DAVID’S BIG WELSH CHALLENGE 2022

READ THE BLOG HERE!

SPONSOR ME HERE

In the summer of 1972, a 19 year old Andrew Hajducki set off from London by train to Shrewsbury to begin what would be a 5 week long adventure in North Wales and Shropshire. Having walked the first couple of miles with his aunt and cousin, he bid them farewell and went on alone, armed with a map and a backpack, and for the next 33 days stayed in youth hostels, walked over 250 miles and hitch-hiked the rest, recording his adventures in a hand written journal.

To mark the 50th anniversary of this walk, and in memory of Andrew’s life, his son David retread his footsteps half a century later. Using Andrew’s journal as the starting point, he doubled the route, walking where he hitch-hiked and adding three new stages in South Wales to make an epic 500-mile challenge, which has already raised over £5000 for Maggie’s Centres, who did a fantastic job in supporting Andrew during the last few years of his life in his increasingly difficult battle with cancer.

The journey was blogged here, so you can read the whole adventure. It will also form the basis of an upcoming book, published in the Spring of 2023.

We have typed up and published Andrew’s original journal which is now available to read for free in PDF form below, or to buy as a printed book (please fill out your details on the contact form below and we will get one sent to you). If you would like to sponsor David, please do so here - all the money goes directly to Maggies Centres.

THE BEFORE VIDEO

THE AFTER VIDEO

THE MAY/JUNE 2022 ROUTE

David’s 2022 challenge consisted of 6 walking stages, incorporating Andrew’s original three stages around Shropshire and North Wales (parts 1, 5 and 6 above) with three new stages in South Wales. The stages are as follows:

STAGE 1: SHROPSHIRE LOOP - Following in my dad’s footsteps I set off from our cousins’ in Shropshire (Shrewsbury in 1972, Church Stretton today) and began by climbing The Stiperstones before spending the next week walking in a loop through Bishops Castle, Clun, Ludlow, over Brown Clee Hill then back through Cardington.

STAGE 2: OFFA’S DYKE AND WYE VALLEY - Departing from my dad’s itinerary, I walked from Knighton, following Offa’s Dyke through Prestigne, Kington and Newchurch before basing myself in Hay on Wye for a few days with family.

STAGE 3: BRECON BEACONS - From Hay on Wye I walked South over the Black Mountains to Llanthony, before following the Brecon Beacons Way via Crickhowell, Bwlch, Llangynidr, Storey Arms and Craig Y Nos before finishing in Abercraf.

STAGE 4: PEMBROKESHIRE COAST - A bus to Swansea, train to Havefordwest then taxi to Marloes connected me to the next section, following the dramatic Pembrokeshire coast from Marloes to St David’s via Druidstone and Newgale. A bus to Aberystwyth via Fishguard completed this section and joined me back to my dad’s route.

STAGE 5: CAMBRIA - My dad ended his Welsh trip with a weekend in a caravan in Borth with family. I began my next leg there before following in his footsteps once again in a diagonal sweep across the country, through Machnylleth, Corris, Dinas Mawwdwy and Bala, then following the River Dee through Corwen and Llangollen all the way to Wrexham, followed by a brief interlude in Chester.

STAGE 6: SNOWDONIA, ANGLESEA AND LLEYN PENINSULA - My final and longest stage was a scattered journey throughout North West Wales, joining the dots between places my dad hitch-hiked. Starting with several stops between Chester and Holyhead, I walked to the South Stack Lighthouse at the tip of Anglesea before returning via the Menai Bridge to a fantastic stop at Portmeirion (a detour for my own enjoyment as a fan of The Prisoner!). From there I walked down the coast through Llanbedr and Barmouth, climbed Caedir Idris then circled back North walking from Ffestiniog through Beddgelert, then on to Llanberis and Snowdon Ranger, before a final triumphant ascent of Snowdon!