Group Walking Weekend to North Wales
Friday the 1st October 2021 saw the beginning of the first Lancaster Walking Group walking weekend away. The Destination, North Wales. Betwys-y-Coed to be precise. We had rented a group of four cottages together in a very remote spot just two miles from Betwsy-y-Coed. I say remote, it was and yet it was also in easy reach of the town (by car). We all arrived in the afternoon to a beautiful evening and began to settle in. We undertook a short walk through the local fields before returning to the cottages to prepare for the evening get together (a Jacob’s Join).
Saturday Morning we woke up to quite heavy rain and after we all finished breakfast (in our respective cottages) we met in the main cottage to plan the day ahead. We decided unanimously that as we were here to walk we would, and a short walk around Llyn Geirionydd was suggested, just a few miles away from our location so off we went. After a short drive through some very narrow lanes we eventually arrived at the lake and parked up ready for action, even though the rain had not stopped yet and was somewhat heavier than when we set out. Below are photos from the walk to show that as intrepid walkers nothing was going to stop us. Even though we were all soaked by the end of the walk everybody thoroughly enjoyed the morning as the scenery and atmosphere of the surrounding area was superb.
After the walk we returned to the cottages to have our lunch rather than have wet sandwiches and then we opted for a trip into Betwys-y-Coed for a walk around and an explore before returning for our evening meal together in the main cottage then retiring to our respective cottages for a good nights rest.
Sunday proved to be a much better day weather wise, after breakfast we all set off for our planned walk for the day to Llyn Elsi. The walk started in Betwys-y-Coed and steadily climbs through the forest to a monument celebrating the opening of the reservoir in 1914. The views from the monument were stunning. Continuing through the forest we had lunch at a clearing before continuing the walk. After crossing the A5 we came to the site of the old mining bridge which was washed away in 2020 then followed the river back to Betwys-y-Coed. The walk was 6.5 miles and was enjoyed by everyone. We then returned to the cottages for tea and cakes before enjoying our last meal of the weekemd all together in the main house.
Monday morning came and it was time to say goodbye to our home for the weekend. It was a sad occasion but we have all vowed to return next year for another exciting weekend of walking, adventure, fun and relaxation. Thanks go to Steve and Barbara for finding the wonderful accommodation and booking it, thanks to everyone who brought food for the jacob’s join on Friday, and a big thanks to Ben & Sally for the wonderful food they made for the Saturday evening meal. All in all this was an extremely successful weekend and one which we hope to do again in the future. Below are the photos on the day we left.
You can see all the photos of the weekend in the gallery here