Shopping online is all fine and dandy but when it comes to buying walking boots in the January sales it’s a chance to do something more life affirming.
I was lucky to get a gift voucher for Christmas and wanted to take advantage of the excellent foot measuring and fitting service offered by the Cotswold Outdoor team in Betws-y-Coed.
Heading an hour further North from Graig Wen gave us the opportunity to explore part of Snowdonia we don’t get to visit so often. I found this circular walk from Capel Curig around Crimpiau on the Snowdonia National Park Authority web site. This was their Warden’s Walk of the Month – a good source of walk suggestions by people who know every inch of Snowdonia National Park. There are magnificent views of the Mymbyr valley and the Snowdon horseshoe beyond, the Ogwen valley and Llyn Crafnant lake.
We had a fantastic few hours walking, with the added bonus of bumping into a family at the summit with a very knowledgeable Mum who named pretty much every mountain in the awesome panorama before us. Who needs an app!
Popping into the Moel Siabod cafe for a hot chocolate en route to Betws-y-Coed was irresistible. The cafe is an institution with Snowdonia’s walkers and climbers and serves hearty food and very welcome hot drinks on a chilly January afternoon.
In the many outdoors shops of Betws-y-Coed we found a few bargains but definitely the best thing about our trip to the sales was the freedom and fresh air of the mountains which costs nothing.
You can can download a detailed guide to the Circular Walk Around Crimpiau here.