14-Oct-97	Route Diagram
		Day 1
		Prestatyn - Marian Mill - Rhuallt (½ day)
		Route section	7.5 miles

Tuesday morning's heavy frost promised a good day's weather; we left home at 07:45 having decided to travel by car to North Wales via Monmouth, Ross, Hereford, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury and Llangollen and so the weather proved for the journey northwards. As we completed the second part of the route however, conditions changed and it was looking decidedly as if rain was imminent as we arrived in Prestatyn at 12:15.

We'd taken a packed lunch which we ate in the car as conditions on the sea front were windy not to mention the flocks of seagulls which descended on each new arriving car!

	Rain fell before lunch was finished. It took an effort to ease out of the car and start getting ready. When set, we made our way down to the water's edge and collected two "Prestatyn pebbles" (quite small ones).
Returning to the sea-front we went towards the Offa's Dyke Centre (GR SJ 061838) which is housed in a specially built circular building and has a fine panorama of the Path with explanations, etc but the building wasn't open despite the booklet stating that it "is open from 10 am - 4 pm daily".
	We had decided to carry all we needed for the walk and not have luggage forwarded. In this way there was no set itinerary on setting out except for the first night's stop at Rhuallt. On return the rucsac weighed 31 lbs (14 kg) and we'd posted back maps we'd finished with together with two heavy
garments which weighed a further 3½ lbs (1.6 kg). We had "back-packed" once before in 1996 and this time we had made a real effort to keep the weight down. Nevertheless the rucsac’s bulk was felt for the first couple of days especially when negotiating stiles.
	Then with a two-handed wave to recognise the walk was about to get under way, we stepped out from the shelter of the Centre's overhanging roof at 12:59 and set off. We'd started! Crossing the railway by the footbridge at the station, we were entering the busy lunch-hour High Street and with light rain

falling, we felt somewhat overdressed compared to the school children out in the town during their break; no coats - girls in miniskirts and blouses and boys in their shirt sleeves. We soon left the bustle of the town's streets behind and, heading up the slope of the hill, we

	noticed the first of the many white acorns we were to see over the next eleven days. These at the north end of the walk were on a green background. After a good climb up over the quarry, at 13:42 we were standing
above it looking back over the town - it was raining hard. The thought struck us that it must be good if coming the other way and finishing the walk to end with views out to sea over the town. Today though these views were not good and it certainly wasn't possible to see as far as Liverpool and Anglesea as the notes suggested on a clear day! Below us, was the secondary school playing field, coming towards the end of its lunch-hour, perhaps? This escarpment above Prestatyn is known as "Fish Mountain" locally because of fossilised fish found in the carboniferous limestone.

	The path dropped quite steeply from the quarry and soon turned southwards away from the sea views. We had some difficulty in negotiating two wooden kissing gates - the rucsac getting in the way and it was necessary to climb precariously above them to get through!
	Rising to higher ground we looked back to visualise just how far we had come and shortly after this we entered a maize field with a superb 2 metre wide path but at its end this narrowed to less than 18 inches and we got even wetter!

Stiles were numerous on this first day and many of these were of this tall, narrow design with round metal rungs which were quite difficult to climb. Rounding Marian Mill House we came across two ducks on a puddle which seemed very appropriate for the afternoon.

Follow enclosed green bridleway through two gates and go left over stile. Climbing it we surprised three sheltering sheep but not one of them moved for us - not usual sheep behaviour and very indicative of the weather conditions. Sheep weren't the only creatures we were to surprise this afternoon. Along a wooded country road section we came alongside two cars parked in a small off-road area with the two occupants in one of them in a close "clinch". We couldn't help thinking that the one visible plate's registration letters (NOG) needed a certain prefix for it to match its occupants' activity!

	Towards 16:00 we neared Rhuallt and could see the A55 which had "got in the way" for long distance walker Phil Andrews when he'd neared the village on his journey when coming from the other direction. We were in the village by 16:32 and dropped downhill towards the White House Hotel arriving at 16:35.
This lodging had not been our first choice but suggested by the B & B in the "Where to Stay" guide when we phoned and learned that it was having a night off and unavailable. The hotel was very comfortable but we realised we couldn't afford a total bill like this every evening!

The entrance to the hotel wasn't obvious - all notices seemed to refer to the restaurant - but as one had to go through it, perhaps they were appropriate after all. We felt very out of place on the front steps dripping wet as we removed soggy boots! The hot shower was wonderful! The room was adequate with a large hot radiator and a picture rail. The wardrobe contained a plentiful supply of coat hangers and the room looked like a laundry with even the rucsac hanging from the rail. We were able to get everything dry for the following day.

B & B Details
	The White House Hotel, Rhuallt, Nr. St. Asaph, Clwyd    Tel: 01745 582155
	B & B 20.00 Meal : Thick Vegetable Soup, Broccoli & Pasta Bake, Salad, Potatoes & Chips Food excellent 8.45 Drink : 2 pts John Smiths 3.40 Packed Lunch 5.00 Flask coffee 1.60 TOTAL   £38.45

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© Scarpa - Page last updated 10.08.98