We see Red Kites in Wales

We notched up another fantastic wildlife sighting to add to our tally when

out walking near Cynghordy a couple of days ago. Red Kites! Four of them wheeling in the sky, practically overhead, so we were able to get as good a look at them as possible and they stayed around for three or four minutes which doesn't sound long, but in catching-a-glimpse-of-nature terms is forever. Normally by the time one of us has said 'do you see tha...' it's already gone! Of course, the beautiful birds were too far away - and wouldn't stay still long enough - for my camera phone to capture their image, so I shall subsitute my photo of a bleached sheep skull instead. We spotted a single Red Kite on our way back from shopping in Llandovery again this morning which reminded me that I had not yet blogged our walk. The birds have such a gorgeous chestnut brown colour that almost seemed to glow in the sun. It is wonderful that they are re-establishing themselves successfully in the UK. What would be even more wonderful would be if people would stop killing them.

As walks go, it wasn't one of our best by a long chalk. I had woken up in

an unusually gloomy mood anyway, critical footpath signs were missing - Eileen at Cwmcuttan campsite had already warned Dave that farmers around here aren't the best at preserving public access rights - and the ground around here is absolutely sodden. Even by Welsh standards, it's wet for August! However this did mean that we shared our tracks and footpaths with a number of little brown frogs and also got to see loads of these unusual mushrooms spread across a field. They look like blobs of bright yellow candle wax until they begin to open and then turn into sombreros.

We did manage a three hour loop, but with too much step retracing for

We didn't go up there 

my liking and I managed to get water in one of my boots while fording a stream. I am less impressed with these North Face boots now that I have been using them for a while. The inner fabric is already wearing through on the soles and they seem to have stretched to a looser fit. Once home, I actually got around to using the Nikwax waterproofing gunk I bought at Go Outdoors in Saltney. Let's see if my feet stay dry next time out. Having needed to take the laces out in order to use the Nikwax, I am going to try a different way of relacing them to see if that improves their sturdiness.

Don't forget your Camping and Caravanning Club card
for extra Go Outdoors discount on non-sale items!