Another Headland & Beach Walk
Today’s hike was two beach walks separated by another headland climb, but with more beach and less elevation than yesterday.
We said goodbye to Abersoch and our breakfast room golf buddies, who were disappointed we did not get to any of their recommended pubs. Then we crossed the Afon Soch on an old stone bridge above the harbor, and worked our way though a flowery woods down to a long, sandy beach.
The tide was coming in, but we had just enough hard sand for easy walking. We’d walked for about a mile, deep in conversation, when I noticed a trail leading inland and realized I hadn’t seen any trail markers recently. The trail app indicated we should be further inland, not on the beach, so we took a left and headed into what turned out to be a huge caravan park.
Lost in Caravan Land
The beach sand had gotten increasingly loose and deep, so we were happy to trade it for asphalt. After following what seemed to be the main road for a while, we reached a three-way split with no trail signs.
I checked the app again. Now we were too far inland but too stubborn to turn around. So, we found a circuitous route to the other side of the park, more or less where we needed to be. While we navigated the maze, we got to see all that caravan parks have to offer.
Do We Like Caravan Parks?
I wasn’t too happy with this particular caravan park’s confusing road layout, but the homes were well maintained and landscaped. But the contrast between the closely spaced, nearly identical, modern caravan parks and the surrounding 400-year-old farms and pastoral meadows is stark. To me, the caravan parks don’t blend in, like an accountant in a ballet. Practical maybe, but from my perspective on the trail, they stand out and detract.
I would have guessed that the locals and Welsh protectionists hated caravans. But we didn’t meet anyone who thought so. In fact, they seemed to appreciate them and the revenue they bring to rural Wales. We were told that people want them and that it’s the only way some people can afford to access the area.
It’s the mobile caravans (RV’s) they don’t like. Especially the ones that illegally park and camp on the beaches and drive down the hedged one-lane roads. Go figure, RV’s seem less intrusive to me.
The Quintessential Wales View
After we made the steep but short climb from the beachside caravan park to the headland plateau, Kate grabbed my arm, asked for her phone (her pants have no pockets, so I usually carry it) and said, “It’s the quintessential Wales Coast view!”
A long coastline with cliffs and beaches, green hills dotted with sheep, scattered ancient stone farmhouses, wild flowers, blue skies, and white puffy clouds. If you’ve been following our blog, you’ve seen that photograph more than once. So have we, but never tire of it. But there’s always something new too. Today, we added a lone diver in a thick black wetsuit who, despite early reports to the contrary, was not a seal, shark, otter, or tortoise.
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