The Dog's Outdoor Blog

Down Down, deeper and down.

2012-02-05T11:48:00.001Z

200 feet down to be precise. Beneath the anicent woodland of the Forest of Dean, at Clearwell Caves. Not being a lover of confined spaces, I was apprehensive about joining a couple of my batrunning friends and their spouses on a 3 hour caving adventure on a cold saturday morning. But seeing as Jasper was bringing his 12 year old lad along, I reckoned that I should 'Man up' and tag along.

It costs £20 for a 'deep caving session' which lasts approximately 3 hours and is led by an experienced guide. The weather was absolutely brassic - minus 7 or so early morning, but the beauty of caving is that it's the same constant 10 degrees underground all year round.

They provide Guantanamo bay type caving overalls and helmets with headtorches, plus wellies are available if required. As this cave system is pretty dry until you get 600feet down (!!) most of us just wore walking boots.

Our guide was Mike, a really laid back and thoroughly nice guy, who really knew his subject.

The entrance is through a small hole beneath an old tree. One of those 'you'd never know it was there unless you knew it was there' type of cave entrances. This small gated entrance is no clue to the many miles of tunnels and caverns lurking below.

In the first small cave where the above ground temperature was able to penetrate, strange ice formations had risen from the rock surface, where water was dripping from above.

And there were big Cave Spiders!

As we descended a bit more, the temperature increased until it was no longer cold and a few layers had to come off. There was plenty of stooping and clambering and scrambling and kneeling and shuffling to be done. It's not just a stroll around some caverns, it's proper full on caving.

Clearwell is apparently the country's only working Ochre mine. Ochre is used mainly as a pigment for painters. Being the bunch of jovial pranksters that we are (rolls eyes) we decided to apply some of the ochre as Joe Montana eye make up.

Very fetching, eh?? The overalls do come in very handy, because the red dust from the rocks gets on everything. One of the highlights of the visit was the bats - Lesser Horseshoe Bats, smaller than mice, were hibernating in the caves and they literally just hang off the rocks enclosing their whole bodies with their wings. You're not permitted to even take photos of them, because they are so protected, and the heat from a flashlight may disturb them if up close. But I snuck a quick photo in from a distance - hope the Bat Police don't come knocking...

After descending to nearly 200feet, we had to go through a couple of crawls - the first called the Rabbit Hole, the second called The Mousehole. The Rabbithole wasn't too bad, although it looked a tight squeeze from the start point. Here's Screech going in...

And here's me emerging with a look of terror/relief/concern/whythef***didIcome on my face.

The Mousehole was worse, or better if you're an avid caver. It was about 8" high and maybe 4 feet wide. It was only around 3 metres long (I know, I know, mixing metric and imperial measurements) and then turned a corner for another metre before emerging into a cavern. I got a minor feeling of panic as soon asI crawled in, but I managed to quickly drag myself through and wait for the others with camera poised.

After that we got to a large cavern with an old railway track, that apparently runs for a quarter of a mile! This was at 200feet below the surface and as deep as we would be going. Years ago, children woul d be sent to work down here for 10 hour days by light of candle for a pittence. Think of that when you're sat there on your PS3. The route back was a bit easier than the descent, avoiding the Mousehole! Some clambering and stooping was still essential.

All in all, a really enjoyable and well priced mornings fun in the Forest of Dean. Highly recommended, providing you're not claustrophobic, or don't like spiders. Or bats. Or Ochre.

Facebook Page

2012-02-02T10:29:00.003Z

Unashamed advertising...

Mark Everson Pencil Art

Another Outdoorsy Caricature

2012-02-01T13:49:00.000Z

Just wanted to share this caricature I drew of a friend - he enjoys coming walking with us but lets us do all the planning and just tags along at the back, whinging! Don't you, Chopski?!

Anyway, he liked it. Excuse the poor quality phone pic. Email me for commissions (perfect unique pressie....)

Peeeee Beeeeeee!

2012-01-29T21:45:00.003Z

One of my favourite races of the year today, the good old Lliswerry 8! 8 Miles of flat tarmac - always cold, always tough, always well organised. I did a personal best by over 2 minutes, - 52:58! Well chuffed with that, especially as I went off way too fast and was hanging on for dear life in the last mile. Well worth the £12 entry and things bode well for the years running ahead.

Bewildering artwork

2012-01-26T13:48:00.001Z

As well as a love for the outdoors I have a liking for pencil art - I've shared a few of my own pieces earlier on this blog.

So I just had to post a link to an artist I found whilst browsing deviant art. A chap called Dirk Dzimirsky from Germany. His charcoal and graphite portraits are incredible. Photorealism is not for everyone, but I love it, perhaps because I'm fairly good at it. But this is another league.

The work of Dirk Dzimirsky

I'm not sure if it's okay to link to my favourite piece of his work here, but hopefully it is as I'm only showcasing him. If not I will remove it if requested.

I cant quite fathom that this is done with charcoal! It's stunning.

Twmbarlwm Trek

2012-01-16T13:50:00.000Z

Twmbarlwm is a cracking little hill (my favourite in fact) that is right on my doorstep and offers easy access to some great walking and running. A friend of mine, Beggy, who works for Caerphilly council is organising a Twmbarlwm Trek on May 12th this year. Entry in advance is a paltry £4 and there are 3 routes of varying length to choose from. I hope to run the 23 miler as a training run with a few mates.

Grwyne Fawr..or is it Grywne Fawr?!

2012-01-14T16:51:00.000Z

I love it when you plan a walk and the weather just happens to play ball on the day. Today was one of those occasions. Cold, crisp, clear. Perfect for a 9 mile loop around the Grwyne Fawr Valley, deep in the Black Mountains.

Jasper, Chopper and I did the usual early start (Chopper was even ready on time when I pulled up at his place?!) and we were parked in the layby in the Grwyne Fawr Valley by 8am. Easily confused, Jasper was dressed for ballet lessons and I had my concerns that he might be a bit cold in the conditions, but he assured me he would be fine. I gave him my spare insulated jacket as soon as we got out of the car!

First stop, the old Grwyne Fawr Reservoir dam. Years ago I'd abseiled from this dam a few times with a friend. He actually went down naked, but that's a different story. There were never any signs telling you it was prohibited back then - there are now. That's abseiling down the dam in general that's banned, and not specifically abseiling down naked! No ropes today so no abseiling.

The water was like a millpond and the sky was clear.

It was only 9am and felt great being out in the fresh air rather than being slouched on a sofa or still in bed.

Next destination was the Grywne Fawr Bothy at the Northern end of the reservoir. I wanted to see if it was in better shape inside than it was a few years back when it looked like some w*nkers had trashed the place.

As we approached we saw smoke coming from the chimney.

When I knocked the door it opened to reveal 3 lads from somewhere over the bridge (judging by the accents) cooking 8 rashers of bacon on a small gas stove. Jealousy overcame us! All we had were malt loaves and macaroons, plus a few cereal bars. The Bothy did look pretty tidy inside which is nice to see. I opted not to ask if I could take a picture of them cooking brekky!

We headed up to the top of the valley to pick up the path up and over Waun Fach and Pen Y Gadair Fawr. At the head of the valley we were greeted by a fairly impressive inversion hanging over Talgarth and the surrounding countryside! Although I managed to take some fairly unimpressive shots of it.

The wind picked up as we headed up onto Waun Fach past the Dragons Back. What an impressive looking ridge this is from certain angles, with an equally impressive name. I must remember to walk it sometime this year from Pengenfford.

The main advantage of the subzero temps up on Waun Fach's 800m summit plateau, is the frozen ground. It means that the usually boggy chocolate cake underfoot, is like a nice crispy cereal bar, and your feet don't get wet! It was cold though, and the wind had picked up a lot. Macaroon and Malt Loaf time (main reason for bringing Chopper on these walks). The Summit Team shot was a disaster! :( I checked the test shot I did from atop my rucksack, but it must have sagged slightly when I pushed the auto-timer button for the team shot. My ugly mug was then chopped off just like poor old Louis 14th, or one of those other handlebar moustached French monarchs. Not a bad thing I suppose. I guess it pays to be short at times, eh Chops?

A trundle over to Pen Y Gadair Fawr next. Blah blah always looks higher than Waun Fach blah etc.

Then it was a mile or so downhill alongside the forestry back to the valley and the carpark. 9 miles in under 4 hours was satisfying, especially as Mr Japanese tourist (moi) slows us down by taking a photo, on average, every 8 metres.

Really enjoyable morning's walk, even if some of my friend's oudoor fashion sense leaves something to be desired.

Saturdays Plans

2012-01-12T13:19:00.002Z

Off to the Black Mountains this Saturday for a 9 mile loop from the Grwyne Fawr Valley up onto Waun Fach and Pen Y Gadair Fawr. Gaiters at the ready! I love this quiet part of the Eastern Beacons as I did quite a lot of walking there when I was in my late teens and early twenties with, the now defunct, Newport Mountaineering Club (good memories). The forecast is quite good, with possible lingering valley fog which may mean we get an inversion to drool over. The Grwyne Fawr Reservoir dam is pretty impressive - I recall Princes William and Harry abseiling from it many years ago with their bodyguards and making the front page of some tabloid. I also recall a good friend of mine abseiling naked from it around the same period. Why? Because he could I guess! I want to pop into the Bothy as well to see if it's in a better state than my last visit a couple of years back.

Reports and pics to follow.

Tired Tyres

2012-01-08T19:45:00.001Z

This afternoon was meant to be spent at Kenfig Dunes nature reserve on the Glamorgan coast with my sis and bro-in-law and their dogs. But a puncture on the M4 enroute put paid to that. The AA came and changed it (yes I can change a puncture but I wouldn't risk it on the side of a motorway, especially when it's just my little 4 year old lad and I) and then pointed out the state of the punctured and opposite front tyres. The inside edges were worn right through to the metal. I had no idea and was shocked at how dangerous they were. I even avoided a fine when the Traffic Officers stopped behind us on the hard shoulder. They were very helpful indeed and didn't even bother looking at the punctured tyre. If they had, I could have been fined up to £1000 apparently. Mores the point, it could have caused a nasty accident.

A quick trip to KwikFit and a back up plan of Roath Park solved the issue. I won't forget to check my tyres more regularly in future and I'll make sure I get them changed as soon as needed. So, Kenfig Dunes will have to wait until another day...

Salomon Speedcross 2 GTX

2012-01-07T12:21:00.004Z

I broke 31 miles for the week this morning with a great leisurely run over the Scenic Drive from Henllys with Jasper. As I parked up at the Dorallt Pub at 7am, I had a real 'I wanna be back in frigging bed' feeling. But we of course cracked on and got up onto the ridge by 7:30 with great views over the streetlit towns below. It was only just getting light as we passed across the summit of Twmbarlwm. Next time I hope to take a compact camera.

Both of us had Salomon Speedcross 2 Gtx trail shoes on. Mine in a stupid light green colour (only colour on offer when I plucked them from an online bargain site) and Jasper in his usual gothic-themed black model. For the conditions we had this morning, I found this shoe pretty ideal. It has enough grip on wet grass and mud to avoid any serious slippage - The 'Man Down' cry was only uttered once by Jasper on the whole run! They also kept my feet dry for a full 2 hours in very wet conditions. The only time they seem less than ideal is when we hit a section of tarmac for a while. They just feel a little too cushioned on hard surfaces. That's such a minor criticism though, and on the whole I love them. Jasper has not got on with his pair as much, but seemed to cope fine today. To show how leisurely the run actually was, we did 8.4 miles in 2 hours and 29 seconds! I hope to at least halve that pace in the Lliswerry 8 in 3 weeks. But what a great way to start a Saturday.

Mileage Log Success

2012-01-03T22:08:00.000Z

I managed to suss out the automatic mileage log thing myself using the website runningAHEAD. 17 miles and counting....

