Walk pictures - Aberdovey

Introduction

We had never stayed in Wales for a holiday before, the closest encounter being a brief trip out from Chester). We picked Aberdovey/Aberdyfi because it has a nice sandy beach which is particularly important for one member of the family, and a railway station so we could get there easily, and it looked nice. And we found a fancy place to stay.

Saturday

Our holiday flat was inside a converted Methodist tabernacle.

Main door.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′31″W

I haven’t included any more pictures from Saturday but suffice to say there was some playing on the beach.

Sunday

Just some of many steps from the Tabernacle down to the street.

1/500 at f9, 23mm, ISO160

Aberdovey is where the River Dovey (or Dyfi) meets the sea, so there is a very tidal river and a small harbour.

Large boats can moor at this jetty. The bell is an artwork, it’s supposed to ring with the tide.

1/500 at f9, 23mm, ISO160

The flat included a steep hillside garden, with views across the river.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′40″N 4°2′31″W

And a rather nice wall (the pretty trees are next door).

1/250 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′40″N 4°2′31″W

Monday

We took a short circular walk to Penhelig, not far down the main road by the river.

View to hills across the river.

1/1000 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′42″N 4°2′16″W

Higher-level view across the river and out to the sea, with telephone cables.

1/1000 at f9, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′41″N 4°2′27″W

Pretty houses in Church Street.

1/1000 at f9, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′40″N 4°2′35″W

Back in the flat, the main room had impressive views.

Looking over the harbour and jetty towards the sea. Nice chimneys.

1/8 at f4, 23mm, ISO160

Tuesday

We took a slightly longer walk along the sea beach to Tywyn (which appears to have officially renamed itself to the Welsh spelling, rather than using both). The beach between the two towns was sparsely populated and we had a surprisingly enjoyable walk.

Driftwood tree.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′31″N 4°3′38″W

Looking across the Dovey river mouth toward the southern coast.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′33″N 4°3′47″W

A jauntily-angled pillbox (filled with rubble so you can’t go inside, even if you climb on top).

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′48″N 4°4′22″W

Protruding branches.

1/1000 at f5.6, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′37″N 4°4′6″W

Sand blowing in the wind (view towards Tywyn).

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°33′1″N 4°4′34″W

Looking back over shiny sand.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°33′7″N 4°4′43″W

View inland to a cluster of houses and hills.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°33′7″N 4°4′42″W

A metal thing buried in the sand.

1/250 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°33′22″N 4°4′45″W

Sand pool.

1/250 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°33′35″N 4°4′57″W

At the end of the walk we had a pub lunch (good, especially by comparison with a rather fancier-looking pub in Aberdovey that we had suffered the day before) before returning by public transport.

Wednesday

It does rain sometimes in Wales. (Tabernacle viewed in its steps.)

1/30 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′31″W

But it is also sunny sometimes!

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′33″W

So you get nice shadows.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′33″W

At one point we took a look around the town again.

Harbour wall and somebody taking a picture.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′38″N 4°2′37″W

Shop door.

1/1000 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′40″W

View of the beach and river from the Bandstand, on top of a hill in Aberdovey.

1/2000 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′48″W

House built by Anne Owen, Widow.

1/500 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′40″N 4°2′43″W

I went out to the Bandstand again on my own in the evening.

It is clearly not a bandstand. Nice hole though.

1/30 at f8, 23mm, ISO160 52°32′39″N 4°2′48″W

Moon and evening sky over the estuary.

1/60 at f8, 23mm, ISO250 52°32′38″N 4°2′48″W

Bandstand viewed from the beach.

1/30 at f4, 23mm, ISO320 52°32′36″N 4°2′49″W

Thursday

The weather was not very good so we decided it would be a good day to head to Tywyn again for a steam-train ride.

But this is the ‘real’ railway, while we waited for the train to Tywyn.

1/125 at f8, 23mm, ISO160

The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge quarry railway and was the first railway in the world to be preserved by volunteers when it would have been shut down in 1951. It’s the basis for some of the books in the Railway Series children’s books by Reverend W. Awdry, who was a volunteer there. Which is why the engines (sometimes?) have faces on.

Steam seen through the open carriage window.

1/250 at f7.1, 23mm, ISO160 52°35′3″N 4°5′12″W

Hills!

1/250 at f7.1, 23mm, ISO250 52°35′25″N 4°4′21″W

Valleys!

1/250 at f8, 23mm, ISO320 52°37′8″N 4°0′11″W

Station sign with charmingly uneven lettering.

1/30 at f7.1, 23mm, ISO160 52°38′16″N 3°57′59″W

We had lunch at the café in Abergynolwyn station before heading back. There are walking routes from the station, but it wasn’t really the weather for them.