Dol einion campsite end of day 28

Wednesday: Within 2 minutes of joining the A487 I got a lift to Minffordd hotel, a 3 minute walk from Dol Einion campsite. I planned to eat and drink at the Minffordd Hotel after pitching camp. I knew from their web page a single room was £60, and for a double a wopping £120. Difficult to imagine how a quaint but rudimentary hotel could justify such a high fee. But as I was wet through I thought I would try to negotiate a deal. Buoyed by a vacancies sign I plunged in ... but no single rooms available and not open to doing a deal on a double as it is high season, so I was off to campsite.

Pleasant welcome from owner who kindly offered hot water as kettle had just boiled. I declined as I had my sights set on spending the evening in the pub out of the rain. Pitched tent and clipped in inner with bearly any rain entering. In shower block took bedding from rucsac in a poly bag and, leaving rucsac, returned to tent to inflate Therm-a-rest NeoAir sleeping mat and Exped UL M Air pillow - both of which were continuing to prove excellent purchases. While I was setting up a fellow camper, taking pity on me, came over and asked if I wanted a cuppa. What fine fellows these camping types are. I declined with my sights still set on the pub.

I normally leave rucsac in tent, just removing valuables to take to pub. Today I took whole rucsac so it could dry a little in the pub. At Minffordd Hotel there was just one couple in the bar. It was clearly more of a hotel than a pub. I chatted with them - Keith and Jennifer - and when supper was announced they invited me to join them at their table which I accepted. Both from London, Keith had been coming to the area since 1948. They had bought a derelict cottage 1/4 mile away in 1980's. They had felt a little guilty buying, depriving locals of a home, but as no one else was interested it would have fallen down if they had not rescued it. Keith went to Harrow, then journalist with BBC news, Jennifer had been a school teacher. One of their two daughters is a commissioning editor with BBC in Cardiff - what a small world. We talked a lot about the duming down and fake news delivered by social media channels.

Photographs are all taken following morning when it had stopped raining.

9 miles from Celyn Brithion, Dinas Mawddwy to Minffordd completed at end of 28th day of walking. Weather - low cloud all day; strong winds at first, abating mid-morning, strengthening again mid-afternoon; light rain on and off in the morning, continuous and heavy through the afternoon and evening.
Number of people met today - none, hardly surprising considering the weather!Read more