September Walk from Bala

Bala - the Friendly Little Welsh Town with a Big Heart!!

Our Walk this month will be from Bala in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales

on

Saturday 12th September

The coach will leave the car park at the back of Iceland at 8.00am. Visitors are welcome to join us by contacting a member or Holy Trinity Church Office (878913).

There will be two walks;

• B walk led by Gwyn

• C Walk led by Terry

Bala & Penllyn is situated in the Snowdonia National Park, Wales, in an area known as the Welsh Lake District. The area has dramatic scenery with mountains almost touching 3,000 ft high, deep valleys, fast flowing streams, rivers, waterfalls, forests and many lakes. Visitors can enjoy the Bala & Penllyn area or use it as an excellent base to explore both Mid-Wales and North-Wales including Snowdonia.

Bala is a small, historic, market town that provides all the essential services for visitors including: banks, a post office, supermarkets and shops selling local produce including two traditional butchers and delis with Welsh and international products. Both butchers have won many awards and Siop Y Gornel (the Corner Shop - bakery, deli and more) has had several complementary national reviews. There are of course cafes, restaurants, pubs and Inns, catering for a range of tastes, either in Bala or nearby.

Penllyn is the area around Bala with many small villages each with their own character and history. Officially, Penllyn comprises Bala and the villages of Llanuwchllyn, Llanycil, Llandderfel and Llangower. But there are many other villages and hamlets in the area, including Llanfor, Cefnddwysarn, Sarnau, Glanrafon, Llangwm, Cynwyn, Llandrillo, Corwen, Frongoch, Rhyduchaf and Parc. Penllyn is a mountainous, rural area with strong traditions based on the Welsh language and culture.

The Welsh Lake District has many lakes and tarns - the main lakes include Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), Lake Vyrnwy (Llyn Efyrnwy), Llyn Celyn and Llyn Brenig. The fast-flowing rivers Tryweryn and Dee provide opportunities for fishing, canoeing and rafting. To the east of Bala Lake is the Penllyn Forest with opportunities for walkers and mountain bikers to explore. The mountains rival those of other parts of Snowdonia but are not as crowded, enabling walkers to enjoy the mountain experience. The main mountain ranges are the Aran, Arenig and Berwyn mountain ranges, while Cader Idris and the Rhinogs (Rhinogydd) are not far away. For the motorist or “hard-core” cyclists there are several quieter roads over mountain passes, over 1,000 ft high, including Bwlch Groes (1,800ft/545m) once used to test cars.

For more information, click here; 'visit Bala'

Weather forecast for Bala

B Walk (Bala) to the hills

Walk Leader: Gwyn Jones

Distance: 9 Miles approx

Total ascent/descent:1250ft

Although approx. 9 miles this is not a difficult walk. All the climbing is done in the morning.

From the car park we walk along the river bank towards the lake head. From here (@ 162 mtrs) we commence to climb up through the woods and then across open ground – gradually making our way to the top of Bryn-bedwog @ 478 mtrs – the total ascent is just over 300 mtrs. We then make our way down and back to Bala. There are splendid views across the lake and these are with us most of the time.

C Walk (Bala)

Walk Leader: Terry Simmons
Distance: approx 6 Miles
Total Ascent/descent: 490 ft

Click on map to enlarge.

DEPART FROM THE SCHOOL HOUSE CAFE AT APPROX 11.15AM

We cross over the Car Park and then follow the course of the River Dee down to the lake and continue to follow the edge of the lake at the NW corner, then walk along the path between the lake on your left and the A494 on your right.
200 yds past the picnic site at Llanycill we cross the road and proceed up the fim track over a cattle grid. We travel through woodland over stiles to Penlan Farm where we take a track past the farm buildings. On the other side of the farm we follow a Moorland Track. Our next objective is the farm called Hendre Ddhu, crossing a meadow to reach a firm track that takes us up to the farm.
The next and most interesting objective are the caves at Craig-y-Fron overlooking the town. We can then descend down to the High St past the Bala Town FC on the right. We can break off at this point and shop or find a tea shop or Pub.

IMPORTANT: Because of all the rain that has fallen, the walk in parts is wet and boggy, and care must be taken, especially along the moorland path and beyond.

If you have gaiters, then bring them!

Photos taken on the walks at Bakewell

We had a great day for our walks - warm and sunny, enabling us to have some great views and relaxed walking and to enjoy the last hour in and around the delightful town of Bakewell, taking 'photos' and visiting the numerous places of refreshment.

B Party resting on the hill outside Bakewell

On Alport bridge looking at the old mill, now converted to generate electricity for the village

B Party lunch break

A Walk along the Monsal Trail;

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August Walk from Bakewell

Our Walk this month will be from Bakewell in Derbyshire and the Peak District on

Saturday 8th August

The coach will leave the car park at the back of Iceland at 8.00am. Visitors are welcome to join us by contacting a member or Holy Trinity Church Office (878913).

