Monthly Walk to Anglesey, 21st May

10 miles, sandstorm and rain. We love it.

APEx Walking Series finishes for the Summer..

Well that’s the Autumn, winter and spring APEx walking series over – This now ended series did indeed end as planned, and advertised, with our toughest walk saved till last!

We will now start planning the next APEx-walks series to start in September with the theme of “Inspiration” – scouting-out wild and inspiring places to fill the backend of this year and the first quarter of next with some inspiring memories and positive new experiences to counter the “batten down the hatches - call of the couch, comfort eating and TV” approach to seeing the winter through…

We now have a number of qualified mountain walking and other walk leaders and are training several more leaders up over the summer – And offering our own “Navigation Training” speak to Matt if you are interested?

We are unfortunately losing Angela’s support as she is off, in the next month, to Scarborough to live – she has been great at helping keep the walks on track!

During the summer months the intent is to have a couple of saunters maybe with a coastal theme – to make the most of summer weather spent by the sea – maybe the APEx  Steering Group can choose where to go (and Michelle/Matt may be able to finally find a minibus?).

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Such A Natural Therapy….

In my opinion little compares – (even marathons, longer distance fell runs, mountaineering, triathlons, long sea swims - long bike rides. Etc)  compares to a relaxed walk in  big scenery - but  (a big but) - if this natural and non-vested interest "therapy" - is to work its magic-a-proper- it needs to be on a (bracketed-off) day when there’s as little as possible mind pre-occupying...:

·         work or stressing week-day appointments the next day 

·         stuff to rush back for on the day 

·         folk you can’t get on with stimulating company

·         mediocre weather

The secret is to have sufficient time and available head-space – no rush, lots of natural and sensational stimuli and loads of clean air!

And this is why I feel that Saturday’s are the day of choice for a good APEx walk (now the shops are open on Sundays...).

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Anglesey!

It’s been on my mind since these walks began, a couple of years ago, to take an APEx walk over New Borough Warren and then nip through the thin curtain of sand dunes and then promenade along the Beach to LLandwyn Island..

The only dilemma (if you read the emails) was as to whether:

To do the Walk in late spring early summer and get those incredible “South Pacific” evoking views of strong sunlight dancing in a myriads of shimmering horizontal squiggles atop turquoise seas with the backdrop of blue- hazy mountains marching off along down the LLYN coast like a line of South-Seas volcanic peaks…

Or conversely –

go during the late autumn early winter and catch the opposite effect of the cold Atlantic’s dark grey and dark big seas - top-blown with angry white foamed waves and wind driven spray – natures savagery - wind-howling and malevolent waves –  grandly viewed and awe-inspiring from within the hood of your anorak when you’re anchored securely atop some rocky promontory on Llandwyn Island (such a fabulous and inspiring place!!!) watching the colossal spectacle of huge waves and accelerating squalls - winds picking up pace over the  seas and then recklessly hurtling in to and over the narrow ribbon of coastal plains and picking up more momentum to batter against Snowdonia’s mountains (a mere ten miles or so to the east of your viewpoint).

Hyperbole aside - In the end we got the paradoxical Twist of - gale blown Autumn/winter Conditions unseasonably at a (nearly) summery time of year and after months of dry and benign calm weather!

Inventor
  
Grey skies of scudding clouds, squalls of driven rai
 
A maximum of 13 degrees Celsius (compared to 22 in London!!). Mountains obscured by shrouds of low cloud  (And considering how fine a spring we have had till this last week or so ) an uncharacteristic gloaming forlornness.. gave this walk real atmosphere... 21 folk 3 rollicking dogs 

We set off from Newborough village back down the road to a path that straight lined us on to the comparatively sheltered bowl of Newborough Warren and coastal marsh flats tucked inside the Southern end of the Menai Straits.  Here we had wide and gloomy forlorn  granite grey views of Caernarfon castle across the flat marshes to where the castle was camouflaged amongst the town which itself  was hardly distinguishable from the grey granite hillside it climbs away from the coast.

