There was a time when the Welsh were forbidden to enter Chester before sunrise or stay out after nightfall – but no such curfew applies today.

We made our way out of Chester via the Town Hall, said to have only three faces to the town clock, as the citizens of Chester didn’t feel the need to have one facing Wales, as they couldn’t be bothered to spare the Welsh the time of day. I am glad to say we found the people of Chester charming and very welcoming.

We carried on via Northgate, past Pemberton Tower and the Water Tower, it was easy to see that Chester is one of the best preserved Walled cities in Britain.

On reaching the Welcome to Wales sign – the walk is pretty straightforward onto a long straight stretch of a cycle path, beside the river Dee

An hour into the walk we were soaked to the skin – the rain came early. We gave up at the Jubilee Bridge or Blue bridge at Queensferry – called a taxi to get us back to our townhouse, looking more like the female cast of “Last of the Summer wine” than the cosmopolitan women we perceive ourselves to

So, back to the Jubilee Bridge, a bascule bridge, sparkling blue in the sunshine. This stretch of WCP is mainly dominated by industry, so from bridge to bridge we go Jubilee, then Hawarden railway Bridge, built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railways, originally as a swing bridge, but now welded solid!

The warmest temperature in Wales was recorded here 35.2 in August 1990. We could have done with a bit more warmth on a chilly February day!
The other bridge on the skyline is the Flintshire Bridge, the largest asymmetrical bridge in Britain, opened in 1998, and built at a cost of £55 million. A testament to the importance of the industrial Deeside and the impact on the Welsh economy.

The path continues past the Wepre riverside SSSI past the side of the Old Quay Pub. Much of the final leg of the walk is along the road, not very interesting, until we finally return to the marshes and come upon Fflint Castle, one of the first built by Edward 1 to control the Welsh. The design of this castle is very different from the rest of his domineering castle portfolio , in fact it is the only one of its kind in Britain.

The castle was burnt down by the custodian in 1294 to avoid it falling into the hands of Madog ap Llywelyn and his Welsh followers.

Lucy bursts into an extract from Henry IV as we approach the castle. Here Henry Bolingbroke, son of John of Gaunt captured Richard 11 in 1399. “Fake news” is not a new phenomena – Richard’s reputation has been given a bad rap over time. If you were king from the age of ten years you would also make a few mistakes along the way. There is a legend associated with Richard’s dog – who apparently was loyal to Richard and never strayed from his side, but when Henry came to Flint the dog left Richard’s side and lay down at Henry’s feet – I think I might have taken a bit of liberty with the legend but you get the gist.

Starting at Flint castle, one of Edward 1 first strongholds in Wales, this is an easy walk along the River Dee.

It is had to believe that Flint Dock used to be a busy harbour built to carry lead from the mines in Halkyn mountain. In 1778 a ship taking grain from the area was taken over by local miners, as locally there was severe hardship and it seemed the right thing to do to combat the shortage of food, mainly bread.

The beacons along this stretch are nicely designed, with the dragon beacon at Bagillt being the most impressive.

Not a day to linger we set a brisk pace passing Bettisfield Colliery now a scrap yard, hard to believe that 500 men used to work here.

Onto Greenfield Dock which used to be a very busy link for the people of Liverpool, Wirral and surrounding areas who used to take the waters at nearby St Winifred’s Well, Holywell.

At Llanerch y Mor we come across the Duke of Lancaster, the ship not the person. Docked here as a Fun ship in the 1970s, it had previously been used as a ferry from Belfast to Haysham – it is by now rusting badly and looks rather sad.

Beyond the fun ship, we spotted hundreds if not thousands of oystercatchers nesting – one of the joys of winter walking is the easy sighting of various birds.

We took the easy option along the cycle track past the busy Mostyn Dock. In hindsight we should have taken the higher route through the woods, as this is a very busy road, we were glad to cross over into the village of Ffynongroyw (Clear Well). To access the well there is a path from the village via Well Lane. It also happens to be the birthplace of renowned Welsh harpist Ossian Ellis.

We ended our day fittingly, at the commemoration to the Point of Ayr Colliery, as this walk is a poignant reminder of Flint’s rich industrial heritage.

A hail storm slaps us in the face. There is a bitterly cold wind. A large gas works looms, we hurry down towards Talacre and the Point of Ayr the entry point to the river Dee.

At the car park the dog walkers were out in force, reminding me of a certain Peter Kaye car comedy sketch. We went up to the viewpoint, but decided to keep off the beach, the first or last beach in Wales depending on your direction of travel.

