On the way up to the summit of Moel Siabod

We took farm tracks to the old mine workings to the north east of the mountain, as we made our way towards Llyn y Foel. Although we could see the snow above us, our walk in was very green. The biggest clue under foot that winter had arrived was the frozen ground. Having arrived at the lake, we took a break for food and drink, and an opportunity to adjust clothing before we started going up the mountain rather than around it’s base.

Rather than heading up the Daear Ddu ridge, on the eastern flank of Moel Siabod, we took the line of the gully just to it’s north. The loose rock which makes up this route had been mainly covered in snow, making much of it easier than it is in summer conditions. However, we found ourselves cutting left and right in an effort to find the deepest snow, in which the going was generally easier. I was very aware that having a large steep climb ahead of us reaching into the clouds was quite imposing, so we started to break the ascent into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Practicing 'Leap Frogging' during our descent

Like yesterday, kicking steps at the front of the group was physically demanding, but this time I didn’t have Ali around to do it for me. It’s always really important to make quality steps for a group, as it makes them feel much more secure and it becomes more like climbing a ladder – for them anyway! I found myself regularly checking behind me that everyone was feeling okay, but everyone seemed to be smiling through the puffing and panting.

Having topped out, it was only a short distance to the summit where everyone was keen for a group photo before taking shelter in the group shelters for 10mins for lunch.

With the visibility down to about 20m, it was important to make sure that we headed off from the summit in the right direction and kept close tabs on our progress. So, without much to visually focus on, the group used each other as markers. By taking a bearing from the map and sending a member of the group out to the limit of visibility (ensuring that they stood in line with the bearing), the rest of the group were able to walk to their position and then repeat the process – a technique called ‘leap frogging’. It was an ideal opportunity to practice this skill, which can make the world of difference in poor visibility.

This weekend has been a real treat. Great mountains, in decent winter conditions and shared with fantastic company! Thanks to everyone for a brilliant couple of days.

Looking at our route up the head wall

This weekend has been advertised to the Oswestry School cadets as a ‘Winter Skills’ weekend since September. The reality is that we never know what the conditions are likely to be in Snowdonia from one week to the next, never mind four or five months in advance. By Wednesday of this week, I was consigned to the fact all hope of any significant volumes of snow had gone and that the emphasis of the weekend would shift to summer walking or paddling. Having already packed my kit, it was only a couple of hours before we were due to leave yesterday, that I received a message saying, “Bring your winter gear” – the snow had arrived at the eleventh hour!

Being a cadet force, as part of the military system, we were able to take advantage of accommodation at Capel Curig Training Camp. Amazingly, we were the only unit on the camp so had the run of the place and, most importantly, no long queues in the cookhouse! The evening was spent issueing, checking and fitting kit before packing bags for today’s venture into the hills.

Ice axe arrest practice

When we left the Capel Curig this morning, the plan was to start our day from Ogwen Cottage and head up onto the Glyders. However, driving down the A5, we could see the Carneddau to the north covered in snow and sunshine. The combination was too much to resist, so we quickly changed plans and made our way up to FFynnon Lloer.

Looking for enough snow to give us chance to teach some crucial winter walking techniques, we headed for the the headwall at the back of the cwm, where the snow had accumulated in the northerly winds. We spent several hours on this snow slope, teaching and practicing the group in how to use their boots properly and using the ice axe to both prevent a slide and to stop themselves once already sliding.

The inverted rainbow!

We then finished of our ascent of the headwall. After 10 months of not being in the winter mountains, the climb through loose snow proved hard work and a reminder of the fact that I need to get out in it more often! However, Ali was at the front and having to do the hard work of kicking steps for the group, so I got off lightly. Once we’d topped out, we swung round to the left to take in the summit of Pen Yr Ole Wen.

It was while taking a short break at the summit cairn that we found ourselves looking at at inverted rainbow. I’ve never seen one before, and I’m sure that some will think that this picture has been ‘photoshoped’, but I can assure you that this is genuine. I’d love to know if someone can explain the science behind this unusual sight.

Once the rainbow had disappeared, we made our way round to the top of Carnedd Dafydd, which seemed straight forward enough after our slog up the headwall. With the afternoon disappearing quickly, and the promise of a cooked supper back in camp, we made a fairly speedy descent back past the eastern side of Ffynnon Lloer and on the the minibus.

Matt picking his way through some bouncy water

It took a little while to shuttle canoes and cars, to get them all in the right places, before we took to the water at Glyndyfrdwy. As is usually the case, we spent a few minutes just getting used to being back in our respective canoes, playing around with seating positions, moving kit around and getting a feel for the water flow. Having established that none of us had any particular agenda for the trip, except for an enjoyable paddle and a bit of a play on the more interesting water, we started to make our way with the current.