Ultra Plans

2012-01-03T19:40:00.000Z

With my fellow Batrunners, we plan to train for and enter the Brecon Beacons Ultra in November. This is a 45 mile race across some beautiful, but gruelling scenery, in South Wales' rugged National Park. With this lunacy in mind, I am going to keep a log of my training mileage here on the blog. This will hopefully give me inspiration, incentive and a sense of achievement, as well as giving the blog more use. I've added it manually for now to the top right, but I'm hoping to be able to use a gadget that automatically updates from a third party site! Midlife Crisis anyone....?

Wish me luck!

Achievements?

2011-12-31T16:18:00.002Z

This time 12 months ago, I did a post on this very Blog, with a list I wanted to achieve through 2011. Here it is again for reference.

"Spend loads of quality time with my family, especially my little 3 year old lad!!
Climb Kilimanjaro (I'm 40 in October and the plan is to do so around that time).
Submit a script to the BBC writers room. From my blog, you wouldn't guess that I dabble with comedy - I know, it's not funny at all is it? For 9 years or so I've written a successful adults pantomime at my local rugby club - so successful that we've raised over £35000 for worthy causes and given nights of hilarity to more than 3000 people. So, encouraged by comments from many, I plan to write a sitcom script using an idea I've had in my head for a number of years. If it comes to nothing, I won't be too bothered, as long as I've given it my best shot.
More artwork. Those pencils of mine are going to be put to use. Maybe some outdoor themed pieces. Watch this space.
Tidy up my allotment and grow some bloody veg - rather than using it as an overflow dumping ground for my garden junk.
Get a 2nd hand mountain bike a ride a few trails.
Keep up my jogging regime.
Visit Scotland. I've a mate who I haven't seen for many years and I've always promised him I will visit him up in Bonnie Findochty. He also likes running so entry into a local 10k or something, followed by a wee (read enormous) swallie! Then there;s the highlands. I want to see the highlands.
See a cloud/temperature inversion!
Blog more.

I did fairly well. Only two of the above are still outstanding. I climbed Kili (I can call it that now without fear of being struck down or spontaneously combusting), Drew a few decent sketches, grew some spuds and onions, got a bike, rode a trail or two, jogged a lot, saw an inversion (well, I saw the clouds from above on Uhuru Peak) and I Blogged quite a bit. Pretty pleased with that. It was always going to be difficult to get to Scotland in such a busy, and expensive year. And the script?! Just not had time. Still on my to-do list for the moment.

I will do the same for 2012 shortly. An Ultra is definitely on the cards, and who knows what else. More to follow. For now, I'll leave you with a 40th birthday caricature I did of a good outdoors friend of mine. Mr Mark Tony BatGoss Nicholls!

A Happy New Year to All. Have a prosperous and healthy and fresh air fuelled 2012.

Groundhog..., I mean, Boxing Day!

2011-12-28T11:15:00.000Z

Each boxing day we do the same walk - Pen Y Fan from the Storey Arms. Why? Dunno. Nicholls calls it tradition, though he's only been doing it for 5 years!! Still, it's a great cobweb remover, and no two days are ever the same with the changeable British weather.

This year it was wet. Persistent light drizzle coupled with gale force winds meant moisture found its way into every nook and cranny. Still, the temperature was mild, so it was bearable. Enjoyable even.

Rather than just walk to the top and back down, we took an interesting detour down to the saddle between Cribyn and Pen Y Fan and then we skirted across the face of Pen Y Fan and ascended back up in the large gully to the far right. This was pretty much full on scrambling, although a lot of it is quite loose. With the cloud and the mist it felt pretty hardcore!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T20:27:00.002Z

I've had a brilliant Christmas day with with my family and I want to wish Merry Xmas to anyone who reads this. My little 4 year old was spoilt rotten again but, as is customary, spent more time playing with the box the toy came in, than the toy itself.

15 rounds with Kilimanjaro

2011-12-10T20:58:00.001Z

Warning - Mountain Climbing can Severely damage your face!

Kili - Day 6

2011-12-04T13:59:00.001Z

The day after sumitting could be described as an anti-climax, but we were looking forward to another day in the rainforest zone, with the enormous amount of incredible plants. I wish Dave wasn't such a plant-geek, but everyone has their faults.

We were awake early (as usual) and felt pretty refreshed after what was probably the best nights sleep we'd had on the mountain. The sky was clear and we had our final views of the snow capped volcanic cone of Kibo.

The effects of yesterday were pretty clear to see on my very swollen, sunburned face. The one thing I had forgotten in preparation for the summit was my suncream.

Dave and I with Jeremy, our waiter for the trek. What a nice guy, very little English, but easy to get along with. He thought Dave was 'very strong, very, verrry strong'.

One of the tamest ravens we'd encountered came right up close whilst we ate breakfast outside the tent.

Before we commenced our final days walking, there was the small/big matter of the tip giving ceremony. Dave and I had had many discussions about tips on the trip, not all of them in a calm and friendly manner! We'd finally decided on what we thought was a fair amount for everyone. Without warning, the porters and guides had gathered near the tents and then the fun began...

Hopefully this video gives a good account of the singing. The 'Lead' singer was a porter called Felix, who reminded me very much of the little guy in Cool Runnings! Quite a character.

The Porters Song

Tips were then handed out to each member of the crew individually and most of them seemed pleased. We were told by the guides the following day that all the crew were very pleased with our tips, which was a nice feeling because they deserve every shilling they earn.

After that, the guides and I headed south through the remaining heather and moorland towards Mweka Hut, and then onwards to Mweka gate.

Mweka Hut Campsite appeared in no time at all. It was the best hut we'd seen. We signed in for the final time and took a photo each before cracking on.

Dave is actually half Hobbit and was the first mixed species climber to make it to the summit. We tried explaining this to the Ranger in an attempt to get it officially noted for the records,but we just received a vague look in response.

Note my severly swollen face!

The forest track down to Mweka Gate was so similar to the one leading up from Machame gate - no surprise there. The flora was similar as well but we did see some great stuff like this enormous Camphor tree

Large Cyathea manniana (treeferns to you and I)

Just before we got to the Mweka gate one of the guides pointed out monkeys in the trees above. Despite the guidebook mentioning this possibility, the guides insisted that we were lucky to see them. There was a blue monkey that was barely visible some way off, and a couple of Colobus Monkeys. The Colobus were closer yet very high up. They are arboreal and spend their whole lives in the treetops.

Click here for video footage.

Arriving at Mweka Gate, we were ensconced by two hungry hordes. The first being a crowd of German Tourists, not trekkers, who were filming us as if we were Stanley Livingstone and Ranulph Fiennes. The guy with the video camera eagerly showed Dave the footage of us walking down the track, and proclaimed us to be 'great adventurers'. Obviously mixed us up with someone else? The other horde were the locals who try to sel you anything and everything with a Kilimanjaro theme. Knives, spears, masks, books, maps. You name it. We signed the final register and made our way to the minibus where the porters had stowed the gear. One 'hawker' insisted on trying to part with a Kilimanjaro book that had caught my eye and my weakness had been revealed. In the end, just before the minibus door shut, as a final gambit, he offered to swap it for my watch, an £8.99 casio jobby for running. I immediately agreed and handed him the watch for the book. A great deal I thought, it just meant that Dave and I had no way of knowing the time for the next two days! Top tip - take as many watches as you can fit on your arm when travelling to Africa. Great bargaining tools.

Kili day 5 - Summit Day

2011-12-02T21:32:00.001Z

After what seemed like months and months of waiting for this day, it was here. Prior to the trip, and even during the early days of the trip, I had some doubts about getting to the top. I'm fit, determined and stubborn :), yet there was still that very tiny nagging doubt that said, 'What if?'. What if the altitude sickness gets me?

Well, waking up at 3am on 17th November, after a really poor nights sleep due to the incredibly strong wind and usual uncomfortable ground beneath the sleeping mat, I was absolutely sure I would get to the top. Each day the guides had told Dave and I that we were among the strongest walkers they'd had. Our pace was always good without going too quick. We took very few breaks (apart from to drool over plants) and we showed very few effects of altitude.

So, at 4am, off we trudged in the cold night air, buffeted by a really strong Easterly wind and we commenced the long haul up the switchbacks to Stella Point. Daniel had informed us that the walk to the summit is usually 6-8 hours dependent on the fitness and strength of the group. At the time I remember that sounding like an incredibly long time to get to the top of a peak that we could almost see in front of us. It just didn't look that far away!

As we trudged upwards, the sky behind us began to brighten over the first two hours, until at around 6am, the sun rose.

And we could see a very long way.

The going had been tough up until this point but both Dave and I walked with our heads down, silently following the feet in front, taking very few breaks. The tubes on our camelbaks had frozen so we had to stop now and again to sip water from a bottle. Ingeniously, I had covered my Sigg bottle with a spare thermal sock which made an ideal insulating layer and prevented it from freezing. It also made the water taste like my feet after 4 days of walking up an African mountain. Cheesey water anyone?

The frozen hydration tube showed just how cold it was. That had never happened to me before. Yet, strangely, I didn't feel cold at all. I actually stopped to remove my primaloft jacket from below my down jacket very early on. That left me wearing two baselayers, a thin fleece and my down jacket. This was absolutely plenty. Dave was the same, and he never once wore a pair of gloves, just relying on the pockets of his down jacket.

The sun rose further and the morning was beautiful. Every time we glanced up the steep slope in front of us, it seemed like the crater rim was still miles away. But slowly, we made progress until eventually, we could see a small rock marking Stella Point. We were nearly on the crater rim.

Up until this point I felt fine - my headache was gone - but I felt tired. The walk was tough. Really tough. It's hard to describe properly, but my legs felt okay, and my breathing was fine too, I was just drained of energy. Although there was no way in the world I was not getting to the top because of exhaustion, I felt like sitting down for a rest every ten steps or so. But we didn't, and we all made it to Stella Point after around 3 hours 55 minutes!

It's as strange name for this spot on the crater rim as there wasn't a single bottle of Belgian lager to be found. I could have murdered a pint or two. We stopped for some pictures and a 10 minute rest.

Then, the guides pointed out where Uhuru peak was. It looked so close, yet apparently took 45 minutes to get to. Dave and I were having none of that. Despite being exhausted, I had a real second wind, and the gradient was much easier from here to the summit. Plus, we had the amazing G=glaciers of the Southern Icefield to wonder at as we walked past. 30 metres of sheer ice cliff!

We walked along and became strung out. Daniel, followed by myself, and then Dave, Thomas and Aloyce. As we got closer, I slowed up as I wanted to get to the top with Dave, because we'd shared a lot over the past 5 days. Mainly leek soup and popcorn!

At 8:42am we arrived at Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro and Africa's highest point. I felt quite emotional and I shed a few tears beneath my macho wraparound shades. But then the elation set in. What a feeling. The wind was gusting, it was cold, but we had made it to the top, just like I knew we would.

Plenty of photos were taken by Daniel. I had a whole bag of things I wanted photographed at the summit...

My Pill Harriers Tour Flag (4 sheets of scribbled on A4 paper sellotaped together)...

My Welsh Flag!

A Specials Scarf - I'd seen them in Cardiff a month before and a close mate bought me a scarf and said he wanted it taken to the top of Kili. (The teeshirt I'm wearing is for the charity I walked for)

My Ieuan The Lion Fund teeshirt. Despite doing this trek for myself, for my 40th birthday, I also raised £1100+ sponsorship for a brilliant children's charity called Ieuan The Lion's Fund - http://www.ieuanthelion.com/ - in memory of my friend's little lad who tragically passed away at the age of 13. He loved Disney and The Lion King and I thought it was so appropriate for him to be here with me, on top of Africa, looking down over the plains below! One very special reason why I couldn't fail to get to the top.

Dave left the top first as he was feeling a bit odd and probably starting to get affected by the altitude. He literally jogged off towards stella Point with Aloyce and Thomas in pursuit. I followed minutes later with Daniel. The walk back down to Stella Point seemed easy now, despite weary limbs.

But the walk down from Stella Point to Barafu was hell. Really difficult terrain, legs that kept slipping from under us, and aching knees. The cheap poles I'd brought with me finally came into their own. This was the only time I used them on the whole trip. The views, as ever, were worth the grief.

