Before the Clocks Change: Making the Most of October’s Golden Hours
October light is worth rearranging a day for.
Across North Wales, it falls lower over the Eryri mountains, warmer through the trees of Newborough Forest and coppery on the waters of the Menai Strait. By late afternoon, it is already slipping behind ridges and stretching shadows across the valleys.
Here are five of our favourite wild October pleasures worth squeezing in before the clocks go back on 25th October.
And when the light leaves us earlier in the day? That has its pleasures too.
1. Follow the Gold into Gwydir Forest
The larches of Gwydir Forest hold onto green long after many of the surrounding trees have changed. Then, almost at once, their needles turn gold.
Paths thread above Betws y Coed, dipping between tall trunks and opening onto views across the Conwy Valley. Underfoot, expect leaves, roots and a generous amount of October mud. Overhead, the late sun filters through the canopy in shifting patches.
Go late enough to catch the gold, but early enough that you need not race it home.
Stay at: Bryn Afon, poised above the Afon Llugwy in Betws y Coed. From here, forest paths begin close to the door, and the river carries on with its own wild evening flow beneath the terraces.
2. Watch Dusk Take Wing
As dusk reaches the Conwy Valley, starlings gather above the water meadows. A handful becomes a hundred; a hundred becomes a dark, shifting cloud. For several minutes, the sky folds and wheels before the whole performance drops out of sight.
There is no curtain time and no promise of precisely where they will appear. Find a broad view, arrive before dusk and wait. October will arrange the rest.
Stay at: Plas Madoc Coach House, set among woodland and sweeping lawns on the eastern side of the valley. After dusk has finished its performance, retreat to the wood burner, hot tub or outdoor kitchen and give October one last supper beneath the trees.
3. See Bodnant Wearing Every Colour
Bodnant Garden is where autumn loses all interest in restraint.
Across eighty acres, terraces give way to wooded slopes, riverside paths and the depths of the Dell. Crimson sits beside amber, copper meets green and fallen leaves become part of the display.
Arrive with enough daylight to forget the time. Follow whichever colour catches your eye and take the longer path whenever one appears.
Stay at: Bwthyn Ysgubor, where the day can end in the sauna. Step out into the cold October air afterwards; autumn feels particularly good when you can slip straight back into the heat.
4. Take the Last Sunlit Path to the Sea
Soon, an evening beside the sea will belong chiefly to sound: waves drawing over shingle, wind moving through the grass and an unseen seabird somewhere beyond the dark.
Before the clocks change, take one last sunlit path and see the whole thing properly.
On Anglesey, Barclodiad y Gawres has occupied its cliffside position for thousands of years. Visit the Neolithic chamber during opening hours, then return towards Porth Trecastell as the afternoon lowers itself into the Irish Sea.
Depending on the weather’s mood, the water may turn silver, pink or burnished copper.
Stay at: Trecastell, beneath the headland. It sleeps eight, with sea views and a wood fire waiting at the end of the path.
5. Come home cold
The best October days leave behind a little evidence: pink cheeks, damp hems, muddy boots and hair that has been thoroughly rearranged by the wind.
At Tideaway, that is all part of the plan. Trearddur Bay is five minutes away on foot, placing rock pools, coast paths and one last paddle within easy reach.
Return sandy and windswept, abandon your shoes by the door and let the hot tub undo the day. Afterwards, move inside to the wood burner while something slow cooks in the oven. Open the wine saved for later; later has arrived.
These are not consolation prizes for losing summer. They are excellent reasons to welcome what comes next.
Once the clocks change, walks will begin earlier and lunches will run longer. Outside, darkness will gather over the fields, mountains and sea; inside, windows will glow and boots will dry beside the door, ready to be muddied again tomorrow.
For now, spend the remaining light well.
Then come in from the cold. Cosy season is waiting.
