After the recent cold spell and reports of lots of snow in the Highlands, it was hard to resist a trip north of the boarder. So, with a mixture of excitement and boredom, I faced the seven and a half hour drive up to Aviemore yesterday. Thankfully, I was just in time to grab the last available bed in the Aviemore Bunkhouse, which provided an … Read More »
Category Archives: Personal
A Freezing Paddle on the Conwy
I always enjoy paddling somewhere new and today was no exception. I hooked up with David Butler, who is a level 3 coach and happens to live just around the corner from me, for what turned out to be quite an experience. Concluding that the recent cold conditions and lack of rain would result in most rivers running low, we decided to head to Conwy … Read More »
Gullies in Snowdonia
Ten days into the big freeze, today was my first opportunity to get into the mountains for a personal day in the snow. Not living right next to the North Wales mountains can make it awkward in predicting exactly what the conditions are going to be like. The weather forecast is certainly a help, in terms of how things will develop during the day, but … Read More »
First Trip to Cadair Idris
I've been walking in the hills for a fair few years now, but must admit that today's visit to Cadair Idris was a first for me. I've spoken to numerous people that have assured me what a wonderful mountain it is and have looked forward to getting there myself. I've even done various bits of work around the mountain's base but, until today, never actually … Read More »
Kayaking on the River Dee
Today was cold, wet and windy - not the sort of day that most people would choose to go paddling. However, with a free day and the rivers running high from all the recent rain, it was a perfect opportunity to get back out in a boat. To be honest, I haven't been in a kayak on moving water for a while, so it took … Read More »
A Day on the Carneddau
Another Monday, another mountain day! Today, Adam and I headed back to the Carneddau where, last week, we had enjoyed an unexpected epic in the snow. Although snow could still be seen on the peaks of Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewelyn, the winter conditions we had found seven days ago were long gone. In fact, most of the day was blessed with sunshine and distant … Read More »
Winter Arrives in Snowdonia
I'm trying to get into the habit of getting out into the hills every Monday for the next couple of months to keep myself current and up to date. The reasons for picking a regular day of the week is two fold. Firstly, I'm much more likely to stick to it if it becomes part of the routine. Secondly, this way I'm much more likely … Read More »
Scrambling in Snowdonia
After my solo day in the Carneddau last week, it didn't take much to persuade me to head back into the mountains. This time I had the company of Adam, who is looking to get in additional mountain days for his log book and his Mountain Leader assessment which he is hoping to complete in January. One of the things he is looking to develop … Read More »
Personal Mountain Day in Snowdonia
It's not very often these days that I get the opportunity to head out into the mountains purely for my own enjoyment, rather than in a work context. I had hoped to get in a full on mountain day but, after doing a spot of shopping in Betws-y-Coed for some new climbing kit, I hadn't really left myself with enough time for what I'd had … Read More »
Climbing Professional Development
With no paid work in the diary for the day, it was a great opportunity to spend some time on some personal development. I'd invited my technical advisor over for the day to have a look at a few things together. Huw Gilbert is an MIC (Mountain Instructor Certificate) which qualifies him pretty much to do anything in the mountain environment all year round. I've … Read More »