Friday 13^th October

Once we had all settled in our rooms in the spacious Conwy YHA or in accommodation in town, we all met up for an informative tour of the ancient extremely attractive town of Conwy following the town trail the castle and town walls. We then found eateries.

Saturday 14^th October

Saturday 14th October the Stroller section of the Poly Ramblers crossed the Conwy River by its elegant suspension bridge heading along the estuary and along the wide shoreline to the west shore promenade on the edge of Llandudno. After lunch they took the tramway to the Great Orme Summit which opened in 1902 and is one of only three similar ones in the world.

The hikers met at Conwy Castle to get the bus to Llandudno Palladium. We started the walk by exploring Llandudno pier built in 1877. We then visited Happy Valley Gardens before continuing our walk following the North Wales coastal path walking beneath Limestone cliffs, eventually reaching the Rest and be Thankful Cafe with its range of delicious cakes. We were treated to some extensive views and some wild goats clinging to the steep cliffside. We then descended towards the West Shore passing a village created as a decoy in World War 2. We had lunch at the West Shore completing our walk via the sand dunes and along the estuary before completing our walk back in Conwy.

Sunday 15th October

The Poly Ramblers strollers walked along the top of the town walls to join a nearby footpath leading to Bodlondeb woods, they walked alongside a marina finishing up at the coast. They had lunch at the Mulberry pub, so called because some of the floating harbours used on D Day were made there. In the afternoon they joined the North Wales coastal path to climb up Conwy Mountain to a viewpoint overlooking the estuary.

The hikers started their walk along Conwy Quay before starting the climb over the southern flank of the Conwy Mountain following the North Wales coast path. We stopped to admire the views of the coast before dropping down into a gully to reach the Synchnant Pass. We went through Dwygyfychi village and then had lunch on the beach. We walked on a cycle path, next to the road, going through the mountain tunnel before reaching the dunes to Morfa Conwy. We walked aside a golf course and around Conwy Quays Marina before finishing our walk at Conwy Castle.

Monday 16th October.

The Poly Ramblers headed up the Synchant Pass from the youth Hostel passing the Oakwood Estate built in a Mock Tudor style. We walked across fields passing a number of Llamas following a track past a lake with wonderful views before a short walk along the road and rejoining our route back to the youth Hostel.

After a two-year interruption, we decided to resume the snow-walking weekends. This time, we stayed four nights to be able to do three walks. As the time to leave got nearer, snow was lacking in the mountains. Would it just be a walking weekend? Never mind, we were keen to see the mountains. At Heathrow, one member of the group was missing but we were eventually reunited at the gate (phew!) and eight Poly Ramblers flew to Munich on Friday 13. After travelling on three different trains, we finally arrived in time for dinner at the Hotel Goldene Rose in Reutte, a small Austrian market town located on the river Lech. Continue reading SNOW WALKING WEEKEND – REUTTE, AUSTRIA. JANUARY 2023 →

By some lovely twist of fate, I spent seven weeks of the first lockdown in 2020 marooned in youth hostel at Loch Ossian in Corrour, where my friend is the manager. During my sojourn I grew to appreciate what a special place it was wanted to share it with my fellow Polyramblers, hence the idea for this trip was born. The facilities in the Loch Ossian hostel are rudimentary and not to everyone’s taste, so it was decided to base the weekend in Fort William, with access to a variety of hiking and sightseeing options, not least Ben Nevis and to culminate with a day in Corrour.
My thanks to all contributors to this report and especially Sandy and Danny for leading the strollers and helping with the overall planning.
Twenty four Poly Ramblers met at Glasgow Central station on Friday 30th September to travel up to Fort William. About half of them had arrived the day before, without event, and spent a morning exploring Glasgow. The remainder valiantly weathered the last minute scheduling changes – complete with buggy transfer to the train to secure seats en-masse – and delights of en-route delays to finally arrive 90 minutes late. Fortunately there was a private coach booked for the remainder of the journey and the driver was not only patient and helpful, he provided an interesting and entertaining commentary along the route. The group finally arrived in Fort William at 7.00pm. The group was joined by two other members the next day who had travelled independently. Continue reading AUTUMN WEEKEND IN FORT WILLIAM – SEPT/OCT 2022 →

We gathered at the Northgate to walk the almost 2 mile circuit, the most complete town walls in Britain. After the Civil War they were no longer required to be fortified for defence and were developed as a recreational walkway. We walked anti-clockwise and the first section gave us a good view of the racecourse. This is the oldest one in the country, dating back to 1539. It is on the site of the port of Chester which was bustling in Roman times but the River Dee had silted up here by the 1500s and changed its course. We were able to observe many of the various buildings we had seen on Friday from a different perspective. The view of the cathedral was particularly impressive and the famous Eastgate clock celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee proved popular for photos. One section of the walls near Eastgate collapsed in 2008 and repairs are ongoing. Various panels showed us the timeline of the repairs and how these have been carried out. On our return to Northgate we dispersed, some to collect their luggage and make their way to the station to return to London, others to spend a little more time in this fascinating city steeped in history before heading home.

Susan.  Photos by Stuart

Ida’s photos from our last night group meal at Little Owl.