After what seemed like an age, but was probably only a couple of hours since the summit, we arrived back at Barafu to rest for an hour, before continuing to Millenium camp.

After a short rest in the tent, we were up and about and watching a Lammergeyer soaring around the valley below, avoiding divebomb attacks by the ravens.

Then, we stumbled the few miles downhill to Millenium camp where beer was on sale! Neither Dave nor I, could face one! How Ironic. Best we could manage was a can of Coke each for 3000 TShillings (about £1.20). Washing water was brought, dinner was served, and despite a large group of noisy French Canadians in the next clearing over, we both slept soundly that night after the incredible exertions of that memorable day.

Kili - Day 4

2011-11-27T17:57:00.001Z

Day 4 was planned to be a short walk from Barranco Valley to Karanga Valley campsites. But the plan was changed for a few reasons. Dave and I were very strong on the walks but we were very weak when it came to getting as good night's sleep in the tent on an uncomfortable gritty surface! With this in mind, Daniel our head guide, decided we should cut the walk down to 6 days and head straight to Barafu camp from Barranco (a 6ish hour walk). Then we would attempt the summit a day early commencing at 3am. IF we had to turn back for any reason, we would then theoretically have a 2nd attempt at midnight the following night. Dave and I thought this over for about a minute, then agreed that it sounded like a much better plan involving a lot less lounging around at uncomfortable campsites.

We set off at the usual time of 8am and hit the Barranco Wall. I'd heard of torrid tales of tailbacks and gridlock and bottlenecks, but we had none of that. Just one small holdup whilst a very nice American Lady got herself past a tricky section! The views back into the valley were tremendous as we climbed upwards.

It must be said that the Barranco, or Breakfast Wall, is not particularly exposed or tricky in any way. It is very easy scrambling indeed. Looking up at it before we started, I had expected something akin to Tryfan's North Ridge in terms of difficulty - but there's no comparism. It was fun but very straightforward. If you are reading this and considering a Kili trek but are put off the Machame route because of this wall, think again.

We got to the top after around an hour and ten minutes. Then we had a drag through rocky valleys and ridges to the Karanga Valley. It started to rain in earnest for the first time on the trek (apart from the overnight deluges) so we donned our full waterproof gear and photo taking was down to a minimum.

We arrived at the Karanga Valley campsite, somewhat oddly named because you climb out of the Karanga Valley to get to it, for lunch. Both of us were glad that the original plan to sleep here had been shelved. Firstly, it was on a real slope! Secondly, it was dull and uninteresting and bleak. We sheltered in the Rangers Hut whilst lunch was prepared and until the rain ceased.

When it did, the sun shone once more and the day brightened up. After lunch we headed directly up a gradual wide ridge among more lunar like rockscapes. Despite taking a slash in the long drop 4 times in the hour we stopped for lunch (yes, that''s 4 times! - either I was drinking more than the recommended 4 litres per day, or my body was acclimatising faster to the altitude than hoped, or my bladder is the size of a quails egg, or all of the above) I didn't feel the need for a bowel movement. Enter Sod and his law. Just 20 minutes after leaving the camp my bowels decided they did need moving! (Too much infio and all that, I know, I'll get to the point). The guide said to just find a convenient spot between some larger rocks off the trail. I did this and found every nook and cranny plastered with toilet paper and mess. Either this was a popular 'unloading' spot, or the whole mountain is covered in a trail of lavatorial debris like this. I can't imagine how much worse it might be in busy season!?

Anyway, we veered East and headed across a wide valley towards Karanga camp. On the ground, I suddenly noticed a familiar sight...

SLATE!
Mounds of lovely slate, making this Welshman feel very at home, despite the fact that I live 200 miles away from where all the slate is found in Wales.

It didn't seem that long before we reached a (very windy) Barafu Hut Campsite.

Our tent was busily erected whilst we wandered around taking photos of Mawenzi, Kibo and the campsite in general. The huts are pretty ramshackle and there are apprently plans to erect new, state of the art (Tanzanian state of the art that is!) Huts at all the campsites on the mountain.

Mawenzi is one handsome peak.

The long drop toilets at Barafu are pretty good, and the drops are LONG!

Tomorrow's target looms overhead.

We still felt great so two of the guides took us for a short Acclimatisation walk up towards Kosovo campsite. After that it was just a matter of bedding down in the tent for some rest prior to our summit push that would commence at 4am the next day. Daniel, our fantastic lead guide, came to the tent for our usual prep talk at dinnertime.

Despite being advised to wear many layers for the nights rest, I ended up stripping right down to my keks, because I was so warm! The wind battered the tent endlessly throughout the night and neither of us got much in the way of sleep.

Day 5 - Summit Day - coming soon!!

Kili - Day 3

2011-11-25T18:57:00.001Z

Apart from the summit day, this was the highlight! Why?? Because of the flora and atmosphere of the amazing Barranco Valley. I am reliably informed by my bro-in-law, that Barranco means 'ravine' in spanish, so this is the Ravine Valley (which is apt). No other wild place I have stood in on earth, which admittedly isnt that many, has left such a memory.

We started off from Shira Cave camp at 8am. The first destination was Lava Tower at 4600m, then we would drop back down through the Baranco Valley to 3900m, just 100m higher than the starting altitude. This is an acclimatisation walk that will benefit trekkers on the Machame Route.

The intial walk was a gradual ascent over a rockscape that could pass for the surface of the moon.

As we ascended, we got teasing glimpses of Kibo amongst the clouds. The first real views we'd seen since leaving Moshi. There was a good dusting of snow between the Glaciers.

Soon we were walking across a light dusting of snow ourselves as we approached lava tower.

And then we got there. The highest point on the trek so far - 4600m ASL. Lava Tower is a large tower made of lava rock. There is a campsite there called Lava Tower campsite. Predictable this, aint it!

The next section of the walk was a real rugged path between two large buttresses of rock following a stream down. Quite a change from the gradual even slopes we'd encountered so far.

Then we started to descend into the Baranco Valley. Dave described it as Nirvana. PRetty good description in my book. Parts of it were only 'Foo Fighter' standard, but there were areas that were pure Lithium and Polly!

The main reason, if you're botanically inclined, are the Giant Groundsels and high alpine Lobelias. Dendrosenecio kilimanjari ssp cottonii and Lobelia Deckenii. Fantastic, alien looking plants that simply only grow in a few small nooks and crannies of this floral planet. They are something else to behold, even if you're not into plants, and add a certain mystique to the amazing scenery.

Some of the Dendrosenecios were incredibly large and incredibly old!

The Lobelias are pure symmetry - Mother Nature at her most...err, symmetrical!

I took literally hundreds more photos of these amazing plants....apologies for those of you yawning and yearning for more mountains, rocks, glaciers and vistas! Day 4 gets much less floral.

We finally reached the Baranco Valley camp beneath the towering Baranco Wall and spent an enjoyable hour or two exploring the surrounding groves of cabbage trees (an unflattering common name!). Long live the Baranco Valley! (and it probably will.....)

Day 4 (almost plant free) will be along soon!

Kili - Day two

2011-11-24T21:30:00.001Z

Day 2 was a short trek. Well, to be honest, none of the days except the summit day were what I would call long days. The guides told uis that we were strng walkers and made it from camp to camp in very good time. This wasn't because our walking pace was too fast - we walked at the same 'pole-pole' rate that most people walk at - we just didn't take many breaks at all.

From Machame Hut up to Shira Cave is a fairly steep, rocky trail, surrounded by heather growth smothered in moss. Pretty atmospheric and totally different to the previous days trek through the forest.

Some of the more interesting plants we had looked forward to seeing, like Lobelia deckenii and Dendrosenecio kilimanjari, started to appear on day two, but more about those later. I don't want to bore you to sleep yet.

When we reached Shira Cave camp it was totally different to Machame Hut. A large open expanse of dark ground, on a slight slope with amazing views to the west. Amazing views as soon as the cloud had cleared that was. Mount Meru was the star of the show.

We took a short acclimatisation walk with Aloyce, one of our 3 excellent guides. Shira Cave is not as impressive as we'd hoped. It was probably the only geographical feature on the mountain that disappointed.

In fact, on this occasion, some man made features outshone mother natures efforts. The whole mountain was dotted with small cairns and towers of stones, built by tourists in some spiritual or other effort to leave their small impression on this enormous volcanic landscape.

Day 3 coming soon!!

Kilimanjaro 2011 - Day one

2011-11-22T09:38:00.001Z

What an experience! I know some people pour scorn on Kilimanjaro these days because it's 'too popular', 'too easy' or too 'too expensive'. It's none of those things - it's an amazing mountain and one hell of a trek!

We arrived in Moshi on November 12th ready to commence a 7 day Machame route trek on the 13th. We had hired Daniel Ngowi of Tro-Peaks - a small company I had read about in a lonely planet review. It was a bit of a gamble booking a company that you didn't know a lot about but they turned out to be some of the most professional and hardworking people I have had pleasure to meet.

Day 1.

The Machame Gate was deserted. This was to be a sign of things to come and the decision to choose to trek in the rainy season when it was quieter, turned out to be inspired.

It took about 45 minutes to sort out the formalities and after posing with the crew, we set off at around 9am.

The rainforest is a great place to start the adventure. Not to cold, not too hot, fairly easy terrain, and a multitude of interesting plants to feast your eyes on...if you like that sort of thing!

Treeferns were abundant. They were all Cyathea manniana as far as we could tell.

Lobelia gibberoa was impressive!

As were the porters. Incredible stamina and strength!

I think we took around 4 hours to reach the first camp, Machame Hut, which is on the edge of the heath and moorland zone. A strange and moody place, quite unlike any other I have visited.

Day 2 to follow.

Life's Second Beginning...

2011-10-08T18:14:00.000+01:00

Or so they say. I turned the BIG 4-0 on Thursday and cannot wait til my celebratory Kilimanjaro Trek on November 11th. I'm pretty much ready and waiting now, kit has been mostly sorted, vaccinations done, funds ready, guide booked...it's all exciting stuff.
Hopefully we will make the summit - I've a few niggles since the 30 mile run, including groin pain that I thought was a hernia, but the Doctor thought otherwise. I also did myself some damage whilst out on p*ss for my 40th last saturday evening. Leaving a pub and jogging across to the taxi, I missed a taut chain between two bollards that caught me smack in the thighs and jarred my knees! A You've Been Framed Moment indeed. Because of that I've not run for 11 days in total and I'm starting to miss it big time.

However, I need to get some walks in, with plenty of thigh busting ascents. The plan is to do some evening walks in the dark over the next few weeks, stuff like The Sugarloaf and The Blorenge, which I did a couple of weeks back. Here's Abergavenny from the top of the North Face,...I mean, Slope!

MTC pics.

2011-09-24T18:38:00.000+01:00

As mentioned, here's a few poor quality photos to give you a flavour of the 30 mile run over the central beacons...

Forest Gumps...or Gimps!

Careful Jasp...

Screech...

Resisting Burger van Temptation...

Dog going the wrong way....

Approaching Corn Du...

Pen Y Fan team Shot

Nicholls and Upper Neuadd...

Craig Cwareli...

Lovely long gentle descent...

Trainer swap break...

Spread out at the 20 mile point...

This way Batgang...

Great view of Talybont Reservoir...

30 miles done and feeling it...

Eating Batgrub in Batmask in Batcafe...

30 Mile Mountain Trail Challenge.- Sat Sept 17th

2011-09-20T14:38:00.000+01:00

Oww me legs. 30 miles of running around the Central Beacons is a seriously tough day out....but immensely enjoyable at the same time.

It was an event organised by the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team and cost £25 to enter. Some 600 people took part, mostly walkers, but a few other pockets of runners. There were a few looks of disdain and the odd comment muttered under the breath by some of the 'rambling walkers' at the start, as we queued up in our trail running kit. But nevertheless, it didnt put us off and the 'batRunners' set off at 7:20 am.

Some 6 hours and 52 minutes later, we were plodding into the finish with very weary limbs. This was the furthest I'd ever ran - I estimate we ran some 85% of the total distance and walked the rest. It was practically impossible to run certain steep uphill sections and boggy moorlands.

The route was great - plenty of different terrain - rocky mountains, waterlogged moors, misty forests, serene canal towpaths.

A few grainy photos to follow in the next post.

Doing 'The Worm'

2011-08-13T18:44:00.014+01:00

I'd never really done a coastal walk before, not properly anyway. After 15 miles of Gower Peninsula walking last weekend, I was asking myself 'why?'! The Route was from Port Eynon to Rhosilli, a detour to 'do' Worms Head, and then over 'The Beacon' to our campsite near Llangennith.

The scenery was superb. A refreshing change from the upland walks, with beautiful coves and headlands.

6 of us set out from Port Eynon at 10am-ish. Keith and Ian were joining our happy little band of yompers for the first time and I think, in hindsight, we picked a great walk for their debut.

Straight away, things got a little bit scrambly. Excellent!

The wild southern coast of the Gower Peninsula - very reminiscent of parts of Cornwall or the Pembrokeshie coast...unspoilt, rugged, and very beeyyyoootiful.

The odd shower that was forecast did materialise, and it gave Shagger a great chance to try out his stealth camouflage gear he had recently acquired on the QT from a friend in the Special Forces. Can you spot him in this photo? Thought not.

Here he is look. Impressive stuff eh?

Parts of the coastal path along this stretch (as with most coastal paths I guess) is exposed in places, with a few nasty drops. And some of the overhangs look pretty unstable so care was needed, and taken.

But the vistas were textbook.

And there looked to be some mightily impressive crags and buttresses for rock climbing. This particular buttress smacked you metaphorically in the face just as you rounded a small headland. Very Tryfan-esque I thought.

Worms Head came into view after a few miles of walking. It was doubtful if we would have time to 'do the worm' as we wanted to watch the Wales-England game in the Worms Head Hotel at 2:30. Nobody thought to check in advance if they had Sky Sports this far out in the styx?! School boy error.

We stumbled upon one particularly inviting crag at a perect angle for a little scrambling practice.

One of the many inviting valleys leading to small coves along the path.

Just prior to arriving in Rhosilli we descended down to a small sandy cove called Fall Bay. Time for a dip! The water was cool and very refreshing after 5 miles of sweaty walking. In fact, as soon as your body had acclimatised, it was as good a beach for swimming as any in the world...in my opinion!

We spent 15 minutes in the water and even did a spot of synchronised swimming!

A quick 5 minute detour via a footpath across some fields and we arrived in Rhosilli to be greeted by the postcard view. Rhosilli was recentl;y voted Britain's best beach (I think it was a decent poll in the Guardian or similar?) and you can see why.

Upon Keith's recommendation we shoved 6 homemade burgers and chips down our necks, and then asked the barman if he could put Sky Sports on for the Welsh Game. "We haven't got Sky Sports sorry."

Bollocks! However, this meant we had time to get over to Worm's Head at low tide...every cloud and all that.

Klampitt (looking rather camp), Scuba and Shagger in the rockpools.

The far end of Worms Head with the Atlantic stretching into the distance...

A particularly impressive piece of driftwood...

And then, just as we were nearing the far end of Worms Head, we saw these...

Seals! And quite a few of them. They were happily splashing around just 15m below us and didn't seem too bothered by our presence. It made a brilliant walk something very special.

The guys crossing Devils' Bridge.

And a good angle of the far end of this geological promontory! (whatever one of them is?)

After doing The Worm, we headed up out of Rhosilli, towards 'The Beacon' which is the highest point on Gower. I think it's around 190m and there are great views in all directions...

The tallest man on the Gower (6'8" of clinically confirmed Giant, Keith) meets the highest point on Gower.

From there it was down towards the campsite across moorland and wheatfields, with the odd wrong turning, adding a few extra minutes to the walk. (must get OS map next time!!). Eventually, we had walked 15 miles and dragged our weary arses into the campsite at around 18:15.

Then it was a quick shower and of to The Kings Head in Llangennith for Gammon and Chips and several (many) pints of lager and the odd Jaegerbomb. As yomps go, not far from perfect!

Klampitt and me at The Kings Head.

Welsh 3 Peaks continued....

2011-08-13T13:36:00.001+01:00

After a bit of a struggle for a few members of the group, we eventually made the summit of Cadair Idris at around 11:30am. It was surprisingly quiet - just a local family of 3 who had come up from the Minforrdd side, and a swarm of relatively calm wasps. The group shot was ticked off and we took a break on the grass near the summit shelter, enjoying hazy views to Barmouth, The Rhinogs and The Arans.

At this point we decided to split the group into two. Some would retrace the pony path and the more adventurous/idiotic/ignorant among us, would descend the scree slope to Llyn Y Gadair for a dip. I was in the latter group, and somewhere between the the first two adjectives.

Myself and young Naiose literally flew down the scree, with me trying to catch him, but those young Irish limbs had the better of my older Welsh ones. Still, we got to the Llyn first and the other 7 arrived over the next 30 minutes. Cue Yompfest dip time! The water looked inviting but cold...And it was, but not so cold as too force you back out the moment you take the plunge. We all had a short swim and a splash before realising that time was cracking on and we needed to get back to the bus to meet the others.

The next leg on the minibus was excruciating! Harder than any part of the walk. Just keeping your eyes open was so difficult. I sat up front with Nicholls and our driver, and weekend leader, Brian Hayter, talking bollocks to ensure Brian didnt fall asleep at the wheel.

Eventually we reached the Storey Arms and set off on the final short leg to Pen Y Fan. Unlike the first two peaks, and because it was a sunny weekend evening in July, the 'motorway' leading up from the carpark, was very busy.

The walk leader and all round top guy, Brian Hayter.

I think it took between 1½ and 2 hours for the whole group to summit, but we did it! Surrounded by a swarm of small biting insects (midges?) - what is it with swarms of insects and Welsh 3 peak tops?? - we cracked open 3 bottles of Asti Spumante I had brought along for the occasion. Yeah, Asti Spumante! I know how to celebrate, me. A quick formula one style spraying and a group shot, and we were done. Finished in well under 15 hours!

The members of the group had done the challenge in aid of two different charities. The Cardiac Rehabilitation Trust and Ieuan The Lions fund. I was proud to help raise somewhere between £800 and £1000 for Ieuans fund (http://www.ieuanthelion.com/) - we're still collecting proceeds at time of writing - and we took Ieuans spirit with us to the top of all 3 peaks.

Then, we got off the summit as quick as we could as the midges had become unbearable, and the DEET was in short supply.

All in all, it was a fantastic challenge, in excellent weather, with a great bunch of people.
We arrived back at the carpark and removed shoes and socks to dip our feet in the cold stream. Bliss.
Some of the group opted for an icecream from the van, and a few of us spotted a small board near the van advertising a '30 mile Mountain Trail Challenge' in aid of the Beacons Mountain Rescue on September 17th! Where do I sign......?

Welsh 3 Peaks

2011-08-05T16:27:00.000+01:00

Had a great time doing the 3 Welsh Peaks on the 3rd July. The weather Gods were very kind and gave us wall to wall sunshine for the whole day. Some might say it was too warm for trudging up mountains, but it doesn't bother me usually. The hardest part of the challenge was staying awake between Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan to help our minibus driver (and walk leader) stay awake. Anyway, this is how it went....

We stayed at Pete's Eats Bunkhouse - very reasonable rates, very clean and tidy and ideally situated for dining at Pete's Eats! Despite the fact that we planned a 3am start, most of us were still in the Prince of Wales (what a strange public house!) in Llanberis art 10:30 playing killer on the pool table and being entertained by Tei's card tricks! I jumped into bed at around 11 and dozed off after watching the Haye-Klitschko fight on 'live text' on the Iphone :s. No sooner had I done so, Beggy was turning the light on at 2am and urging us all to get up in his least polite Southern Oirish style.

Up we got and we (all 15 of us) managed to get up to Pen Y Pass by 3am and started walking at 3:10. I was surprised by how many groups there were, mostly coming down the Pyg Track by torchlight, as we went up. Most seemed to be British 3 peakers on the final stretch, but I think there were some Welsh 3000ers.
It was a great experience walking with the headtorches...

It wasn't totally dark and not long after setting out the light increased enough to turn the torches off and walk in a lovely dawn-like light. By 4am it was practically light! We couldn't see the sunrise fully because the bulk of Crib Goch was between us and it! There were still a few good photo opportunities though.

By 5am(ish) we got to the top of Snowdon. It was great to see it practically empty! Just a few tents pitched behind the cafe and a couple sat east of the trig point were the only signs of life. Time for the first summit group shot....spot the clown with the upside down flag. I'm sending it back to Ebay to get one the right way up.

The views were grand.

Back down via the miners track. One or two of the more inexperienced members of the group struggled a bit on the steep descent, so we made slow but steady progress. It got much easier as the path flattened out near Glaslyn.

This is Dave, as you can see by his expression, he's a Kiwi.

The impressive industrial ruins along the miner track.

We got back to the transport at around 7:50 and after quickly using the facilities (good job I carry my own bog roll, eh Gareth? :) we set off for Dolgellau. A few circuits of Dolgellau's charming town centre ensued until Brian's memory kicked in and we found the road to the pony path start. The 2nd leg commenced at around 9:50, again, after using the carpark facilities!! (Thanks for the immodium Gareth - Toilet Roll debt repaid in full!).

The sun was now blazing and going was slow.

The pony path was a route I hadn't done on Cadair before and there were great views of the coast out towards Barmouth.

Liquid replenishment was becoming scarce and supplies were rationed out between walkers....

The rest of leg 2 and leg 3 to be continued in the next post. Thanks for looking!

Welsh 3 Peaks

2011-07-01T14:11:00.000+01:00

I'm doing the Welsh 3 Peaks (Snowdon, Cadair Idris and PenYFan) this Sunday (3rd July) for Ieuan The Lion's memorial fund. Should be fun and the weather forecast is favourable. If any readers wish to sponsor me there is an online link. Report and photos to follow after the weekend.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=pillharriers

Unfinished

2011-06-13T09:50:00.001+01:00

You know when you get to the end of a drawing and you're not sure if it's finished or not?? No? No, I suppose you don't, but that's where I am with this piece. And I've had a gutsful of staring at this unknown eye for months on end. I will put it away and take another look in a month or so and see if any touching up is required. Quite satisfied overall, but the skin below the eye has proved to be very difficult to render.

Yompfest 4

2011-06-05T20:41:00.000+01:00

Beautiful weather coincided with our planned 'Yompfest 4' on Saturday. Nine of us left Pill Harriers to tackle Pen Y Fan from Cwm Gydi to the north.

We set out at 8:40ish and by 8:50ish, Klampitt was knackered! To be fair, this was the first exercise he had done since a shoulder reconstruction op 10 weeks ago. Reluctantly, he opted to let us go on ahead and meet up with us later.

The sky was pretty clear but the few clouds there were seemed to be drawn to PEn Y Fan, which was bloody typical. I hoped the warm weather would help burn the clouds off by the time we summited.

From the north ridge of Pen Y Fan (Cefn Cwm Llwch) the views were pretty spectacular. There was a slight haze in the far distance, but otherwise it was a day for views.

Black mountains to the east (Sugar Loaf centre).

Soon, the majestic profile of Cribyn came into view. The sky really was this blue. I use a cheap UV filter on my SLR but otherwise, these photos are as taken.

We progressed slowly (mainly due to the mixed levels of ability in the group) but this wasn't a problem on a day like today.

There were decent views to the west, too. Fan Gyhirych and Fan Brychieniog were visible.

Soon, we were on the final uphill section to Pen Y Fan.

A great opportunity to take the classic shot of Cribyn from Pen Y Fan.

8 happy yompers at the summit.

Back, l-r, Whitey, Carlo, Schmichael, Beggy and me. Front, l-r, Jasper, Louie and Manley.

It was very busy at the top, and very breezy. Extra layers were deployed by most of us for a lunch break. There was also plenty of squaddie activity with a tent on the summit and soldiers arriving with heavy packs and guns at regular intervals. Quite a strange sight among the weekend walking crowd.