This stretch of the Dee makes for a brilliant day out for those with a bit of previous experience of canoeing on moving water. With numerous sections of interesting water to break up the gentle flowing river, there’s plenty to keep everyone interested. Matt, Chris and I made the most of the white water by staying on these sections and playing around on the waves, in the stoppers and practicing various skills. However, with most of these sections, there’s no problem with identifying the hazards, picking your line,  pointing your boat the right way and simply paddling straight through.

Whilst messing about, we all took a fair amount of water on board and emptying them out gave the ideal opportunity for a bit of early lunch and a more relaxed chat, before continuing towards Llangollen.

The weir at Horseshoe Falls has a viscous towback and is definitely one to avoid. You can pick a line through on the left, but you need to be sure that it’s clear enough of trees and flood debris and confident in your paddling or you could come seriously unstuck – if in doubt, miss it out. The alternative is to jump onto the Llangollen Canal, which is fed from the weir, and make a more leisurely end to the journey. As you might expect, we shot the weir on the left, drawing past a wedged tree to our right while being bounced about – short but fun!

Coming to the stone road bridge just before the Chainbridge Hotel, we took advantage of the eddies created by the bridge pillars to assess the water in front. Visual inspection confirmed a bit of local knowledge and we headed down the left one at a time, directly below the spectators at the hotel enjoying the entertainment, before moving right into calmer waters.

This section is closely followed by the Serpent’s Tail (Grade 3/4). On inspection, Chris and I both decided to give it a miss today but Matt was feeling more brave. With Chris and I both ready with throw lines, Matt approached through a huge wave train, taking on large amounts of water. With the canoe now less responsive due to it’s increased weight, Matt struggled to get lined up for Serpent’s itself. As a result, he wasn’t able to drive through the stopper at the bottom and found himself being dragged back until the boat was completely swamped and the stopper flipped him over. Matt resurfaced about 10m down river and I was able to easily swing him into an eddie while Chris sorted his boat out. Nothing like a bit of excitement! It must be said that, already soaked and with nothing to loose, Matt had another crack at it but missing out the wave train – no problem this time.

After that it almost felt that our trip was done. With a few more stoppers as we approached the Old Mill, I think we were all starting to look forward to warm dry clothes and a bite to eat. Thanks to both Chris and Matt for great day out, although I think my muscles are going to ache in the morning.

Chris trying to avoid the idiot with the camera!

With ‘Plan B’ already prepared, we headed for Newtown to jump on the River Severn for a shorter paddle down to Abermule. I’d never paddled this stretch before, and Chris hadn’t been on it for a few years, so it was a great opportunity for both of us to explore the river and have a bit of a play in the more interesting water.

It actually turned out to be a very pleasant paddle, with stretches of gently flowing river regularly broken up by sections of grade 2 water – a nice mix of touring with short sections to spice up the day. I’m sure I’ll be back again, but the Banwy remains on my hit list for the near future – maybe next time.

We got together last week, over a coffee, to chat through the process, the award syllabus, the expectations and some general advice. However, we also decided that it would be good to get out into the hills for a day to put things into practice. Today was our day.

We headed into Cwm Maen Gwynedd on the eastern side of the Berwyns and did an anticlockwise loop of the horseshoe, taking in the tops of Mynydd Tarw, Foel Wen, Tomle, Cadair Berwyn, Moel Sych and Godor before dropping back down to the car.

The climb up Mynydd Tarw felt like a long slog after the excesses of Christmas, but was pleasant enough and we stopped for first lunch in the shelter of the cairn at the top. Our traverse across the top of the ridge towards Tomle was very wet underfoot (as it was the last time I was here), and the cloud started to close in making the navigational side of things more important – great practice for George. Once we hit the top of the main Berwyn ridge, heading south to Cadair Berwyn, we were exposed to some strong winds and driving rain that put pay to any conversation for a while.

After a stop for second lunch in the shelter to the south of Cadair Berwyn, we moved on to Moel Sych before dropping down to the east towards Llyn Lluncaws, where our eyes played tricks on us. It took us both a couple of minutes to realise that what we thought was a cloudy skyline was actually the edge of the lake. After picking up a fence line to use as a handrail, we had to keep concentrating as a number of additional fences have clearly been erected  since the map was last updated, and could easily have been misleading.

My memories my last visit to the top of Godor have haunted me for about six years now. I was on my own that day, and fell into an peat bog up to my chest! I still didn’t feel any solid ground with my feet and only stopped sinking because a managed to reach solid ground with my arms. Today’s visit passed without incident, and we gradually made our way back down out of the cloud to find the car by about 4pm.

It’s always great to spend a day in the hills. The weather could have been better, but the company made up for it. Thanks George!

Starting in All Stretton, we worked our way up The Batch to Jinlye and across to the top of the Mott’s Road. The ground was saturated, making the grass boggy and slippery and making progress hard work. It’s a great area with wonderful views, but there was nothing to be seen today due to the thick cloud – hence no photos today. We shot across the top, past the Shooting Box, over Pole Bank and stopped off at Pole Cottage for a quick lunch under a bit of shelter.

