Orienteering at Glynllifon

Orienteering around the Country Parc today. Such a magical place to explore, with unique and unusual plant and trees. And all within a walled estate, so it's hard to lose too many of your students as they dash around the woodlands looking for markers! Needed to keep on the move as it was only about four degrees all day and overcast!

Coastal Views

 

Cold and crisp down at the coast still, but a bit of cloud in the hills. No mountaineering today, as I had a 'different' kind of day and spent it trying all sorts of things, including pottery, go-Karting and drone flying!

 

Llanfairfecham beach was the perfect place to finish us as the sun set and once again there was another fantastically colourful sky...

 

Snowdon via the Llanberis Path

Back up Snowdon again today! This time with a group of students and with the most crystal clear conditions imaginable. Not a single cloud and not a breath of wind. I'm staying with the team for the weekend in Llanberis at Dol Peris Guesthouse which is quite simple one of the finest places a mountaineer could ever wish to stay in Snowdonia. It's owned by by my friends Phil and Lisa George who gave us a very reasonable rate for the weekend. As you can see, it's somewhere normally out of our price range - we are hardly roughing it! 

 

We were out the door and off down the high street by 9am, full of enthusiasm and excitement. A steady enough pace was set and with plenty of rests, we arrived through the tunnel under the railway where we had perfect framed views of the Glyders and Carneddau.

 

It was on with crampons and out with the ice axes from then on, as the snow had an icy crust that made it almost impassable without them. Plenty of folk tried though!!

 

Needless to say we passed plenty of crazies shuffling along on all fours, slipping in trainers and even one couple with their socks over their boots for grip?! Bonkers. 

 

Up at the top I could still see my tracks from two days ago! 

 

Despite the bustling crowds on the summit today, rather than the solitude of two days ago, it's still a good view looking out!

 

It was a much slower pace on the way down. There were also more frequent stops as well as the occasional protests about being able to move! The setting sun and the realisation that there is only one way to get yourself down to the valley, seemed to eventually provide the required motivation to keep us moving. 

 

We were still 90 ministers from home when the sun set, but the clear skies meant that it stayed light for a while until we needed our head torches on. 

 

The colours were beautiful and as we had no rush to get down, we took our time. It ended up being a 9 hour door to door hike though, which left everyone (including me!) glad to be back!

 

Tuna pasta and apple crumble were soon rustled up and shortly after everyone crawled off to bed, utterly spent! At 17km and 1000m of ascent, I'm not surprised! A stunning day to be out and glad to have been able to make the most of it. 

High Pressure Blues

 

High pressure continues to hang above the U.K. giving more fantastic mountain conditions! Sadly I had to be indoors today, preping with a group, but Clare sent me this photo of the Carneddau Mountains at sunset from just outside The Cottage. What a place.... 

Central Trinity, Snowdon

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much as I set off from Pen y Pass around midday. The telephone and internet has been down since the storms the other day, so had to call Fort Martin for a weather update! The forecast was suggesting a good day awaited, but the valley felt too warm. I kept the faith and plodded upwards from Pen y Pass. At the base of the Trinity Face on the northern slopes of Snowdon, I sat in the mist and ate some peanut butter sandwiches at the edge of the snow, considering my options. After fifteen minutes or so, a few seconds gap in the clouds revealed the base of Central Trinity Gully. I decided to gear up and go and investigate. There seemed to be plenty of snow, so carried onto the half way chockstone. From there on, it's easier to continue up than descending. The way ahead looked clear, so I committed to the summit and went for it. 

About 100m from the summit, I climbed through the cloud and into the blue sky. The snow was now icy and firm and the rocks all rimed up. It was an incredible moment; I felt like an Alpine hero, all alone on the quiet north face of Wales' highest mountain with perfect conditions. 

All the rocks were beautifully patterned with the rime ice.

 

As I reached the summit, I turned around to see a perfect broken-spectre below me on the clouds. I had the summit of the mountain to myself, where a strong wind was trying hard to push me over. 

 

It was great to have the broken-spectre shown on the summit shadow. I was too late with the camera, but you can just make it out. 

 

An old guy staggered up to join me, then promptly lost his had to the wind. On the route I'd climb past a thermos flask, a waterproof jacket and a plastic bag all frozen into the snow, which had presumably all travelled there from the summit. The hat joined the tally. 

I could have stayed up there for hours, but on discovering that I'd left my headtorch in the van, decided I'd best get moving. 

 

I descended the summit steps and enjoyed the views out south and west.

 

 

Then set off with my shadow on the downward journey.

