Bike, Hike, Climb & Swim - Staying Local

Went for our first rock climb for as long as I can remember today - using biking and hiking as our transport to and from the cliffs.

It's only a fifteen-minute blast up the valley on the bike, then a blistering forty-five minutes of uphill sweating to reach the base of our chosen climb on the Atlantic Slabs. It was Yosemite style heat. We had to cover up from the sun and wore caps as well as helmets!

We've done the route plenty of times before, but it was just as enjoyable. The rock was really warm and super grippy.

We swung leads for four pitches and then bailed off the side for a quicker descent, rather than go up to the summit. The lure of the leftover ice cream and cool of the river was calling!

This area of mountainside has loads of quartz boulders and no shortage of crystals.

I found a good one lying in the dirt near the top.

Everything ached on the descent after yesterday's exertions and my feet were so hot. We were both very glad to be back at the bikes, even though we had really enjoyed the climb. We went direct to the nearest swimming hole. 

For once, there was no hesitation in getting it!

The water was a lovely temperature and it was great to be able to be looking up at the cliffs that we were just climbing on.

Nicely chilled, we had a gentle ride home with the wind behind us, to where shade, relaxation, coffee and ice creams awaited us. Perfect.

Atlantic Slabs:

Left Edge, V.Diff***

Ogwen Alpine Trekking

Decided to go on a proper 'local' mission, on foot from the front door. With a bit of effort and an earlyish start, we decided that Carnedd Daffydd, was within reach. It felt like an alpine trek as we followed the dry dusty footpath through the woods, in the cool (22 degrees) of the early morning.

After a bit of off-piste traversing (which would have been impassable due to the usual boggy ground), we arrived at one of my favorite footpaths, which leads up into some spectacular terrain.

The moorland and hillsides are awash with colour at the moment. Plenty to stop and look at along the way.

After a couple of hours, we arrived at the plunge pool where we took a refreshing dip. The deep pool was really beautiful and we carried on feeling completely refreshed. It was as if we'd only just started hiking - a complete reset from the sweaty state we'd arrived in.

We took our time to explore a few of the lesser frequented cwms and hidden valleys.

Even some of the crags felt like I'd barely noticed them before.

We chose to ascend the classic Crib Lem Spur, which gives some good scrambling terrain and fabulous views.

The ridge pretty much terminates on the summit of Carnedd Daffydd - one of the highest peaks in Wales at 1044m. It was suddenly really windy and we both temporarily lost our sun hats during our summit selfie attempt!

Unsurprisingly, there was no one else around on the tops, so we lay out on the summit and soaked up the views for a good amount of time. The air clarity was incredible. We could see almost every peak in Snowdonia, all of Anglesey, the Isle of Man and even the Lake District on the distant horizon. We could also pretty much see The Cottage and it looked a long way off!

We descended as another team arrived at the top and went down towards Pen yr Ole Wen, before descending the grassy slopes back north towards home.

By this point, the heat was incredible and all we could think of was getting down to the valley and into the river!

My feet were pretty much on fire by the time we got down. We went directly to the river and found a good spot to dive in to. Pure bliss. Rather than hang around after, we put our clothes back on and hiked the final few kilometres back to The Cottage, where we'd pre-stashed some celebratory ice creams! We crashed out on the blanket in the shade, feeling super pleased with ourselves. Nearly 18km hiked with 1km of height gain.

Cottage Tropicana

There was online work to be done today, and a justified need for a day of 'not working our bodies too hard' after yesterday's' expedition' to the beach! The weather is still utterly fantastic.

We both had plenty of work to do around The Cottage, but mostly kept in the shade, with low physical activity and some nice iced coffee.

I think the lunchtime temperatures of 28.7 in the shade might be a record here.

We did have a short bike ride to stretch our tired legs and to go and cool down, up to the gorge. The deepwater pools were perfect for swimming in - and it was so warm that we could actually swim, rather than just diving in for a quick cool off. We went prepared with the blanket and relaxed in the warmth of the sun afterwards. 

While Clare fitted in some coaching, I took in the view along the track. The slates were so hot; heat was radiating off them and I had to beat a retreat back into the shade.

