Nordic Walk!

I was signed up for a Nordic Walk once again, if you have read my first ever blog entry you will know that I had intended to join a Nordic Walk before but unfortunately the weather decided against that! However, today it was to go ahead and I was a little anxious- I don't remember the last time I walked 6 miles in one go!

Caroline Moncrieff runs Ffit Cymru, a company which holds walking groups and fitness classes and she had invited me to join one of her weekly Nordic walks. Again, forgive me if you have already read my blog on Nordic walking but here is a quick 'copy and paste' reminder of how impressive it is-

This new pastime was created in Finland, where the people were possibly slightly dissatisfied with the traditional method of walking! However, (again) my ignorance shines through as Nordic Walking seems to have many health benefits as it uses 80% of our muscles, strengthens our breathing capacity and heart function, helps us lose weight, is good for our joints etc etc... basically it seems pretty beneficial and  an activity  not to be missed!



Kitted up with my poles!

So there we go, Nordic walking talks the talk or even walks the walk and I was about to put it to the test. The walk I was joining was from Porthmadog to Portmeirion and back again, the route can vary depending on the weather, and it was muddy fields that determined our route that day. I met the group at a car park in Porthmadog where I was kitted up with my poles. I was given a quick lesson on how to walk with them, this was more difficult than I expected. When walking you must keep the poles behind you and believe me it is quite a skill. It took some concentration but I was soon in my stride.




The group of walkers were all ladies although I was told of a few men who do sometimes come along. They really were lovely and during the six mile walk I managed to enjoy a conversation with quite a few them. The walk was beautiful (how could it not be- it’s in north Wales!) and the weather improved as the day went on.





We walked along the ‘Cob’ bridge in Porthmadog to the Italianesque village of Portmeirion (somewhere I hope to blog about in the future). If you aren’t familiar with the attraction, it really is a sight worth seeing. I have been many times before and really appreciated a new way to explore somewhere I’m so used to. We stopped for a well-earned cup of tea and more chat before we set off back.



The group walking through Portmeirion

The group walking through Pormeirion

It was a lovely return journey but I began to feel the strain of walking with poles on my arms- something was working. I really enjoyed walking with these ladies and I realised what a fantastic social activity Nordic walking is, and that is the most important lesson I took from the day. Somehow I managed to walk 6 miles, do 15,000 steps and not even realise how hard I worked, laughing and talking to other group members was a fantastic distraction. If you are new to the area, fancy a new hobby or want to make some new friends then I strongly advise  joining a Nordic walk- I know that I will be going again!

Me with some of the group members

It is now the next morning and my arms are a little tender shall we say. This is one of my favourite activities I have participated on during my ‘exploring North Wales blog history’, quite simple yet very satisfying!





To find out more from Caroline on Facebook then search for 'Ffit Cymru'.

www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk

My first Geocaching Experience!

My colleagues are involved in a sport that is very new to me- geocaching. I’m not sure if I’m speaking to experienced ‘geocachers’ or not, so for the benefit of novices like myself I will just give you a brief overview. To me, (emphasis on me there- this is not a definition of Oxford dictionary accuracy by any means) geocaching appears to be a high tech treasure hunt, with the use of GPS systems players locate ‘caches’ which are hidden off the beaten track. These caches contain small gifts and treats and a log book, all you need to do is replace the present you take with something else. These are only small trinkets such as keyrings, toys and pens, but it’s all quite fun and an alternative hobby to pick up. You can see if there are any ‘caches’ to be found in your area using an interactive map like that on the www.goecachingwales.com website- you might also find a better explanation on there too!

That morning my colleague from Walking North Wales had been assigned the task of hiding caches for the upcoming half term holiday- it does seem to be an activity that appeals to children and gets them enjoying the good old outdoors! After visiting Holywell the week before, I wanted to see more of North East Wales and asked to tag along…..

We had been assigned a few specific places to hide caches so I already had an itinerary for the day. If you are interested in taking part in that area, you might not want to read this, or on the alternatively  it might be a good idea to so that you can get a few clues! We picked up the caches at Loggerheads, an 80 acre country park filled with beautiful riverside and forest trail. We searched for a perfect spot to hide the box, just plonking it on the side of a path is not good enough, they have to be quite well concealed but not buried and we hid ours some logs in the wood. Done, my first cache had been recorded!

Walking throught the woods

Next the hill, Moel Famau was on our agenda. I had never been there before and must say I was quite impressed. I have found a new appreciation for the outdoors since starting this blog, I have always enjoyed gentle walks but, now I actually found the thought of walking up the hill quite exciting.  The hill and country park of Moel Famau is located within an area of outstanding natural beauty, and outstanding it is! Despite my growing interest in more challenging walks , I still chose an easy route  up the hill. There are several trails to choose from, all easily signed and well maintained with different difficulty ratings. The route we chose was the Numeracy Trail and we hid a cache along off the beaten track where the views are stunning. If you like the sound of Moel Famau then http://www.moelfamau.co.uk/ is a good, unofficial source for more information.



At Basignwerk Abbey



Next up was the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park and Basignwerk Abbey Park which, if you have read my Holywell blog entry, you will know I have visited before. This is a beautiful abbey with a strong connection to St Winifride’s well and I was happy to make another visit to hide a cache. Following this, we drove to Bodelwyddan Castle which is set among 260 acres of beautiful grounds so there was plenty of space to find a hiding place! The castle is open to the public for most of the year but we somehow managed to choose a day that it was closed so couldn’t go in for a look around, probably for the best as we had lots to do! The history of the castle originates back to before 1460 and is hopefully somewhere that I will blog about soon. However after that tempting snippet, if you now cannot wait until that is written then take a look at http://www.bodelwyddan-castle.co.uk!



Hiding a cache



Bodelwyddan Castle





Outside the gaol



Our last cache was to be put on the grounds around Ruthin Gaol.  I love exploring old buildings and would love research buildings such as this gaol further. The gaol is open from April-October; however, from the little I know about it, I do know that I want to return- perhaps I could do a ‘gaol special’ blog next time! I found a great site to learn more about the gaol http://www.denbighshire.gov.uk and according to this site there has been a prison on the Ruthin Gaol site since the seventeenth century and it is the only purpopse-built Pentonville style prison open to the public as a heritage attraction, impressive stuff.  Ruthin is only somewhere that I drove through quickly that day (not too quickly of course), but from what I saw it seems very pretty and the town and gaol seem to be worth another visit.

And that was is, job done!  I was glad that I had gone on the trip to plant the caches and see more of North East Wales, and I might even try a spot of geocaching in the area now...although I might be at a slight advantage!

http://www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk/