Carreg Wastad - Climbing in the Llanberis Pass.

The North Wales 'Indian Summer' continues! Had decided to go into Ogwen, but having seen the shady cliffs and felt the nippy wind blowing, we aborted and re-routed to the sunny side of the Llanberis Pass.

Here, at the cliff of Carreg Wastad, we climbed three classic climbs, starting with Crackstone Rib.

This was quickly followed by Skylon HS (4b), which is a really good little climb.

Then finally, before heading off, we nipped up Shadow Wall VS (4c), which has a great top pitch, which feels super exposed! Instead of topping out, we abseiled from this route back to the bags (60m), which went quite well, apart from having to negotiate the holly tree half way down!

All this was followed by chips in Pete's Eats, washed down by a brew a friend's new house in Llanberis. Then to top it all off, on the drive home there was another real stunner of a sunset that we stopped to show some appreciation to before arriving back at The Cottage.

Lighthouse Arête VS (4c)

It's always a good idea to check the length of the rope you are about to abseil on is long enough to reach your destination. We started out our day by abseiling down the sea cliffs of Castell Helen. We had our own abseil rope, but having found one insitu, we decided to just head on down it. We found the owners of the rope climbing up, who informed us that it didn't actually reach the bottom of the cliff! So the route started with a bit of faff, as we had to then had to build a belay and make a second abseil! 

Once established in 'the niche', we sorted out our gear and set off up the enjoyable VS route called 'Lighthouse Arete'. It had been a bit cold and windy by the van, but down at sea level it was a real sun trap and gloriously warm. In fact, when we emerged, three pitches later, it was 25 degrees on the thermometer!

As always, on a calm day, it's a wonderful place to climb...

The route passed without incident although was a bit steeper than I remembered on the second pitch! Back up at the abseil point where the route finishes, we had some food and even a little snooze in the sun! As it was only mid-afternoon and we had a van packed full of toys, we decided to take a little sea kayaking trip from nearby Porth Daffach.

There have not been many times when its been warm enough to kayak on the sea wearing only shorts and a buoyancy aid!

We paddled south towards Treaddur Bay, past some crazy old rock formations and cliffs.

All in all a fabulous 'summers day' out on Anglesey!

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Another fine day at the beach today and finishing with a quick trip up into the hills for sunset!

Spent most of the day Paddleboarding around the little islands off Rhosnigr Bay. (No photos, as I didn't have a waterproof camera with us). All finished off with a visit to the crepe shop for a re-fuel! 

Later that day, we hiked up onto the edge of the Carneddau Monutains, to watch another great sun set.

The mountains were glowing red as the sun dipped, and in the other direction, we could see Anglesey and the sea.

And as if that wasn't enough awe and wonder for one day, we set our alarms form 3am, and got up and watched the lunar eclipse in the back yard! A stunning moment to share together.

Sunset Special

Not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky and not a ripple on the ocean. It's been a calm day weather wise. Mountains, river or beach, everywhere was in good condition today!

I've been out of the mountains, over in Anglesey for most of the day. I've been with a group of students and we've managed to pack a lot in, before a beach BBQ watching a really splendid sunset. 

We were straight out of tents and off for a run along the beach first thing, followed by an alfresco breakfast, before going go-Karting.

A picnic lunch and a walk back to the beach, led into the afternoon activity of beach football and swimming in the sea. Time flew by and while we cooked up some burgers, we got a real visual display as the sun set in front of us. 

The light just got better and better...

Llyn Brenig to the beach

A bit of boating today for a change. This time assisting with a sailing group, by driving a safety boat on Llyn Brenig.  

High up on the Denbigh Moors at an altitude of over 300m, it's claim to fame is that's it's home to the highest sailing club in Wales. And because of this, it's probably one of the coldest! Despite the blue sky, the wind chill was considerable!

On the woods nearby there were some funky 'shrooms'!

Then having finished with one group, It was 'all change' as I've now picked up another group and am now camped up in the Isle of Angelesy! 

Reef Live.

It's been over twenty years since I first saw the band 'reef'. I think I've seen them play live six times, the first time being in a dingey club in Corby with an audience made up of my me, my brother, two school friends and about three other drunk guys. Since then they've headlined at Glastonbury!

Having not heard of them much in recent years, I was delighted to discover that they were playing a small gig in Chester this evening! But not before a little time in the hills...

Having spent the day teaching rock climbing and movement skills above Llyn Padarn in Snowdonia, I jumped in the van and sped over to Chester for an evening of fine music and nostalgia. 

I was front row as the band played some of my favourite tunes.

The venue was really small and the band really interacted with the crowd, making for a pretty intimate performance. A fantastic (and somewhat nostalgic) night, with great music, great musicians and a lively crowd. Live music how it should be.

Catching up in the capital

They say you can make new friends, but you can't make old ones... So as an old friend of mine, who lives overseas happened to be in London this week, I managed to catch a train down to visit. Years can go by without our paths crossing, so as he had arrived in the same country, a quick trip to the city meant that we could catch up.

We spent the day seeing the sights and catching up on each other's news. The weather could have certainly been much better, but the company made up for it as we took a scenic cruise down the Thames!

I called into the Tate Modern before heading home...

Not sure how impressed I was though...

There was an amazing sunset which lit up the buildings! 

While I was down that way, I made the most of the trip by visiting Tracey & Chris. Had some fun hanging out with James as well, before darting back to Wales on the train. Very surreal to breakfast in the city and then have afternoon tea with friends back here in the mountains!

Snowdonia Weekend Wanderings

This weekend I've been around Snowdonia assessing a Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition. Thankfully the weather has been kind to us!

It's a fun thing to be involved with but not without its stresses. Waiting for the teams to meet at a checkpoint can lead to all sorts of guesses on where they might be if they don't arrive in time. Usually it's best to stay cool and wait for them to sort things out if they've made a mistake. This is easier said than done though - especially when they become long overdue, as happened during Saturday afternoon. At least there was a cafe near the checkpoint, so we could wait in comfort!

It was a perfect night for camping in the Ogwen Valley. There was not a cloud in the sky and Tryfan's silhouette made for an impressive skyline. As night fell, we pointed out various constellations, and saw a few satellites and a shooting star. It felt cold, but was actually only ten degrees when I bade them good night and returned to The Cottage. 

Sunday was cloudier, and between checking the group, was able to check out the Coed y Parc Railway which had been resurrected for the weekend!

Climbing on Conwy Mountain

It's not famed as a world class rock climbing venue, but for a beginner group, Conwy mountain was the ideal place to be today. Sheltered from the northerly breeze and fully facing the sun, made it a beautiful place to spend the day. And as a bonus, the views are fantastic!

Such what luck to be up there as the forecast had us heading indoors! We followed this with a quick abseil off the Deganwy crag on the way home, looking back at Conwy mountain on the other side of the estuary.

Later that evening, stream trains from around the world were gathering in Coed y Parc for this weekends steam railway event! This engine just flew in from the states after leaving the Penrhyn Quarry in 1969!

And the day finished off with a stunner sunset...