Day 2: Flint to Fynnongroyw

We encountered our first dragon today! I wanted to slay it, alas all I had on hand was my walking stick. The dragon consisted of a large steel beacon, constructed by a local artist designed to rust to an impressive red dragon.

Bagillt Beacon

Flint Castle was the highlight of the day. Construction of the castle began in 1277 when an army of Edward 1, soldiers escorted thousands of wood-cutters and building workers gathered from many parts of England to Flint. The castle was attacked on several occasions with the Welsh princes besieging it before building had been completed. The castle changed hands several times. To prevent further military use, the castle was dismantled in 1646. By 1652 it was described as ‘almost buried in its own ruins.’

 

Ruins of Flint Castle 

Yesterday we thought it would be nice to have a cup of tea with our lunch so pulled out the little camp cooker and our water only to realise that we had nothing to light the cooker with. Having bought a lighter on our way today we thought we would try again. So, while overlooking the Dee Estuary we got all ready to fire up only to realise we didn’t have enough water. Realising that the next potential water stop was some way off, we thought it best to get moving. As time passed we realised that we might not make it to a shop or watering hole before everything closed, so Greg took off at a faster pace to try and get somewhere before 5 pm. I hobbled along more slowly with the blisters that were developing on my feet. Greg did eventually manage to fill our water bottles and as a bonus we actually found a pub that was open (alas not for food). It turns out that part of the pub dated back to the 12^th Century.

Old Tavern Inn at Llanerch-y-Mor

After finishing our drinks, it was a hard slog along a very busy road. We were both tired, hungry and ready to stop for the night however still had at least 4-5 km to walk. We finally made it camp at 8.30 pm and then had to set up our tent and cook dinner before it got dark. Needless to say, it was an early night.

Boats in the Dee Estuary