It was raining lightly as I made my way to the station, and had stopped by the time I reached Colwyn Bay to continue where I left off last time. However, there was such a cold breeze that it took my breath away, and I even wondered if I should have put further layers of clothing in my back-pack. As it happens, once I got going, they would not have been needed - though the raincoat did come out of the bag on a couple of occasions, but all the same, these are not the sort of questions one expects to be asking in July. I concluded that the weather was not bad for October!
The first few miles of the walk were easy, onto the sea-front at Colwyn Bay, then on to Rhos on Sea. I have been to Rhos a number of times before, it is where one of my former churches in Liverpool used to hold a church weekend away. As I walked past St Winifride's, the hotel where the weekends were held, I thought of some of the good times that were spent there. It was a time to get to know one another more informally and relax together in ways in which Sunday's and even church socials don't lend themselves to.
One thing from those weekends which I did remember was the location of St Trillo's chapel. It is easy to miss it, it is believed to be the smallest chapel in the UK, and it has seats for 6 people. Someone has a sense of humour if they choose the hymn "O for a thousand tongues to sing" there! Still, I did call in, spent a few minutes in quiet, and was all set to write a comment in what I took to be the visitors book, when I realised that it was in fact a folder of prayers left by the Mother's Union. Oh well! Onward Christian soldier!
Onward through Penrhyn Bay, and then the warm-up act to what was to come later - the Little Orme. That was easy. It was a bit of a climb after Penrhyn Bay, but nothing major. On the descent, it was quite something to catch my first glimpse of what has been described as the queen of Welsh resorts - Llandudno. Certainly it has got the finest promenade in Wales, and it was a good feeling walking along there, having reached this place, even if it was on a cool, wet, blustery day.
It was so cool that I decided to stop for a coffee and Belgium Bun. They should be called Bath Buns - who on earth do the Belgians think they are ?? It was very nice, but then I could have kicked myself as I left the coffee shop - I looked over the road, and saw that St John's Methodist Church had a sign that they were serving coffees. I could have called in there and perhaps saved a few pennies. But, it's interesting, my experience 0f church coffee mornings is such that if a stranger walks in - particularly a man on his own - he'll be treated with suspicion, perhaps to the extent of feeling most unwelcome, or he'll be asked so many questions that he won't have a moment to himself. That might be a bit unfair on some church coffee mornings, but it's not totally inaccurate. The beauty of coffee shops is that I could have a coffee in peace, check the map and generally gather my thoughts before the next stage of the walk. Still, by way of apology, if anyone from St John's is reading this and would like me to speak anytime about the walk, feel free to contact me. The same applies to other churches and church groups in the N Wales / NW England area.
Back along the Prom and past the pier to Marine Drive, a road which goes round the Great Orme. From the map, it didn't look as if there's be too much climbing. I need to take a closer look at the contour lines. Granted, the road did not take me to the top of the Orme, that was never part of the itinerary, but all the same, it does go up a fair way and it gives an idea as to why the Orme is called Great. It is big. The Little Orme of earlier this morning pales into insignificance. With the Orme towering up to your left and the sea on your right, it is next to impossible not to feel a certain sense of awe and wonder. It was certainly exhilerating. Nearing the top of the Orme, with the wind blowing freely, that feeling only increased.
After passing several headlands along the way, the road eventually turns a corner and the sight of Conwy Castle in the distance would mark the end of today's stage of the walk. There was some way to go before reaching there, though. At least the road was leading downhill, and offered some good views over the rest of the N Wales coast - well, they would have been good had it not been for the cloud and mist - and it set my mind thinking about how to tackle that stage of the walk. Is there a coastal path? The map isn't clear. There is a way that leads behind the mountains, and I can meet up with a coastal path after Llanfairfechan, but these are questions for next time, not for today.
So, downhill all the way to.... Llandudno. Yes, we're still in this resort, but this time the West Bay, which is a lot quieter than its northern neighbour and was a favourite holiday resort of the writer Lewis Carroll. I took a breather there for a sandwich, biscuit and drink of lucozade before heading through Deganwy.
After Deganwy, I found I had a stone in my shoe, and the moment or two I spent sorting that out meant that when I started again, I was walking in the same direction as a guy walking his dog. We got talking and walked the rest of the way into Conwy together. It was in the conversation that I used a phrase for the first time "I usually take Tuesday as a day off." Let me explain. In my 14 years of ministry before this appointment, I had always taken Friday as a day off. For various reasons, that isn't easily possible here, and I initially said that my day off would be a moveable feast. I would have a day a week, but it would vary as to which one it is. That has sort of worked, but in recent months, the pattern seems to have emerged that Tuesdays are usually free, so, having said it earlier, and now sharing it with you, dear reader, a new pattern is now official. Tuesday is my day off.
Upon arriving, I had a look in the castle (being a member of CADW I can get in free), and although I have been here before, I discovered the chapel, which, if I did come across on my last visit, I do not remember doing so. Yes, the chapel tower is a clue, but I had originally thought that the room which houses the castle exhibition was the chapel, it turns out to be the room below that. Although just an empty room these days, the clues are there, particularly the ante-room (vestry) and apse. So, day off or not, I found the place where it is likely the altar would have been and couldn't help but say the words "Cymerwch, bwytewch, hwn yw fy nghorff (take, eat, this is my body)" - thankfully there was no-one else around at that moment !!
So, a cold and miserable day weather-wise, but another stage of the walk successfully completed.
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