I arrive back in Shotton on a damp and misty morning. I walk through the railway stations (both of them)…
… and have a little difficulty finding the correct path. It’s unsigned, at the end of a platform, and soon I’m walking down the remembered cycle way, hemmed in by metal fences… Continue reading
Shotton isn’t really a town in its own right, more a continuation of Connah’s Quay to the west and Queensferry to the east. So it’s a little hard to tell when you’ve arrived, but I recognise the bus stop from yesterday and manage to get off in the right place.
Next comes a brisk walk through the two stations, down the cycle route, and I’m back at Hawarden Bridge. From under one of the arches I take a photograph looking down the River Dee to the road bridge, Flint Power Station, and the forest of pylons.
Leaving Flint castle behind, I continue my coastal trek. The path is wide and I realise I’ve joined cycle route number 5, again. I’ve been playing tag with this particular cycle way since Anglesey. But I don’t meet any cyclists, just a few dog walkers.
Today is a walk of two halves. First a pleasant stroll along the shore of the Dee Estuary, followed by a slog along the roads beyond Flint. But, let’s start with the good part.
The tide is high when I reach Greenfield Dock, and this morning the little boats are afloat instead of stranded in the mud.
I set off from Prestatyn in high spirits. My leg seems completely healed and the promenade, like the day, stretches ahead. Wide and empty. Full of promise.
As soon as I can, I jump down onto the sands. I leave Prestatyn behind. Barkby Beach says my map, followed by Gronant Dunes Nature Reserve. Continue reading
I park beside the derelict pier in Colwyn Bay and set off along the shore, walking eastwards, into the morning sunlight.
It’s 10 o’clock on at Wednesday morning and there is nobody much around. A couple of girls walk past, dressed in jogging gear. But they’re not running, just walking. And talking. Incessantly talking. Continue reading
I walk along the promenade and reach the end of Llandudno. The water in an empty pool looks irresistibly blue. Across the bay I can see the folded striations of the Great Orme, dwarfing Llandudno’s Grand Hotel and the pier.
I drive into Conwy – a lovely town, with a maze of narrow streets and a confusing one-way system. Eventually, after several tours of the town, I find a long-stay car park. It seems miles away from the starting point for today’s walk, but I follow signposts along a footpath and am surprised to discover I’m really just below the castle walls.
Unfortunately, the bus driver doesn’t understand my pronunciation of Abergwyngregyn, so I’m reduced to saying ‘the next village please’. We hurtle along the A55, The North Wales Expressway, before veering off into Abermumblewhatever.
I walk out of the village and pass a police car parked on the verge of a deserted country lane in the middle of nowhere. What rural crime have I committed? I try not to look guilty, wondering why police cars always have that effect on me. Half a mile later I discover I’m going the wrong way and turn back, only to discover the police car is still there. Is it just my imagination, or does the officer give me a long, hard stare? Continue reading
I pass through the archway and into another world – a long stretch of path, surrounded by trees, running above a stream and threading the length of a secret valley. I wasn’t expecting to find this. A lovely surprise.
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Incident number 1305Date: 30.08.26Site: Public footpath alongside of Egglestone Abbey near Barnard Castle. County Durham.Bull with cows and calves (Comment: very large brown cattle with small horns.)2 walkers with dog on a lead. Miley’s Report: “We were walking from woods towards grasslands alongside Egglestone Abbey. This was the only route back to the gate onto […]
Incident number 1303Date: 31.5.26Site: Between Lewes and Hamsey on the river footpath BN7I dog, on a lead, 2 walkers Description: “Chased by cows on footpath, not for the first time here but very scary. Our dog froze in panic making getting away from cows near impossible.We reported it to the council who have replied saying […]
Incident number 1301Date: 24.05.26Site: Roughly this: What3words:Punctuate.Otter.Fronted. Near Over Alderley, Hare Hill permissive path. 1 dog on lead, 3 walkers. RH’s report: “We were just walking and suddenly a group of cattle burst out of a field (from nowhere) and moved around us, not charging but getting quite close, agitated and shifting around restlessly with […]
Ruth's Coastal Walk (UK) 