Snowdonia Way - Day 5

Llyn Gwynant to Dolwyddelan - 8 miles

While staying at a campsite has its perks it also has its drawbacks. Hot showers, hot food, charging stations, and access to water and facilities are great .... loud groups until 11 pm, midnight chatty toilet visitors, .... basically, people are NOT. And, NO, I am only 94% introverted the rest is just plain crazy me 😉 The morning fog was thick as hell, and my lovely lake was almost invisible. An hour later it looked gorgeous with just a slight mist hovering in the air: this was officially my first breakfast spot. I was very tempted to go for another swim but my legs were itching to be on the road again. The first hour consisted of climbing a very steep mountain, a lot of huffing & puffing and a lot more sweating ....but it was definitely worth it. The view overlooking the lake and the mountains were just breathtaking; true to form that meant a 2nd breakfast, 63 pictures (+-124), and a very long AHHHH moment. The other side of the mountain was very different but not less beautiful.... let's put it this way, I'm very tempted to write a sonnet to my gaiters as they were working overtime. Most of the path so was muddy it was more swamp-like and the rest was just invisible. The 'signs' almost looked random, due to overgrown grass, and some sank almost completely. My Garmin was my true guide for a good 30 minutes, Alleluia 😊. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, my gaiters were swimming, and I was simply enjoying every second of this adventure. Once I reached the first farm the path became a trek, then a road, and finally I reached the town of Dolwyddelan. The castle was accessible from the path so after 72 pictures I had a nice two-course meal while pretending to read and just enjoyed this moment of utter peace and silence. I'm not going to mention any fighter jets that were having a grand time buzzing above like some annoying midges … just bigger 😊. With a very short day, lots of long breaks I broke camp quite early at the first river just a mile outside of town. A splash was mandatory after my sunny day and the rest of the night was spent listening to the river, reading a good book, and preventing myself from eating my whole stash of food. Just before dinner, I was discovered by a local naturalist walking his dog .... he was very passionate and full of information about the land, ecosystem, and wildlife, a really lively guy with a cute dog. He may have also given me an idea for my next birthday trip: Llyn peninsula, hmmmm, ideas, ideas 😊.