Alpine Starts on Cader Idris

An early flight to somewhere exciting or an early ascent of a mountain are probably the only two good reasons to be crawling into the back of the van and setting an alarm like this before going to sleep...

Thankfully, it was well worth it - when the sun rose at 5am, we were treated to this fantastic light show!

I was taking some 6th Form students for an early ascent of Cader Idris in Mid Wales. We'd not quite got to the start point, but the colours were so bright and vivid I had to pull over the minibus so that we could take a few moments to fully appreciate the natural spectacle. For a few special moments the mountains were on fire with the orange light...

 

Needless to say there was no one about as we made our way up throught the gloom. After the initial burst of light, the clouds drew back over and we soon found ourselves in the mists.

Over in the distance, a ray of light was illuminating Barmouth Estuary.

It was a good natured and sociable hike, but given the time of day, nobody was really firing on all cylinders - including me!!...

After breakfast on the summit, (steak pie!) everyone was buoyed up and got into the flow for the descent, especially as the clouds broke up a bit too.

By 9:30am, we were back in the car park feeling suitable pleased with our mornings efforts.

But the day had only just begun! Next stop was Tryfan, where a fellow Mountain Leader took the group while I reclined the  drivers seat and promptly fell asleep. Then finally we drove around to Pen y Pass so that the team could try an ascent of Snowdon and complete their '3 Peak Challenge'. By now the weather has completely deteriorated. They made a very respectable effort, but were turned back just short of the summit in torrential rain with gale force gusts of wind. They were all still in high spirits when they got down, but soaked to the pants and we all agreed that it was a good decision to turn back. Even though the summit had not been made, they'd still taken on the challenge - and that's what counts...

Preparing to Fly

There has been a bit of a lack of summer conditions these last few days, which have kept me out of the hills for a bit. Probably a good job too as there has been much to organise and prepare for our next, forthcoming adventure and time is rapidly running short...

Meanwhile, it turns out that we aren't the only ones preparing to fly off somewhere on an adventure. Our local little Swallow friends are all hatched and excitedly chirping and peering over the edge of their nest, preparing for their own next adventure! 

Yesterday, the first brave one took the plunge, and would have managed quite well had he not taken a wrong turn and ended up indoors! We popped him back into the nest so he could refocus have another try!

Since then I think they've been a bit reluctant to go for it, but they are growing up fast and soon there won't be space for everyone!... Who's gonna go first though!?...

Under the Big Top

What a crazy, cool weekend celebrating Barney and Sinead's wedding 'under the big top', somewhere in the countryside just outside of Dublin. Having made it across the water we disembarked the Irish Ferry and drove off in search of somewhere to park up for a quick snooze, to recharge, before the party began.

After an hours snooze in the back of the van, we brewed up some strong coffee and had a bit to eat. I was feeling knocked for six at this point and was experiencing a sevre engery crisis! Luckily, the food and drink soon sank in, the shakes eased off and before too long we felt ready to party... 

All we needed was a quick change in a remote country layby and it felt like a whole new day was about to start!...

All dressed up, we made it to the venue right on time...

The celebrations were all afternoon and into the evening, with plenty of garden games to keep us entertained.. 

The 'garden' was like a festival site, with plenty of places to sit and chat with some friends who we hadn't see in years as well as meeting plenty of new folk.

The wedding cake was a work of art - and delicious!

As with any good wedding, the speeches were a highlight - especially the groom's, which was delivered in a packed out Big-Top, through the medium of song, with everyone getting a personal 'shout out' and the whole crowd joining in with the chorus! Quality! 

All in all a brilliant celebration and great to catch up. Even got to sample a bit of Guiness too!

And we're alway keen for a bit of dancing!..

These Irish folk certainly know how to party - and how to knock back the drinks!..

Eventually, we could dance no more, so left the die hards singing around one of the (many) campfires (good job too as they were there until 5:30am!), and strolled over the road to our luxury van accommodation for a blissful sleep. What a party! Congrats Barney & Sinead!

Always on the move...

I managed less than 12 hours at The Cottage last night, before moving on!...

After a long, slow and traffic-full drive home from the Lake District, it was good to see the hills of Snowdonia, with the sunset lighting up the clouds beautifully. I had just enough time to shower and eat before some friends arrived from Cornwall. It was a long overdue visit and we had a real hoot catching up into the night...

We left them sleeping this morning as we headed off to catch the early ferry for a weekend mission to Ireland!

Currently somewhere in the Irish Sea, trying to sleep, but too excited to do so!

Across the English Lake District

After just over a full day at home, the nomadic mountain lifestyle of Ian has had me on the move again...

And this week, I've been mostly travelling across the beautiful Lake District.... 

And what a stunning week it has been! A few days before I arrived, the forecast was looking dire, but thanks to a big,  blocking high pressure, the weather has remained fantastic. I'm supervising a team of students who are doing their Gold D of E expedition. We started on Monday on the west coast at Ravenglass and are heading east across the National Park. There's been a lot less trekking for me than last week, as I have to drive the minibus and meet the guys at various points along the way. In between camps I've managed to make the most of my 'down time', by visiting friends in the area. One of the nice things about the outdoor community is that I have ended up with good friends in good places! After a great night at Fort Ledgard, on Tuesday, I met up with Kirsty, another supervisor I am working with, and we managed to get a quick climb in near our respective checkpoints in Eskdale! Bonus!

