Meirionnydd (or Merionethshire) is the region in Wales where I spent time as a kid. This is my first time back since 1996 and not much has changed. All that, combined with its utter beauty, is what makes it so very special to me. I remember vibrant green hills, overcast days, hearty weather, old old stuff, tide pooling, lots of sheep, lots of tea and lots of hikes. In 2024 my kids are experiencing the same. Less tea perhaps.
The roads of Wales are really something else. Narrow as can be. Often roadside stone walls with zero shoulder. Vegetation sticking out that can literally wack your car. Now add the layer that you’re driving a rental car on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes you literally breathe in, hoping it will help your car squeeze through tight bits. Today we came around a corner to this scene!! Sheep on the move. Complete with three sheep dogs in action. Gorgeous.
We hiked up a local peak named Cader Idris. Justin went to the summit. The rest of went to the halfway point. Stone steps, views, and some classic Welsh weather. Epic myths about giants, madmen and poets are connected to this peak. There is a tale about King Arthur capturing an evil Welsh water dragon and dragging it to the lake by horse. These are just not things you read in trail descriptions in our local range, the Wasatch :)
On the descent we were treated to the most mind blowing experience of two fighter jets flying down the valley and making a tight left turn up another valley. Two of them, and they did it twice. Low, fast, tight. Apparently we were on something called the Mach Loop which is training ground for the RAF (Royal Airforce). Sensational to witness.
And in Wales - Heather is everywhere.
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