Off to Corn Du. The path had obviously had work done in recent years and resembled a path through a park rather than a mountain top. Still ,I suppose its helping keep the erosion down, even if it does look way out of place.

We increased the height of Corn Du by 20mm.

Next stop was the swimming pool at Lyn Cwm Llwch!

Strangely, the wind on Craig Cwm Llwch was much stronger than at the summit. It must have been funneling down the bowl shaped valley. Screech tried his matrix moves out.

We paused for a moment to pay respects to Tommy Jones. It was the first time all of us had visited the monument, despite many of us having been up PEn Y Fan many times before.

Then it was down to Lyn Cwm Llwch for the obligatory yompfest dip. After last time (and the icy cold waters at Blaen-y-glyn), we were pretty hesistant until the mad Oirish man decided that skinny dipping was the way forward.

Then the rest of us joined him. The water was only 'very cold' which is pretty damn warm as Brecon Beacons water goes. We didnt stay in for long though as we had a Welsh Game to watch.

It took about another hour and a bit to reach the carpark along sheep tracks through Cwm Llwch. A very enjoyable yomp indeed.

The Allotment

2011-05-31T11:47:00.000+01:00

No longer are allotments the boring place your grandfather goes to. Allotments are now pretty cool and very sought after. I've had mine for 6 years or so and this year I have finally put a lot of effort in to tidying it up and growing enough stuff to make it pay for itself. It's a typical sized plot (approximately 7m x 15m) and I've got a polytunnel and a greenhouse to increase what I can grow.

A general view...note the weeds and plastic sheeting in the foreground - still plenty of work to be done in certain areas.

Broad beans in the polytunnel. A pumpkin and courgettes in the foreground and a few tomatoes to the rear.

Climbing French Beans.

Cherry Tomatoes, Melon and cucumbers in the greenhouse (free from a friend of a friend!)

Onions (Red and standard)

We have a continual source of chipped bark and wood provided by a the council landscapers and it makes a great path mulch where I dont have slabs.

First Earlies and a few weeds!! Plus the Greenhouse, Shed and Tunnel in all their glory!

More Black Mountains

2011-05-30T10:48:00.001+01:00

I'm making use of the torrential rain outside to get around to posting a few pics and a short report of a mini-horseshoe walk in the black mountains a few weeks back. Five of us managed to get up early and be walking by 7:30am. starting at Llanbedr, we did Table Mountain above Crickhowell, Pen Cerrig Calch, Pen Allt Mawr and then returned via the 'mini ridge' that points directly back South east to Llanbedr.

As well as Chopper and Nicholls, we had Carlo and Shagger with us for company. What became apparent, on the initial ascent of Crug Hwyel, is that you do need a decent level of fitness to be able to participate in mountain walking! 4 of us were absolutely fine, Shagger was knackered within 200 metres of the steep uphill.

This is him...

And this is....

He eventually made it to the top of the ridge after threatening to go back to the car twice (using some excuse about pins and needles in his feet - are you reading Shag??:) but we convinced him to continue.

View back along the ridge towards the Sugar Loaf...

Descending Pen Allt Mawr with Waun Fach and Pen Y Gadair Fawr in the distance...

The views were a bit hazy, but as one of the lads pointed out, it beats the s*** out of lying on the settee watching football am and/or Saturday Kitchen! How very true.

Back in the house by 12:30 with the rest of the day free for other stuff. Perfect.

Ruperra Castle

2011-05-29T22:16:00.001+01:00

"Ruperra Castle was built in 1626 by Sir Thomas Morgan, who was knighted by King James 1st. It was a typical Jacobean courtier’s house, an example of the ‘Great Rebuilding’ of the 16th and 17th Centuries. King Charles 1st stayed there in 1645 raising support after the Battle of Naseby. A deer park was recorded in 1684 when the Duke of Beaufort feasted there and there were viewing points through the trees and beautiful grassed rides up to the summer house where the family took tea at this time."

So described at http://www.castlewales.com/ruperra.html. We took a family walk in the forestry commission nature reserve near this castle today and 'snuck' in for a nose. It's a very eerie and atmospheric place and quite dangerous if you venture into the buidling itself, as it is in a serious state of disrepair. The house and outbuildings behind the castle are in a better state and show signs of habitation, with curtains, furniture and even a pair of wellies, looking like they'd been used recently, stood on the floor in one locked room.

This was a strange mural on the wall of a downstairs room in the house to the rear of the castle.

The walk surrounding the castle is interesting, with a 360 degree viewpoint from an iron age hill fort that has had many different structures and uses down the ages. The weather wasn't playing ball today though...

There were also sculptures dotted about in a very pleasant conservation area walk.

Beach-combing

2011-03-30T21:07:00.000+01:00

This weekend just gone I did mountain walking, scrambling, camping, star gazing, running and gardening. All very enjoyable outdoor activities. One I hadn't planned on and I need to do more of, is beach-combing! (Wasn't there a 1980s kids TV prog called Beachcombers? With a fly-by camera shot over a log filled Canadian Estuary? Yes - just googled it!)
Anyway, beach-combing. We regularly visit Merthyr Mawr on the South wales coast near Porthcawl. To get to the beach you either wade through the mouth of the river Ogwr at low tide (a bit dangerous and a bit wet!) or you walk a mile through the dunes from Candleston castle. The walk is very scenic so it's no great chore, and it means that the beach is always very quiet, even in good weather. And it's a very good beach for beach combing. At the high tide line there is a 3 metre wide line of 'flotsam and jetsam' stretching as far as the eye can see...well, almost! I built a crappy sculpture and took a crappy photo of it.

It's a fantastic beach that I never get bored of. Just how beaches should be.

And it's in Wales of course. And as if to mark the fact, someone had seemingly planted 2 clumps of Dafs in the middle of the dunes, standing out a like a sore thumb amidst the natives.

Nantlle Ridge

2011-03-28T22:16:00.002+01:00

After the cracking walk up Cnicht, we set up the tent in the campsite in Beddgelert and made our way to the village for some grub. Having had a mediocre meal in one of the two pubs last year, we opted to try the Royal Goat Hotel and found the food to be excellent. Dave had a TBone steak - well done (neanderthal) and I went for their lamb casserole with veg. Sounds bog standard but it was absolutely delicious! Recommended highly.
Whilst having a couple of pints in the Tanronnen Inn, there was a power cut at 9pm. The barstaff informed us that power would be off for the whole village until midnight and wouldn't serve us anymore. The only upside to this (apart from the health benefits of course) was finding the most amazing star filled sky when we ventured otuside for the walk back to camp. I have never seen a more vivid nightsky. I wish I'd taken a photo with the SLR when we got to the tent but I forgot. The lack of any artificial light really does show off the cosmos in amazing detail.

Anyway, next morning, a brief detour to Pete's eats (why does the cafe in Beddgelert not open until 10am!?! Whats the point of serving a breakfast?) and then back to Rhydd Ddu for a partial traverse of the Nantlle ridge.
Firstly though, we just had to pull over and photograph Llyn Cwellyn which was as still as roadkill.

Rotate your monitor or your head 90 degrees to see an African Mask!

The Nantlle Ridge was another first for me and the initial ascent of Y Garn was very steep. But great views of Snowdon were afforded.

We were then surprised by the small scramble on Mynydd Drws y Coed - short but sharp. We quickly ate up the distance on the ridge and got to the Obelisk on Mynydd Tal-y-Mignedd. How impressive is that!? Snowdonia's equivalent of Carn Pica, or vice versa!

We then backtracked and headed down to Beddgelert forest for the low level walk back to the car.

A great two days in glorious early spring weather. That'll be summer over then!

Cnicht? Ja! Ist Gut.

2011-03-27T21:00:00.000+01:00

Did a few days in Snowdonia this weekend, taking in two walks. First up on Friday was Cnicht - meaning Knight in Welsh. It is know as the Welsh Matterhorn because it has such an appearance when viewed from Croesor to the south. This was our walk starting point

Cnicht is visible poking above the land to the rear

We left the carpark but made a mistake in taking the path that leads up into the valley rather than immediately onto the Cnicht ridge. After realising this, not wanting to retrace our steps we decided to cut across the valley and ascend the scree slopes on the South Eastern slopes of Cnicht.

Cnicht viewed from the Southwest ridge on the ascent.

When you actually get to the summit after an interesting ridge ascent, you find that its not a pyramidal peak as assumed, but a long narrow ridge. A quick snack and we set off Northeast with a view to doing a loop of Moelwyn Mawr and Moelwyn Bach. I had read that the land between Cnicht and The Moelwyns was boggy and even in this lovely dry weather, it was very spongy underfoot in places.

We soon reached the ruins of Cwmorthin Slate quarry, a completely surreal and atmospheric place full of history and interest. It was fenced off with what seemed like an electric fence and yet no warning signs. Neither of us risked testing if it was live! There was a metal stile spanning the fence so it obviously isn't people they are trying to keep out.

Cwmorthin Quarry ruins

We spent half an hour or so at the Quarry taking in the sights and trying to imagine what it was like for the souls who worked and lived here in this hostile place. The slate cosntruction was very impressive indeed.

Our progress had been slower than we presumed and we made the decision that we would only make it to Moelwyn Mawr and that Moelwyn Bach would have to wait for another day. On the approach to the summit of Moelwyn Mawr a Sea King rescue helicopter was paying a lot of attention to Cnicht's ridge.

We didn't see anyone get winched up or down and couldn't make out anyone on the ridge itself, so it was probably a training drill.

Moelwyn Mawr's summit was fairly non-descript and we didn't hang about for long. The campsite and pubs in Beddgelert were calling us.

Unfortunately, the view to Porthmadog and the irish sea was denied us by the thick haze. A shame but we certainly weren't moaning about this fabulous weather which seemed more June than March.

Halfway down the ridge, Dave (49 years old, mostly acts like a 14 year old) spotted that some jokers had gouged a 50' comedy vagina into the opposite side of the valley! Were the Welsh Miners of the 1800s this forward thinking?!?! ;)

Cnicht and the Moelwyns are a great choice for a quiet walk in a pretty rugged and history strewn area of Snowdonia.

Next, day 2 - Part of the Nantlle Ridge.

A few new sketches

2011-03-17T13:57:00.000Z

Despite being an indoor hobby (for me anyway) I thought I'd share the progress of a couple of sketches I'm working on at present. One is my pride and joy, my boy Isaac, and the other is a close up study of an eye from a ref pic found on the net.

I'll update when I've completed them. Also in the pipeline, I plan to produce some works of outdoor activities, but these will be in coloured pencil as I feel the bright colours of the modern gear and the natural tones of grass, rock, water etc, would not be given justice in graphite.

Racing

2011-03-17T13:49:00.000Z

I've done 2 10k road races in the past fortnight as I get back into my running and I was very pleased to break 40 minutes for the Mic Morris Torfaen 10k. I came 15th of 120ish and posted a time of 38:17. This is not a pb as I ran 36:10 in my early twenties but it's the best for many years and I feel fit and fresh at the moment! I should say that the Mic Morris race is mostly downhill from Blaenavon to Pontypool but nevertheless, it was pretty tough.

It's certainly rekindled my enjoyment of running and I'll be looking to enter a number of races through the year. Next up is the 20k Offa's Orror that starts at Tintern Abbey and ascends Offa's dyke. It sounds punishing but scenic which I find appealing. Endorphins galore!

I've also got a weekend in Snowdonia planned for the 26th March so it's plenty of leg and lung action at the moment. We hope to do the Nantlle Ridge for the first time and maybe Cnicht. Reports to follow.

Some photos from the 2nd walk near Abercynafon

2011-03-01T12:31:00.002Z

These were taken on February 12th. Two weeks after the photos in the entry below and the conditions were totally different.

Craig Cwareli

The instantly recognisable 'Big Boys' of the Beacons.
I reckon this is the best view you can get of Pen Y Fan.

The 7 idiots I took walking, plus myself.

A nice rainbow near the finish.

Catching up.

2011-02-27T18:30:00.000Z

I've not blogged in a while - not had a lot of time.

