Our week that was: Apple Day

We’re into October – summer has had her last hurrah – no more unexpected yet very welcome hot, sunny days. Thoughts are turning to what to do on my birthday next month, what we’ll do for Christmas and whether I’ll leave filing our online tax returns to the last minute… again!

This weekend, I attended the 2^nd annual Apple Day organised by the Hafod Walled Garden Group. The garden is located within the National Trust-owned Hafod Estate, a place we often go, but never to this hidden area that’s down off the signposted walking routes.

I saw the event advertised on their Facebook group, and organised to attend with a friend from the village. We both wanted to learn how to make apple cider vinegar. We filled a couple of large trugs with apples (many of the gardens in the village are laden) and set off.

Before long we were part of the conveyor belt of people – chopping apples, putting them through an electric shredder before finally extracting the juice with the manual press. All very physical work, but very enjoyable!

When all the apples had been turned to pomace, we set off back home, each with a litre bottle of fresh apple juice under our arm.

One of the Hafod Walled Garden Group members has posted some lovely photos of the day on her Instagram account – you may even catch a glimpse of me in there somewhere!

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Our week that was: Family weekend, sand spray and fruit picking

We had a visit from Justin’s sister this weekend; it’s been in the diary for ages, and we’ve been really looking forward to having her come to see us again.

Rachel’s visit

Rachel lives in Greater Manchester – a 4-hour drive away. She’s the one we stay with when we have our dentist appointments up in Todmorden, so we’re taking our turn in acting as hosts! We’ve been keeping our fingers & toes crossed for good weather while she was here. The weather forecast wasn’t great, but we did manage to enjoy a few dry and sunny spells when we were out walking.

We took her to the nearby Hafod Estate as she’d not been there before. We cobbled a walk together that took us through steep woodland, fields with highland cattle grazing and above and along the winding river Ystwyth.

Another trip to the coast

Whenever she’s visited in the past, Rachel has enjoyed going for a walk along the beach. So, even though the forecast wasn’t great, we took a drive out to Ynyslas. As usual, we timed it so we would be there at low tide; the dog went completely bonkers, galloping along the long, wide sandy expanse.

Although it was really windy, there was a great, big, blue sky. It was so windy, in fact, that there was sand spray all the way along the beach; that’s how the famous sand dunes were formed!

Blackberry picking

The local hedgerows are currently heaving under the weight of blackberries. They’re like little glistening jewels crying out to be plucked and made into jam, jelly or apple & blackberry pie or crumble. I’ve already picked around 2 kilos and have put them into the freezer while I decide how I’m going to use them.

An afternoon walk around the Hafod Estate

We’ve visited Wales three times in the last 6 months. In fact, we can narrow it down further – we’ve been to Ceredigion three times in the last 6 months. One of the aspects that we particularly love is the countryside. On our last visit, we spent a day walking on the Hafod Estate (pronounced ‘Havod’). The area has a fascinating history and stunning scenery. It’s fully open to the public to wander around and enjoy.

We parked up near picturesque Eglwys Newydd (Hafod Church).

There are a number of trails to choose from of varying distances and difficulties. You can also mix different trails to get the perfect walk for you. We combined the full red trail with half the blue, which took about 3 hours or so.

You can click on the map below to go to a large, downloadable PDF version – you don’t want to get lost!

The trails are well signposted, but still feel natural and wild. There are woods, pastures, rivers and streams criss-crossed by numerous bridges. Rocky outcrops and waterfalls are dotted throughout the landscape.

There are certainly lots of perfect spots to stop for a cup of tea or sandwich.

…unfortunately, we forgot to bring one!

The red trail, or Gentleman’s Walk (‘Rhodfa’r Bonheddwr’, in Welsh), culminates at Cavern Cascade.

Mere still photos don’t do the falls justice. You can hear the force of the water in our film clip below.

The Gentleman’s Walk rejoined the Lady’s near the quaint Pwll Pendre (Hawthorn Cottage).

If we’ve got you excited about visiting the Estate, this cottage is available as a holiday let. It’s a beautiful cottage in a spectacular location, overlooking a pretty little pond. Now, that really would be a perfect place for that cup of tea and sandwich!

We really enjoyed our day at the Hafod Estate – and can thoroughly recommend it if you’re ever in the area. We’ll certainly be visiting again!

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: Hafod Estate