Margaret's walk Thursday November 15th 2012

After worrying that lunch would be eaten in the teeth of a howling gale and I would get the prize for the muddiest walk, fate, i.e. the weather, smiled on the 16 of us who met in Lannllyfni this morning for a short and leisurely stroll. Leaving the village behind for the meadows and river bank we had stunning views up the Nantlle valley to Snowdon’s peaks.
Leaning over the second foot bridge for contemplation and photos, John told us of the tribulation of crossing after the bridge had been vandalised to leave only the struts in the middle. His subsequent phone call to the local police brought out council workers to rope off and erect danger signs and the bridge was quickly repaired; (well done, our local Highways Dept). It was also pleasing to see signs of recent maintenance work and usage!
After re-crossing the river to Tan yr Allt, we took a track up towards quarry workings and marvelled at the giant chasms and waste heaps of this major industry now almost defunct. Some might recall from Nigel Brown’s informative talk at Tuesday’s AGM, that the Cambrian slates date back to the geological period of 500 million years ago. The path back to the village was largely a raised track, a testament to the quarrymen who walked from the village to their work.