Descending the pyg track, without the clouds gave the perfect view of the Trinity Face, with my line of foot prints tracking straight up the central Gully. 

 

This pic shows the route. Starting diagonally from left to right then straight up the middle, past the chockstone. Looking at it straight on, it seems outrageous steep and an improbable solo trip. Surely one of the greatest Gully journeys at the grade. Especially in such conditions. And the first ascent of the winter season. Utterly brilliant. 

 

Then back down into the clouds...

 

Col Gully, Cwm Lloer

The skies have finally started to clear, so I decided to head into Cwm Lloer to have a look around and check out how much snow and ice had been put down by the recent storms. There was a good amount of snow up high, but the temperature was hovering just above freezing, so the snow was very wet and heavy. 

 

Without snowshoes, it was arduous work getting to the back of the Cwm, where I hoped the temperatures would be cooler and the snow firmer. 

Luckily for me, my guesswork paid off and I was able to make an ascent of 'Col Gully', which is a grade one route that I'd not done before. Although it wasn't as firm as I'd have liked, it was packed full of snow and perfectly climbable and very enjoyable. 

 

As soon as I began to climb, the clouds rolled in and I was left in a whiteout as I ascended on my own. The cloud remained as I pulled up over the Corrie rim and navigated up to the summit of Pen yr ole Wen feeling particularly pleased.

 

On reaching the summit, the cloud lowered and I was rewarded with breathtaking views as the sun began to set in the west.

 

I stayed over by the ridge and was reluctant to leave as the cloud and light was so atmospheric. Mists blew through, then the sun and the views would return.

 

 

The shadow of the ridge was also projected onto the lower cloud with a broken-spectre of me standing on the ridge. Magic.

 

Once the sun had dipped and the show was over, I scurried if bavk to the valley before the light faded completely. What a fantastic day.

 

High Water Orienteering

When I got back to The Cottage yesterday evening, I emptied 55mm of rain out of the rain gauge. Three hours later, there was another 35mm in it! A spring has even started to bubble up in the grass outside! With such a deluge, that continued on into the night, I popped over to Llanberis today to check out the waterfall!

The rising water levels and inclement weather made today's orienteering session a little harder than normal - especially as one of the markers is on the end of this jetty!

 

Almost inevitably, after a relatively heroic effort to stay psyched about mapwork in the cold and rain we navigated our way into Pete's Eats to dry off and warm up over a mug of tea. All was not lost though as the front page of The Guardian supplement proved to be an excellent teaching aid, when it came to discussing grid references and geography!

 

Tales of a South West Roadtrip

I wrote this after last month's mini-adventure down to Cornwall, then promptly forgot about it... Great memories...

THE VOYAGE TO CORNWALL...

This road trips’ heading south and west;

To where the pasties taste the best.

There’s aunts down there and friends galore;

A good time guaranteed for sure.

Diesel and coffee’s what I’ll need, with the van as my trusty steed;

The mileage count will sure be high; shame I’ve got no wings to fly.

So fire up Google and it’s maps,

To plan the route, fuel stops and naps.

M6 goes for some duration; soon I’ll need a service station

On A14 I’m soon departin’ – lead the way, down to Fort Martin

Short notice not a problem here; I’m greeted warmly with cold beer.

“Bed and dinner? Breakfast too? I’m sure that’s something we can do”.

The food’s so tasty, quite first class – I think I’ll have another glass,

With desert too? If you insist – this road trip stop should not be missed!

Fed and watered, off to bed, excitements buzzing in my head.

Try my best to get some sleep, so to the schedule I can keep.

Up with the sun next blue sky morning, apples picked while I’m still yawning.

Around the grounds we take a walk, enjoy the views and stop to talk.

A quick detour to see Michelle, so far this road trip’s going well

Devonshire’s where I’ll next drive, and reach the climbing wall by five.

To meet with Hamish, Matt and Minna, then head to theirs in time for dinner.

Dine fine again, with laughs and fun; shot in the foot with a Nerf gun.

Up out the door and early too, as narrow lanes lead me to Looe,

It’s sat nav verses common sense; big hedge on both sides; driving tense.

A long reverse, around blind bend, hoping that it soon will end?

Find a better road to take, which proves to be a lucky break.

It leads me down to Amberly, where hugs prelude a cup of tea.

For breakfast, Jen, much care has taken; presenting fried up eggs with bacon.

Wally swells the team to three, and after food we check the sea;

Looe Island and the sleepy valley and quick look round the classic chalet.

Purchase pasties to sustain, the last leg, where we take the train.

