A Tour of Tryfan

It's been nice to be back up in the mountains and seeing this view again. One of my Uni friends, who I'd not seen in quite a few years, called up out of the blue to see if I fancied doing some of the classic climbs in the area, so we chose to go up, over, around and across Tryfan. The mountain had been off-limits during the lockdown, so it was great to get re-acquainted with the mountain as well as Rob.

We started up through Milestone Buttress and then up onto the Continuation Wall, which I last climbed with Clare in 2004.

We then picked up the path and moved around onto the East Face, via the Heather Terrace. After soloing up Little Gully, to save time, we moved onto more serious ground below the North Tower. Rock boots and a head for heights were required for Bell Vue Bastion.

From the top, we descended the West Face to meet the base of Notched Rocks, which is immaculate rock.

It's got a real alpine feel to it - we only wished it was longer.

Having descended the North Ridge, the afternoon temperatures went sky high. So much so that after returning to The Cottage, Clare and I went back out and down to the river for a delightfully refreshing swim.

There are some cool clouds about and it was warm enough still to eat dinner outside at gone 8pm. Lovely....

Tryfan Climbs:

- Milestone Scramble*** Gd III

- Milestone Continuation Wall**, V.Diff

- Little Gully**, Gd I

- Bell Vue Bastion** VS (4c)

- Noched Arete** Diff

- The North Ridge***, Gd I (Descent)

Anglesey Sea Kayaking - around 'The Stacks'

After a great day of whizzing about on the eBike, visiting friends for garden coffees, we got ourselves a plan together for some more sea kayaking adventures to take advantage of the lull in the wind.

At 08:30 we were over on Holy Island, Anglesey, launching our kayaks at Porth Daffach. There was a light wind and a little swell, but otherwise, conditions were looking good.

Turning right out of the bay, there are plenty of cliffs, cave and zawns to explore, while the tide helped to pull us around towards the south stack RSPB reserve.

The cliffs are made of a fantastic rock that is all contourted and twisted into incredible patterns. It was  a geology lesson from our boats.

After checking out the climbers at Castel Helen, below South Stack, we went into some enormous caves and though various sea arches.

We were dwarfed by the size of the cliffs. One of the reasons why this is quite a serious trip is that apart from the strong tides and overalls, once you've started, there are not many places to get out until the end!

We did go ashore at North Stack, in 'Parliment House Cave'. It's an absolute monster of a cave, with tunnels at the back.

Naturally, we went investigating. It has been years since I'd been around here, so it was good to re-acquaint myself.

From the caves, we crossed some bumpy seas where the tide was squeezing past, and finished around at the breakwater at Holyhead, back in calm waters, some 14km from where we'd started and via some of the most dramatic coastlines about. John caught three fish along the way, so finished our day with a fish BBQ and oven-fired pizzas as well. Marvelous. 

Upstream Paddling

It's always exciting to get a new map in the post! The only frustrating thing with this one, is whether we'll be allowed to travel far enough to use it!? Rain of biblical proportions has been falling all day. There's been a 'late November' vibe at The Cottage rather than one of the summer holidays. I've had the fire lit all day and enjoyed sitting by it working my way through CJ Mee's new novel as well as several cups of coffee. When the post arrived, I moved into expedition planning mode. It's great to be making plans and getting kit sorted.

Later in the afternoon, the rains stopped and by evening the skies had begun to clear. We made the snap decision to go and enjoy the evening light. The clarity of the air is always best after heavy rain and tonight the colours were really vibrant. We gave Dave a ten-minute warning of our plans and he agreed to join us. It would be a fun way to have an outdoor chat (we still are not allowed in other people's homes, here in Wales).

The river was about a meter higher than my previous trip earlier in the week and flowing fast. At first, we thought it might be too fast, but decided to 'have a go' anyway. Perhaps we should have been white water kayaking further down the river!?

As it turned out, we had just enough power to creep upstream on the eddies and edges of the main flow. The light was unreal and ambiance fabulous.

The wind was still gusting hard, but every now and then, it would calm down to a brief millpond.

We managed to double up on one board and enjoyed some good chatter while working our way up the river.

A big Eddie had formed where the river had burst its banks, so we pulled over and chatted for ages, while admiring the view. Going with the flow, we shot back the way we'd come and I had a play around at breaking in and out of the flow. I almost went in the river a few times, but a rapid transition from standing to kneeling saved the day!

As we walked away, the sunlight was just catching the mountain tops. Glorious.

Conwy Castle by Kayak

The tides were looking to be about right for an exploration up the Conwy Estuary and having spent a pretty intensive day planning august's adventures we were keen to get out and make the most of the bright weather. The only snag was the wind. Would it be sheltered enough? We decided to go and find out. At the Beacons, at the mouth of the river, we were exposed to the wind and the tide was racing inward at a terrific rate. As the river narrowed towards the bridges, the wind would ease, but the speed of flow would increase. It was going to be an exciting start!

As soon as we broke into the flow, there was no turning back! We bounced along in the main flow initially, before breaking out into a slower channel. Even here, however, moored up boats seemed to be bearing down on us as we zoomed along on the incoming tide. Before we knew it, we shot past the harbor and under the bridge. Here the estuary widens out and the river's energy is dispersed and things calmed down a bit. One thing we hadn't allowed for was the fact that it was a Sunday in July and the river was busy with waterskiers, wakeboarders, fishing boats and jet ski joyriders. We felt a bit vulnerable, low down in the water and even when the boats managed to not run us down, we then had to contend with the waves of their wake. 

