Today’s walk was shortened from the recommended 11-ish miles all the way into Bangor. Instead, we chose to walk to Penrhyn Castle, a more moderate 9-ish miles with gentle elevation changes. It was a welcome decrease from the tough day before.
The day began where we ended before, at the Aber Falls walk in Abergwyngregyn. We started in the first car park and walked up to the falls (Rhaeadr Fawr in Welsh, meaning “large waterfall”).
From the falls we continued on the North Wales Path, past the smaller waterfall (Rhaeadr Fach, meaning “small waterfall” of course!) and back down the valley toward the sea again. Along this stretch we heard a very vocal cuckoo bird, which we then spotted sitting atop a nearby tree.
From the coast end of the valley we turned west, walking through a number of sheep-filled pastures and then sloping downhill along interesting stone walls and slate fences, as well as a notable standing stone.
We only had one real moment of uncertainty about the way today. As we went to cross a stream, the directions in our book varied a bit from our GPS track. We persisted with the directions and were rewarded with stone steps and a footbridge:
Then it was across fields, including what our guide book identified as a “redundant kissing gate,” which we of course passed through:
Finally we crossed the River Ogwen, passed under the motorway, and walked up the hill to Penrhyn Castle.
From Penrhyn Castle we caught a bus back home — our last evening at home on this journey. From now on we’ll be going farther west and making stops along the way each night.
This is the third of 12 daily blog posts I wrote as I walked the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way, May 13-24. I am publishing them after the fact but they reflect my thoughts as I completed each day’s walk.
Expat Linguist 