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Day 35
Next morning visibility was down to a few yards. I did not care at all and felt only the
slightest twinge of conscience at dragging Rowland up this easy hill just to take my picture at
the top! As I ceremoniously kissed the trig point and posed for the photograph I think that
there was no view in the world which could have added to my happiness nor the glow of
achievement which I felt at that moment.
I had decided at the start to walk Wales south to north as well and this was a good deal
more easily achieved at this northern end than in the south. My original schedule had
decreed Penmaenmawr as the finishing point but we made a last minute decision to meet in
Llanfairfechan where the car could be taken closer to the beach and the map showed a
simple right of way leading straight there from the col.
I set out on this path but after a few
forks I had to admit that I had lost it, if indeed it existed at all. I was soon wandering
through flat trackless bog with nothing to see but a few sheep looming out of the mist. I
simply headed north-west, confident that this must lead me off the hill in roughly the right
place eventually. At last a wall appeared, channelling me down to a gate and a rough track
on which I dropped out of the mist to see the town below. Soon I was wandering through
this rather decaying resort and onto the deserted beach. The tide was a long way out so I
dipped my toe into an insignificant muddy pool. The ending was as undramatic as the
beginning. The journey between was everything.
I have read accounts by people who have done long walks and they all express a feeling
of reluctance to finish but I had no such emotion. Perhaps my walk was just not long
enough. Had I continued for another five weeks I might have found it harder to return from
the world of walking to some other reality. Although it seemed a little odd to climb into the
car and drive away I did so with delight. Finishing the Munros had given a similar
satisfaction but on that occasion there was an underlying sadness for there would never be
quite the same urgency to climb the hills again. Today I felt no regrets at all but only a
mixture of elation and relief as I looked forward to a hot bath and a few days with no
walking whatsoever!
epilogue
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