Snorkelling with Sharks!

A short drive west took us to the crystal clear waters of Coral Beach. Even without the blue skies, it was certain that this was going to be a good place to float around with a snorkel. 

The beach (as the name suggests) is completely made of broken coral pieces rather than sand. As a result, the water has barely any sediment and the viability is quality.

We didn't get any underwater photos, but within sixty seconds of getting in, we were looking down at a huge blue lobster carcus, being dragged along by a crab. Later we saw a crab, the size of a large mole hill walking along the sea floor (sideways of course), then the big excitement came, when the large, blue form of a Tope Shark cruised silently and smoothly below us. It was over a metre long and a long way below us to cause us any (much) panic. We watched it for ages, as it crept around near fish and crabs, before disappearing off into the the deeper, darker waters. (we had to look up exactly what kind of shark it was afterwards).

Even with wetsuits on, it was much colder in the water than the beach we went to a couple of days ago, so we only lasted an hour, before getting out.

Here's what the beach is made up of...

Irish Sea Kayaking from Roundstone

Got straight into the Irish Sea Kayaking action today as we were given the loan of a couple of sea kayaks. It was quite a breezy day, so not the best conditions, but it was also, not an opportunity to turn down, so sometime around midday, we found ourselves setting out from the little port of Roundstones. 

There are loads of little islands to explore around and some big ones too. In the end, we played it safe in the sheltered waters as neither of us fancied the choppy waters of the crossing to a very enticing looking white sandy beach of a nearby island.

A few showers passed us by, but nothing too much. Luckily, we were just passing under a bridge between two islands as the worst blew through and we were able to take cover. Soon enough the sun was back out.

From Roundstone, we travelled north for a few kilometres, passing under the road bridge and then around to the top of the island. A circumnavigation of Inis Ni Inshnee would be a lovely journey on a less windy day, but we decided to return via the sheltered inland passage of Roundstone Bay. 

On the return leg, we passed by an island with a seal colony. There were some big dudes on the rocks that slowly flopped into the water and came over to check us out. Later a huge fulmar hovered above us, literally, just metres above us which was our best wildlife encounter. Amazing.

Using the traditional sea kayaking 'Greenland Stick' rather than a western paddle, we returned to the sheltered waters of the slip way at Roundstone. Some excellent forward planning meant that we had a change of clothes with us, stashed in a dry bag in the kayak hatch, so leaving the boats on the harbour, we walked into town for a celebratory half Guiness while we waited to get picked up.

We also clocked some good looking e-bikes before heading back to the pad!

Swimming at Silver Strand Beach

It was a glorious morning that started off our first day on this Irish Expedition. Perfect for a nice camp breakfast. 

It took nearly three hours of easy driving across the middle of the country before we reached the County of Galway and the delightful Silver Strand beach. It was a bit nippy there in the on shore breeze, but we couldn't pass up our first swim of the trip. It was actually surprisingly warm in the water. Certainly water that the Ogwen River!

A beach walk didn't take us far, due to big cliffs and or slippery seaweed, so we carried on to Barna, where we are now in residence with our friends, who, along with their family have welcomed us in and given us a very hospitable Irish welcome and a place to lay our heads for a few days.

Over the Sea and Far Away

There was just enough time to say goodbye to the local vista and a quick trip to the garage, before setting off again on some more travels.

Will an array of the now required documents and print offs, we soon found ourselves boarding a ferry. It all felt so novel!

There was plenty of room on board as we sailed away from Holyhead on a boat that was only holding a fraction of the available capacity. We were on our way on a trip that had only been conceived in the last few days of busy planning!

All that was left, was to sit back, relax and enjoy a big picnic and the last of the Fort Martin harvest that we'd brought with us.

Some big Gannets follows us as we made our way over the water.

Arriving in Dublin, the ring road was blocked with traffic in both directions, so we went straight through the city centre. We went through many sets of green lights, but had to stop at thirty sets of red ones! It was a slow, but ultimately, very scenic drive, that got us to the campsite that we were aiming for, just two minutes before the gates closed for the night! We cooked up in the back of the van feeling very happy to be 'on the road' again.

Unpack, Wash-Up, Repack

In between expeditions or trips, there is always a certain amount of admin and organisation like one set of kit being swapped for another or clothes that need washing; food stores that need replenishing. Add into this, a van that needs servicing and a garden that needs some attention and that pretty much sums up the day I've had. The weather has continued to be heat wave hot (good for washing and drying!), but at 7pm, I decided that a cool down was going to be an essential part of the day, rather than a luxury 'if we had time'. Surprisingly, there is still plenty of water in the river and compared to the lake district, the water was much colder, so we left with a satisfying chill on and feeling refreshed in mind as much as body.

As we walked away, some clouds were being to form and there is talk of a bit of rain tomorrow... Surely not!...

Expedition Planning at Fort Martin

A few days at Fort Martin for some rest and recuperation from our recent travels and early morning starts made for a fine weekend, as well as being the perfect excuse to catch up with the Lord of the Manor and distinguished guests.

