So here we are back at Plas yn Rhiw to walk west this time – and the house and gardens are still closed.

We leave the car in the carpark and walk up the road a short while until we reach the turn off left into the woods. The path is relatively dry but the fallen trees, the stone wall and rocks are covered with a firm layer of moss – it feels ancient.

Through the trees we catch sight of the coast where we walked yesterday – Hell’s Mouth is over there in the distance.

After a while we reach a kissing gate that takes us out to the wild country – a large area of unspoilt heath owned by the National Trust.

And this is where we take a wrong turn and end up tramping alongside a stone wall on a very muddy path. I have been thinking about getting some new boots for a while and this is where I finalise the decision – a trickle of muddy water starts seeping in to my left boot. Oh well, what to do …….

The area we are walking through now is marked on the map as Mynydd Penarfynydd and it is here that the Welsh Coast Path signs bring us right down to the tip of a small headland, where the path seems to stop and the only way onwards is, well, back.

Battling the wind we retrace our footsteps only to discover that the path is directing us through a farmyard with two dogs that bark every time we make a move to go through the gate.

I consult the map again but it only confirms my fears. There is a car parked in the yard and I try shouting for attention to no avail. Eventually after trying to find other ways of getting to the other side, Damian decides to go for it and grabbing my walking pole he opens the gate, strides purposefully down the grassy slope and across the yard. I scuttle after him keeping my eyes averted and pretending all this is not happening, a bit like the rabbits in Watershed Down. The dogs are completely disinterested, not a peep…………………..I spend the next 5 minutes muttering about irresponsible farmers but we are now on a DRY track leading to a DRY tarmac road so all is well in the world.

After that little adventure the path is straightforward, twisting its way along the top of the cliffs, past small coves and headlands until we can see a long beach and Aberdaron in the distance.

Just before the beach the path goes inland crossing a minor road to Aberdaron where we decide to take the road because it is in fact closer to the coast. Just before we do we are directed through a field of young bullocks and Damian decides to say hello.

The road down into the village goes past the church and graveyard – it is close to sunset and I notice that all the headstones are in fact facing west – a nice idea.

After a quick pint in our hotel a taxi takes us back to pick up the car and half an hour later we are shown into a lovely hotel room with a view of the bay and hills beyond.

Distance: 9 miles