Cambrian Way

pennineway wrote

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have experience of it? Considering doing it next year. Is it
worth the effort?

Bl**dy hard but ultimately rewarding, according to a friend
of mine who did it a few years ago.

chris

Ysgrifennodd "pennineway" <[email hidden]> mewn neges
newyddion:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have experience of it? Considering doing it next year. Is it
worth the effort?

Not done it, but I know the hills it passes through in the north quite well
and it would be hard but definately worth it!

One day i'll try it, but i need to get 3 weeks off.

--

What hills have i been up recently?
www.walkeryri.org.uk

pennineway said:

Does anyone have experience of it? Considering doing it next year. Is it
worth the effort?

I did it twenty years ago. Extremely rewarding but HARD!. If I did it
again -- unlikely, but more 'cos of age than interest -- I would
probably vary the route somewhat in various places.

In which way was it 'HARD', Paul - route finding, strenuous or both.

"Paul Gretton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

pennineway said:

Does anyone have experience of it? Considering doing it next year. Is it
worth the effort?

I did it twenty years ago. Extremely rewarding but HARD!. If I did it
again -- unlikely, but more 'cos of age than interest -- I would
probably vary the route somewhat in various places.

pennineway said:

In which way was it 'HARD', Paul - route finding, strenuous or both.

I mean in the sense of strenuous. I can't say I found the route
finding hard, although I did have to do some pretty careful navigation
in thick mist at times, with accurate bearings and step counting. I
remember having to do that to find the Chartist's Cave, and I did it
most of the way across Plynlimon in fog. Of course, you would often
need to navigate carefully in both those locations and many others.
Good navigation skills are a must for the CW.

The summer I did it, there was also some pretty hairy weather. I
remember a blizzard on top of the Sugar Loaf (in June), unbelievably
heavy rain at Ystradfellte, and a real storm as I crossed the Beacons
-- I had to get down on hands and knees to reach the top of Pen y Fan.
And then a heatwave in Snowdonia!

There are various places where I would be more flexible nowadays about
following the exact route in Tony Drake's guidebook, particularly in
the section from Cardiff to Pontypool. I would perhaps take minor
roads in some places rather than following the exact rights of way.

One important thing to consider is where you will stock up on food
supplies, specifically in the middle bit.

It was a great experience. In fact I felt so good at the end that I
went straight on (after two days rest) to do the PW as well!

Thanks for the replies.

More than a bit surprised no-one else here has walked it.

Would appear to be one of the major long distance walks, maybe even more
challenging than the PW.

"pennineway" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Does anyone have experience of it? Considering doing it next year. Is it
worth the effort?

pennineway said:

Would appear to be one of the major long distance walks, maybe even more
challenging than the PW.

No question that the CW is significantly more challenging than the PW.

pennineway said:

More than a bit surprised no-one else here has walked it.

Would appear to be one of the major long distance walks, maybe even
more challenging than the PW.

I don't think it's that well established, is it? Not from an official point
of view.

I've heard of a few variations over the years. I once saw a book called
"Swansea to Snowdonia" or similar, which I think described a route from
Threecliffs to somewhere in North Wales. I've even devised a route of my
own.

I think the concept of walking from south to north Wales is a good/popular
one, but is there really an official defined route?

I think the most important aspect is that it should touch the south, west
and north coasts via the journey (the western one is easy at Barmouth).
Cardiff is not the logical start point IMO, that's just the capital. The
logical start point seems to be at Baglan Bay/Port Talbot, which is where
the mountains reach the sea in the south.

If you wanted to start from the true southernmost point, that would be
Breaksea Point, at Aberthaw.

Paul
--
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/weblog/
Latest Blog Post: Limestone Hill
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/weblog/pic-of-the-day/limestone-hill/

On Jul 9, 10:09 pm, "Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

pennineway said:

More than a bit surprised no-one else here has walked it.

Quoted message said:

Would appear to be one of the major long distance walks, maybe even
more challenging than the PW.