We follow the low tide route through the dunes, which offered a little protection against the wind, passing inland of lighthouse which had seen better days.

We head for the Gronant dunes at Presthaven sands holiday park. The dunes has a noted inhabitant – the natterjack toad.
Following a walkway we find ourselves on Barkby Beach passing some marsh land.

We soon head back into the shelter of the dunes. Bright blue skies, sharp hail showers and a biting wind had us hurrying to the Beech Hotel for a fine lunch of Welsh Cawl.

From here it is a straightforward promenade following a concrete walkway along Ffrith Beach passing the jolly holiday towns of Prestatyn and Rhyl. At the Very ugly Pavilion building in Rhyl we stepped inside to warm up.

The walkway continues across the footbridge to Kinmel Bay ending a very cold winter’s walk

It would take a bigger optimist than me to find many pluses for this stretch of the WCP.

Out to sea, standing like sentries on the horizon are hundreds of wind turbines. Turn to look inland and we are faced with seemingly endless, row upon row of caravans. Coupled with grey skies – not a walk to lighten our spirits.

The path runs along cycle track 5, a bonus as we cover the miles quickly. A large breakfast at the Beach cafe at Pensarn – Abergele, served by cheerful, polite young staff puts some pep back in our step.

Gwrych castle comes into view looking across the A55 towards the limestone cliffs. I can’t make out whether it reminds me of Disneyland or Grimm’s fairy tales.

A family on bikes approach us, followed by several others. The older kids must have had big bikes for Christmas, as they are still a bit wobbly. It puts a smile on my face and lifts my mood. Several other cyclists whizz by. It makes me feel positive – the cycle route is an asset and well used.

I remind myself that thousands of families enjoy great times in these caravans every year, and while not easy on the eye, who am I to hasten by and judge the scenic aspect.

At Llandulais the cycle track climbs a little before passing by the jetty that handles the limestone from the quarry across the road.

Rain brings our walk to an end at Porth Eirias where we pop into Welsh chef Bryn Williams restaurant, but we have left it a bit late to be served. It had been that sort of day!

Embedded into the walkway are a number of historic facts.
One states that Prince Madog sailed from here and discovered America 300 years before Columbus.

We follow the cycle track up the hill and turn towards Penrhyn Bay. Walking to the headland we look out for the seals, half a dozen are huddled and well camouflaged on the rocks below.

Turning back, we take the short but steep slope up the Little Orme and head through the quarries before quickly coming down Craigside to the roadside and an easy walk into Llandudno.

We pause in the bitter wind to watch the brave RNLI lifeboat crew man their boat, before wandering on and veer off the path into the Mostyn Gallery for coffee, cake and a look around their exhibition.

Llandudno has done much to preserve its Victorian charm, and we return to the Promenade making our way to the pier, where the Path skirts around to Marine Drive which takes us up the Great Orme.

The road is closed to traffic, but we are soon joined by the 700 or so participants in the Nick Beer 10k Road race.

The Kashmiri goats which roam the headland don’t take a blind bit of notice of the spectacle as they continue to graze on the uplands.

Passing the road access to the Lighthouse, now a B&B, we stopped for a breather at the aptly named Rest and Be Thankful cafe – (and we were). We poured tea from one of those stainless steel tea pots – the ones that seem to have a design fault as the tea drips past the lid!

We share a laugh with fellow customers as we watch the walkers being swirled around by the wind, while knowing we will soon be engaged in a similar pantomime.

Rounding the headland, there are stunning views across to east Anglesey and the Carneddau mountains. On the way down we overlook an old military site.

Reaching the Gatehouse to the Gogarth we hurry along West Shore beach frozen to the core, so grateful to reach the car.

A varied walk, enjoyable in the high winds, but probably preferable in warmer weather!

We have given ourselves a day off, or at least a short stroll in the sunshine with an evening out sampling the delights of Conwy.

The Wales Coast Path passes by our home for the holidays, making it so easy. We stroll along Conwy Quays passing Bodlondab nature reserve, stopping for photographs in front of the “smallest house in Great Britain” – I wonder whether it has ever been any colour but red?

I chuckle as a seagull strikes at a woman trying to eat her fish and chips.

The stroll takes us passed the lobster pots on the Quay, up a few steps to the walkway alongside the road. Looking across at the original Telford Bridge built in 1826.

