Day 12: Finale - Dieldre - Machynlleth
The final day. The hardest day. The wettest day,
Day 12 - Dieldre - Machynlleth: 40km / 1,251m elevation / 7 hours 30mins walking / 54,025 steps)
As I awoke, I found myself wrestling with conflicting emotions. It marked the culmination of the journey—the final day of the walk. After embarking on 12 days of trekking and spending 13 nights away from home, I was now nearly 25 miles away from the finish line in Machynlleth. Despite the lingering threat of a headache from the previous night's indulgences, a mixture of excitement and apprehension gripped me. I was eager to leave at the earliest opportunity, anticipating the challenges and rewards that awaited me on the path ahead.
My friends from work picked me up as they were joining me for the first 2 miles on my final day. I donned the waterproofs knowing that there were amber weather warnings for wind and rain forecast, and looked forward to the first few miles of dry weather.
We set off and meandered into an open field with an incredible view of the Llyn Clywedog Dam. One of my colleagues exclaimed. Growing up in the South Wales Valleys surrounded by hills, he wasn't a big fan of walking. He explained that he knew views like that existed in Cymru, but seeing it in person took his breath away.
We eventually reached a road after climbing in and out of woodland, and it was time to say goodbye. I wouldn't encounter anyone familiar until I arrived at Machynlleth for the last leg of my journey. As it happened, I wouldn't cross paths with anyone else throughout the entire day. It appeared that trekking amid a weather warning on a wintry Wednesday wasn't everyone's idea of a fun day out.
The rain had threatened throughout the morning, before the time finally came, and the heavens opened as I reached the slopes of Y Grug. From here, the weather was set to get worse each step. Climbing over a broad moorland gap, I couldn't see Glaslyn lake to my left through the mixture of the hailstone, wind, rain, and mist.
As the valleys came and went one after the other, climbing steeply every half a mile, I became cold and it seemed that all of my gear was no longer waterproof. Each step was hard. My goal was to reach the end point in Machynlleth by 16:00. Having only reached half way by 13:00, it became clear that I would be unlikely to finish until closer to sunset.
There's not much to say for the last few hours of walking. With my head down to shield my eyes the best I could from the rain, I missed a few turns which only added to the mileage and time.
I had visions of the last day being filled with sunshine, and being able to enjoy my last few hours in the Welsh mountains. Unfortunately, nature is unrelenting and had other plans. By the time I reached my last two miles, it was 16:30 and progress was slow through the mud, wind and rain. I received a call from my parents who had been waiting patiently to greet me at my finishing line (with a number of towels and dry clothes) and drive me home. They had set off to meet me for my last mile, but when I hadn't reached them, they continued to walk and stopped when they arrived to the top of a mountain overlooking Machynlleth.
Luckily for them, I was just around the corner, and so we proceeded slowly through the mud together down the mountain for my final push.
Reaching Machynlleth, a section of the final kilometre was fittingly on both the Glyndŵr's Way and the Wales Coast Path - back to where I started.
Crossing the finishing line I had mixed emotions. I'd walked solidly for 12 days. I'd crossed rivers, battled storms and my 20kg bag. I slept in snow, cold winds, and toilet blocks. I had the mountains, sea and thousands of stars for company. I'd trekked for 476,864 steps while raising over £1,205 for charity.
I'd set 3 known records; Fastest time to walk the Glyndŵr’s Way. Fastest time walking both the Ceredigion Coast Path and Glyndŵr’s Way during winter time. First to ever walk both the Ceredigion Coast Path and Glyndŵr’s Way in one continuous journey.
And now I was done. My walking boots could come off and my feet could rest. I was in a car park in the pouring down rain, trying to change quickly before grabbing a coffee so we could get in the car and go home.
I'll need a few weeks to process the Epic Hiking Fundraiser, but for now, all I can say is thank you. Thank you to each and every one of you for donating, supporting and following the journey.
Thank you to my parents, Paul and Wena for answering the phone each day and being there for me everyday and night. Thank you to my wonderful partner, Meg, for picking me up if I was tired when I wanted to give up.
Thank you to Teresa, Nigel, Nick, Gabrielle, Jo, Andrew, Tom and everyone else I met along the way for your kindness, hospitality and companionship.
For now, it's time for a trip to the podiatrist and some sleep.
INCREDIBLE!!!!!!
So, so proud of you x