I don't think it's that well established, is it? Not from an official point
of view.

It's not "established" in the sense of being an "official" route like
a National Trail. I seem to remember that there was a pressure group
that tried to get it recognised as such back in the 80s, but that
never happened. Basically, it has only been laid down in the sense
that it is the subject of two guidebooks, with the Tony Drake book
setting out the route that most people take. That situation basically
puts it into the same category as Wainwright's C2C, although the C2C
is much more "established" than the CW, even if it isn't really
"official".

Quoted message said:

I think the concept of walking from south to north Wales is a good/popular
one, but is there really an official defined route?

Well, there's the Offa's Dyke path of course. A great walk.

Quoted message said:

I think the most important aspect is that it should touch the south, west
and north coasts via the journey (the western one is easy at Barmouth).

I set out once to touch all four coasts/borders of Wales in a single
walk. I re-walked the OD as far as Hay-on-Wye, and then headed west
via Builth, the Elenydd, and Pontrhydfendigaid to Aberystwyth. It was
a wonderful springtime walk. My intention was to continue on to the
north coast via outlying parts of Snowdonia, but I had to break off
the trip for family reasons. Someday I'll finish it. It would of
course be "purer" not to start at Chepstow but at Barry or the Gower.

Thanks for your inputs, Paul and Paul.

Tony Drake has a website at:-

http://www.cambrianway.org.uk/

It looks a cracking route, high level - I haven't looked at the logistics of
it yet.

Starts in Cardiff, ends in Conwy.

Thanks again,

David Gibbins
"Paul Gretton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Jul 9, 10:09 pm, "Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

pennineway said:

More than a bit surprised no-one else here has walked it.

Quoted message said:

Would appear to be one of the major long distance walks, maybe even
more challenging than the PW.

I don't think it's that well established, is it? Not from an official
point
of view.

It's not "established" in the sense of being an "official" route like
a National Trail. I seem to remember that there was a pressure group
that tried to get it recognised as such back in the 80s, but that
never happened. Basically, it has only been laid down in the sense
that it is the subject of two guidebooks, with the Tony Drake book
setting out the route that most people take. That situation basically
puts it into the same category as Wainwright's C2C, although the C2C
is much more "established" than the CW, even if it isn't really
"official".

Quoted message said:

I think the concept of walking from south to north Wales is a
good/popular
one, but is there really an official defined route?

Well, there's the Offa's Dyke path of course. A great walk.

Quoted message said:

I think the most important aspect is that it should touch the south, west
and north coasts via the journey (the western one is easy at Barmouth).

I set out once to touch all four coasts/borders of Wales in a single
walk. I re-walked the OD as far as Hay-on-Wye, and then headed west
via Builth, the Elenydd, and Pontrhydfendigaid to Aberystwyth. It was
a wonderful springtime walk. My intention was to continue on to the
north coast via outlying parts of Snowdonia, but I had to break off
the trip for family reasons. Someday I'll finish it. It would of
course be "purer" not to start at Chepstow but at Barry or the Gower.

pennineway said:

Thanks for your inputs, Paul and Paul.

Tony Drake has a website at:-

http://www.cambrianway.org.uk/

It looks a cracking route, high level - I haven't looked at the logistics of it yet.

You might want to look at George Tod's website:

http://www.gtleisure.co.uk/walks/Walks_Index.htm

George has done the CW twice and gives a mass of information about his
trips.

Cheers, Paul Gretton

Thanks Paul

"Paul Gretton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

pennineway said:

Thanks for your inputs, Paul and Paul.

Tony Drake has a website at:-

http://www.cambrianway.org.uk/

It looks a cracking route, high level - I haven't looked at the logistics
of it yet.

You might want to look at George Tod's website:

http://www.gtleisure.co.uk/walks/Walks_Index.htm

George has done the CW twice and gives a mass of information about his
trips.

Cheers, Paul Gretton