It is only a little distance along the Walkway that you can appreciate the full scale of Conwy Castle, one of Edward 1 iron ring of castles, built in the 13th century to subjugate the Welsh. Now given UNESCO World Heritage Site status

Looking up at the impressive build I want to sing the song by Dafydd Iawn, Welsh folk singer of note:- “Er gwaetha pawb a phobpeth, ry’n ni yma o hud” – roughly translated it means Despite everyone and everything, we are still here.

The promenade and cycle track gives great views across the estuary at the Walled town of Conwy and the mountains beyond.

A leisurely pace, enjoying the scenic backdrop to Deganwy and onto the West Shore in Llandudno. The White Rabbit memorial is a reminder that Alice Liddell’s holiday home was here, and she was the inspiration behind Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Our leisurely day was followed by an equallyleisurely evening starting at the Albion pub, dating from the 1920s by owned by local small brewers, serving a variety of local beers. The Observer newspaper said this was the best pub in the world. We loved the Smoking Room sign on the door, a reminder of bygone times.

We followed this with a short stroll to the Erskine Arms, a Georgian coaching inn. We dined on locally sourced, cockles and Mussels, fish and pork.

Both places had the most friendly staff and on a night where it had started to rain, welcoming open fires.

Sometimes you just have to let go of the longer term goal and pause to enjoy the now!

We selected the Blue route, the Red route through Sychnant Pass is a walk for another day!

We walked along the beach from Conwy Morfa. You could walk along the beach as far as Penmaenmawr as long as tides permit and be wary of soft sand, but not wanting to be too disloyal to the path we rejoined at Penmaebach and worked our way through a network of
bridges and cycle paths along this stretch, heading high over the A55 is a marvel of engineering and effort.

We stopped for coffee at the cafe in Penmaenmawr. The vivid street art helps to come to terms with the brutalist architecture.

The pretty village of Llanfairfechan is soon reached, the Victorian school with the separate entrance for boys and girls, the independent shops and the chapels add a certain charm, heading under the bridge to the promenade we watched a chap feed the swans by the pond,before following the track to Morfa Madryn and a network of nature reserves, teaming with birdlife.

We could have parked the car at the nature reserve below Abergwyngregyn, but not knowing this we had parked in the village.

Greeted by a smiling George Clooney. Well on a poster, ad eating a brand of coffee, a welcome sight nonetheless.

In the evening we had dinner at the local pub, the Garddfon Inn – Desperate Dan wouldn’t have been unhappy with the size and quality of my Welsh beef steak

The small modern marina is a far cry from the days when slate from the nearby Dinorwic quarry used to be transferred by rail to the Quay then loaded and shipped

We arrive late afternoon, so a short four mile walk to Caernarfon to limber up for the next few days,followed by dinner seems a good idea.

The walk itself is not the most inspiring, it wasn’t an auspicious start as we turned right up Hen Gel Llechi instead of left!

Soon corrected, we soon accessed the A487 before we linked into the cycle path for the four mile stretch into Caernarfon.

In Caernarfon we headed to our favourite pub – The Black Boy. On the wall, the sign tells us that this used to be the red light district, the Welsh name for the street – Stryd Pedwar a Chwech – Four and Six Street. In old shillings and pence, a sailor could get a room, a woman and a bottle of gin for this price….

The taxi driver taking us back to Felinheli couldn’t understand why it was so busy for a Thursday, he was worried he wouldn’t get to his stir fry supper until around 10 pm, and by then he would probably settle for a corn beef sandwich! I love Caernarfon!

This walk is at low levels, no major inclines to target. I am not a fan of walking on roads, but much of this stretch is along tarmac,but comfortable, easy walking after a few more challenging walks.

Leaving Dinas Dinlle follow the paved path along the shore line and eventually turn right passing the Caernarfon Airworld Aviation Museum. As you approach the caravan park don’t follow the road but carry straight on into a grassy lane, then left to take you all the way around to a footbridge over Afon Carrog, eventually heading by road inland to Saron. We had a water stop on the bridge over Afon Gwyrfai.

Our favourite part of this walk was alongside Foryd bay, a great spot for bird watchers. Today was not a day for spotting the difference between a widgeon or a wild fowl. A brisk wind is blowing, rain is in the air, but stopping for a chat with a local farmer he told me we would make it to Caernarfon before the rain.

Nothing can prepare you for the sight of Caernarfon’s walls and Edward 1 castle. Caernarfon was the scene of Prince Charles’s investiture as the Prince of Wales.

We didn’t head for the mighty castle, but the Bar Bach, the smallest bar in Wales for a shot of Penderyn Whiskey to warm us up.

Sure enough, snug in the bar the winds roared and the sky opened. Nothing for it but to have dinner at the Black Boy.