Bit late with blog tonight. To be honest took me 3 hours to get up the stairs to my hotel room :) Hell of a walk today was !! I've labelled the blog - game of 2 halves because it was literally split into 2.
First half - Tudweiliog to Porth Oer
To start with, I had eventually dropped off to sleep last night at approx 2am ! Could not sleep at all!!! So great start there.
A good cooked brekkie down me and I set off for Day 6.
It is here I realised that maybe a little research into the route may have been advisable !!
At one point I found myself in a stand-off with Larry and his mates !:-
OMG ! Was a freaking nightmare ! Mountains, cliff tops and grassy dirt tracks that only Victoria Beckham could easily squeeze through !!!
8 miles of what felt like an eternal punishment !
BUT what did make it all bearable was the absolute stunning scenery !
I would turn a corner and find some flat areas, thank The Lord, only then to see these beasts waiting for me :-
Second half :-
I got to Porth Oer, or what the locals call 'Whistling Sands' and met my fellow walkers for the remainder of the day. Carol & Tim Twells (who have kindly offered to out me up tomorrow night at Abersoch) - a lovely couple and god bless Tim who valiantly carried my backpack for 5 hours. !!! - had he not offered I seriously think I'd still be walking now !!(10.10pm). Thankyou very much sir.
Accompanying them were Bill and Sharon King.
Bill has suffered with a slowly progressive form of MND for 6 years - a remarkable & modest gentleman who truly inspired me today. This a guy who has ran 22 Snowdon marathons, (6 of them with MND). His spirit is truly remarkable and it was a privilege to meet him and his wife.
There was one moment at the top of Mynydd Mawr (for non welshies - that's big mountain - and trust me it was big!) - I thought the Angels had descended - coffee and homemade cake !! A literal god send - Carol, thankyou very much indeed !!!
After a few more hours we could see the destination village and smell the cider ! It has been a very testing day - the morning got me down again today and was very tough and then meeting these guys gave me a huge lift and I am seriously grateful to them for guiding me to my resting place.
My bed for the night - the Ship Hotel - another kindly donated room free of charge - thankyou Alun Harrison.
So in conclusion - hard but worth it today mate! Tomorrow - we go again !
As I've been writing this -
Derek has just popped up on TV - all he has said is Hot & Humid ! Great thanks
Derek!!! He should bring his programme Weatherman Walking with me !!!
Heard you got to attend Kieran's leaving assembly today which is great. He and Scarlett are extremely proud of their dad mate, don't ever question that. You are inspiring to them and us all.
Hi mate
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had some company today, a huge thank you to everyone who is helping you - the support is overwhelming to see, keeps the faith in human nature.
You are doing unbelievably well especially considering the unexpected
heat which no one could have anticipated. Well done!! So many people are routing for you, I hope that helps keep you going when it gets tough, wish I was there with you, we'd have a few pints on the way for sure!!
It's been a difficult month health wise as you know and it was fantastic to be able to attend Kyran's leaving ceremony. With 73 in the year leaving it was a long, hot afternoon but one which will stay in my memory especially with the absolute joy on Kyran's face at seeing me there in the front row! One of the advantages being in a wheelchair you always get to be at the front!
Well done so far and KEEP GOING!!
Thinking of you every step of the way.
Gareth