Harlech to Barmouth

 We arrived back in Harlech on a hot day in the third heatwave of the year.  It was already past 3pm but we now had Mo, a campervan that I didn't really trust.  They made me sit on a hard seat with a harness and I couldn't see out of the front window or the back.  How was I going to warn them of motorbikes and tractors?  

One bonus was she didn't put my halti on but trusted me on the harness.  To be honest, I was too hot to care, but I pulled her along the first section down to the beach and along the sands.  She let me have a paddle and then she had this daft idea to cross the dunes to the railway.  

First we had to climb up the steep sandy bank then we followed what seemed to be a path inland.  It soon disappeared into a mix of plants that were all prickly and bigger than me so I either had to bounce over them or tunnel through them.  She was scratched with brambles and roses and kept falling over as she couldn't find her feet.  Then, we saw the steps up to the railway - further down the beach!  Half an hour or exhausting work for nothing!  Tip for other dogs taking this route - don't cross the dunes!!!!

On the other side of the railway we had steps to climb up the hill to the main road.  I was exhausted and people passed us commenting on a beagle with a slack lead.  If only they knew.

We turned off the main road and walked back down towards the coast (not sure what is worse - hot sand or hot tarmac) and towards the bottom of the hill we saw him walking towards us.  He'd left Mo at a campsite and insisted we walk back up the hill to the main road then followed that downhill to the campsite.  I was late for my tea but decided not to complain.  We were all tired and they were looking forward to their first night in Mo (in single beds with me squashed on the floor between them).

It was an uncomfortable night what with the heat, a gale force wind and smoke from a mountain fire.

They were surprisingly cheerful the next morning and he drove us down to Llandanwg station near where we'd met him the previous day.  He then drove off in Mo to find a parking place.

We walked passed an old church and along a dyke which was a good place for me to take a morning dip as it was already hot.  Looking east we could see the smoke on the distant hills and smell it in the air.  Then we reached the estuary and met the road by a building that was used as an adventure centre (and shoe collection point).

We crossed the railway and a river and it was time for another cooling drink and dip.

I was glad of that as we then had a long road walk past the airfield until we reached Shell Island. There we cut the corner off and dropped down a steep bank to the beach where I had another dip and she took off her boots and had a paddle.  

Then we walked about three miles along the beach passing jellyfish and people with no clothes on other than a hat to shade their bare head (it was a naturist beach).  That's where we met him and he took us back to Mo.  We had a doze, some lunch and then it was back to the beach for a swim.  Not again!

Wednesday was our last day and we were staying two nights at a campsite near Tal y bont where there was a lovely walk up a river that seemed to be part of a temperate rain forest with oak trees and mosses.

He dropped us back near the beach and we started to follow the route across fields of sheep sheltering by the walls and under trees.  They usually didn't move until I had a bark at them.  That annoyed her. 

She was in a bad mood for most of the walk, especially when she missed the path and had to retrace her steps and when the wind blew her hat off after climbing over a stile.She blamed the signs - which were confusing.  Then we had over three miles of main road walk until we reached Barmouth.

We met Ian where the path joined the promenade and he listened to her moaning about her blisters and the heat.

After they'd eaten a Michelin star meal (not sharing it with me) we went across the estuary on the toll path that follows the railway tracks.  It was nice to get a cool breeze and she was happier with views of the mountains and soft shoes.

He was happy when he got back to Barmouth and had an ice cream but he didn't share it with me.