Since my last entry I've been out a couple of times in the Beacons on the same walk. First time was to recce the route to see if it was suitable for a bunch of lads from the rugby club (most of whom were novice walkers). It turned out to be a very interesting route with plenty of variety along the way. Starting at Abercynafon we walked up onto the Brinore Tramroad, through the disused Torpantau tunnel 9involving a rope climb out of the cutting at the end). Then 'offroad' towards Craig Cwareli where brilliant views of Pen Y Fan greeted us. Across Waun Rydd to the Plane Crash Memorial, and a final detour to Carn Pica before descending back to Abercynafon alongside the waterfalls.

The 2nd walk ended in a dip into the Caerfanell falls. Quite possibly the coldest water I've ever had the misfortune to plunge into! It cost me £53 as well, because my false denture fell out! I stayed in the water searching for it as long as I could until the cold got the better of me.

These photos are from the first walk in January.

Avalanche!

2011-01-14T10:02:00.000Z

No, not the stuff sliding down a mountain type, but rather a replacement mountain bike for my stolen GT Avalanche 1.0. What did I buy? Funnily enough, a GT AValanche! But an Avalanche 2.0 this time, on offer at £400 from £570. Seemed value for money with a decent component spec, and having previously owned an Avalanche, I know I will get on with it.

So, now I just need to find time to get out on it. Living just a few miles (as the Crow flies) from the Cwmcarn trail centre is handy. Perhaps I will be sliding down a mountain on it? Hopefully facing forwards and upright!

Survival Bag Put To Emergency Use!

2010-12-31T16:02:00.000Z

Wow! Coming off the north slopes of Fan Fawr today, we were forced to use a survival bag for the first time I can remember in the mountains. Conditions were misty, the ground was steep and it was pretty hairy. In the end nobody was seriously injured and we managed to film some of the ordeal.

Please do not try this at home (that's if you have a 700m mountain at home). We are experienced imbeciles and were fully unaware of all the dangers facing us during making of the above footage.

I don't do kit reviews....

2010-12-29T16:46:00.001Z

...but I am suitably impressed with two items of gear that I thought I'd offer my opinions.

I've had the Alpkit Gamma headtorch and a pair of Sealskinz Ultragrip gloves for exactly a year.

Despite only being out in the hills around every 4 weeks or so, I've managed to get a lot of use out of these two items. The headtorch in particular has been used for evening runs, clambering around the attic, sorting out the garden or looking for one of Isaacs toys after dark, etc. I reckon its a superb piece of kit for the money. There may be better headtorches out there with more powerful illumination, but this does all I need and more, and in 12 months the battery hasn't gone once.

The Sealskinz are advertised as waterproof and in my limited experience, that's what they are. And I find them warm, despite having hands like witches with poor circulation. Not once have my hands got wet and in heavy rain and snow they've performed admirably. I take a medium and when they first go on they seem very snug, but after a short use they tend to give and fit my hands perfectly. They're not as much of a bargain as the alpkit but still well worth the cash.

Joss Naylor

2010-12-28T22:21:00.003Z

A requested Xmas gift was Joss Naylor's biography (thanks Sis and Ol), and what a good read it is. A truly inspirational man and, seemingly, one of the most down to earth people you could ever meet. I'd recommend this 100%. I kinda feel it wouldn't appeal to anyone who isn't interested in fell running, or just in running/hillwalking in general. It's well written by Keith Richardson who obviously spent a lot of time with Joss. His quirky traits shine through, and the use of Joss's own dialect in the book is a great touch.

Coooooooooooold.

2010-12-28T22:08:00.003Z

Boxing day turned out to be the coldest day of the year in my locality - minus 12 when I got in the car at 6am for a prearranged tramp with Chopper and Nicholls through the snows of the beacons. As cold as that sounds, it was perfect weather. There was a slight breeze and cloud forecast for later on but the early part of the walk was forecast to be clear. We missed sunrise from the top of Corn Du due to kindly giving a hitcher a lift from Newport to Cwmbran after his car broke down. Still, some good photo opportunities arose.

Fan Fawr looking appealing in the morning light

We started out at 8am and got to the top of Corn Du after about 40 minutes.

The views were great. White as far as the eye could see.

I don't have a portable thermometer but it felt very cold on the summits. Probably not as low as the minus 12 when I set off, but the wind chill made up for that...and some. The only piece of gear I didn't have with me was a buff or a scarf and at one point, I thought my nose was going to drop off (that wouldn't be a bad thing in some respects!) so a spare beanie hat and a penknife were employed to make a DIY buff. Chopper had brought some freebie hand warmer things that were quite impressive. You get about 30 minutes of heat and one stuffed inside each glove was great.

We stopped in the saddle between PenYfan and Cribyn for a snack and noticed two Ravens coming quite close on the scrounge for food. This seemed to prove how bleak the past few weeks must have been up there as I've never know them to come near before. They enjoyed the peanuts and crisps we gave them. Big buggers!

At the top of Cribyn we decided, instead of retacing our steps exactly, to go down the north ridge and along the goat track. Good choice, out of the wind and good fun. Plus, Nicholls £4 hat blew off his head on the summit, straight over the north face. So he wanted to go and look for it....

Chopper - Cribyn North Ridge

Guess what...no hat in sight!

Over on the north face of PenYfan, 4 brave (crazy?) souls were starting an ice climb. My zoom 'aint the best...

The wind was starting to whip snow about a lot, it almost seemed like it was snowing.

Nicholls in spindrift...whatever that is!

I took a few small videos with the compact and added a bit of (sarcastic) music with moviemaker. Let's try an upload...

2011

2010-12-23T16:13:00.000Z

These are some of the things I want to do during 2011. Inevitably, I won't tick them all off, but here's hoping! Writing them down (or rather, typing them out) will help give me some focus.

Spend loads of quality time with my family, especially my little 3 year old lad!!
Climb Kilimanjaro (I'm 40 in October and the plan is to do so around that time).
Submit a script to the BBC writers room. From my blog, you wouldn't guess that I dabble with comedy - I know, it's not funny at all is it? For 9 years or so I've written a successful adults pantomime at my local rugby club - so successful that we've raised over £35000 for worthy causes and given nights of hilarity to more than 3000 people. So, encouraged by comments from many, I plan to write a sitcom script using an idea I've had in my head for a number of years. If it comes to nothing, I won't be too bothered, as long as I've given it my best shot.
More artwork. Those pencils of mine are going to be put to use. Maybe some outdoor themed pieces. Watch this space.
Tidy up my allotment and grow some bloody veg - rather than using it as an overflow dumping ground for my garden junk.
Get a 2nd hand mountain bike a ride a few trails.
Keep up my jogging regime.
Visit Scotland. I've a mate who I haven't seen for many years and I've always promised him I will visit him up in Bonnie Findochty. He also likes running so entry into a local 10k or something, followed by a wee (read enormous) swallie! Then there;s the highlands. I want to see the highlands.
See a cloud/temperature inversion!
Blog more.

That's probably enough to be going on with. I shall report back in 12 months to see how many come to fruition. I think the only 100% definite will be the first in the list :)!

Mark

Short slog in the snow

2010-12-22T19:33:00.001Z

I managed to get out for a short walk in the snow last Saturday morning, and had to settle for the local hill, Twmbarlwm, due to time issues and the possibility of poor roads up towards the Beacons.
But it was certainly worth it. It doesn't seem to matter where you walk when it's been snowing, it always feels like somewhere different.

The snow was fresh powder and made everything look pristine. I only did about 4 miles at a leisurely pace but took the camera and snapped plenty of pics.

Why do I look such a gimp in this photo??

Blinking Black Mountains Blisters

2010-11-21T11:29:00.002Z

Last Saturday I did a 10 mile Classic Horseshoe in the black Mountains - a route I hadn't done for about 19 years! I was out on my Jack Jones again due to the unavailability of walking buddies, so I opted for an early start. I found somewhere to park the car north of Llanbedr and I was walking by 7:15am just as it was getting light. By 7:30 am I noticed some rubbing on my right heel. It didn't feel too bad at first but I should have known it would turn into a full blown blister! A scholl blister plaster was deployed from my pack but I'd forgotten my trusty jar of Vaseline (A Welshman always carries vaseiline in the hills!!)

2 miles later, the other heel started showing the same symptoms. I don't know what it is with my Scarpa SLs (pre M3 model) that I've had for around 7 or 8 years. They've only given me blister trouble now and again, and on other walks have been okay. I think I'll try a pair of superfeet insoles to lift the heel slightly and hold it better. The last 5 miles of this 10 mile round were pretty painful, and I've been unable to go jogging in the 8 days since. Knew I should've worn my Invo8s.

Blisters aside, it was a decent walk. Cold winds, but clear views. And, as is par for the course in the Black Mountains, I only saw two other walkers all morning.

Following recent rains, the summit area of Pen Y Gadair Fawr and Waun Fach were saturated to say the least. On Waun fach, in particular, I had to pick my way through a bog, walking 20 metres to the left or right, for every ten metres travelled forwards. Gaiters were left at home - a schoolboy error as it turned out.

Early Morning Views towards the rising Sun

Pen Y Gadair Fawr Summit Break

Descending From Waun fach with views to Pen Y Fan

Cardiff Half Marathon

2010-10-17T21:59:00.001+01:00

I took part today and what an event it was! Superb weather, incredible atmosphere, brilliant crowds, and a stunning route with the last two miles across the Barrage a real highlight. I finished my first half in 1hour 30 minutes and one second! Bit disappointed not to dip under one and a half hours, but hey, I'm well pleased with that as I targeted 1 hour 44. My legs feel like two chicken drumsticks now...time for a weeks rest!

Blog Design

2010-10-06T09:01:00.001+01:00

I just can't find the right design for this blog. I've been messing with the banner photo and the colour settings etc and will probably continue to do so until I'm happy. Blogger isn't the most flexible tool for this purpose and has limitations so I'll investigate other options and see what I come up with. If I knew more about html code I could customise it easily enough.

The Dog Tackles The Cat(s back!)

2010-10-05T21:05:00.000+01:00

A planned early saturday walk in the Black Mountains with Chopper and Nicholls turned into a hastily rearranged run in the Black Mountains on my 'Jack Jones' following cry-offs from the other two (any website links for removal of thumbprints from foreheads will be gratefully passed on).

I wanted to try somewhere I hadn't previously visited and found myself eyeing 'The Cats Back' with interest. I worked out a round route of some ten miles and set off early. The starting point was a small carpark near Llanveynoe.

By 8am I was running, I mean walking, up the steep initial incline of the Cats Back Ridge. And what a stunning morning it was!!

I was quite impressed with the knife-edged ridge of The Cat's Back - alright, it's no Crib Goch or Striding Edge, but it's very picturesque in its own right.

By the time I got onto the higher part of the ridge I was able to break into a jog and made good progress towards Hay Bluff. The views back along Offas Dyke were fantastic in the morning sun.

First Trig point of the day was Black Hill. Whoever named the various peaks and regions of the Brecon Beacons was obviously too busy to come up with plenty of original names so they just used Black and many variants of. Black Mountain, Black Mountains, Black Mountain (yes, again), Black Hill, etc etc.

Onwards to a deserted Hay Bluff (I did actually spot one other runner approaching the Bluff from the North and turning around to head straight back down. Then I had the summit all to myself for a spot of breakfast - A cereal bar and a banana.

The Met Office Mountain Area Forecast had promised exc ellent visibility that morning and as usual, they were spot on. You could see clearly for miles on end. The Malverns and herefordshire hills were visible to the east, nearby Penygadair Fawr and Waun Fach were easy to spot, and further west, PenyFan and the Carmarthen Fans were outlined against the blue sky.

After a ten minute break I ran back to the south and headed along Offas Dyke. I had never walked any part of Offas Dyke before. I have to say, Offa, if you're reading, you've done a bloody good job. The thick riven pathway along that section of the Dyke is pretty impressive. I made pretty quick progress down to a point in line with Capel-y-fin, where I detoured left down a steep path that avoided the steep crags to the east along that part of the dyke. A quick mile back through the lanes to the carpark and I'd done 10 miles in around 2¼ hours (with a few photo stops as well as my breaky break!)