In between delightful 'in person' extended conversations, multiple coffee brews, sofa and garden appreciation, and the odd glass of fine wine, we had a bit of productive planning time. Having now had the official word from the government that alpine travel is out of bounds this summer, we switched our attention to what is probably something like Plan W,X or Y?

Feeling something of a tourist, we also had a very nice stroll around the local Market town, where Michelle introduced us to a fine little 'Blitz Style' cafe, with a shady outside area which was the perfect setting for a chat.

Before we left, I had a look at a few nice bits of wood that I might be able to turn into some new furniture for The Cottage. Some good projects to be working on...

The Lake District Tick List

Two and a half weeks in the Lake District flew by so quickly, it was good to have a bit of time today to take stock of what we'd seen and done....

Rock Climbing:

Dow Crag Climbs:

- Murray's Route. Severe (4a)***

- Original Route C, V.Diff***

Wallowbarrow Crag Climbs:

- Thomas, S (4a,4a)***

- Digitation, VS (4b)**

- Malediction Direct, VS (4c)**

- Bryanston, VS (4c)** - in two pitches

- Western Wall, VS (4b)** - in one pitch

- The Plumb, VS (4c)** - super steep on big holds

- Aigitation, VS (4b)** - Abseil from tree

Stonestar Crag Climbs:

- Columbia, E1, (5b)***

- Stonestar Groove, VS (4c)**

- Stonestar Rib, HS (4b)*

- Venezuela, HVS (5a)**

- Anchor Handling, E2 (5c)** 

- The Great Escape, VS (4c)*

- Hungry Planet, HVS (5a)* - (very overgrown - and easily E1 - bold top moves)

- The Breech, E2 (5c)** - to half way up the slab, before the whipper!

Seathwaite Crag Climbs:

- Brunch Arete, HS (4a)*

- Full English VS (4c)*

- Snap, V.Diff**

Scafell Pike - Pike's Buttress:

- Grooved Arete, HVD***

Hare Crag Climbs:

- Fireball XL5, VS (4c)**

- Slab Route, Severe*

- Left Hand Route, VS (4b)* - Bold!

- Upper Slab Route 1, VS (4b)* - Bold!

Great Gable, Napes Area:

- Eagle Nest Ridge Direct, VS (4b)***

- Eagle Nest Ridge, V.Diff***

Climbing at Brantrake Crag:

- Central Crack, VS (5a)***

- Right Hand Crack, HVS (5b)***

- Face Route, VS (4c)**

- Nail File, VS (4c)*

Swimming:

• River Duddon, Ulpha Bridge x III
• River Duddon, Birks Bridge
• River Esk, John's Secret Spot 
• River Esk, King George V Bridge 
• River Esk, On way to Tounge Pot
• Coniston x III
• Wast Water x II
• Devoke Water (Birker Fell)
• Eskdale, Scale Ghyll 

Paddleboarding:

• Coniston - Peel Island (Southern Circuit)
• Coniston - Northern Circuit (Brantwood) - with Beth
• Wast Water - to the Screes and river outflow

The Direct Route, HS (4c)*** Glyder Fach Main Cliff

An alpine (really early) start and a north facing cliff were the only two pre-requisites to making the most of the heatwave in North Wales. Thanks to it's advantageous position, it's very quick to get into the hills from The Cottage, so without too much trouble, we could be up and out before most people are thinking about searching for one of the limited car parking spots in the Ogwen Valley. Even before 7am, it was so hot at Ogwen Cottage, that I opted to walk up to Glyder Fach main cliff in nothing but by pants and sun hat! Luckily, at that time there was no one around to shock.

The Direct Route was the last route that Clare and I climbed together before 'getting together', so it holds a special significance to us. For some reason, we first climbed it in February, which seems a strange choice, knowing what we do now and (somewhat unsurprisingly), it was freezing! Today, even though it was still in the shade, it couldn't have been hotter.

Ahead of any other aspiring parties, we had the mountain to ourselves and enjoyed swinging the leads as we made upward progress; the view getting better and better.

The final pitch has a reputation for being a bit harder that the grade might suggest - and it is! There is plenty of protection, but the climbing is definitely harder than you'd expect for the grade. I arrived at the top of  'the crack' (which is brilliant by the way), sweating hard and blinded by the sun. I moved quickly to belay in the shade and had to strip off my helmet and shirt before I could contemplate pulling up the ropes for Clare to follow. 

It's pretty straight forward to scramble down East Gully and across the top of alphabet slabs and back to the bags, for those people (like us), who didn't have the time or inclination to bag the summit of Glyder Fach. Instead of the peak, our eyes were on the little lake of Llyn Bochllwyd, below us. From our vantage point at the cliff top, we eyed out the best looking dive in zone and once the bags were recovered, made a bee line for it.

The water was so warm, we barley cooled down while floating around in the water. Still, with was enough to give us a bit of a reset before continuing down to the van. Having made someone's day, by vacating a coveted parking space, we returned to The Cottage for lunch, some shade and in Clare's case, some work. By evening, we were ready to move on....