for the rain during the night. English rain is usually lighter than some of the storms we get in the US, but it can go on for days. In this case the rain stopped early and I was able to dry my gear quickly and get on with the day.
I left my tent, fleece and inflatable mattress at the pub for a later drive-by pickup and grabbed the 507 Western Greyhound bus from Pendeen for a mile or so up to Rosmergy where the B3306 swings within 100 yards of the coastal path, where I headed for Bosigran Cliffs.
The 4.7 miles from Bosigran to Zennor are superlative. They are the remotest, the hilliest, the rockiest, the narrowest, and the quietest part of the North Cornwall costal path. I didn’t see a single person until I got to Zennor. It’s a shame really because this really is a very pretty part of the coastline, but I think the lack of access forces hikers to focus on the next 6 miles, from Zennor to St ives. Zennor offers B&B, a pub, parking and a bus service to St Ives and so is a popular starting or ending point for this segment towards St Ives.
The ups and downs continue, and rounding Carn Naun Point gives us the first views of the distant coastline of North Cornwall, past St Agnes and Newquay and most of the way to Padstow. Closer in you catch a glimpse of St Ives Head, otherwise known as the Island, which of course it is not, just beyond St Ives, the lighthouse at Godrevy Navax Point. All along this section the views continue to be spectacular, and the path is wider although muddy in places.
I found the last mile into St Ives a bit confusing. This close to the town there are dozens of interwoven tracks and no signs for the coast path. From the coast path as you traverse the muddy path past the final chine veer to the left and go down the hill. At the bottom of the hill bear right onto the long uphill path and you will be on track.
From here I continued past the beach and round the head which contains a small chapel on the top and on the far side a coast guard station, which is elegantly concealed by the hill. OK, I’m Dumb, So who is the chapel on St Ives Island (which isn’t an island) dedicated to? Of course it’s dedicated to St Nicholas. Beyond the Island I continued South to Carbis Bay and then backtracked to St Ives to find the St Ives Backpackers
The Backpackers was quite full with a school group, but I got a room to myself which was a nice treat. It is also centrally located; opposite a moderate Indian restaurant Rainpoot Tandoori which does a classic Anglo-Indian meal, close to a Coop for restocking provisions and opposite a taxi rank.
Distance hiked today 14 miles

Boscastle revisited (Day 9) Tintagel to Boscastle via Trevalga

View Day 9 Tintagel to Boscastle in a larger mapThe first time I hiked from Tintagel to Boscastle was in 2002. This short hike is memorable and can easily be made into a circuit by catching the southbound Western Greyhound 594 bus from outside the Cobweb Inn in Boscastle which will ride you back to Tintagel in about 10 minutes.
From Tintagel, head West down Castle street, and at the footpath veer left and up to the old castle with overlooks Tintagel Head, Backtrack down the slope and take the switchback down, ending up on the beach were you can visit the cave.
Back up and to the left follow the clifftop (sea on the left) and continue past the Camelot Hotel and Barras Nose, whence a short hike will take you on to Bossiney beach. A short switchback takes you to the beach with a great little waterfall can first be seen halfway down. On the beach if the tide is out explore the caves and if the tide is a long way out consider walking along the beach a ¼ mile to Bossiney Haven where a small path returns you to the coastal path. Otherwise, return the way you came and continue on the clifftop.
Explore the short path down the stream at Trevalga and then continue along the cliff top to the coast guard station. From there it’s a short hike down into Boscastle Harbour. Repairs from the 2004 flood are now complete and the Youth hostel, which still looks the same from the front, has been extended backwards and tastefully modernized.
Distance Hiked today 6 miles.