Cow pastures deep in what cows do

The Day 15 Walking

Pont Llogel to Meifod and Tan Y Graig

11.75 miles, plus 1 to the B&B

7 hours

Sheep with hair cuts are not very pretty

Cookies and tea for an evening meal back in the room last night. Decided to not eat anything at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel after having a FaceTime chat with G. Walked back in the rain. The shortbread cookies were no longer on the surface of the body but nicely tucked inside.

Basically used the 3 mile round trip walk to the hotel to use the wifi. Didn't mind the walk in the rain even though the socks were soaked as they were only protected by thin sandals. Could just as easily have worn the freshly washed SmartWool socks which were still dripping wet as that is what the "evening wear" socks were after the walk both ways. But the FaceTime chat was the Bonus!

After playing with the extra remote for the TV found that all the channels from 600-900's were very different from what is available in un-ethnic central Wisconsin, at least with the Basic subscription to Charter.

A sample: Sky news Arabia, Ahlebait, Punjabi News, Takbeer TV, Samaa, Ahlulbayt, Sikh, Madani, Bangala, BritAsia, Iqra, India Today, Islam Channel.

Then when the numbers get really high there were a series of "Asian" channels with Asian women posturing, and a phone number that could be called to get better in touch (or viewing) of them.

Guess I will return to BBC 1 news or reading The Girls of Atomic City (which is about the women who helped win WWII with the development of the atomic bomb in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a secret city that didn't show up on any map).

Music Festival my host Diane is very involved with organizing.

Diane Lewis who sent me off with a hug and kiss today and said it was hard to have me depart as she felt like we had been friends forever. That was sweet.

Epic movie type dreams. They remind me of backpacking and what happens when removed from constant stimulation by TV, computer, games, and other PEOPLE.

"The Teutonic looking Straining Tower, jutting out into the lake is the start of the 68 mile underground aqueduct to supply all the water to the city of Liverpool."

The dam "drowned the old village of Llanwddyn and its farms, taverns and chapels." The village was rebuilt below the dam (where I just spent two nights).

Ate breakfast with Allen a solo walker doing Glyndwr's Way. He is from someplace in eastern England and also did the C2C two years ago, just like me, but I never met him. He has been staying at most of the same B&B's that I have, so had heard about me who was a day ahead of him, and how I was also doing Offa's Dyke. It was nice to chew on another of that very filing omelette/soufflé and talk with another person, even if we will never cross paths again.

Paths did cross. We have ended up in the same place tonight. I had been dropped off where yesterday's walk had ended, he started off from the B&B and stopped early and was collected for tonight, where I walked here.

Rough count of sheep in Wales 10 million. I thought there were a lot!

This is the Season of new life and rebirth.

Tank top I had discarded in the garbage in my room back at Brandy Farm from the first night on Glyndwr's Way showed up tonight. The hosts Richard and Madina delivered it here. Diane even washed it for me. Guess I will take it along for a further ride. Thank you Brandy Farm.

Getting pretty good at stile climbing

So far the hips don't feel creaky at all, and the knees are fine. Still wear the knee braces daily and that must help keep them tight and in-line.

Farm fresh eggs for sale.

Route followed either in sheep pastures or a narrow lanes between two sets of pastures.

Lunch, a repeat of last night's dinner.

Salmon benches.

Rain showers off and on all day. In between sunshine. Put all the rain gear on. Take a the rain gear off. Repeat. Repeat. Finally just leave on and Sweat.

Not all new life makes it beyond the dreaded roadway. Poor Bucky's carrier/life ended early - The BIG SLEEP.

Left layers of band aids on the heels and toes for the last few days. Finally switched the heel inserts in the boots to the expensive orthopedic blue ones from Shippy shoes. That seems to have made a difference and stopped the feet from slipping, and continual rubbing and aggravating the blisters.

Crossed four pastures which have not been chewed down by sheep equals knee high grass, add in heavy rain which equals a very WET walk which equals boots soaked which equals wet socks which equals wet feet.

Village of Dolanog (dale of salmon) was home of Ann Griffiths the 18th century Calvinistic Methodist hymn writer.

Calvinist Methodist Church

Followed the beautiful Afon (River) Efyrnwy noted for brown trout, on a high muddy path, through beautiful trees (thin, not dense forest).

Glyndwr's Way guide book is very hard to follow. Too much description, too many words (Amadeus- too many notes) naming of places that as an outsider to the area are not know. The line drawings of Offas dyke maps are so much easier to follow.

Sarah or kimara I could have used you today!!

No Bull, only ladies in there that I could see

GINGER NUTS - Olivia!!!!

After last nights meal of cookies, the tradition continued today. Had hoped to get some nourishment when reaching Pontrobert, but the Royal Oak, which was listed in the guide book as open all day for a meal, children welcome, was closed shut. Made use of the picnic tables outside to have a lay down, stretch and relax the back, and eat all the remaining packages of cookies being hauled around on the back.

Update mileage count two days to hotel 3 miles equals extra 6.

Three pastures in heavy cow droppings, and three pastures where my presence gave the cows something to look at. The entire herd stopped chewing and stared at this person passing through.

Three pastures navigating this stuff.

This cow has visited a hair/tail stylist.

Came down into a flat valley and the rounded hills in the opposite side reminded me of the area along the Mississippi near Brussels down to Alton.

I want.

Very tiny "garages"? Under the house.

While walking out of Melfod toward Tan Y Graig tonight's home on a very busy road where constantly it was required to step off into the bushes, one car pulled over, rolled window down and said "Are you Lois?" It was my host who was on her way to collect Allen back at another town.