Thirty six PolyRamblers spent the bank holiday weekend in North Wales staying in self catering student accommodation at the University of Bangor.  On arrival we took a walk down to the beautifully restored Victorian Pier with views across the Menai Strait to Anglesey.  That evening we had a very good dinner at Brasserie 1884 in the University complex.  The main challenge of the weekend was to  climb Snowdon via the Miners Track and Rhyd Ddu path.  Twenty one had signed up and a coach had been ordered.  We split the group in two with half the group doing the walk in reverse.  This meant that Stuart’s group got soaked in a heavy shower in the first half hour while Dominique’s group sat in a traffic jam.  By 1.30pm we all met up on the summit along with hundreds of other walkers, huddling to eat our sandwiches and trying to keep warm.  The summit was under cloud but when we started the descent the clouds parted and we were rewarded with wonderful views of lakes and mountains.  Some of us found the route harder than others but the stronger walkers helped the weaker ones and everyone made it.  Stuart’s group even had time for a pub stop before the coach picked us up.

Sunday morning found the longer walkers heading for the bus to Anglesey.  Half the group failed to keep up and nearly missed the bus.  After a wander around the pretty town of Beaumaris we set out on what we expected to be a gentle walk on the coastal path.  But we were stymied by the high tide and had to first boulder hop above the tide line, and then turn back.  Luckily a lovely lady called Sheila allowed us to walk through her garden to reach the road, thus avoiding an even bigger diversion.  For our lunch stop on the shore line we were joined by a passing seal.  Soon we reached Penmon Point and a welcome café before a longish walk back to Beaumaris via an ex-pub and a ruined castle.  For the record this was about 11½ miles – 2 miles longer than advertised.

For our final full day we headed east along the coast path from Bangor and then steeply up into the hills for a fabulous 10 mile walk in the sunshine through the heather with superb views of the Menai Strait and beyond, finishing at a pub in the village of Rachub.  We rounded off the weekend with a very good meal at the Anglesey Arms by the Menai Bridge, where we heard of the exploits of the ‘shorter’ walkers led by Danny, which included a 5 mile walk around the lake at Llanberis, a cruise to Puffin Island and a walk to see the spectacular waterfall at Abergwyngregan.

Thanks to everyone who took part and helped to make the weekend a success.

Gillian