Russell's Walk Around Wales

The last day! Shelley drove Gordon and me to the start of today's walk and I set off for the final time. We started with a long ascent, then zig-zagged our way through fields, moorland, woodland and country lanes, dodging some heavy showers on two occasions. Then Prestatyn came into view from above and we gradually descended into civilisation.  After 1,071 miles in 62 days, 4 hours and 45 minutes, I reached the end of my journey at the coast, having walked the perimeter of Wales. What an adventure! There are so many memories - 40 days of amazing weather, followed by a fair dose of rain, spectacular scenery, meeting interesting people en route for a few minutes or a few days, visits from family and friends, super accommodation, countless lasagne and chips dinners, steep hills, secluded bays, stunning cliffs, reliable trains and buses...... My body has coped admirably, with no injuries, no blisters, and no Covid. I've lost about a stone in weight during the journey. U...

The penultimate day and the Welsh walking gods conspired to make it a mighty challenge.  Christine and Jeff very kindly offered to drive me back to the start of today's walk, but also to transport my rucksack to Gordon and Shelley's, tonight's accommodation, meaning I could walk a difficult, hilly section with a light bag. I headed across bleak and misty moors to Llandegla forest, then into the village itself, before the terrain started to become more rugged. As the long ascent of Moel Famau began, the rain became heavier, the mist lowered, and strong winds developed. On the summit it was wild, with no visibility and I was soon quite wet.  Despite these challenging conditions, and nearly being blown over twice, I gritted my teeth and battled on. In fact, I decided to extend the walk to reduce the distance on my final day.  Gordon collected me from Bodfari and I was soon enjoying a cup of tea and a hot shower. My phone had become damp, so few pictures today and...

I left early, not having met my Airbnb host, and headed across fields, overgrown footpaths, and dense woodland, before reaching quiet country lanes. An email arrived telling me I had been successful in the ballot for Taylor Swift tickets - not for me, of course, but for Hannah. Action required, but no phone reception! Eventually the signal returned and all was sorted.  After passing Chirk Castle, the path joined the picturesque Llangollen canal, which took me over the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - fortunately I have a head for heights. A gentle ascent followed and I was soon looking down on Llangollen. I'd extended today's walk in order to reduce tomorrow's walk due to expected downpours, so the lovely Nadine, my Cancer Research UK contact for North Wales, kindly met me at World's End and drove me to Llangollen, where I was staying. We went for coffee and she caught up on my walking adventures since we last met on Day 2. At my hotel, I met up with Christine...

Today it did not rain. I left my very comfortable and well equipped hotel wearing dry kit for the first time in several days and joined the towpath on the Montgomery canal. Five minutes later, just beyond the Aldi supermarket, I clocked up 1,000 miles for the journey.  I followed the scenic canal path for several miles, then joined an embankment path close to the river, before rejoining a section of the canal which was being restored.  At Llanymynech, a village which has one side of the main road in Wales and the opposite side in England, I decided to stop for refreshments, as I would otherwise have arrived far too early at my Airbnb.  The first hill of the day brought me to a haven for butterflies alongside a golf course, the second to my accommodation for tonight.  After the heavy rain and steep hills of recent days, today's walk felt like a gentle stroll. 3 days to go! In the evening, I strolled down the hill to meet up with my cousin Geoff, his wife H...

Apologies to the people trying to contact me yesterday - I had no wifi or phone reception at my B&B. Today's weather forecast was more rain. I feel as if I'm being punished for the endless weeks of sun I enjoyed earlier in my journey.  My B&B neighbour kindly gave me a lift back to the start of the footpath. I made very slow progess during the morning, walking just six miles in three hours. This was due to a steep climb at the start, then the infamous Switchbacks, a series of successive steep ascents and descents, which were even more challenging in wet conditions.  I commented yesterday about the stiles being replaced by gates. This clearly has not happened in the northern section of Offa's Dyke, where stiles are dominant, many in a poor state of repair. This only added to today's workload. From midday there were frequent heavy rain showers, so I added more items to my growing collection of wet clothes. Fortunately my hotel in Welshpool has a heated...

Today was tough, with multiple hills, high mileage and heavy rain. I left Kington and ascended the first hill of the day, catching up a sheep farmer in his eighties who was heading off to work with his dog.  Although I walked most of Offa's Dyke ten years ago, I barely recognise any of the route now. I don't think the route has changed, it's just down to poor memory. One significant improvement is that many of the stiles have been replaced by gates - so much easier with a heavy rucksack.  After a couple of hours the heavy rain started. It's not pleasant to walk in, but there's no choice, so it's a case of head down, feet forward, and mind elsewhere for several hours, motivated by the prospect of removing the wet clothes, having a hot shower, then having dinner. I also had my first fall of the entire walk, slipping on some wet grass, but no harm was done. The rain stopped about three miles from my accommodation, so I was able to dry out a little, but ...