Life's a Bitch by Stitch

Menai Bridge on a cool sunny wintry day.  We'd been driving for over an hour so she needed a loo.  It's alws the same at the start of a walk.   I'd usually wait till there's no bins in sight but she was in luck. A grassy spot on the edge of the town with a view over the Menai Straits - and a dog poo bin.  From there we'd stay on the main road for a while with views of the shore. Then we headed uphill to a housing estate - a nice one with views of the straits and the snow dusted mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia).  After a long road walk we headed off on a path into some woodland and fields.   As we walk down the hill towards Beaumaris, we see Ian coming to meet us.  They had lunch in a fish and chip shop (and I got some too) then we headed past the castle and up over the hill.  Ian left us there on the excuse of having to go back to the last dog poo bin.  Good excuse! We dropped down to the road for a while then onto the pebble beach an...

Yippee!   I got to paddle in the sea.  This was going to be a fun walk, even if she wouldn't let me off the lead.   He dropped us off at the seafront in Pwllheli and (after they'd had a scone and coffee) we walked all the way round the harbour then reached the beach.  There were other dogs but I wasn't interested in them.  There were so many other things to sniff - and taste! Little fishes were all over the sand - she dragged me away after I'd eaten a load.  I think she thought I'd be sick.  It was a very long sandy beach with views to the headland where we were heading and out to sea where I saw a dog on a paddleboard (not alone - there was a human too). When we got near the end of the beach we crossed some dunes and then walked along the pebbles between gorse bushes and a rabbit warren.  Didn't see any. This was her picnic spot - looking for seals in the bay while eating smoked salmon butties (and not sharing them).  We walked ove...

  Three of us set off from Bangor Pier on this walk: me, Helen and her friend, Linda. Her husband, Nick, was staying with Ian (I like Nick as he gives me biscuits).  They spent the day in a cafe reading papers while we walked over eight miles to Felinheli.     We walked through the town then down to the shore where we slipped over and ducked under the seaweed on the shore and in the trees.  In the distance we could see the bridge over to Anglesey.         We climbed up to the bridge then crossed over into the woods where they stopped for a break by this big oak tree.  It had fungus on the branches and there were toadstools on the ground.  Then we walked down to a bridge over the river and I had chance to wet my feet and have a drink before we reached the port.  There were a couple of old boats but we didn't stop long.  She had a phone call from Ian who was in the cafe down the road (another cafe).  I was get...

Are you ready?  Come on.  It's another walk and it's a sunny day.  We start off on a cycle track between the sea and the main road and guess who we see half way to Caernarfon?   It was Ian who'd driven to Caernarfon and cycled back.  We continued to the harbour and they had coffee and cake in the theatre cafe.  I got water! Then he left us to take the car to Dinas Dinlle and we continued past the walls and over the bridge to look back at the castle.  Quite a sight! We went past Coed Helen along the edge of the road next to the sea.  It was a long road.   After a while it headed inland then crossed a river and headed back to the sea.  That's where we met Ian again. We sat on the beach looking across at Anglesey.   We set off again and he cycled ahead.  We were on our own again and we soon left the road to cross the salt marsh where I managed to have a swim in the river.  I needed to cool down so I had another...

  What a difference a week makes.  They drove all the way back to the other side of Abersoch so we could walk to Pwllheli.  Blue skies and warm sun with a bit of a breeze.  Lovely! After walking across a wet golf course track (Dogs not allowed on the grass!) and a bit of road walking to get through Abersoch (avoiding the Porsches and Range Rovers) we dropped down to the beach. It was lovely to feel the sand between my toes but I couldn't go for a run in the sea.  Being a beagle, I wasn't let off the lead.  We met two other beagle owners later who had the same rules and same bad experience! A head of us was the hill we were going to climb over.  Tame after the hills we'd been over on the Lleyn.   This started with a steep climb up some steps and she kept up with me for a change.  Then we crossed the heathland, looking back towards Abersoch before going round to the other side.  Then we had a long flat walk all the way to Pwllheli's p...