Gwyneth Hopkins
Gwyneth's 150 + miles walk across Wales
Fundraising for ME Research UK
Story
Gwyn's Walk 2015 - 168 miles completed on 20th
Sunday 21st June
I arrived home safely, late morning thanks to my friend Richard who collected me from Fishguard and also for keeping in touch and updating the websites for me. I finished the walk in Llangollen at 2 pm yesterday afternoon, and after a visit to a cafe caught a series of Trans Wales buses towards home (free with my OAP bus pass :-) ) after three buses I arrived in Cardigan 6 1/2 hours later at 10.30 at night. I had been dreaming of a Hotel room with a hot bath and a fluffy towel and a glass of Guiness. I walked around the town only to find all Hotels and every B & B full. -Sorry no room in the Inn - I then walked nearly two miles on the main Fishguard road ( a good job I have a cap with lights in) and found a gateway and put up my tent and climbed in at 12.45 pm and went to sleep. 6am packed up wet tent after a night of rain and started walking towards Fishguard at 6.45 as there aren't buses on Sunday. I had the last of my rations for breakfast a can of sardines. After nearly 6 miles I passed a builder loading his van and he asked if I'd like a lift to Fishguard - oh what a joy. While I waited for Richard I went into the Co-op and bought some food to keep me going. I'm about to have that well needed hot bath.
Thanks again to all my supporters. xxx
Day 11. 20 June (Final Day of the walk!)
16.1 miles today. That's a Grand Total of 168 miles!!!
Gwyn left Hendwr at 6.30 this morning in the rain. By 10.30 am she had walked 10 miles and had reached Glyndyfrdwy (where Owain Glyndwr proclaimed himself prince of Wales on 16 September 1400). She walked a further 6.1 miles to finish off and by early afternoon was on a bus heading for home!
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 10. 19 June
15.4 miles today. Spent the night at Hendwr caravan park (north of Llandrillo.)
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 9. 18 June
14.9 miles today in 8 3/4 hours, very slow going & cold wind
over hills and steep mountains as high as 907 metresStaying at a The Station camp site near Lake Bala.
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 8. 17 June
10.5 miles today on roads in heavy drizzle. Stayed in a pub B & B. last night and had a bath!! Thanks to the Brigands Inn.
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 7. 16 June
19 miles today. (that's 111.1 miles to date!)
After another cold night and chilly morning (it warmed up later) Gwyn tackled the steepest hills yet today- but she is' feeling good'.
She's camping at Cringoed Caravan Park tonight. (OS ref: 88 01) She has met up there with a person (also a walker) who had read about her in a local newspaper and they will be walking together tomorrow for some of the way.
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 6. 15 June
14 miles today! After a chilly start to the morning Gwyn walked towards Llangurig getting there by lunchtime, then pressing on to a campsite at Llanidloes. On the way through Lanidloes she was able to buy a new battery for her watch - and she was invited in for a welcome cup of tea by a local resident.
Gwyn felt she has had a good day today overall even though it was a hard one (she has had to traverse some pretty steep mountains all of the day). After having now walked almost 95 miles, she thinks her body is getting more used to it - not quite so hard as it was when she started! Today she walked over steep mountainsides, woodland, open marshland (on top of the mountains!), and flower meadows heavy with the scent of clover- and she chatted with 2 farmers who were carrying out some fence repairs high up on the slopes. At one point, looking down on a road far below, she could make out some motorcyclists who looked like busy ants from the top of the mountain!
She had been followed yesterday for quite some time by the sound of a cuckoo serenading her until about 9.30 in the evening and it continued again throughout this morning. Remarkable! Today she also saw a Wheatear - a very handsome bird. She is taking lots of lovely photos for posting on the website after she gets back. The walk may have been challenging today - but the scenery was really beautiful!
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 5. 14 June
7.5 miles today! Gwyn took it
somewhat easier today (well, it is Sunday!) and during the morning spent some time
having a good breakfast at the campsite restaurant and drying out the tent etc.
(it was quite wet during the night). She then set off in an Easterly direction,
half on roads and half on mountains, before settling at a small farming
campsite next to a river. She was quite cold at one point in the night but
didn't have to resort to the survival blanket this time!
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 4. 13 June
18.5 miles today! After a restless night with her feet elevated Gwyn woke up this morning feeling physically better and had the best day walking to date. The day has been damp and drizzly with light rain and after taking a single track road up into the mountains she found visibility to be less than 200 yards over wild open spaces, moorland and marshy ground all the way to Ffair Rhos, where she was told a hotel there could provide lunch (it was closed!). Not being able to see very far at all, her GPS proved to be invaluable in guiding the way.
Surrounded by mountain peaks along the way, visible now and then through sunlit mist, she felt a contentment of spirit in those wild open spaces. She wasn't entirely alone though - in the distance, through a momentarily clearing mist, she spotted a farmer on a quad bike rounding up his sheep on the mountainside in the rain! She contemplated taking an Easterly route along the mountain ridge but with visibility reduced to only 100 yards at that point, she wisely decided against it.
