153. Y Barri (Barry) – Penarth

153. Y Barri (Barry) – Penarth

Distance: 10.87 miles Max Altitude: 34 m Min Altitude: 6 m Height Gain: 129 m Height Loss: 121 m   It was a bizarre foggy start to the day, a proper pea souper. I walked through the Knap shrouded in a mysterious gloom. The tide was out and I considered walking across the bay to Barry Island but I didn’t fancy dealing with the sinking and soggy sand so I continued through parkland and then along Harbour Road. When I was little, driving down this…

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152. Aberogwr (Ogmore) – Y Barri (Barry)

152. Aberogwr (Ogmore) – Y Barri (Barry)

Distance: 23.90 miles Max Altitude: 79 m Min Altitude: 4 m Height Gain: 592 m Height Loss: 591 m Before I set out I had decided that today needed to be a mammoth hike, no matter what. I wanted to arrive in Cardiff Bay on the 1st of November, the start of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. It was an opportunity too important to miss. So even if my legs dropped off, I was determined to go the distance, as they say. I set off from…

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151. Rest Bay – Aberogwr (Ogmore)

151. Rest Bay – Aberogwr (Ogmore)

Distance: 10.80 miles Max Altitude: 30 m Min Altitude: 1 m Height Gain: 143 m Height Loss: 148 m It was great to be back at Rest Bay, one of my favourite beaches. It wasn’t often that I had seen it under such grey skies. My memories are of a blue sky, fluffy clouds and hot sun. So I was extra pleased to see the water teeming with surfers, keen to make the most of the windy conditions. I followed the Wales Coast Path towards…

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150. Baglan- Rest Bay

150. Baglan- Rest Bay

Distance: 16.20 miles Max Altitude: 43 m Min Altitude: 1 m Height Gain: 185 m Height Loss: 177 m After yesterday, I was well on track to make my end goal, so I woke up sore, shattered but chuffed. I was looking forward to rejoining the coast on the first part of my day’s hike. Aberafan is a beautiful stretch of coastline with soft sand and decent surf. Public art adorns the promenade every few metres. Once again I was grateful for the flat and…

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149. Southgate – Baglan

149. Southgate – Baglan

Distance: 22.05 miles Max Altitude: 102 m Min Altitude: 7 m Height Gain: 535 m Height Loss: 570 m Yesterday evening had been spent studying maps and mileage charts. I had had a finish date for my trek in and for a while but I needed to see if my target was realistic. I was determined that it was, so I began to work out my distances needed every day over the next few days in order to make it happen. It seemed do-able. With…

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148. Horton – Southgate

148. Horton – Southgate

Distance: 10.3 miles Max Altitude: 83 m Min Altitude: 2 m Height Gain: 358 m Height Loss: 308 m Today I was joined on my walk by a friend of mine, Becca. Two and a half years ago we had tackled the Inca Trail together. So I was delighted to be walking alongside her once more, though this time at lower altitude and much closer to home. We had a lot of catching up to do so naturally we talked so much at the beginning…

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147. Rhossili – Horton

147. Rhossili – Horton

Distance: 7.89 miles Max Altitude: 80 m Min Altitude: 6 m Height Gain: 184 m Height Loss: 249 m   The weather was not as kind to me as it had been during the previous days. It was a damp and claggy morning on the Wales Coast Path. But I couldn’t complain. I had had the most incredible few days of sunshine and blue skies. With my jacket zipped up I began walking in high winds above Rhossili Bay. To my right a blue sky…

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145. Crofty – Rhossili

145. Crofty – Rhossili

Distance: 15.47 miles Max Altitude: 73 m Min Altitude: 1 m Height Gain: 383 m Height Loss: 342 m   I could scarcely believe that I had yet another blue sky above my head. My luck was in once more. I began hiking beside a saltmarsh. During World War II, the area was home to several gun batteries. Various types of shells, including high-explosive and mustard gas, were fired across these saltmarshes. Quantities of unwanted munitions were also buried nearer the sea. As a consequence, the area is regularly…

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144. Porth Tywyn (Burry Port) – Crofty

144. Porth Tywyn (Burry Port) – Crofty

Distance: 18.5 miles Max Altitude: 41 m Min Altitude: 4 m Height Gain: 223 m Height Loss: 225 m I had decided before leaving Porth Tywyn (Burry Port) that I would visit the Amelia Earhart memorial. As a trailblazing adventurer, she’s among my list of personal heroes. But why is there a tribute here? Well, when she became the first female to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air, Amelia Earhart landed slap bang in Burry Port. Indeed, on the 18th of June 1928, aviation history was created…

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143. Cydweli (Kidwelly) – Porth Tywyn (Burry Port)

143. Cydweli (Kidwelly) – Porth Tywyn (Burry Port)

Distance: 10.3 miles Max Altitude: 27 m Min Altitude: 2 m Height Gain: 93 m Height Loss: 84 m   I was back at the point where I’d made the decision not to continue yesterday. My feet were a tad better after icing and elevation but not much. I had to go on though, in order to get back to Cardiff on the finish date in my mind. I found myself walking through a salt marsh first off. There were some very familiar sights. These cattle…

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