Realising that the weather was unlikely to improve, we decided to cut our losses and head down via the track that run over Round Hill and Callow. This was a stretch that I hadn’t anticipated riding, as it’s marked on the map as a footpath, but the ‘Ride UK’ signs were pretty clear. I’m glad we took this option because it was a great blast across the top and dropping down into Little Stretton. With the ground still waterlogged, the front wheel had a habit of gliding sideways across the ground, which was a little disconcerting at times, but certainly made for an intense experience!

Our ride wasn’t as long as I’d hoped but there’s a limit to how wet and cold you can get whilst still having fun. But I certainly did enjoy our few hours out, and it’s made vow to get back out on the bike soon. Thanks for your company once again, Chris – I’m looking forward to our next outing already.

Ranjit warming up

With the weather a bit cold, wet and windy it wasn’t really a day for standing around at the base of a crag. I offered to take Ranjit to Wolf Mountain, in Wolverhampton, as he hadn’t been before and it’s always nice to explore new places. Having retreated to an indoor wall because of the cold, it was a bit ironic just how cold it was in there today. It’s not often that I’ve needed a down jacket at an indoor wall!

However, we had a great day messing about on the bouldering wall before venturing onto the roped climbs. Ranjit tends to have more natural ability than me when it comes to climbing technique, so usually puts me to shame. There wasn’t much change on this front today, but I took great pleasure in managing one particular route first time, when Ranjit hardly succeeded in getting off the ground. There’s no doubting that he’s the better climber, but sometimes you have to grasp these small victories!

Thanks Ranjit, for a fantastic day out on the wall. I just hope we can find another opportunity before too long.

Due to the recent strong winds we’ve been experiencing across the country, I arrived good and early to carry out a thorough check of the trees and the supporting structures. As it turned out, I could have done with being even earlier as Tara and her friends arrived before all the setting up was finished. However, it gave us a good chance to chat while I finished everything off.

Starting off on the Climbing Wall

We started off on the Climbing Wall, which gave everyone a chance to get to grips with how to use the belay devices and carabiners. The wall tends to look relatively easy but, in reality, most people struggle to get to the top. That combined with the generally cold conditions meant that only three of the girls made it all the way, but everyone gave it a good go and started to build up a bit of trust in the ropes.

After the gentle introduction that the Climbing Wall gives, we headed onto the High All Aboard. The climb to the top of the pole is very straight forward, but then getting yourself onto the platform at the top is not as easy as it looks from the ground. The fact that the pole wobbles slightly (although nowhere near as much as it feels!) can make it a really daunting prospect. Trying to get onto the platform when there are already three people stood on it can seem almost impossible. However, with a great deal of team work, co-operation and a willingness to grab on to others everyone managed to get to the top before holding hands and leaning back to create a star shape. It must be the first time for a long while that I’ve seen everyone that’s started the High All Aboard actually complete the challenge. Congratulations!

Success on the High All Aboard!

Having done two activities involving heights and ropes, we ventured into the Adventure Tunnels. This is very different from most of the activities at the Adventure Rope Course and involves the group finding their way through a maze of tunnels. They come across dead ends, trap doors, various obstacles and the dark before trying to figure out how to escape from the end. Having split themselves into smaller groups, some found their way through relatively quickly while others seemed to be going round in circles for a while!

The Adventure Tunnels finish at the top of the main tower, meaning that the fastest (and scariest) way down is to jump out of the door on the Parachute Simulator. All you have to do is step out of the door, which sounds really easy until it’s your turn to step out into thin air. Once again, I was really impressed by how brave the girls were but, being a wimp, I prefer the stairs!

With the daylight starting to fade, we decided to finish our afternoon on the Giant Swing. The girls were great at getting themselves organised and pitching in. With two at a time actually strapped into the swing, it’s down to everyone else to lend some muscle power to winch them up and the girls didn’t hold back from doing their bit. The Giant Swing is released by the pulling of a quick release cord, which results in a brief weightless feeling, usually combined with lots of screaming! This lot certainly kept up the tradition.

It was a fantastic afternoon. Given that it’s the middle of December, the weather couldn’t have been better. The girls were great fun and really supportive of each other, making it a brilliant afternoon for me as well. Thank you girls.

One last thing – Happy Birthday Tara!

Here’s a video clip from the DMM website demonstrating the importance of consistent use of quickdraws when lead climbing:

So I’ve decided to start a new section on the blog dedicated to advice and general information sharing. To be honest, I doubt I’ll get chance to write such posts very often but, over time, I hope to build up a bank of resources for you to dip into as and when you need it. I suspect that most of these posts will divert you to other sites where appropriate information has already been posted, but some I’ll write myself.

If there are any particular topics that you’d like me to cover, feel free to drop me a line. I can’t promise to produce something quickly, but I’ll do my best!