Day Nine - Cym Bychan to Maentwrog. 9.5 miles.

Saturday, 24th August.
Total ascent 828m (2716ft).

I phoned Mike today at 5pm about coming to join me for a day or two. He was at home in Otley and it had been raining all day (and Sophie is at Leeds Festival which is nearby. Oh dear). On the Rhinogs it had just clouded over after being sunny for all but the very beginning of the walk at Cym Bychan (where Jen dropped me off again before her and Liz headed home). Still I knew I'd been lucky because the cloud was down on most of the inland peaks, leaving just a strip of sunshine along the coastal areas.

The wonderful Cym Bychan. With sloping sea!

I moaned a bit yesterday about the Rhinogs but today, on similar terrain but in sunshine, things were vastly better. The problem with the big Rhinogs is the lack of opportunity to safely walk where you like, so on the little Rhinogs today this wasn't a problem. I was able to hop, skip and gambol to my heart's content over five fun lumps. Visibility was fantastic too, and I could make out the towns on the Lleyn Peninsula, as well as Portmeirion nearby directly below me.

As with yesterday the first 4 miles took 4 hours, then I dropped down and could accelerate towards Llyn Trawsfynydd. The cloud cover arrived as I neared the lake, but I'd almost finished a short and pretty laid back day by then.

Despite the fun and frolicking, I did have a fall to contend with today. I was descending the third peak, Foel Penolau, and was virtually at the bottom. I went to step onto a rock which was about a metre cubed, pretty big, and the entire thing rocked. Thankfully it was surrounded by heather so I fell into that with my pack landing on the rock. I got away with it basically, apart from a grazed and slightly bruised left arm, but it could have been very different had there been more rocks around (and there are plenty up here!).
I'm staying at the Grapes Hotel in Maentwrog. I thought I knew it from a previous visit but when I got here I'd never seen it in my life! It's very nice indeed, the best I've stayed in on my own (and will remain the best, as I definitely know tomorrow's pub, then I'm in a B&B). My steak and ale pie was good, but not as good as the one in Dinas Mawddwy. As it's Saturday, I guess the only decent thing to do is order another pint of Evan Evans Cwrw and watch Match of the Day.

Oh and finally - I've totally confused myself in previous posts about the Snowdon day. It's Bank Holiday Monday, not Sunday, which probably won't make a scrap of difference to the number of people on top.

Oh and definitely finally a big "HELLO" to whoever is reading this blog in USA/Alaska, Russia, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Greece. I hope it doesn't put you off visiting Wales!

-- Posted from Kev's iPhone