Tuesday 9 June 2020

The Camino del Ffrancon

On a recent evening run, as part of our endeavor to explore all new places in the local area, I can across an old fishermans walkway above a section of gorge. naturally, my interest was peaked, and I investigated for a closer look. I was very surprised to find a few bolts had been placed - it looked liked a miniature Camino del Ray, that we did at Christmas in El Chorro, Spain. This evening, we returned with some climbing kit for a safer traverse.  


It was super exciting to be arriving somewhere new, by bike, with a pannier full of rope and hardware. The rain had held off. It all felt very exploratory as I gingerly made my way across the slate slabs, which had been held in place by old iron stakes. Whoever put this up all those years ago, had gone to some considerable effort.


In places, the slate slabs were missing and I had to balance along the metal stakes, or traverse a wooden plank which had been added as a replacement. Towards the end, a rotten beam hung forlornly down, clinging on by an equally rotten bit of string. Some delicate rock climbing got me past it and onto the better-looking slate walkway.



Once I was safely attached to a big tree at the far end, Clare came along, using the clip line that I had rigged as I traversed. Our friend Nick joined us from a safe distance, making it a delightfully social adventure.

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