Walter gets the coffees quick, the train pulls up with timing slick

Coffee’s drunk and pasties down, we soon roll into Penzance town.

Braced against cold Cornish air, Bob and Janet; waiting there.

The visiting nephews glad to see, their aunt and uncle by the sea.

A lap of town, share family news; while shown the sights and local views.

The schedule’s tight as Jan’s embrace; down side streets, station bound, we race.

This visit’s over far too quick, but to the plan we sure must stick.

In order to be Devon way, to dine with friends at end of day.

More farewells at Liskeard town, then hit the road in search of Brown.

Arrive for dinner and share memories, with Uni chums who work with trees.

The chat goes on long into dark; then share a bed with Mr Shark.

On final morning, I’m north bound; so call to see if Dave’s around,

A stop at Mendip; Phil’s there too! I stay for yet another brew.

Had hoped to get a brunch at Oake, but Neil’s away with Taunton folk,

So carry on with empty tum, but feeling sure I’ll soon find some.

Another stint in drivers seat; I’m going to need a bite to eat,

The coffee’s helped me stay awake, but without food I start to shake.

Turn off at Malvern for a look and find some toast with friend Tim Cook

At his new gaff (with mighty shed), I’m tempted to make use of bed.

But off I must, there’s far to go and Birmingham’s sure to be slow,

Soon it’s dark, but on I ride with music loud to keep eyes wide.

900 miles on the clock, the journey’s end unravels, 

Memories are made of this; adventure, fun and travels…

ian m.... Oct 2016

Crazy Climbing

Outside activities today were cancelled due to a severe weather warning of blizzards, gales and heavy sleet, snow and rain. It was one of the grimmest days that I can remember around here! By evening the roads were beginning to flood and just walking across the car park was a struggle to stay upright. A 'For Sale' sign flew past and almost came through the windscreen as I was driving too! I'm back in The Cottage now, with the fire lit with no intention of leaving anytime soon! ON the bright side, hopefully, there is loads of snow getting put down up in the mountains!? Could there be an early season ski tour on the horizon once it all calms down?!
The 'Crazy Climb' at the Beacon was a saviour today - it's great fun and all on auto-belays. It's a real work-out as well, so can be good cardio as well as strength and technique training. Not just for kids! (in my opinion!).

Indoor Climbing at the Beacon

The variety of the Mountaineering Instructor continued today with an indoor climbing session at The Beacon Climbing Centre near Llanberis. Once again, I had a motivated team who were super keen to get going. Working our way through the graded bouldering problems, everyone put in a really good effort, but we got beaten back at around the 6b/c mark. Everyone was so pumped by lunch time that we had to use the training area to do a little lesson on outdoor climbing kit to give everyone a rest!

Time flew by in the afternoon, when we did some of the roped climbs. By this time, the wall had started to fill up with climbers who had tried to go outside this morning, but found the rock too cold to hold! On the drive home we stopped a couple of times to appreciate the views. The clouds had cleared and the mountains topped with snow. Totally stunning in the late afternoon light.

The question is, 'how long will it stay for'?... It was already frosty by the time I got home this evening, so it looks like it will be cold for a few days to come... Best dust off my ice axe and crampons just in case!

 

Snowy Scrambling on Tryfan

Although it had been a crazy long day up in the Lake District yesterday, it was worth the late night to get back to Ogwen this morning and find some fresh snow on the hills and some enthusiastic students who were eager to get out and about in it! The picture above shows the pointed shadow of Tryfan as we began our ascent from Ogwen Cottage. The temperature was hovering just above freezing, but needless to say, I was plenty warm enough in my new Rab Waterproof Trousers!

 

After initially wanting to climb a gully on the East face, we changed plans for a shorter scramble up on the West side instead as we weren't quite sure on how icy it would be. As it turned out, we would have been fine either way, as the snow was soft. but our choice meant that we could enjoy the sunshine as we climbed!

 

We followed a good scrambling route and even used the rope to protect a few bits and teach some skills. This next photo was taken standing on top of Adam (or Eve?) at the summit - you can still see the shadow in the valley. It looked a long was down and a bit too icy for jumping across to the other rock today!

On our way down we had to stop to rescue a couple (and their dog!) who had got slightly lost and ended up in a gully they couldn't climb out of. We used our rope to give them some assistance, then hoisted the poor dog and pointed them in the right direction, before continuing our descent. It was a wonderful day to be out in the hills.

And in case you're wondering, yes, I'll admit, I was a little bit tired by the time I got back to The Cottage this evening!