Lathes and London

I've been back in the workshop, to keep up my lathe skills and generally create a bit of a mess! Managed to create a pleasingly smooth rolling pin and was well on the way to turning a very nice bowl out of a lump of Olive Wood, when the we got thwarted by the mechanics of fixing it to the chuck! More to work on later....

Our new niece was born a few days ago, so we took early train into the city to get introduced, while we were 'nearby'.

It was great to see the guys and super to get a cuddle with Cece at only four days old! By chance, some friends of Clare were at a Salsa Dance near to where we were, so in the afternoon, after lunch at an Italian, then a stroll past a few sights, we went dancing! You never quite know what's around the corner in London, but something is always happening. Here's a few of the sights on our walkabout in the wilds...

We arrived at St Pancreas, had dinner, then got on a train back to Kettering. All in a fourteen hour round trip!...

The following morning (having made the most of an extra hour in bed), we were back on the road, heading north through some torrential rain, back up to North Wales and The Cottage that we'd left over two weeks ago!

Things brightened up briefly as we travelled along the north coast, but it was back to damp and windy Wales by the time we got home, where there was nearly 120mm of rain in the gauge! 

Time to get the fire lit....and rest....what a wonderful few weeks away!

Way Out East.... Finding Fressingfield

We were only at Fort Martin long enough to eat, sleep and shower, before carrying on eastwards by road to find the fabled village of Fressingfield and new residence of the Mee family. We arrived in time for lunch the spent the afternoon exploring the area with the boys. 

Meals were taken in the grandeur of the main dining room - but only once we'd earnt our keep my moving some of the heavy furniture.

Nearby woodlands provided some great exploration areas and impressive calvings under enormous oak trees at Thornham.

Sun Rise Swimmers

All was quiet in Gaeta, as we crept silently down the steps to the beach at just after 7am. 

Down at the waters, edge, the rising sun was turning the clouds and water into a magical blend of colours.

Without delay or procrastination, we got straight in and swam about the bay in the warm waters as the headland turned orange and pink.

Back up a the balcony, we enjoyed a final espresso, before getting into journey mode...

The rest of the day slipped by in a blur. With the car returned, bags checked in, paperwork checked and these days, now passport stamped, we moved smoothly though the airport, then up and over Naples.

The flat coast of Italy, after giving us a good view of Corsica, began to turn mountainous and the Alps reared up below us.

A while later, we got a perfect view of Mt Blanc and the Chamonix Valley. We could pick out peaks that we had climbed a few summers ago as well as where we had lived! (Chamonix valley is the cloud free strip running up and down the right hand side).

Having swam in the Mediterranean before breakfast, we arrived at Fort Martin in time for dinner....

Sunny Sperlonga Climbing

Getting to the bigger cliffs of Parete del Chiromante, proved to be a bit of a struggle. Partly due to the heat, but mostly as the path we took was quite overgrown. The tough long grasses cut our feet and legs as we pushed past them, leaving us covered in paper cuts by the time we route the climb we wanted to try.

The climb was super intimidating as we were high up on the hillside now and the wind was whipping around the prow of the cliff. The bolts were reassuringly new and chunky, but frustratingly, I climbed up to the wrong lower-off after 30m, we meant that we couldn't comtinue on the long multi-pitch route that I'd hoped to climb. It was probably for the best as the wind was exhausting and we were both quite relieved to be back on the ground rather than swinging from a hanging belay high up above the sea!

We beat a retreat down to the lower crag, where the routes were shorter, but more importantly, completely sheltered from the wind. This was much more pleasant!

The climbs were of superb quality here - super sharp edges and pockets that required more balance than strength. Below, in the sea, we saw another big shoal of fish swim by. Amazing to watch from above.

We climbed until our fingers were too sore to hold on properly and our arms could no longer hold us.

Down at the beach, there was still time for a swim, and although it had clouded over, this just meant that the sea felt warmer!

Freshened up by a salt water wash, we drove over to the old town of Gaeta, which we'd not explored yet.

The lights around town were just coming on, so we explored the streets and stopped at a bar by the harbour.

The town seems to be made from old Roman relics and other re-cycled blocks!

We had hope to find a place to eat, but without success. The Olive Trees in the square had been trimmed like Bonsai Trees and lit up. 

We shared some take away Pizza by the water, watching the boats and harbour lights, before heading back to base.

Sperlonga Climbs:

Parete del Chiromante

- Spigio del Ferrante, 5c+

- Picchiami sulle bolle, 5c+

Avancorpo di Destra

- Avalon, 5a

- Lancillotto, 5a***

- Camelot Dorme, 5b****

- Ginevra, 5a**

- Re Artu, 5b**

- I Cavialieri della tavola, 6a***

A Three Beach Day

There must have been a storm in the night as the wind had blown things around the balcony while we slept. It was still windy at breakfast, so we set off to nearby Spiaggia dell'Arenauta, where there was a beach and some climbing that looked like it might be sheltered. We climbed a few good routes down by the sea, by the bolts were rusted and not very confidence inspiring. We backed up the lower-off, which was in even worse shape. A shame as the climbing was really nice.

It was very novel to be climbing a cliff with a view this close to the beach!

The wind continued to buffet us as we climbed, so we packed out kit away and walked down to the far of the beach to find a little sheltered area. On the walk over the beach, the sand was being transported in the air and stung our legs. The sun began to come out properly, once we found a more sheltered spot. 

Nicely warmed up, we went for a refreshing swim in the somewhat 'choppy' waters.

Before climbing back up the steps to the car and driving over to nearby Sperlonga, where amazingly, there was not a breath of wind! Hoorah for detailed weather forecasts. It was like a completely different day there. It felt about ten degrees hotter without the wind, so we pulled over here and got ice creams.

The beach of Spiaggia di Ponente at Sperlonga was pretty much empty as well. There is an old fort on the headland and the old town looked like a maze of houses.

We swam here twice between a bit of sunbathing.

Then found another good cafe with a view of the water.

As the weather was so good, we decided to stick around and explore the old town and marina - here's a few pics of what we found along the way...

On the drive home, we stopped again at the beach called Spiaggia di Sant Agostino, near the rock climbing to see the sun go down.

Climbs at Spiaggia dell'Arenauta - Sector Approdo dei Proci 

- La Maya Delana, 5a

- Topless Palermitano, 5c

(Nice climbing, but bolts not in good shape - starting to rust and lower-offs very rusty)