Next, Wind-driven-sand blasted us via channels concentrating the shot’s of sand through notches in the thin ridge of sand dunes that we had to clamber over  - like a windy desert scene  - sheltering in the lee of the wind and then staggering up and over emerging from the dunes into the widest of views of seas and coast.. and the big expanse of grey green waters of Caernarfon Bay and cloud-lost mountains marching up the Lleyn from Bardsey and Aberdaron  funnelling into a acutely shaped meeting place where the Anglesey coast virtually joins the mainland at the in the couple of hundred metre wide treacherous waters between the spurs of Abermenai and Belan.

This semi-circling panorama of a mountain jagged brimmed sloping down - half a broken saucer shaped landmass - has since early childhood fishing and holiday beach excursions been possibly my favourite in the whole of Wales - I love the wide and bright free-feeling South West facing aspect of Caernarfon bay - so much less chilly feeling than the cold-austerity of  feel that the North Anglesey coast has  at Amwlch, Point Lynas and Bull Bay.. 

Caernarfon bay – on those rare hot summer days, rivals any Mediterranean coastal view and well rewards the effort of getting there!

Kite Surfers – Acrobatic antics with  outstanding – brilliant bright strident nylon colours jumping out of the gloom  in 21st century flares of humanity against the muted tones of big washed expanses of sea and grey sky – tide-line sand and cliffs and forest...

Llandwynd island is simply stunning!  Even on rough days – such as last Saturday’s – Octoberish- grey lighted and  windy, rainy desolation. – In (rare hereabouts) hot weather, the many little perfect sandy swimming coves and rocks and the White windmill looking lighthouses (and crosses) and crystal clear waters  look Aegean in aspect..

I think, again personally, that this little tree-less peninsula of a grass topped finger of cliffs and perfect sandy swimming coves is the  epicentre of local loveliness – Remains of Celtic monastic stuff, medieval settlements and later periods of  hunched architecture of lighthouses – even in the cold, windy and rain-sweptness of our visit and soaked attempts to shelter for lunch - still felt uplifting and stunningly beautiful –

We were going to walk along the fabulous swimming beach of Maltraeth and up its wide mouthed estuary – but wind, rain and heavy legs from slogging over miles of soft sand and ankle twisting strands of wave polished pebbles, made us change tack and find shelter amongst the calmer environs submerged within the big pine forest that holds this coast together buffering against gale and tide and stops wind-blown sand from dust-bowling itself onto local low-lying pasture lands.

The walk back to the minibus and cars was directly through Newborough forest on old Forestry Commission Tracks.

When we got back to Wirral it was readily noticeable how much more calm and benign the conditions were back here on sheltered Wirral

A tough walk but well worth the effort and a great way to finish the 9 month series of APEx walks – I hope?

Chris Shaw, CEO, Advocacy in Wirral

Over the Hill Challenge - Nick Broadhead

27th April 2011 - Leeds to Liverpool (131 miles)

This is a challenge that’s been staring at me for a while and doesn’t look to be going away, so it’s time to face it. I had to be up at 5am to cycle down to Lime Street, catch the 6.15 train then within two hours the easy bit’s done and I was mingling with the commuters at Leeds station. The start of the ride, Bridge no 225g, is relatively easy to find, as I’d Googled it the night before, and decided that no other maps were
required as the towpath leads back to Liverpool.


There’s good, tarmac towpath for at least five miles from Leeds, but caution is required throughout the route when aproaching all the narrow bridges on sharply curved bends to avoid a speedy head-on collision with another cyclist. For some reason, the path is often cobbled and pot-holed under bridges, too, so extra care is needed to avoid either being jolted into the canal or bashing your head on lowhanging stonework.
 
The sunshine was welcome, but as it was on my back it meant that I was cycling north, rather than west to Liverpool - the canal doesn’t take the direct, M62 route back, but twists and turns slowly north, through lush fields of grazing sheep, lambs, cows and horses.