It's Everest Day in Nepal, to mark the first ascent in 1953, so the rest of the day and most of the evening, was spent co-ordinating a 'virtual' expedition that I've been working on to climb the mountain. It's been unbelievable successful - so successful that I finished the day being on the news in Nepal, thanks to a contact from a university friend who lives in Kathmandu! 

The Pen Mon Swimming Expedition

Simply incredible Welsh temperature today! The sea is a long way off from here by bike, but the conditions seemed to justify the effort involved in going for a swim in the sea.

We followed a few lambs as we left The Cottage along the hot and dusty lanes.

It was pleasant, mostly downhill riding to the Meani Straits, where we crossed the bridge onto the Island.

We opted for the short, steep climb up to Llandegfan to get off the main road and to be able to enjoy the views.

Heading eastwards, we wove through plenty of old roads and small lanes, which took us past the Buckely memorial.

The sun beat down and stopping was only possible in the shade!

Past Beaumaris, the road meets the coastline. The tide was high and the whole thing was simply beautiful. 

We had uninterrupted views up and down the Menai Straits and across to the mountains. 

The final section to the far end of the island, was actually quite a long way and mostly uphill, but it was worth it to roll the final section down to the end of the road at Puffin Island. Stunning.

Unusally, there was hardly anyone about. When we arrived there was a couple on the beach, but they didn't stay long.

We had the place to ourselves and a real holiday vibe!

The sea was warmer than anticipated, but nowhere as warm as it looked! It was wonderful to get in for a swim though.

We'd come prepared with blanket, towels and picnic, so spent the afternoon relaxing in the sun, without need to rush off.

As we were about to leave, we bumped into a couple that I knew from Pen Mon, then had another physically distanced chat over the garden gate with another friend.

We stayed on the coast road for the return ride, which was flat, smooth and fast, with more great views of the water.

Clare had a brainwave at Beaumaris and we stopped to phone Dylan's in Menai Bridge to order a take away pizza! We went flat out for the rest of the coast road, zooming past Plas Rhinafa, where we got engaged.

The pizza was ready for us and we wolfed it down with a Ginger Beer sitting by the slipway. The day was turning out to be quite social one as we then saw another couple of friend who is a Menai Bridge resident as we all a couple I used to work with just after. We stayed and chatted until we remembered that we still had to bike home - across the bridge and up the hillside! It was tough going at 63km. We managed to get the bikes locked up, have a shower then both collapsed straight into bed just after 9. Deliriously happy. A brilliant day indeed. 

Carnedd y Filiast - Sofa to Summit

Well it's been a while, but today we stood on top of a mountain for the first time in a very long time. Luckily, all this cycling seems to have keep a certain amount of hill fitness. Given the scale of yesterday's ride, I opted from some battery assistance for the first section, from The Cottage, while Clare took on the full peddle power challenge. Smooth tarmac and an empty service road made for a very pleasant ride.

Once we got as high as we could, we left the bikes and set out on foot for the summit. Almost all of the mountains are closed to walkers by law, but this one remains just outside the restricted zone and within reach from the house.

The little pond halfway up, was teeming with frogspawn last time I was here. Totaly dried up now though. Where do they all go?...

The vantage point from the top is superb and this time, I had the binoculars in my pack, so after making ourselves comfy, we settled in to enjoy the solitary views.

And much our way through the last giant birthday cookie.

Once we were back at the bikes, we investigated some of the dam access areas. It's all rather spooky to find something like this on a mountain side...

It's straight out of a James Bond film.

Where do they go?.... What's hidden away under the mountains of Snowdonia?....

Just like ski touring, a bike tour like this means that once the climb is done, the fun can really begin as it's downhill all the way home!

As the water levels are very low at the moment, the temptation to try and use the dam wall as a velodrome was almost overwhelming.

Instead, we pointed the bikes downhill. From the dam to The Cottage, there is a vertical drop of over 500m - it took a mere 21 minutes of downhill racing! We could have gone even faster, but I'm not sure our nerves or the bikes could have done!