Situated in the northern part of Wales , Snowdonia offers an ideal spot for walking and getting to know the region up close and personal. Many tracks dot the countryside, which offers plenty of sheep, great scenery and a quiet place for exploration.

My small group met up in the town of Chester, a short train ride from London. Having arrived early, I explored this quaint town, with its lovely river and exceptional clock. A nice introduction to this pleasant town is via the tourist bus that allows passengers to stop at any point along the way to further explore Chester.

We traveled by van to our first overnight destination, a historic building in the middle of nowhere - this was affectionately dubbed this place Dracula's Castle as the rooms were large and dank with their own little quirks. While we sat as a group before dinner and our two leaders went over the plans for the next few days. This tour entailed walking from 8-10 miles per day. A support vehicle carried our luggage and met us at designated points throughout the day.  After the meeting we enjoyed a typical dinner in the lovely dining room downstairs. Many of us were jet-lagged and retired early to be in halfway decent shape for our walking the next day.

The weather was a bit cool and overcast, but we had all prepared for any type of weather. Our walk started with a shuttle to a track, where the group climbed for a few hundred yards. Groaning about a climb at the beginning of the day, but never-the-less we made it with no problems whatsoever. As we walked through the woods and along country lanes that only sheep seemed to use the beauty of the environment seemed to multiply. Having a guide helped immensely as it appeared that some signage was missing and it would have been easy to miss a turn or go astray. Although we had been told that the first climb would be the only one, we turned from the path and climbed higher into the hills. With every turn there were views of the surrounding area, and our group really did enjoy the varied terrain. Usually we ate our meals in typical restaurants and had a set menu that offered a choice of several items. We had come close to the river and our afternoon walk would be a flat and easy one, ending in a typical Welsh town, with its grey stone buildings. This would be the only town that we would have time to explore, as our walks took us to rather remote areas far from civilization.

Those who enjoy walking already have something in common with each other, so our group quickly developed friendships and helped each other with adjusting gear, climbing over stiles and engaging in interesting and sometimes warped conversations, much to the consternation of our guide who had a very different idea of American women. The solo man in the group, the husband of one of the other members easily fit in with the women.

Our next few days of walking involved exploring another area and required us to move to another lodging place. As we walked and talked and we forgot to pay attention to the sheep droppings that decorated the area. Rarely we encountered others, but on occasion ran into a group of high school students who were on an expedition, which required that the learn to read maps, camp and find their way back home in a 3 day period. We came upon a lost group who had walked many miles, yet were still a long way from their designated meeting point. It seems like a great program for gaining practical skills.

From our vantage point, high in the hills, we could see the sea and also an imposing castle that we would visit. Mt. Snowdon always lingered in the background, but often shrouded itself in clouds. Reaching the castle involved a steep downhill to compensate for all the climbing we had done in the morning. Such walking can be more difficult and with more perilous conditions than climbing.

We had a chance to visit the castle before lunch and then hastened to a nearby tearoom where there were sandwiches and a variety of teas and desserts to enjoy. It was very difficult leave this spot with such a pleasant view, wonderful service, and great food. But, as we had a schedule to maintain and a date with a local sheep farmer, we trudged on. The farmer told us how many people were leaving the profession, especially after the problems with mad cow, which he claimed was quite exaggerated in his area as they didn't use the type of feed that was indicted in the case We had climbed a lot that day and although the farmer was not in the least bit boring, we struggled to keep our eyes open. Sitting in chairs to listen to him speak was too comfortable and too conducive to cat-napping. After he told us about a typical day on a sheep ranch, he led us to a paddock where we watched a sheep herding demonstration.

From the misty hillside we could see our destination for the night.  Portmeirion is a fairytale like city of buildings that have been moved from around the world. Saved from demolition by a man with a vision, this interesting town combines architecture from several European countries in one small village. Although people do live here and there are a number of restaurants and shops, there is an admission fee charged to enter this unique example of urban planning. The village sets on the banks of the river, near the bay of Porthmadog. A riverside hotel is the ideal place to relax and watch the water flow slowly by into the sea.

When the weather is pleasant the hiking is great. When it rains, well, it gets interesting. We continually ran into the school group that was navigating the countryside for the week. One boy slipped in the mud and was covered in a brown slimy goo. Some of us treaded lightly trying to avoid the wasteful mess from the sheep and cows, but with great difficulty. Sometimes we thought that we were watching where we stepped more than the enjoying the scenery. By the time we all finally got used to the stiles, slippery rocks and slimy sheep poop, we came to the end of this Welsh adventure. The Wayfarers offers trips throughout the UK and Europe and we made plans to walk together on another adventure.

Happy Traveling

http://www.thewayfarers.com/uk/wale_w.html - The Wayfarers

http://www.eryri-npa.co.uk/ - Snowdonia National Park

If you have questions you may e-mail me at:

Theresa@photoandtravel.com