Dolbal two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Dolbal here.

A long and arduous route, definitely one for only the most adventurous walkers (and it's definitely foot-only). A bit of an endurance challenge, but still very enjoyable, and mostly follows the route of the Cross Britain Way and Mary Jones Walk, established long distance routes. And only if you don't mind sharing your space with sheep, cows, bullocks and even dogs!

No sooner have we left Dolgellau and we start walking on unpaved roads, heading uphill. The road is relatively quiet, however, but you still need your wits about you. Eventually we leave the road, and travel up private drives and tracks past a couple of farms, which becomes a short footpath through a wooded area.

Beyond that, following a short journey down a closed-to-traffic road, a downhill hairpin bend on an unpaved road; again, care is needed, but if travelling Dolgellau-Bala, you have the best view of approaching traffic. Past the entrance to the Torrent Walk, we head uphill along another unpaved road, but this is a very quiet one, and we soon leave and head down a greentrack between fields.

We come into the small village of Brithdir, which is paved for a short time, but once we pass the site of a Roman fortlet, it is once more unpaved, but I saw one car on this stretch. At the end of a lengthy stretch, on the site of the Roman road, we join a rough farmtrack, with some gradual uphill climbs.

Once over a bridge spanning the Afon Celynog, we follow a footpath along the river, and, once past an isolated cottage, it can get quite muddy; it was ankle-deep at time of survey. But once out of the field, more unpaved road for some miles, but no need to worry here: it is separated into a series of private roads, each with gates and/or cattle grids.

Eventually we leave the road using a greentrack through a field of cows, passing a ruined cottage a skirting a wood. We then take a dogleg over a bridge over the Afon Tycerig, and ascend the hill gradually. Passing Cae-côch, I was accosted by a pack of sheepdogs; mostly vocal, but two got close to almost nip, but farmer was most apologetic! Hopefully won't happen to other walkers! Beyond, we enter a thick green mossy wood.

Leaving the wood, a series of fields and tracks, eventually bringing us into Llanuwchllyn. Paved on the roads, but we're not on them long, as we head past the terminus of the Bala Lake Railway, which has a nice little café to rest up and refuel finally!

From there, over the tracks, and once more up through fields and down tracks, with a short unpaved section of road, but this section can be busy at times. Past Llangower, we head uphill through a moor, before crossing a road and heading through the field beyond. Keep to the worn path: the path on the ground doesn't strictly follow that on the route or OS, as that vanishes; instead it zigzags slightly and passes close to the cottage of Beudy Graienyn.

Eventually downhill through fields and ferns, and, once past the Lakeside Hotel and spa, down through a meadow; over a footbridge at the other terminus of the railway, and paved roads and tarmac paths into the heart of Bala.

Very much a slog, with lots of gates, the odd stile, and almost constantly uphill, with only the endpoints and the station the places worth stopping at. You could always take the railway if you wanted to cheat a bit!.

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