Day 3 - Helvellyn

2010-10-01T22:04:00.000+01:00

After a late night (3am) in Keswick, I woke at 8am feeling not too bad considering. That's more than I can say for the others. Chopper and Nicholls could not muster the energy to drag themselves from their tent to go for a walk as planned. Dave was more awake but complaining of a dodgy knee. He did, however, go for a dip in the Lake before dropping me off for a short but steep walk up Helvellyn.

The path from Thirlmere is very steep and the small hangover I had was quickly ejected through my pores with litres of sweat! The weather was nice again with a strong breeze. The Helvellyn Triathlon was taking place and it was impressive to watch the competitors dragging themselves up Swirral Edge. I took some pics of Swirral Edge and Striding Edge and I will definitely return and cross them one day.

I was up and down in just over two and a quarter hours and found Chopper and Nicholls waiting for me with Sunday papers and a smile, ready for the long journey back to South wales. What a great weekend.

Day 2 - Scafell Pike

2010-09-17T19:55:00.002+01:00

Day 2 in the Lakes was a planned walk up Scafell Pike (we couldn't not do The Pike on our first Lakes Trip!) from Seathwaite. I'd read a route article in TRAIL that seemed ideal because it combined the walking with some good looking gully scrambling that went off the beaten track and away from the hordes. So we decided to follow this route as closely as time and conditions would allow.

Reservoir Trekkers

We set off from Seathwaite Farm - well, some 800m down the road from Seathwaite farm due to the sheer number of vehicles parked) - at 10am, following a cooked brekky in Keswick. Conditions were good once more. Sunny intervals with some high cloud cover. It was all set to be a great day. First though, we had a laugh at the expense of my shorts, which were likened to Glen Hoddle's in his heyday.

Idiots

The first mile to Stockley Bridge is easy and lets you get warmed up. At the bridge, I started to take the first of my 300 photos for the day (Chopper and Nicholls think I was a Japanese Tourist in a previous existence). We crossed the bridge and took the left hand path alongside the river up towards Grains Gill. The plan was to get up to Sprinkling Tarn, drop down to Styhead Tarn, then continue towards the pike.

We made good ground up the solid but well trodden path until we reached the junction at the foot of Great Ends North face - more fun would be had up there a little later. A quick consultation with the map (although it was very obvious with the looming spectacle of Great Gable to the West) and we were off on a welcome downhill section towards Styhead Tarn. So far, so good. It was a quiet route. Most walkers would no doubt be plodding up the path to the other side of Seathwaite Fell to pick up the Corridor Route. In actual fact, the route in the magazine went straight over Seathwaite Fell from Stockley Bridge, but as we were first timers to the area we decided to get some mileage in early on good paths.

Sprinkling Tarn

After joining the Corridor Route at Styhead Tarn (which was a busier route) we came to our first exciting detour of the day - Skew Gill! Despite our constant checking of the map to make sure we didnt miss it, the mouth of Skew Gill could not have been more obvious in the clear conditions.

Skew Gill Mouth

Off we went. It was steep, with some good grade 1 scrambling. Professor Bryson (of Bryology fame) now started to get excited as there were plenty of mosses and Lichens to get his juices flowing. Chopper and Nicholls disappeared up ahead whilst Dave and I photographed plants and generally ar*ed about at the rear. We heard a shout from above warning us of the rotting sheeps carcass in the stream in the centre of the gill! There was no option but to pass within a metre of it and it stank! The poor thing had probably slipped up above and fallen to his fate in this deep cleft.

Steep Skew Gill

Clambering out of Skew Gill

Soon we reached the top of the Gill and clambered up the fairly easy final section to a small grassy plateau halfway up 'The Band' - a rocky ridge to the North West of Great End. An ideal spot for a food stop. Whilst Nicholls was have a Ray Mears moment with his new pocket knife,

Nicholls' Bear Grylls Moment

...I suddenly felt the urge to use the amenities. (I blame all the lager we consumed in Keswick on the Firday night). All I knew was I had to go. Good job I was prepared with plastic trowel and loo roll. Although this was a very exposed ridge, it was totally deserted apart from us lot. So I scampered behind a waist high rock just a little downslope from the others and dug my latrine. Quick as you like, I was done and back with the guys where I commented on how I was glad this was a practically unused route! Cue four walkers appearing over the crest some 5 metres from where I was just stood,...err, crouched! Cue also, spontaneous laughter from the 4 of us when we realised how that could have been a slightly embarassing (for me), and probably even funnier, situation had I gone 60 secs later.

Now that we were fed (and some of us emptied) we pressed on. Next stop, Custs Gully. It took us a few minutes to locate it, but then it was obvious. A bloody great knife wound in Great End's north face.

Custs Gully (centre)

Professor Bryson

It looked inviting. We picked our way slowly up the steep slope to the entrance and dived straight in. The scrambling was great fun, and we were amazed at how damp it was in the gully, despite dry preceeding weather. In fact, it was saturated. Moss grew in abundance everywhere causing more ridiculous excitement from Professor Bryson.

Custs Gully Moss!!

As in Skew Gill, Nicholls led the way and found a tricky step up about threequarters of the way in. He managed to clamber up, but then Chopper (who is 4'6") got stuck. For five minutes Dave and I stood behind him, coaxing him, encouraging him, and taking the p*ss out of him, until his leg started to shake in Elvis Presley fashion! He finally got up followed by Dave then I, and even though I'm 2 foot taller than Chopper and much bendier (should that read supple :/) it was a tricky manouevre.

Me in Custs Gully

We all finally made it to the top and were rewarded with great views in all directions. We exchanged the favour of summit shots with another group of walkers then set off across the summitt plateau towards Ill Crag, Broad Crag and Scafell Pike itself. this bit was a bit mundane, but easy enough on the lungs.

Great End Summit

Ill Crag

We finally got to the top of a crowded Scafell Pike at around 2pm.

The Summit of the Pike

Scafell Pike Summit

A few photos, a snack and we were off down to pick up the corridor route for the return journey. Earlier in the day at Sprinkling Tarn, we had toyed with the idea of taking a detour up to Great Gable at the end of the walk, but it was obvious now that we weren't really going to have time to do so.

Great Gable and Styhead Tarn

We pushed on down the Corridor Route and I was outvoted by three to one against going via Piers Gill on the descent. As we got lower down and looked back up Piers Gill, I could see that the other three were right as there looked to be a number of difficult climbing sections that we would have to negotiate on the way down.

Piers Gill

We eventually got back to the car at about 5pm - a 7 hour round trip - and I loved every single minute. Teh scrambling was superb, the views excellent and the sheer scale of the Scafell Pike Massif was so, so impressive! One of the best walks I've done.

Lakes Weekend - Day One

2010-09-08T19:34:00.001+01:00

I'd never been to the Lakes before but I had high expectations for our weekend trip on 3rd to 5th september. It was actually much better than I had expected! Everything worked out just right. Keswick, our choice as a base (with its numerous watering holes), the weather, our choice of routes and the simply awesomely awesome scenery. Yes, I was rather impressed. I'll break the trip report into 3 days.

First up on Friday, following the delightful 5 hour drive from South Wales with Chopper and Nicholls, was a short afternoon walk up Blencathra (or Saddleback as it is also known). We met Dave (who had travelled from London in his trusty Toyota picnic!) at the campsite in Keswick and quickly put the tents up before the short drive to Scales on the A66 where the walk started. The weather was dry and sunny, but hazy, so this lent itself to a traverse of Sharp Edge, one of the famous knifeedge ridges in the Lakes. The initial path is quite steep and a bit bland until you gain altitude and Blencathra's summit pops into view.

The route was obvious in the clear conditions and a map was hardly needed. After dropping down to Scales Tarn, we paused for a few minutes then got straight on with the best bit of the day.

The exposure was nowhere near as bad as I expected and the ridge is fairly short, but it is fun and makes for good photo opportunies.

Chopper

Dave and I

The rock was quite polished and you could see why it would be much trickier in wet or wintry conditions. But the four of us flew across without any problems. The best bit for me is the steep scramble up at the end.

We scrambled up and found a near deserted plateau and then stopped for a lunch break on the summit. The views were very hazy due to the conditions which was a shame. We decided upon Doddick Fell as adescent route and not Halls Fell Ridge. We regretted this later when we read the route options in Trail Magazine...they reckoned upon Halls Fell Ridge as being a great choice for a descent. Anyway, the walk was very enjoyable indeed and made for an excellent first route in the Lakes for all of us.

Sharp Edge

Day 2 and 3 to follow.

Machen Mountain 10k

2010-09-06T17:49:00.000+01:00

A week ago I took part in the Machen Mountain 10k! What a hard race that was, compounded by the hot sunshine of a bank holiday afternoon! Nevertheless, at the end I really enjoyed it and vowed to take part in more trail races in future. I finished in 52:35. Have to add that it was a very well organised and marshalled event with a very picturesque (if painful) route. Even the downhill bits were killers on the old legs.

http://www.machenwelfare.com/run/run.htm

Autumn plans

2010-08-27T15:07:00.001+01:00

I've not had a lot of time to blog lately but I've a few interesting outings over the next few weeks that will be worthy of a post or two. First up on Bank Holiday Monday is the Machen Mountain 10k race. I'd heard of this run in recent years but never got around to entering. This year I find myself training for (after having been roped into) the Cardiff Half Marathon in October, so the Machen Race fits in well with my training. Plus, I love running up hills!
I've no idea what time I will do, but I think it will be less than an hour. My best time for 10k was about 15 years ago when I ran 36:10 on a totally flat route. But this run involves 300m of climbing and I'm not necessarily in brilliant shape.

Then, the following Friday (3rd Sept) I'm off to the Lake District with 3 mates for the first time. I cannot wait! We have 3 routes planned over 3 days from our Base in Keswick - Blencathra via Sharp Edge, Scafell Pike from Seathwaite and probably Helvellyn on Sunday via Striding Edge. I'm hoping for decent weather despite the fact that I just shelled out on a new lightweight OMM Kamleika Race Jacket!

Son's first mountain

2010-08-07T22:09:00.000+01:00

I took my 2 and a half year old up his first 'mountain' today, and he loved it. Alright, Twobarlwm is not exactly a huge mountain but you have to start somewhere. He loved it, as did our friend's two boys, Joe and Elliott.

As I was going to St Ives....

2010-07-30T15:33:00.001+01:00

...Spent another glorious week in my favourite English Town last week. I love the place, it has so much character, beautiful beaches, wonderful restaurants, and to top everything off, we rented an amazing holiday home with a huge decking overlooking Porthmeor beach. The only thing that wasn't a 10/10 was the weather, but hey, this is Cornwall. We had one very wet day and some drizzly days but a few glorious beach days too.

Here's the view from the double tiered full length decking of the house toward Porthmeor Beach, during the day and evening. The living room had full length glazing that opened out onto the deck.

Portmeor Beach is a bit of a Surfer's haven. Me, I can't see the big attraction but each to their own. The water was cold!

My little lad loved the beach, even when the weather was overcast.

Marazion is another favourite destination with the picturesque St Michaels Mount dominating all vistas.

We also visited Trebah Exotic Garden (for the umpteenth time - I never tire of it) but it was a very wet day and we missed a lot of the gardens. I don't mind rain personally, but my wife and inlaws are not too keen on being soaked to the skin to look at bamboos and treeferns and the like!

Overall, we had a great time!

More Pencil Pieces

2010-07-06T20:25:00.006+01:00

These were all drawn over the past fifteen years!

Excuse some of the photography, it's always difficult to photograph work on white paper.
GTFBI Rock Band - Caricature on A2 cartridge paper - coloured pencil and ink pen

Christy Turlington - A3 Cartridge paper - graphite pencil

Giants Causeway V Kalanisi - A2 cartiridge paper - coloured pencil

Barry Bakker - Caricature - A3 cartridge paper - coloured pencil and ink pen

Mel Gibson - A3 cartridge paper - Graphite pencil

Archie! - A3 cartridge paper - Graphite pencil

Rocket Ron - Caricature - A3 cartridge paper - coloured pencil and ink pen

Helena Christensen - A3 cartridge paper - Graphite pencil

Slainte! - A3 black paper - coloured pencil

I hope to post more new work in future. Watch this space....

