Warm Sun at the Fortress of Light,

The great day dawned at last : the 7th of April has been ingrained in our hearts for months. The Day of Departure was upon us. It didn’t seem quite real.

Final packing was accomplished fairly efficiently; washing up and tidying the house took a bit longer. We were greatly honoured by Emily, who had come all the way from Wakefield to wave us off. She brought her parents with her, too.

As we drove down Cherington Road, Willow let out a great shriek of joy. We were on our way!

Initially, everything seemed normal. Petrol at Sainsbury’s (151. Quite cheap).Big delay on M54, alternative route on A5 and a stop at the Wrekin Retail Park to see Finn and Pip, and for Willow to get on her back underneath Red to spray WD40 on a squeaky clutch. But after more thick traffic around Shrewsbury, we found the open road in Wales ( Red always out front at the head of a looong trail of traffic). Whilst not yet at the coast, the scenery was superb. We drove through hills and valleys, the grass bright and brilliant in clear sunshine. More often than not, a babbling stream flowed beside and below us. To complete the Welsh cliché, the fields were full of gambolling lambs. One field was guarded by a fierce Prop Forward of a ram.

Anticipation mounted as we drove down the impressive Mawddach Estuary, looking for the sea like two over excited children. There was much merry yelling when the ocean was spotted through the arches of the iconic railway bridge spanning the estuary.

We had arrived at the sea, which is to be our constant companion for the next 59 days.

Barmouth was very full of carefree Easter holiday-makers, mostly from the West Midlands, as confirmed by the man in the KKs Steel Mill tee shirt. The beach is big enough not to be packed, but the cafes and Fishandchipperies were doing a roaring trade. This was the traditional British seaside resort in full flow!

Our destination was somewhere more elevated; literally, because we climbed the imposing hill that stands above Barmouth.This one-time Iron Age fort is known as Dinas Oleu, or the Fortress of Light was the very first piece of coastal land donated in 1897 to the National Trust by Mrs Fanny Talbot, a noted local philanthropist. A steepish climb took us through the old town, known locally as the Rock, due to its resemblance to the houses clinging to the rock of Gibraltar. We got not quite to the summit of Dinas Oleu, but high enough to see Barmouth laid out below us. The harbour, beach, fun fair (far too noisy), promenade, expansive car parks, mountains as a backdrop, the river estuary to the south and the Llyn peninsula to the north. It was a grand panorama and a perfect first stop for our coastal tour; a tantalising taste of many more wonderful things to come.

Our campsite proved to be a treat. Llwyn Griffri is a working sheep farm, all stone buildings, chunky dry stone walls and trees sculpted over many years by the full force of the west wind. We set camp with views to the sea and we were treated to a spectacular sunset, which seemed to make the Llyn Peninsula more like Mordor.

We drifted off to sleep, with the sea booming rhythmically in the background, like the peaceful snores of a contented circumnavigator.

( 136 miles )