It was a great day on the River Dee today. The river was running at a '7' on the gauge at the Old Mill, giving plenty of flow, but not making things too frantic. Combining that with a dry day and good company, made for a fantastic day to be out canoeing on the river. I met up with Chris and Matt, who both run their … Read More »
Category Archives: Personal
Canoeing on the River Severn
Looking to make the most of the milder conditions, Chris Hughes and I teamed up for a day's paddling. We had hoped to paddle from Lanerfyl to Meifod on the Afon (River) Banwy, but inspection of the water levels at Llanfair Caereinion suggested that it would have been a bit of a scrape along the bottom. This wouldn't have been much fun and, given the … Read More »
Mountain Biking on the Long Mynd
It's been a little while since I've been out on my bike, but it seemed the ideal way to work off some that Christmas excess. Chris Hughes and I decided to head for the Long Mynd area of the Shropshire Hills to explore some new trails. Although everything looked good as we started our drive down to Church Stretton, as we approached we could see … Read More »
Climbing with Ranjit at Wolf Mountain
It's been a while since I've been out climbing with Ranjit. He was actually responsible for introducing me to the world of climbing a number of years ago now, but we don't often find the opportunity to get out together these days. However, with things still a bit quiet after the Christmas holidays, today was the perfect chance. With the weather a bit cold, wet and … Read More »
Exploring Possible Climbing Venues
Us outdoor instructors tend to develop a set of venues for different activities that we become familiar with and know work. This is all well and good, but there's always that niggling thought in the back of your head that perhaps there's somewhere even better, or that might be better located for certain groups. With this in mind, I met up with Chris Hughes today for … Read More »
Canoeing Development on the River Dee
I actually got the chance to do some skills development of my own today! I don't get that much opportunity, so it was great to spend the day on the River Dee with fellow instructor Colin Crockart. Colin and I are both looking to move our paddling qualifications further along the BCU's scheme, and today offered each of us a chance to develop appropriate skills. Whilst I … Read More »
Kayak Trip on the River Severn
It's been a little while since I've been out in my kayak for non work purposes, so it was a real treat today to hook up with members from Shrewsbury Canoe Club for a paddle on the River Severn. There were 10 of us in all that met up at Coalbrookdale, near Ironbridge in Telford at about 9am this morning. The plan was to paddle … Read More »
4 Star Sea Kayak Training
Sea Kayaking is one of those things I don't often get the chance to do much of, but has been the source of some great experiences over the years. The amazing places you can access by boat, that very few people get to see, are a real treat. Yes, the weather can throw all sorts at you, and you need to be properly prepared before … Read More »
Exploring the River Severn by Canoe
Every now and then it's nice to get out and enjoy doing something for yourself, and even better if you can share it with a friend. Chris is a local outdoor instructor who runs his own small business, but we often find ourselves working together and enjoy spending a day doing something together every now and then. On this occasion, we decided to go for a … Read More »
First Walk on the Glyders
One of my sons has started to express an interest in hill waking. I suspect that it has more to do with a fascination with winter mountaineering and the thought of spending a night in a snow hole but, when I offered to take him out into Snowdonia, he jumped at the chance. So, relieved to see the fine weather was still holding, we headed … Read More »