On June 9, Day 11 of their IAT UK-Ireland 2009 Tour, IAT Vice President Paul Wylezol and IATNL Treasurer Kevin Noseworthy travelled from Dublin, Ireland by ferry to Holyhead, Wales to begin 3 days meeting representatives of Anglesey’s GeoMon Geopark, Snowdonia National Park, Brecon Beacons National Park, Fforest Fawr GeoPark, and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Paul and Kevin received a friendly reception everywhere they went and learned a lot about the landscapes and history of Wales. Every stop included an opportunity to hike, including a trek to the summit of Snowdon, Britain’s highest peak south of Scotland. Though they cheated by taking a train 3/4’s of the way up the 3,560ft (1,085m) mountain, they did in fact hike the entire mountain on the scenic descend!
The visit to Wales also included a stop at Harlech Castle and the Penderyn Distillery, a difficult but necessary task while pondering a possible IAT Wales route.
Paul and Kevin would like to thank their hosts Adrian Humpage and Jerry Davis from the Cardiff office of the British Geological Survey. It was a thorough and enjoyable three days, and a nice finish to the IAT UK-Ireland Tour. Adrian and Jerry will now use the findings from the various meetings and discussions to make recommendations for an IAT Wales route.
They would also like to thank all of the participants (too many to name) in their 14-day IAT UK-Ireland Tour, particularly their hosts from the British and Irish Geological Surveys, also including Hugh and Graham in Scotland, Garth and Patrick in Northern Ireland, and Peadar in Ireland. It was a great 2 weeks, from the scenery, discussions, and camaraderie, to the better than expected weather – no rain! No doubt the IAT Maine delegation – including IAT President Richard Anderson – who travelled to Scotland shares the same sentiments.
Thanks also goes out to the sponsors for their trip, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development (INTRD), the Ireland Business Partnerships (IBP), and ACOA.
Finally, one thing became evident during the two-week tour: there appears to be a genuine interest and willingness for everyone to work together over the coming months towards the goal of establishing one great trail route spanning our variously named mountain regions that once formed a single mountain range more than 250 million years ago.