Lunch took the form of a couple of Eccles cakes from a small shop and she was able to get food at the campsite she arrived at in Devil's Bridge. (this was a campsite she stayed at when she started her charity walks 9 years ago!) When she arrived there the wet weather abated, enabling her to put up her tent in the dry!.
Although there is warmer weather forecast, there will apparently still be showers, so since she needs to stock up on food, she will probably give herself an easier day tomorrow. She has walked almost continuously uphill today and not taken off her backpack even once, which helps to keep things dry. Last night her watch battery gave out so she can only get the time from her mobile phone, though since that is kept in a bum bag under everything else it hasn't seen the light of day much today!
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 3. 12 June
14.4 miles today! (including a mile backtrack because route was barred) after a good night at the campsite (warmer than the previous night!) over fields, through woods and along a back-road with a river running beside it, in fairly overcast muggy weather with the odd spot of sunshine. Chatted to a farmer, then a postman, who gave her directions to a cafe at Llangeitho where she enjoyed hot cheese on toast before pressing on to the Talbot hotel in Tregaron, arriving there about 4.00 pm. After having walked over 52 miles so far her legs are a bit red and puffy and her shoulders are complaining about the weight of the backpack but she's had a good powerful shower, washed her hair and treated her back and shoulders to a powerful spray of hot water - all of which has helped a lot. In her hotel room she has her tent spread on the floor to really dry it out (there was some rain this morning) and is keeping her legs elevated to reduce the swelling.
She is finding her GPS really useful, identifying paths and keeping her on track. She hopes to get to the next campsite about 18 miles away tomorrow but bad weather and rain is forecast for most of the day (and tonight) so it will depend largely on that. Walking in the rain is one thing but putting up a tent in bad weather is another!
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 2. 11 June
Today Gwyn has walked 19.7 miles!
Her route took her mostly on back-roads with some lovely scenery and she was able to spot quite a few Red Kites on the way. The morning was rather cold and windy but brightened up by the afternoon with some sunshine and blue sky. Lunchtime she was met by a friend who brought along a picnic to share and walked with her a little way.
It was cold last night in the tent and she needed to wrap
herself up in her foil survival blanket put over her thermal top and underwear
to keep warm. It worked well and she managed to get 8 hours sleep - in spite of
the many open scratches and stings on her legs from her encounter earlier that
day with the brambles etc. which made her re-route. (now improving, thanks to
tea tree oil!)
This evening she is at a campsite near Felinfach and is looking forward to rest and sleep tonight to recuperate from the day's walk which has left her a little tired and sore (not surprisingly!), but she remains in good spirits. Tomorrow she plans to have a less strenuous day (a mere 13 miles instead of 20! ) and experience some TLC by staying in a hotel and having some hot food. Also the forecast is wet weather, so she'll have the chance to dry out - so she's booked in to the Talbot Hotel in Tregaron.
Gwyn's Walk 2015
Day 1. 10 June (also Gwyn's birthday!)
Gwyn got off to a good start this morning from Cardigan, with good luck wishes from the press and friends present to help her on her way. She took the B4570 out of Cardigan, then zigzagged on footpaths across country with some bits of on-road walking, to join up with the A487 and stopped at a campsite at Pentregat. (at 6.00 pm her tent was up). She walked 18 miles today, some of which was more than anticipated because of having her way unexpectedly blocked by a fallen tree and impassable brambles and stinging nettles! So she had to return to a point where she could circumvent the problem before pressing on via another route.
Also along the way she saw some fantastic shelf fungus the size of a dustbin lid on a tree trunk and in a fairly remote spot came across a small group of electrical engineers working on the grid who all donated some cash for Gwyn's cause - even waving down a colleague who was driving by to get him to do the same! The donations were all in £1 coins, making her backpack a little heavier - but she can take it!
More tomorrow
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
This year I plan to walk at least 150 miles across Wales to push my total to over 1,000 miles for charity. That is my personal challenge.
I will start at the Castle entrance Cardigan on 10th June 2015 at 9.30 am and will zigzag my way across Wales, towards Lampeter and then up towards Lake Bala and across to Llangollen. I will carry a map and compass and decide on the route as I go along. I will walk a minimum of 150 miles and if I feel good maybe more.
I suffered from very baddly with ME from 1998 - 2003. I also had a mini stroke at the beginning and was hospitalized for a month, where I was diagnosed with ME. As the NHS could do very little to help I turned to Complementary Therapies and made a 100% recovery. See my website- www.gwynhopkins.co.uk
Since then I have walked 870 miles for charity, on my own, mostly with a pack on my back with camping gear. I've mainly walked for ME Research but also other charities.
As always I want to raise awareness of this awful illness that often leaves people prisoners in their own homes/bedrooms or with a very restricted life. Some sufferers are able to lead half a life, struggling with pain and frustration. Please donate to help give these people a future.