Pencils

2010-07-05T22:49:00.004+01:00

I happen to be able to wield a pencil with some success. This is a recent commission of a racehorse, Denman, winning The 2009 Hennessy. Having not sketched in anger for some years, I got a lot of satisfaction from producing this...and a few quid to boot. I know all of the sketching took place INDOORS, but the race didn't, so that's my excuse!

Carn Pica

2010-07-04T15:36:00.007+01:00

I'm liking evening walks at the moment. Friday night is usually 'dead' time so what better way to kill it than out on the mountains? Beats Big Brother hands down!

Friday just gone, Nicholls and I did Carn Pica from the Talybont reservoir dam. 5 miles up and back, with a really steep section to end before you reach this most impressive of cairns in the beacons. There was a pretty strong breeze blowing on the top and it was much cooler than down in the valley - pretty much as you'd expect really. Some excellent views of the Black Mountains were on offer...and all for free! Love it.

Jungle Climbing Frame

2010-06-26T20:49:00.005+01:00

Ever since my son was born, two½ years ago I have thought about building some kind of funky climbing frame in the garden to blend with the 'jungle' look of the planting. So, for the past 3 or 4 months, I've been working like a demon to transform the garden from an 'overplanted plant collectors plant collection' into a family garden with a backdrop of handsome architectural plants, and a Jungle Climbing Frame!

Using a mixture of materials I got free from work, materials I had left over from previous projects, and stuff I had to buy, I designed and constructed this....

It proved a real headache to consider all the safety issues for a 2½ year old (and for a 38 year old!) and I still have a few concerns about one or two things, but I can always modify things as I go along. My little boy loves it!

Sugarloaf sunset

2010-06-26T20:39:00.005+01:00

Spur of the minute decision to take a short walk up the Sugarloaf (a local extinct volcano near Abergavenny (which means ''Town at the foot of the fire breathing behemoth' in Welsh)) yesterday evening to watch the sunset. It proved a good idea...the temps had dropped enough, the light was great, the hill was deserted, which meant I could arse about with the self timer at the summit, and generally just enjoy the experience.

Sunset over the Black Mountains

Wife pointed out that it was unsual to see me with an impressive erection between my legs...

A light jacket was needed later on as the breeze picked up...or maybe I'm just soft as sh*te..?

The sheep wouldn't keep still for the pic...

Ogmore by the Sea.

2010-06-15T22:01:00.004+01:00

I love Ogmore by the sea. So many childhood memories. Spent many a great day there, exploring caves, rockpools, sand dunes, fishing in the river, shivering in the sea. The best thing about the beach area at Ogmore is the total lack of tourist attractions. No funfairs, restaurants, hotels...just the beach, car park and a toilet block.

My little boy, who is 2½ absolutely loved it on Sunday when we explored the rockpools and sandy nooks and and crannies for a few hours. Just a great beach.

Sgyd yr Eira and other waterfalls

2010-06-10T20:35:00.005+01:00

A blazing hot week, and a blazing hot sunday and Monday to follow, interspersed with a soggy, rain sodden Saturday. And which day had we picked to go yomping? You got it. Low hill fog in the Brecon Beacons plus 'persistent rain' persuaded us to alter our plans for a peaks walk to a low(ish) level Waterfall walk around a 9 mile circuit near Ystradfellte in the Southern Beacons.

It turned out to be a good choice as the tree cover that we had for most of the route sheltered us from the rain. I was christening my new (and first) pair of Invo8 Roclites and I love em! Very comfy, very light, good grip, blah blah.

The rivers (Afon Mellte and Afon Hepste) were very low following the recent dry period. There were lots of groups of people doing some kind of coasteering (ironically about 4o miles from the coast!) which looked fun...and cold.

Chopper and Nicholls think I'm obsessed with moss, so I humour them by taking photos of it. Honest, I don't really like moss.

Halfway stop was the entrance to the famous and impressive Porth Yr Ogof cave system. This is a timer shot on a one second exposure hence the blurry figures. Nicholls and I went for a wander into the first cavern with our headtorches, whislt Chopper sat on his a*se and ate Malt loaf and Welsh cakes.

The last fall of the day was the well known Sgyd Yr Eira which allows people to pass behind. It was very busy, but very picturesque, as ever. Chance to play with exposure length and gorillapod.

Dog

Other News

2010-06-10T08:50:00.002+01:00

As I previously mentioned, it's been a busy time of year for me and I hope to make a number of posts in the next week/month/decade.

I've been relandscaping my garden and the light at the end of the tunnel has just started to glow. I should have 'designed' it this way years ago but I got the 'plant collectors' syndrome and spent ridiculous amounts of cash on ridiculous plants that would never do well in our ridiculous climate! Ridiculous really. Anyway, a post to follow soon with before and after photos.

I've also gotten (right word??) back into art after a number of years being a pencil free zone. One particular commission I just completed is worthy of posting here, but I'll wait until its been presented to the new owner as a birthday surprise, just in case they read this blog (which is doubtful!)

Into my busy schedule, I shoehorned a 9 mile walk around the Ystradfellte waterfall circuit last Saturday in proper Welsh drizzle. Photos and report to follow. I wore my new Inov8s - first time I've owned a pair. Comfortable!!

Bike Theft

2010-06-10T08:38:00.003+01:00

Some mugging little Chav B*****ds broke into my in-laws garage on Monay night and relieved me of my mountain bike! It was the only thing they took so I imagine they must have spotted it whilst perusing the area. The ironic thing was that three weeks ago we heard of two other burglaries in the street and I mentioned to my wife...'I hope my bike's safe in their garage!'. 'Yeah, it'll be fine' was her response! :( It wasn't a particularly expensive bike and I didn't use it that often, but that's not the point.

Hopefully the insurance will payout. It seems these burglaries are rife at the moment. The police said they will try and send someone out if they have the resources.! WTF? I know it's just a mountain bike but reactions like this simply suggest to the thieves that they can go ahead and steal whatever they want.

Goodbye dear friend - I hope you collapse and maim the person who currently 'owns' you!

Galloping Across the Glyders

2010-04-01T13:06:00.006+01:00

Well, not galloping as such, more like a sedately paced trudge across the Glyders, but a most enjoyable one at that. Myself and a Kiwi friend from London, Dave, set off from South Wales on Saturday morning with the intention of getting a good afternoon's walking in followed by a nights camp at Beddgelert, returning on Sunday.

We arrived at the Ogwen valley at 10:45 after a good journey and set off up the North Face of Tryfan. It was fairly quiet, as the north ridge goes, and we made good progress, despite the few times we needed to backtrack and search out another route. I hadn't spied the cannon-stone on previous ascents so I made sure we sniffed it out this time for the usual 'tourist shot'.

Conditions were pretty good with excellent visibility making for some good shots.

Adam, Dave and Eve. He wimped out of doing the 'jump'.

A snack at Tryfan's summit (with around 30 others for company - which sounds crowded but if you are a Tryfan regular you'll know it's not too bad at all) before we descended to Bwlch Tryfan and opted for the scree slope, over Bristly Ridge, to get up to Glyder Fach.
First, time for the self timer shot

On top of Glyder Fach's summit plateau, there were still large areas of snow, some drifts up to thigh depth. But nothing other than a decent pair of boots were required....on your feet at least!

Onto the Cantilever stone for a bit of arsing around...

The Ogwen Valley looked great and made for a postcardesque picture.

We made good speed over Glyder Fawr and before dropping down in to Devil's Kitchen, we took the short detour to the summit of Y Garn where more photo opportunities presented.

Back down the hill and down the steep steps of Devil's Kitchen...I always think of Tolkien's description of the Dimrill Stair out of Moria is exactly like the Devil's kitchen descent. (LOTR fans will know what I'm talking about)

Lyn Idwal and Pen Yr Ole Wen from halfway down the descent.

Just before we got back tot he car the moon was positioned nicely over Tryfan. The cannon stone from the first pic in this post is clearly visible in centre shot.

7 hours of excellent walking!

We spent the night at the campsite in Beddgelert accompanied by half a dozen pints at two of the small pubs in the village. Next morning, we visited the acclaimed 'Pete's Eats' in Llanberis for a superb breakfast (Bacon is more like gammon!) before heading onto our appointment at 'World of Ferns'. More on this nursery in a future post.

Europe's biggest Sand Dune

2010-03-08T19:02:00.005Z

Merthyr Mawr is a gem of a village near Ogmore by Sea and Bridgend in South Wales. It reputedly has the biggest Sand Dune in Europe, 'The big Dipper' and it's a great place for a walk on a nice day. It's very popular with dog Walkers, Horse Riders, Runners and people just looking for some fresh sea air.
Just a few pics of myself, my wife, son, sister, brother-in-law and their dog enjoying the sunshine (albeit with a cold wind). The 12' driftwood sculpture appeared to be built at random by whoever and looked like it totally belonged there!

The Black Mountains

2010-02-20T22:18:00.004Z

The Black Mountains weren't today, they were white. Beautifully white, encrusted in a layer of snow that gradually receded as your eye followed the ground from the ridge down into the valley. It was a perfect day for a walk.

We did 8 miles in a fairly swift 4 hours. starting from Llanbedr, we climbed to table mountain, then along the ridge to Pen Cerrig Calch, Pen Allt Mawr, then looped around the small spur at Pen Twyn Mawr in the centre of the valley. The views were immense, but my photographic skills weren't. I'm trying to learn how to use my camera correctly, and that means learning from my mistakes, of which there are currently zillions! Still, here's a few to give a taste of the conditions today.

I love the remote feeling you get in the black mountains. We saw three other people all day, one from a distance of about half a mile.

Cutting back.

2010-02-18T13:47:00.003Z

In gardening terms, this UK winter in my little corner of Wales, has been severe. Many of the 'exotic' plants I grow have been killed or sustained a lot of damage from frost, snow and sub zero temps. I'm not bothered. In a strange way, I'm glad. I've grown pretty tired of the hobby in general - it seems pointless at times, but I guess that's the way with many hobbies that are essentially 'collections'. I would visit nurseries and buy plants, because they caught my eye, without any thought of where to plant them or whether they would look right.

So, I'm culling a lot of what I grow and I'm going to reclaim a lot of garden space for a bigger lawn where I can play with my young son and my wife can enjoy the sunshine. I'll post some photos when the weather improves. I will still retain a number of the larger evergreen stuff I grow in a border around the edge, and I still have a fondness for ferns, especially treeferns. But anything that just isn't suited to my garden/climate/family will be going. There will be a few things I can sell to recoup a bit of money, but most things will be given away or composted.

Proper winter snow

2010-01-17T10:16:00.007Z

This winter has been a real winter...and it's not finished yet. We've had more snow this winter than for many years. It's cleared now and we seem to be back in the usual winter groove of cold, damp days with a dominant south westerly.

I managed to pop out for a walk when the heaviest snow had fallen, back on January 10th. There's a ridge above Cwmbran that connects Twmbarlwm with Mynydd Maen, and on the other side of the ridge is the Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, a country park set in a forested valley with great walking and mountain biking. It doesn't look like it from the photos, but in places I waded through snow that was approaching waist deep.

Hidden among the trees in the Scenic drive, I found a bivouac. The only recent signs of use were several discarded cans of Oranjeboom!

A made a scientific discovery. Robins like Goji berries.

This is the start of the cross country mountain bike track. I passed a number of bikers on the day despite several inches of snow on the ground.

A wild pony I've encountered a number of times on the ridge. No goji berries left so he had my apple which went down a treat.

It was easy to see that plenty of others had been out enjoying the conditions.

On the top of Twmbarlwm it was pretty bleak. A strong easterly wind and poor visibility. It felt good though.

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T18:13:00.001Z

A Happy New Year to all readers of my blog. I hope all 3 of you have a great 2010!