The moors.

Up early - 6:45, a very leisurely morning listening to the radio and poaching eggs.

Went for a walk with Chris, which took us though the infamous Nebo* to the moors. Bleak and wonderful it was, with endless moss and reeds and cottongrass. We did a 17 mile round-route, via a pub that turned out to be closed. Lunch on the church lawn, in the gales, and then onwards.

Crossing the moors on the return took us past the windfarm. These huge things command your attention, and we both found ourselves walking into grasses because our attentions were on the towering white whizzing blades. Interesting things, and North Wales is a bit of a hotspot for them - in Colwyn Bay, theyre's huge number being built, and whether or not you like them, it's an impressive sight.

Moors are bleak places, battered by wind, soft in all ways - soft colours, soft light, soft underfoot. The footpaths that we were treading are so rarely walked** that there is no trace, and no styles... so navigating can get soggy very quickly. We managed to avoid the worst of it, but took the easy way out on a road when we got to it.

6 hours walking, and my calves are telling me so.

*Only because almost every sign you seem to see has Nebo on it...
**Almost all visitors to Betws head west to the mountains, so the huge number of beautiful footpaths to the east are deserted. Good, as you have the network almost entirely to yourself, but bad as you often have to fully trust the map and battle your way though foliage.