Railway Walk Tan y Bwlch

If I'm feeling lazy I choose the downhill walk along the railway to the station at Tan y Bwlch for the uphill return. It's amazing the things you come across!

Railway Walk to Tanygrisiau

This little film is about the walk up the line from Campbell's Kingdom to Tanygrisiau. Lots of interesting things along the way.



When you get to the Tanygrisiau reservoir you can walk round it on either side. I prefer to walk around the southern side as opposed to the railway side. This way you get a better view of the Moelwyns.

Atishoo! You need a handkerchief tree

Atishoo! Tree pollen? You need a handkerchief tree

The Pocket Handkerchief Tree (otherwise known as the Dove Tree) Davidia involucrata was first discovered growing wild in China, towards the end of the nineteenth century. Seeds were sent back to the UK by Victorian plant hunter Ernest Wilson in 1901 and when it flowered in Britain for the first time, it caused such a stir that the leading nursery of the day (Veitch’s nursery of Chelsea and Exeter) could not keep up with the demand for plants.

One of the first Pocket Handkerchief Trees to be planted in Britain was at Plas Tan y Bwlch which is one of the many great gardens in the North Wales Festival of Gardens.

Getting the Guardian

It's quite a long walk for us to get to the shop but the train is very handy when you want to buy the newspaper.

One Man and his Dog

I knew they were coming when our dog ran to the garden fence with her ears pricked. Much later I heard the bleats of newly-shorn sheep with their lambs walking up the drive.

On some occasions the movement of sheep involves lots of action, several dogs and a fair amount of swearing as sheep and dogs scatter in every direction. But today was a masterclass in calm control.

The farmer said that, after the ewes were sheared, their lambs had difficulty recognising their mothers. In case of this, and if lambs had followed the wrong mum up the hill, he paused beneath the railway line for the flock to settle just as the last down train of the day went past. It took about ten minutes for the volume to subside, for lambs to find the right ewes, and then the gates were opened and off they went up Moelwyn Bach.

Dewi and his dog were real stars. One man and his dog ......

The P Way Gang

It was good to see the Permanent Way Gang collecting the old fencing materials off Campbell's Platform. New fencing has been put up on the stretch from Campbell's to the loop at Dduallt. Should help keep sheep off the line. Thank you.

Dragon's Back 2017

It was a misty start to the day, cool conditions for day two of the Dragon's Back Race. The first runners passed through just before 10am.

The tracking service is fantastic. http://event.opentracking.co.uk/dragonsb17/ I could plot their progress as they rapidly approached over Cnicht, Moelwyn Mawr, then Bach and down to Tanygrisiau hydro station.

Not everyone was so rapid. I found two disoriented runners from China up at Campbell's Platform at about 3:30pm - there was no way they'd make it across the Rhinogs to tonight's campsite at Dolgellau. They would have been catching a lift.