Penmaenmawr to Bangor – High Spirited Stage 1

A good night’s sleep for this old bloke and I awoke during the most incredible hail storm this morning. It had been freezing all night and even with the heater on in my room I had to wear my shirt and jumper in bed.

Getting up was an effort but once I was out of my pit I got ready and packed quickly. And across the road I roamed to Wetherspoons for a full English with extra black pudding. Hooray!

I needed to return to Penmaenmawr, where I’d finished walking yesterday, but the trains were massively disrupted by ice. So I waited for a bus and one appeared, very slowly. It took me to Penwhatsits and I walked down the hill to the station where I caught the train yesterday. The failing daylight, the railway tunnel lights and the wonderful wall art combined beautifully yesterday evening.

And today the sky had cleared and the view across the sea to Anglesey was top banana.

Looking up the hills behind the beach the light covering of last night’s snow was lingering.

The mountains came straight down to the sea just beyond the station and the road was cut into the hillside. The only way the Coast Path could get through here was by running alongside the road, which was noisy and busy.

However, I was bouncing, and I caught the spirit of the Incredible String Band as I strode down the footpath. They were a Scottish folk duo from the sixties, supplemented by different musicians on occasions, and their brilliant music was driven 50% spiritually and 50% pharmaceutically. You had to be there to appreciate it and if you could remember being there then you weren’t really there at all.

Then the sun came out again and I was driven higher by ISB.

The Great Orme was shifting slightly in the sun back towards the horizon as I came back to sea level.

Round the corner in the village of Llanfairfechan was this honestly named bathroom supplier. I didn’t leave a deposit.

And out, over the sea, Puffin Island rested in the same sun as the Great Orme. In the same sun as all of us here in this solar system. May the long time sun shine upon you.

See you later.