We last visited Bakewell in November 2007 and many of us have happy memories of 3 very enjoyable and varied walks.

There will be three walks;

1. A Walk led by Beverley Kelly
2. B Walk led by Les Gibson
3. C walk led by Marion Young

details of each walk are below (click on the relevant walk)

Bakewell in Derbyshire and the Peak District , is a beautiful, small, market town situated on the River Wye which is crossed by a 13th century 5 arched bridge still open to traffic. The bridge had been widened in the 19th century.

Bakewell was mentioned in the Domesday book as having a church and 2 priests signifying its importance even then. In 1502 Bakewell was owned by the Vernon family and passed on to the Manners family in 1567 when Dorothy Vernon married John Manners. Their son, Sir George Manners married Grace Pierrepont who in 1637 founded the grammer school, Lady Manners School. Monuments to the Vernon family can be found in the All Saints Parish Church which stands in a commanding position on the hillside where the town started.

The Rutland Arms Hotel in the centre of Bakewell replaced the White Horse Inn, which together with some other buildings was demolished in 1805 to form Rutland Square. It was built to cater for coach travellers and in 1818 as many as 600 travellers passed through the town. The Hotel has a literary connection in that Jane Austin is reputed to have stayed at the hotel whilst writing Pride and Predudice. Bakewell has been identified as Lambton.

The famous Bakewell pudding was also invented accidentally at the Hotel, when a cook misinterpreted instructions and poured egg mixture over the jam instead of mixing it in the pastry and what should have been a tart was now a pudding. Bakewell puddings can be bought at several shops in the town centre.

For more information about Bakewell, click here;

and Here;

Weather forecast for Bakewell, click here;

A Walk (Bakewell) A Sensual Walk through the Wye Valley

Walk Leader: Beverley Kelly

Distance: 10 miles

Total ascent: 1700ft, Descent: 2350ft

This is truly a walk to delight the senses as we wander through an unspoilt valley which once thundered with steam trains on the St Pancreas to Manchester line, but is now peacefully returned to a ‘Garden of Eden’, full of the heady scent of wild flowers as the river sparkles in the sunshine and roars over the waterfalls, providing a wonderful habitat for trout and creatures great and small,

not forgetting the ice cream and cakes!!!

We start our walk going downhill towards the Blackwell Mill Junction and the start of the Monsal Trail

Chee Dale is a real delight as the river passes through steep limestone cliffs and the pathway here is on these 50-60 stepping stones

and we pass masses of wild flowers, heady with scent to attract the insects of all sorts.

The River Wye rushes under this viaduct which is also used for absailing (under license, so wewill not be doing it), but we temporaly leace the river and ascend to join the track again to Millars Dale.














First we pass these limestone kilns cut out of solid rock, which we can inspect. The concrete front is a later addition.















Millers Dale Station, now used by park rangers. You can imagine trains in this busy 5 platform station passing over the nearby iron viaducts, but today there are picnic benches and an ice cream van round the corner!



















We are in Water-cum-Jolly Dale and meet our second group of rock climbers. We choose the easier way out, but beware the pathway is liable to flooding and there is plenty of mud. We can clean our boots further on.















This is Cressbrook mill, the second mill which was philanphropic to its child labour, even providing a terrace of dwellings for them, unlike Litton Mill at Millars Dale which worked its children to death. Both are now luxury dwellings.

The lake at the end of 'Water-cum-Jolly' dale, full of trout and an ideal spot for lunch. Cressbrook Hall can be seen above the trees.

Too soon and we have reached Monsal Head with the viaduct below and one of the most wonderful views of the area. Maybe afternoon tea here (depends upon you), then it is through Longstone village and downhill as we coast towards Bakewell Station and the coach. A long but beautiful journey if the weather is right.

Plenty of time to enjoy all the delights as long as we keep moving at a respectable pace

B Walk through 3 delightful villages and alongside tumbling rivers

Walk Leader: Les Gibson
Distance: approx 9 Miles

Total Ascent/descent: 1400ft

Lots of enjoyable variety on this lovely 9 mile walk, stunning views, exciting river rapids, with rainbow trout to be seen. Four delightful villages, stretches of open countryside, and a few short stretches of road. There are approx. 7 stiles, 7 gates, and 9 'slits' in stone walls to negotiate. There is some climbing to do, but nothing too serious .There are lots of fantastic gardens to admire on route. Lunch will be taken in or close to Alport, and if it's raining lunch will be in the church porch, that will be 'close knit and cosy!

When in Over Haddon, watch out for the 'dead lion'!!, and the observant ones will see 'Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum plus a stone Bulls head in Yulegrave. There is also an interesting 'memorial' sun dial on the church wall in Over Haddon.

All in all, it was a great walk to recce, and if we are blessed with dry weather, it will be even greater.