Camp Cooking

Bitterly cold today. Luckily, I was tasked with a day of teaching camp cooking! - Specifically, how to make a decent hot meal on a single gas burner, in preparation for this summers Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expeditions. With hot drinks to hand all day, we survived and ate in style, cooking by the sea near Conwy.

Ogwen Winter Skills Day

Managed to time some great weather and good winter conditions well today for my student's winter skills day. The vibe at Ogwen Cottage was positively alpine - I love the way that the coating of snow completely transforms the mountains. Felt like I was on holiday!

We made our way up onto Y Garn, stopping regularly to admire the views.

As we got higher up, the clouds blew in and we decided to try out walking with our crampons on. 

On the way back down, some of the group experienced some 'experiential learning' after asking of they could jump onto the small island in the lake. After a good discussion about decision making and living with the consequences, some of the team decided to go for it. Some were more successful than others! Brrr! Great day, with some great students.

Cornwall & Somerset - a whirlwind visit

The long, but mercifully, the traffic-free road south through the United Kingdom, saw us passing over the Tamar Bridge and into Cornwall, well after dark and in the midst of continuous heavy rain.

It was a long way to travel for a night out, but the party that was in full-flow when we arrived was more than worth it.

A 40th Birthday celebration and the coming together of a whole group of good friends - the kind of friends that you don't mind driving the length of the country to hook up with. Naturally, the entertainments were first class too and there was much dancing to catch up on.

While Mike and Dave kept the after party dancing, we moved between the dance floor and conversations to catch up on each other news of the last year or so.

The barn had been decorated with loads of paintings that Dave had brought along and lit up for extra effect.

Once we could dance no more, it was good to get horizontal in the back of the van, minutes later, and we crashed out for a few hours of sleep. A storm rocked the trees above us and several branches woke us as they landed loudly on the roof of the van. I was so tired, I soon returned to sleep after each noise.

Leaving the sleeping party people, we rolled down the hill to Looe in the morning to have breakfast with Jenny.

With a hot pasty for the road, we navigated the tiny lanes and high hedges, back to the party people for further cups of tea, chat and then farewell later in the afternoon.

Somerset was our next port of call, where the weather was cold, but much clearer. Family visits, plenty of chat, fine foods and a tour of Taunton were all on the cards as we gradually made our way north.

Even had a go on an e-bike! What an amazing invention! Fast on the uphills, without too much effort...

Aberffraw Spring Tide

I arrived at Aberffraw with my group to find that one of the biggest spring tides of the year has almost cut the village off. The estuary was as wide as I've ever seen it and perfectly calm.

There was so much water, that it was only just possible to get onto the bridge without getting wet feet.

And the usual road and footpath to the sea was out of the question!

Out at the river mouth, we were treated to dramatic views across to the Lleyn Peninsular. It was enough of a sight to stop the whole group in their tracks. We stood and stared for about five minutes.

After some of the more 'adventurous' members of the groups slipped off some rocks and fell into the sea, we decided to cut our walk short a bit. We were spending time rock pooling and treasure hunting amidst the bountiful piles of shells.

There was so much to see....

And thanks to the Military Road donations, plenty of magnifying glasses to go around!

A small swell started to build as we walked back to the now empty estuary at the end of the day. It's always amazing to see how much the tide moves around here. A great day to be exploring on the rocky coastline..

Welsh Winter - a nocturnal adventure

Prior engagements during daylight hours sometimes mean that in order to catch the fickle conditions of the elusive Welsh Winter, the deployment of a headtorch is necessary. Unsurprisingly, it was easy to find a car parking spot at Ogwen Cottage this evening!

Armed with the necessary tools, equipment and a keen sense of adventure, we left the glow of the street light above the van and ventured up into the land of snow and ice. We had minimal gear and aimed to move quickly. Aled's beacon of a headtorch led the way into the still night.

After a steep and sweaty climb, we left the footprints that we had been loosely following and put in new tracks around the frozen shore of Llyn Clyd, being careful not to slip and slide in. Having located the base of Banana Gully on the looming east face of Y Garn, we began upward progress again.

Progress was slow indeed from here. The gully was over knee deep in rounded graupel pellets, that were buried under a slight crust of snow. One step upwards would be followed by sliding back down two. It was hot work and somewhat comical. Upwards we continued into the night. Step by step.

After what felt like an age (but in fact was only 1 hour 40 mins from setting out), the summit slope and small cornice came into view and Aled disappeared triumphantly over the top and onto the welcome flat ground.

We didn't stay long as we were now exposed to a chilling wind. Instead, we descended a few steps and dug a ledge to sit and rest with a hot drink.

Given the extraordinary snow conditions, we decided that the fastest and most fun descent would be down the gully (not normally recommended). After negotiating a few rocks, we sat down and bum-slid at high speeds into the darkness, riding a bow wave of soft groupel! Seven minutes later, we were back at the bottom grinning from ear to ear and laughing our heads off. This video shows what I mean about the unusually deep graupel snow:

A mini-adventure indeed - just a shame we couldn't see our tracks! 

- Y Garn:

:Banana Gully (Grade 1) - (with the Edwards-Martin right hand peel variation & descent)

On the road - changing of the seasons

Leaving Wales on Sunday night, I followed the full moon down to Fort Martin, arriving just before the lunar eclipse and the onset of clouds.

Suitably attired for a bit of twitching, we enjoyed a blustery hike around Pitsford Reservoir the next day where top spots included some Wigeon.

Despite following the shore of a large body of water, we did have a few navigational issues, but after passing by a flock of geese, we chose the correct path that led us to the cafe and our salvation. It might not have been much to look at, but the cafe produced a decent coffee and hot chocolate inside, where we warmed up.

Pre-birthday celebrations for the boss followed that night, with all the associated tom-foolery that we like to enjoy (and expect) at The Fort. Fine dining (with the Wakling 1902 cutlery no less!) and even an introduction into the dubious world of G&T preparations. 

This morning was an absolute corker. Blue sky and a touch of frost. 

We took a stroll of the estate before breakfast to admire the surrounding and sights at first light.

Plenty of snowdrops out and daffs well on the way.

On the road back to Wales, the sky grew darker and the ground wetter and colder with every mile driven. On reaching the A5, snow started to fall.

Past Llangollen, the fields began to turn white.

After an afternoon meeting at Lledr Hall, near Betws y Coed, I reached the Ogwen Valley at dusk, just in time to get a glimpse of the snow covered mountains. Such a change from this mornings view!