Time for a mini-roadtrip! This time I'm heading to South Wales to catch up with old friends. It's been ages since I've been to the Black Mountains or The Gower and after an epic journey that got me as far as Longtown, I began to see why!
It was almost comical, the way hold ups, traffic lights and road works kept turning up. Even getting through the Ogwen Valley was reduced to a crawl behind a slow moving lorry. Tarmacing, dry stone walling, tree felling, you name it, I came across it! Every now and then I rejoiced at being able to use 5th gear, before turning the next corner to see another horse box or caravan or horse and cart or most frequently a tractor. Stay calm and enjoy the views and carry on...
The Sat Nav was no help (I should have trusted my instinct and rusty memory), as with only a few miles to go it tried to convince me to take the potholed road down to a ford that was clearly the terrain for tractors only. I backed off without any further assessment needed.
However, for my troubles and over five hours after leaving home, I eventually rolled into my old haunt at Longtown Outdoor Education Centre.
After a great chat with Bob at his house over a pot of tea and several slices of fruit cake, I called in and said Hi to Doris at the Centre. A group was just arriving, so I had a quick look around before heading back to Bobs for dinner. There's still a photo of me on top of an Alpine Peak in the main corridor - from 19 years ago!
The rest of the evening was spent reminiscing about the good old days - which I was surprised to find were nearly 20 years ago, when I was a Voluntary Instructor at the Centre! It's been amazing to share stories and swap info on various adventures that we've both had. It's no surprise that we both have a lot of mutual friends too in the outdoor world.
I'd planned to move on the The Brecon Beacons this eve, but it got late quickly and then a van bivi spot presented itself and I'm sure keen to sleep...
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