There weren’t many people around walking, but plenty of cyclists and canal traffic, too, with some queues forming at locks, particularly the spectacular Bingley staircase locks built in 1771 that takes the canal up 60 feet in as many yards.

Skipton’s a pretty looking town, with a canal tributary that leads right up to the castle. It even
boasts an ice-cream boat,, but it was closed. 

From Skipton there’s a long stretch of open country as the canal loops round Gargrave before starting to head south west. The scenery around here is the most picturesque on the route and nearly compensates for the lack of speedy towpath - one false move and you could be bounced out of the rutted grass and into the cut .
 
There’s a mile long tunnel at Foulridge - with no towpath, which was unexpected - perhaps I
should have brought a map. Fortunately a couple in their garden gave me good directions for
the not very well signed roads over the top. They said that they were frequently called on to
perform this duty.


After some quite tiring miles on the towpath I was ushered off the canal at Burnley by a policewoman in a facemask - she said that there was a fire and worries about asbestos fumes. Another detour and by good luck managed to find the next bridge straightaway and back on the canal for some good hard cycling on a reasonable towpath as far as Clayton, where The Albion beckoned. Pretty dehydrated by this point, but a couple of pints of shandy revived me and the barman refilled my water bottles for the next stage - I reckoned I was about halfway, and sure enough, at 4pm a mile or so further along there was the proof - 63.5 miles completed - which meant 63.5 to go.


I wasn’t intending to have any more stops, and felt pretty strong so as I cycled along I was trying
to calculate the time I’d be back, and crucially, whether it would be daylight or not - I reckoned at
13mph, much slower than usual road cycling, I’d be back by 9pm, so just about in daylight. I had
lights with me, but didn’t fancy towpath cycling with just a cycle light. The towns come fairly fast at this point - Blackburn, Chorley, Adlington and then Wigan, with its flight of locks, all descending to Liverpool so made some good progress, despite the ridiculous metal gates they’ve stuck all over this part of the canal.


The towpath around Parbold is shocking - it’s probably not much fun when you’re fresh, but after a hundred miles, your body is not very appreciative of the battering it gets from a rutted path - everything starts to ache as you rattle along and it was probably that stretch that rattled the lens and bulb out of my front light - now it was most important to get back before dark, but looking less likely and I was feeling very tired.
 
Had to stop at Haskayne for a brief rest and an orange and the last of my water, which
refreshed me for the last push. The sun had gone down, but the midges remained. It was
too gloomy to cycle in my sunglasses, so as well as swallowing hundreds of the irritating
things they were clogging my eyes as well.
 
Kept going as darkness descended so for safety sake got off the canal at Melling and
used the road back home. Back home at 9.40pm - a long day - about 11 hours in the
saddle, but exhilarated, with no punctures and the challenge completed
 
A good ride, but if you’re going to tackle it in a day I’d recommend June, when the extra
hours of daylight give you that bit of a bit extra time.
Oh - and don’t forget to take plenty of water !


By Nick Broadhead - Chairman - APEx

Monthly Walk. Minera to Llandegla, 30th April

10 mile walk. Glorious sunshine and good company.

Although I can't speak for the rest of the group I am made up we where upable to get a mini bus. I was of two minds as to whether I should get out of bed for the walk and I am truly glad I did. It was an excellent walk in the sun with 10 of us out. We had been across some of the group before, but this time it wasn't chucking it down with rain. The first couple of miles where a hard uphill slog. Must have been a sight seeing a couple of our walkers being pulled up the hill holding onto a stick, but we all made it to the top for some truly sublime views.

Once we hit the top we had a well deserved sit down hidden from the wind in a rock circle. Barely saw another soul on the top of the hill. Came back down to civilisation back towards a small visitors centre that we fled to out of the rain last time we where there. Was excellent to see the place in a blaze of sunshine. Another stint through the woods past great views of a waterfall. Was truly a hilly walk. Was nice to finally have a nice sitdown in Wrexham while waiting for the train.

Next one the mini bus is booked and ready to go. See you all on the 21st.

Matt Williams
Activities Coordinator.