{"id":30908,"date":"2019-08-29T08:25:45","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T07:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=30908"},"modified":"2019-08-27T08:58:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-27T07:58:16","slug":"out-and-around-up-and-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2019\/08\/out-and-around-up-and-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Out and Around, Up and Down"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So far this year on Bank Holidays we have been open water swimming in Borth and Ynyslas rather than from Aberystwyth. I thought I’d offer the same this Bank Holiday but had no takers so ended up going on a swim adventure of my own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out and Around<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I started in the estuary and had a nice long swim out and around the point, into the mouth of the estuary and then out with the tide to the beach and along the seafront so as to arrive back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Swim Route<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It was a perfect day for it and a relatively early start meant that there was no one around. Even by the time I’d finished and the sun had risen high above the hills the beach was still deserted. The swim out and around the dunes of Ynyslas was around 5,000yds altogether but with the tide helping me only took about an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up and Down<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn’t chill for long though even though this was supposed to be a rest day. I was soon heading off to Tre-Ddol where I started a nice walk in the hills. I climbed steeply through the woods and then out onto the top where my way was blocked by this beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blocking<\/a>
Blocking my Way<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I did go into his field briefly and tried to move him out of the way but he just moved up into the gateway you can see ahead where he was joined by about 20 cows and calfs. I needed to follow the path through the gate but he decided that he wasn’t budging and the cows beyond him were getting a little agitated too so I decided to leave them to it and take another route out and around the field. It added a little bit of distance to my route but that was better than getting trampled!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out on the top I had some nice views down to the estuary where I had been swimming earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Estuary<\/a>
Estuary Views<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I then followed a path out into the hills proper, forded a stream and then headed up towards the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I didn’t go all the way to the top as there are no paths around here and the clouds were closing in. Instead I took to some rough ground over the top and headed down into Artists Valley. Again, there were no paths to follow and I ended up trying to cross a brash covered hillside where trees and been felled and the going was tough. I eventually made it down to the track and walked back down through Artists Valley and then across towards Clettwr woods once again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here it was a pleasant stroll through the wooded valley with the river tumbling over waterfalls next to me and back to the car after a nice walk up and down the hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n