Clouds in the Carneddau

Stopped to appreciate some incredible cloud formations on the way to Llanberis last night...

Heatwave Hiking

Not a cloud in the sky this morning! Having enjoyed the amazing sunset from the mountain top, I had to pay for my exposed position by enduring a night of flapping canvas as a strong wind had picked up. By the time I got up, the wind was so strong that I almost lost the tent as I was taking it down. I managed to bundle it all into my pack before setting off to meet the guys.

In between todays check points, I was pleased to manage to get a few jobs done as well, so felt super productive.

The final camp was up on Gryn, which was hosting another spectacular sunset viewing point. the wind was almost reaching gale force as we huddled behind some sheepfolds to cook our evening meal. Every now and then, a pan lid would get blown off in a gust!

Given the incredible temperatures (it was 29 degrees at 19:00), I had hiked up to meet the lads on the mountain top, carrying a jerrycan with 15 litres of fresh water and feeling a bit like a Himalayan Sherpa! Instead of camping, I went back down to The Cottage, so that I could meet them in the morning with fresh supplies (and have a comfy night in bed!).

On the walk down, I shared the view with the wild ponies...

Friday continued to be super hot, so with a 10litre jerry can of water strapped to the back of the e-bike, I met the team several times for 're-supplies' while enjoying a fantastic bike ride. (Thanks Pat - it's brilliant!). The team finish in Llanberis at the home of one of the students. We arrived for a late afternoon BBQ, which was a delicious treat!
Once all was packed away and de-briefs done, I returned to the Ogwen Valley with Clare for an evening swim - it was literally too hot to do anything else!

Then as a final treat of the day, while we were swimming back to shore, an Otter walked up to our bags and over the rocks! I've only ever seen one once in North Wales, so amazing to see one so close up.

Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expedition Training

On my final Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition for a while - and it's a good one! There is a heatwave across most of Europe and we set off late so we wouldn't be out in the hottest part of the day. The good news is that, once I'd checked on the team, I got to camp on a nearby mountain top, by myself and watch the sun go down...

From the porch of the tent, I got a fabulous light show...

It was almost 10pm. I just sat, watched, then fell asleep.... Magic.

Post Expedition Re-Adjustment

Twenty-four hours later, relaxing in the sun-soaked Cottage gardens, Morocco seems like another planet away. Lots to process, sort out, clean, pack away, file and reminisce about. I took the time lapse video from the summit of Jebel Toubkal - Morocco's highest mountain.
Thankfully the weather here in Wales has been delightful. We've been making the most of The Cottage luxuries and I've only strayed as far as the river since being back! Nice to take it easy and enjoy some resting...

Homeward Bound....

Morocco really is an extordinary place. When our bus that was scheduled to take us to the airport didn't arrive, I simply asked a cafe owner if he new anyone with a bus. Ten minutes later one had appeared and for twenty euros, we all had a lift to departures. Bonkers really... 

The flight was a good geography lesson!

Saw the coast of Africa...

The rock of Gibraltar and the straits...

Picked out Taunton and the Quantox Hills in Somerset and the new Runcorn Bridge. 

A driver returned us back to base and before I knew it was home, via a small shop that was stocked with more variety of products than any Moroccan would believe... Decided not to have cous-cous and Tagine for dinner though and delighted in drinking fresh water straight from the tap. How lucky we are....

Marrakesh

A long, deep sleep was had by everyone last night and I would have lazed in bed longer, had the room and bed not been crawling with flies! We loaded up the poor mule for one last time and headed on foot down to the village of Imlil, where we met our bus.

I'd taken care to make sure we had a good bus as road safety isn't really a phrase that's used in Morocco. There was plenty of evidence of crashes on the drive down to Marrakesh - look at the 'road barrier' in the photo below!

After locating our Hotel, we went for lunch in the main town square.

Up on a terrace, above the madness, we could take stock of our surroundings and get our bearings a bit. Afterwards, we had a bit of down time, though the heat of the day and regrouped at 5 for a tour of the town by horse and cart.

After several negotiations, haggles, 'best prices' and other such nonsense, we climbed aboard...

It was a nice way to see the town and with a group of you, relatively inexpensive.

From there, we set off into the famous market souqs...

Everything is for sale - from Teapots to Rolexs and nothing with a fixed price...

We all made it out alive, although some with lighter wallets. We had dinner from the 'safety' of another terrace cafe. It was more expensive up there, but worth it to be able to relax.

After watching acrobats, storytellers, snake charmers and more haggling, we eventually made it back to the hotel at 11pm all utterly shattered, where we spent the night lying on our beds sweating, listening to the chaos outside.

The Toubkal Traverse

Magic mountain moments today, as we stood on the highest point in North Africa and watched the sunrise. Of course, to get the magic, you’ve got to put in a bit of graft, but the novelty of getting up and having breakfast at 02:20 in the morning masked the fact that we had to be up so early. I was actually glad to get up as the hut dormitory was hot, sweaty and cramped. I did get some sleep, but was glad that we were first up and out.

We were walking away just after 3am. Everyone had acclimatised well and with a steady pace and regular drink stops, we soon made the col. From here the excitement grew as we nearer the summit. We were still moving by torchlight, but there was a glow on the horizon. At the summit, we all shook hands and stood marvelling at the light show over in the east. Behind us, the full moon was still showing and morning shadows were crisply picking out ridge lines and gullies. On student fell asleep sitting down and toppled over when I offered him some food. 

Instead of returning via the normal route back to the refuge, we continued over the mountain, and descended another way, via an ascent of another peak that bore the remains of an aeroplane that had crashed in the sixties. Engines and metal work littered the screes slopes and some remained perched precariously on the summit. 

Steep scree sliding lost us altitude fast, but at the cost of a few grazes and one of my walking poles, which snapped under the pressure. However, Hamed was down by the river waiting for us with another huge spread of food and mint tea. We all ate like wild men and the promptly fell asleep in the sun. 

Two hours after arriving at the river lunch area, we pulled our boots back on and joined the main path back towards Imlil. By the time we reached the Gite in Around, we’d descended 2222m and had been on the go for 11hrs and 23minutes. A decent mountain day by anyone’s standards, but particularly impressive for a group of young students. 

We stopped just after a ‘police checkpoint’ and got some orange juice to perk us up for the final stretch. We arrived back looking dusty and dishevelled, but extremely pleased with ourselves. After demolishing a few packs of biscuits and some drinks we dispersed for some time in the showers and shade..

Once we were all clean, (although not in particularly clean clothes), we had a real treat when Ibrahim, our local guide, invited into his house for tea. It was quite a sparse place, but he produced flat do-nut things, pop corn and incredibly sweet tea, which he poured from a great height, without spilling a drop. A fantastic finish.