Still, we made good progress on the tide and pushed up and around the corner, out of sight of the town. The further we went, the more peaceful things became. That was until we lost the shelter of the high banks. Further up into the Conwy valley, the wind was hitting us face on, accompanied by a shower of rain. Rather than battle into the wind, we used the wind and eddies, to gentle creep back towards the Castle in the calmer waters.

It was great approaching the castle from this side - and to be heading towards blue sky, rather than the dark drizzle of the valley head.

We arrived back at the castle just before high water, so had time for a little explore around the moat.

Then, right on time and as if by magic, the tide turned and we began being sucked back out to sea.

This time as the water was just off slack, we had time to enjoy the views as we passed by the bridge, boats and marina.

Although we didn't go too far up the valley, it was the perfect introduction to the river and to be fair, we were both plenty tired enough by the time we got back home!

Source to the Sea - A Paddleboard Adventure

I still felt pretty 'travel tired' this morning, but a lull in the recent wet weather spurred me out into the day. Strong winds were on the way, but the trees outside The Cottage skylights were motionless and some sunlight was streaming into the room. The combination of high water (after a day of near-constant rainfall) and flat calm conditions was what I'd been waiting for, to explore the local river by paddleboard. Within a few minutes, I was driving up the valley, to try and maximize on conditions before the winds picked up. Leaving the van, I hiked over to the river, with the board packed up in it's rucksack.

It had been worth making the snap decision to come out. The river was full and mirror-like. Ten minutes later, with board inflated and shoes off, I was creeping gentle upstream and into the morning, leaving only smooth ripples in my wake. Incredible.

The mountains seemed super-vibrant after the rain; enhanced by the morning sun.

I could barely believe my luck - this was exactly what I had envisioned. The water was crystal clear and from my stand up position, could see every rock and weed on the river bed. A few fish even jumped clear of the water ahead of me as I approached. On the mountainside above me, a team of shepherds herded the hill sheep using their dogs with a series of calls and whistles. Otherwise, I felt like the only person in the entire valley.

Eventually, the river began too shallow to paddle where a long series of riffles leads up towards the waterfall near the source of the river. I broke out of the flow into a smooth Eddie and enjoyed the view. Getting this far upstream had required a bit of effort, but not too much. Going with the flow on the return journey meant that all I had to do to get back to the start, was steer, using my paddle as a rudder while watching the world go by.

On one corner of the river, the width of the banks had taken all the energy out of the flow and the reflection was first class.

Later that day, having missed out the middle section of the river, which is the terrain of the white water kayaker, we arrived at the coast, to paddle up the small estuary and back into the river. It was a bit of a race against the clock, as the skies were clouding over and the winds increasing. Getting along the coast, which was timed to co-inside with the high tide was a battle into the ever-increasing wind. At times we were barely treading water and had to resort to kneeling, to create less resistance.

Eventually, we reached the mouth of the river, where the river turned from salty to fresh and where we could receive some shelter and stand back up. The river was flowing strong enough to have us working hard, but not at an impossible rate. We crept along and were delighted to watch a colourful Kingfisher darting along the banks.

After a kilometer we came across a weir. We could go no further. I did scout ahead on the bank, to see if a portage was worthwhile, but could see more white water ahead. We called it our high point and floated back with the current and the Kingfisher.

On reaching the sea again, we were surprised how quickly the tide had gone out. We were zooming along in the current, through flocks of seabirds and swans. This time, we had the wind behind us, so could navigate with ease, back along the coast to the Van. Luckily, the tide was not too far out to leave us stranded in the mudflats! 

Both journeys made the best of the times and conditions. We felt like real explorers and what a bonus to have them both one day.

Cottage Calm - Van Travel Recovery

In just under 2 weeks, I journeyed over 2000 miles around the UK. It's been a fantastic tour and been great to hang out with friends and family, even if it was just for a lunch in the garden or a cup of tea in a motorway service station. In the van voyage that saw me down at Lands End as well as East coast England, I've seen five aunts, four uncles, parents (twice), in-laws, siblings, two nephews, one cousin and four friends from University days (and son). I've had homegrown and cooked food, pasties by the sea, clifftop soups and even the odd cooked breakfast provided. I've listened to three great audiobooks while on the move. In between all the chat and driving, I also managed to go for a couple of great trips on the paddleboard, climb eight routes in Cheddar Gorge, play guitars, go sea kayaking, and complete a day tour on bikes. Oh, and I shifted a tonne and a half of ballast, mixed cement, and pointed up some brickwork. 

I think it's fair to say that I was still a little bit tired when I got up this morning. It's great to be back at The Cottage. I've experienced incredible hospitality, been fed, watered and the van has provided a comfy place to rest my head each night, but it's been good to be back in my own bed for a bit!

The Builder's Apprentice

"You get a five-minute break, but that's all you take, for a cold cup of coffee and a piece of cake"....

Just home from a fabulous few days at Fort Martin, where I'd been drafted in by the Boss to assist with a bit of concrete mixing.

It's been a few years since I got involved with this sort of stuff, but I had two of the finest professionals alongside to remind me. The mixer was still going strong, only 46 years after it's initial purchase. Hopefully, I'd be able to keep up! 

A few days of laying granite sets, pavers and a concrete base necessitated shifting about one and a half tonnes of ballast and I even got to take the van to the builder's merchants when we ran out. I kind of looked the part, parked up alongside the other white vans, but no one else was asking the forklift guy to 'mind you don't put those bags of sand on my sleeping bag' when their materials were being loaded up!

It's been a great fun few days of hard grafting, skill learning, good nattering and of course the Fort fine dining - and coffee breaks on the terrace were even allowed now and then. The accommodation was different to normal but as comfy as ever. Good times!