I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to walking in the UK during winter, but it has nothing to do with the weather or the cold (I am Canadian after all). No, the truth is, I really can't stand all the MUD! It's exhausting to walk through, not to mention slippery, and I hate cleaning the boots afterwards.
However, when the weather promises a crisp sunny day with no chance of rain whatsoever, the Liverpud and I start itching to get our boots on and get outside. Yesterday was just such a day and so we headed to the Clywdian hills which are only about an hour's drive from Liverpool. It's a place we've been to many times but we always enjoy the views and the undulating ridge is a good workout for the legs. Normally we park at Loggerheads and get to the top of Moel Famur via a bunch of fields but since these would have been fairly muddy, we opted to park two miles along the road and take the forest path up, which is very pretty - and drier.
I loved coming across this tree which looked quite festive with its 'pompoms'.
Out of the forest you come across the main parking lot and viewpoint which is very popular. There is even a tiny Shepherd's Hut selling refreshments with a proper espresso machine. On this clear day, you could see the snow-covered mountains of Snowdonia off in the distance to the right.
We then joined the main path up to the Jubilee Tower at the top of Moel Famur. This was originally built for Queen Victoria's jubilee, then fell into ruin and has been slowly restored (what's left of it).
As we got higher and closer, there was ice on the path and snow on the ground but it was all rather lovely.
Look at these gorgeous patterns on the stones of the tower.
We then headed west along the ridge.
A frosty ground is good walking terrain as the mud is often frozen. However, this ridge is really up and down, and with the downs, the snow melted, it was slippery and muddy and yes, I ended up on my bum.
But then there were lovely, grassy paths to walk on, so all was forgiven.
We went as far as this view of Moel Arthur but then decided to go back, retracing our steps. In total, we walked about 10 miles.
I never mind retracing my steps - walks always look different when the light changes or when you approach a landmark from another direction.
Oh, it was good to get out again. We are very lucky to have this area on our doorstep.
2 comments:
Lovely to see this. We attempted to go up years ago when on holiday in Denbigh, but the weather was against us - very misty - and we had our young son with us, so regretfully we had to turn back.
Wonderful photos, as usual. With you on hating to clean muddy boots - mud is such a spring and fall feature of Niagara Escarpment walking. Winter walking here on Georgian Bay is lovely so long as there isn't ice - looking forward to a group snowshoe tomorrow. I was interested to see your Carbeth. Not usually knitting whatever's popular and current on Ravelry, but am stashbusting to get a Carbeth. Always interested in both your knitting and your walking.
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