The lads camped one night, high up on the famous 'Hardnott Pass'. I decided to play it safe and left he bus at the bottom and set out on foot to check them into camp! Good job too - it's steep!

Kirsty and I were both keen for another climb, but our paths looked unlikely to cross the next day. The only option was an early morning ascent of the super grippy (but not well protected) Hare Crag in Eskdale before the groups were up. I was a bit bleary eyed, but it's a brill little crag and the views are okay too... Well worth an early alarm!

After the climb, I met the team by the river. As they were a bit late, I was able to have a 'freshen up/wash' by jumping into the deep pools! It was very refreshing to say the least, but warmer than the Welsh rivers.

I've seen a few sights and enjoyed a few walks and even found time for a bit of reading down by Tarn Howes one evening. Who'd have thought it used to be a day event to walk around it when we were younger!

One morning I woke in my tent on the shore of Coniston Water, so with sleep in my eyes, stumbled down to the waters edge for a delightful swim before breakfast. I actually managed to stay in for quite a while. It was such a tranquil morning, I felt I should really make the most of it!

This has to be one of the best breakfasting spots I've had in a while!

The evenings have produced some really beautifully still reflections... 

I'm just heading off to my last camp of the trip, but not before a drink in my favourite Lakeland cafè... (Well, you've got to have some luxuries when camping!)...

Hare Crag, Eskdale:

- The Diagonal Slab, Severe (4a)

- The Arete, Diff

- Slab Route, V.Diff

Seams the Same - E1,5b

Even after a splendid sleep, I was in still in need of a bit of a chilled day. Ideally, something without much walking involved - a few mellow routes in the Llanberis Slate Quarry seemed like a good idea as I still felt like a bit of a zombie...

By the time we'd strolled in, the sun was fully out and the colours in the slate were as bright as the flowers in the paths...

'A few mellow routes', somehow turned into some of the hardest climbing we've done of late! Clare set the standard for the day, by floating up the classic E1 climb, 'Seams the Same' without hesitation. It was great to watch as she zoned into the climbing and made the whole thing look very easy.

Buoyed on by her 'flow-state ascent', we walked up to the next level to have a try on some climbs on Yellow Wall. Clare had climbed them previously, but I had not, so was keen to have a look.

After a bit of umming and erring, I decided that I probably wasn't in the greatest state of awakeness to go for the lead. The climbing looked ok, but the first bit of protection was a classic slate bolt - sportingly positioned at about 6 or 7 metres high. Higher than I fancied venturing without protection after only a few hours of sleep the previous night. So, to play it safe, Clare set up a rope so I could check out the moves. That's not something we ever really do, as it can take away the unknown/drama of the climb, but it meant that I could really enjoy the climbing and could concentrate on the athletic movements rather than my safety. Of course, it's easy to say this in hindsight, but I think I would have been fine to lead it! While the rope was up, Clare upped the anti again, by making a clean ascent of an E4,6a!

After that, my energy levels decided that it was ice cream time, so we popped into Llanberis, before heading back to The Cottage, where some friends came over and had dinner with us. It felt good to be home...

Llanberis Slate:

Serengetti:

- Seams the Same, E1,5b

Yellow Wall:

- The Great Curve, E2,5b (tr)

- Remain in Light, E4,6a (tr)

Col Grand St Bernard (2473m)

It was all looking a bit gloomy outside this morning!

The pristine alpine panorama around the village of Bourg-St-Pierre was nowhere to be seen and the rain was coming down steadily by the time we left the Gite.

I'd spent a lot of time last night working through our options for the day - mixing together an assessment of the weather forecasts, the opinions of locals and then ultimately, using my judgement, experience and gut feelings... Given the conditions, it was a wise decision to resort to public transport for part of the final leg of our journey. There is still a great deal of snow up near the Col, which would have been arduous as well as potentially unsafe in the mists.

Up at the Col there is a monks hospice, a museum and a small gift shop. The temperature was only four degrees above freezing and the rain was pelting down! After meeting our first genuine St Bernard dogs, we took refuge in the museum to learn a bit of the history of the place.

Rucksacks and mountain boots have certainly come on a long way since the Romans were toiling over this high mountain pass..

Just before lunch, we set off into the mists to complete the aim of our expedition and cross over the border into Italy - our third country of the week! Sadly, the idea of celebratory ice creams, a swim in the lake and trimphant blue sky photos had to be shelved. We consoled ourselves with some fine Italian coffee and a bit of apple tart in the warmth of a cafe instead...

Hiking back upto the St Bernard Hospice, we got a glimpse of visability and the lake was certainly not swimable!

It's not a particularly pretty building to look at (see above), but inside (where the monks still live!), there is a beautiful chapel. 

Having learnt a bit of history and adandoned any notions of bagging nearby peaks, we set off on the long journey home... 

The bus from the Col, took us to Orsieres, where a train continued downwards to Martigny, via a change at Sembrancher. In Martigny, we grabbed some food and had the good fortune of being able to watch the second half of the Euro'16 '- England vs Wales', which provided some good entertainment as well as a nice break in the journey. (Last minute winner gave England a 2:1 win).

Eventually, Geneva Airport was reached, and after a bit of a delay we were in the air just after 23:00... After returning the team to their respective homes, I made it to The Cottage at 3:24am and was asleep in seconds...