Snowdonia Way (day 1) Machynlleth to Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station

Hot day, I actually arrived yesterday just in time to take a picture with the partial sun eclipse (12th of August at 19:12) above me! It turns out that you can see it in the shadows cast on the ground or any surface for that matter. I've hiked about 5 miles and stealth camped by a little stream, unfortunately it is not legal to wildcamp in Wales but apparently farmers typically won't make a trouble if you're being respectful. Either way, I'm planning to spend those few night as away from human eyes as possible.

Following morning I broke camp at about 7am and carried on along the stream, a sheep tangled itself in a blackberry bush and I managed to cut it out using a sharp stone I found in the stream, it hopped away happily few minutes later with a fair bit of the bush still attached I hope the farmer will spot it and trim it before it becomes a problem again.

Just before midday I've arrived at Dolgellau, a pretty historically looking town, I've ate a breakfast at TH Roberts, I went with Welsh Rarebit Taten Pob (jacket potato) which was quite good. I've carried on into this absolute oven of a day and luckily I found couple of tiny streams that kept me hydrated.

Just after 4pm I went past Trawsfynydd a tiny town along the lake of the same name, a decommissioned in 1991 Nuclear Power Plant was looming on the other side of the lake. I went to the local Coop and got some more water and a steak pastry, everyone around seemed to be talking Welsh including four teenage boys outside, it was amazing to hear this beautiful language being spoken. The town had a little feud with authorities over a footbridge they closed four years ago (it was still part of my trail on the map!) they even put a big banner on the side of the road saying: "Give us back our bridge!" and I hope they would get it back as it was a nice feature of this area.

I've carried on around the lake, I've seen a big Red Kite soaring across the sky shortly after a couple of RAF Typhoon jet fighters flew very low, it turned out that this area was a part of famous "Mach Loop" where RAF pilots could train at very low altitudes, it definitely made for quite a spectacle. I was getting closer and closer to the power station and it looked like I will be sleeping nearby as it was getting late. Although decommissioned 34 years ago it still had 66 years before it could be fully demolished, there was also plans to open a smaller one in the same location. The building was definitely looming over the landscape and from a distance I initially thought it was some kind of medieval castle ruins.

I found a decent, sheltered spot in an old quarry and decided to call it a day here. I was within reach of Snowdon now and would perhaps climb it tomorrow.

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