Total miles: 17.5
Elevation gain: 895 ft
Time walking: 9:30am – 6:30pm
Miles to date: 521.7
The start of the third leg of my journey! This leg is the least planned of the trip other than the final leg, and as I set out this morning I had no idea where I would be staying tonight! It’s not the best way to start a day’s walking…! My hosts started me off in a better fashion, with a cup of tea and a huge bowl of porridge, for which I was very grateful. I was also grateful that the weather looked decidedly more friendly than last night, which made for a promising day of coastal walking. After not terribly successfully trying to reassure Anne that I really could carry my bag myself (she was horrified at the weight of it), she strongly recommended that I find a nice strong man to walk with me and carry it for me…. 😉 (Any takers?!)
It being just my pack and I for now, I said farewell and retraced my steps back into Prestatyn to get a post office stamp (it’s getting quite addictive!) and to make the most of actual shops to pick up something for lunch, also picking up some friendly “good lucks” as I went along.
Heading back to the seafront to pick up the Wales Coast Path, my route for the next two days, I couldn’t seem to shake a strange unsettled feeling. I don’t know exactly what it was, perhaps the combination of leaving the familiar Offa’s Dyke path, not knowing where I was going to be staying tonight and the slightly eerie air of faded seaside holiday resorts that always set me on edge for some reason! I tried to shake it off with some good deep breaths of fresh sea air but it stuck with me for a large part of the day.
It was nice to be by the sea again, which I last saw over a month ago, even if the north Wales sea doesn’t compare to the Cornish coast (sorry Wales!). The coastline was flatter, definitely, which was both strange and a relief, having climbed twice the height of Everest already this trip. Flat also means you can see for miles and indeed the coast just stretched away out either side. Across the estuary is the Birkenhead peninsula and back to the west the mountains of Snowdonia huddle on the horizon.
The first couple of miles were through sand dunes which made for hot and tiring walking, with limited views of the sea. I could hear it though, the constant coming and going of the waves on the shoreline, and the sun felt nice on my face. I had accidentally left my hat in Aurelie’s car yesterday which meant I couldn’t escape the sun very well, but I resorted to wearing my buff as a bandana to help keep the sun off my head and hair out of my eyes. I’m not sure I pull the bandana look off very well, but in the end the sun hid behind clouds for much of the rest of the day anyway.
There was a variety of wild flowers in the dunes including a striking sea holly which had a beautiful blue tinge to it. It almost looked like somebody had crept down overnight and spray painted them all, they didn’t quite look real! After the dunes came some wildlife rich mudflats, followed by beach walking. The tide was coming in which meant there wasn’t any hard sand to walk on and it was slow going, but it was pretty! Here and there I’d come across more populated sections of the beach, where people had parked up and brought their families to play, then other sections were much quieter. Stark objects like an old lighthouse standing half in the surf and well worn driftwood lying twisted on the sand made for some arty shots, and I started to relax a little. I think at this point I figured that if I didn’t find accommodation I’d just find a nice spot in the dunes to camp, and once I’d made that decision I stopped worrying about where I’d stay and just kept an eye out for a promising looking spot!
At Talacre, a little resort just around the ‘headland’, I made the most of the public loos and a lovely little cafe called Lola and Suggs which served gluten free bread and almond milk! So I decided to stop for elevenses/early lunch and rest my feet for a bit, even though I was only 5 miles in.
Not far from Talacre (and its slightly creepy gas plant) the official route heads inland from the village of Ffynnongroyw (with the most derelict churches on one street I have ever seen – I counted about 6!) up into the woods in a gentle u-shape back to the coast at Rhewl-Mostyn. I was hopeful of a pub in Rhewl-Mostyn (I’m not sure why, given my usual luck with pubs at lunchtime) but here the pub wasn’t only closed, it was non-existent! So it was back down to the estuary and on towards Greenfield (down the hill from Holywell) for supplies and hopefully somewhere to stay or to pitch my tent. I had one last search online for accommodation in Holywell and found a guesthouse run by nuns, next to a convent. For a few moments I thought it might be quite an interesting place to stay, and quite fitting given that I was a pilgrim of sorts (Holywell, with its holy waters from St. Winnifred’s well, is a place of pilgrimage for some), but in the end I decided it might be a little awkward and I had pretty much set my mind on camping now anyway.
It was a beautiful evening and I wasn’t feeling too tired so once I reached Greenfield and stopped to consult my map I decided I’d walk on a little further towards Bagillt to find somewhere to camp, to reduce tomorrow’s mileage. First I had to pop up into Greenfield to pick up some more water (and happened to find another post office yay!). It was a little bit of a backtrack but without water I couldn’t camp. Refilled with water I headed back onto the path, passing a group of men stood chatting and watching the dock for the third time, smiling at them and saying hello again. They asked me if I was lost. No, just getting supplies, I told them cheerily.
There was a pretty stretch of marshland between the estuary and the path which might have been an appealing camping location had it not been subject to flooding when tides were high…I didn’t think it would be a problem but thought best not to risk it – I didn’t much fancy writing a story about waking up to find my tent inches deep in muddy estuary water in the middle of the night! Thankfully further on there was a little headland just before a small stream entered the estuary. Here the path cut straight along one side but the headland itself was a mixture of grass, scrub and mini hills with nice flat areas in between. A perfect spot to pitch my tent, out of the way but with plenty of space. The tent was still damp from the other day so I draped it over a tree while I made a cup of tea and did some stretching. A couple came through whilst picking blackberries and we had a pleasant conversation, they didn’t seem remotely perturbed to find me camping here! It is a lovely, peaceful spot and the sunset was a stunner, and having eaten my gourmet dinner of boil in the bag chilli con carne rounded off with some chocolate buttons and another cup of tea, I’m feeling rather contented! Time for a good night’s sleep so I can be up and gone early, and ready for the long walk to Chester!
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