Two wheels

I’ve been getting back into mountain biking recently after a few years spending my hill time on my feet.

I bought my first MTB back in 1988 – a beautiful black Cannondale SM700 (but with an upgraded Deore XT groupset). That bike cost me a whole terms grant. I still have it and it’s now set up as my touring/commuting bike.

The pages from the original catalogue I drooled over as a student

Back then, I did a bit of racing. The sport was so young, I was lining up against the likes of Paul Hinton, David Baker and Tim Gould, the elite racers of the time (Tim is actually in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in Crested Butte, Colorado). No suspension, no disc brakes, no Camelbaks and normally no helmets.

My current bike (a 1999 Marin B17) is full bounce, 6” rear and 4” front, and I’ve had some good times belting around the woods or riding the purpose built trail centres around Wales. But I’m a bit more concerned about busting a collar bone or ending up impaled on a pine stump these days (family to feed and all that).

1999 Marin B17

So I am going back to my cross country (XC) roots – basically enjoying a good walk but on two wheels. The Beacons are criss-crossed with bridleways and the park positively encourages MTBers.

Back in the 80’s, it was a very different story – probably because MTB’s were brand new, just over from Cali’ and cyclists were taking to the hills for the first time, so riders didn’t know that a lovely twisting singletrack footpath wasn’t fair game and that it was bad sport to use a snoozing sheep as a ramp. Walkers were pissed off with lunatics flying past them at 30mph, ripping up paths and the sheep weren’t ecstatic either. It really was a battleground out there.

These day, the sport is mature, XC riders know and respect the hills as much as any walker and the kamikaze ‘downhiller’ fringe have pretty much confined themselves the FC trail centres.

I managed to find a great little book on riding in the Peak District for when I am staying with  my folks and another set of MTB routes in the Beacons. These books, combined with Memory Map and my Road Angel, are going to give me a whole new way to get out into the hills.

My B17 isn’t much good at this XC stuff, the geometry is all wrong, it doesn’t climb well, the bounce is too bouncy and it’s starting to creak a bit. So the hunt is on for a replacement.

I am lucky to have the acquaintance of Guy Kesteven, the gear guru from ‘What Mountain Bike’ and ‘MBUK’ magazine – we work with him on the MBWales website my company developed for Visit Wales. I have been firing off “What about this one Guy?” emails knowing that he has ridden and wrecked more bikes that most.

I have almost made up my mind.

Out west – Day 1

I had a few days free a couple of weeks ago, so I packed up and went to west Wales to do some proper camping and exploring.

Cardigan was just a few miles away, so I popped into Howies.

Howies is a very smooth brand turning out some rather special clothing – their marketing is world renowned and I always look forward to their catalogues, emails or any other ‘little something’ they may send to amuse me into purchasing. Timberland acquired a chunk of them last year, but all the fears of what damage a nasty megabrand could do to them dissolved into nothing. They are still the same, but with a few more quid behind them, which is good for all involved I suppose.

I left quite a few £’s lighter with an Epic cotton waterproof jacket and a shirt I like so much I might frame it.

BTW, my favourite ever tee shirt is a ‘Howies’ and I am going to wear it until it falls to bits.

On to Boncath

I stayed at Rhydhowell Farm campsite, just outside the small village of Boncath (pronounced 'Bonkers' with a lisp) for my three nights in Pembs. I found it via the Campfires Burning website and when I emailed the chap who owns the farm and asked him if it was OK to cook on an open fire, he replied with “How else would you cook when camping!” I booked immediately.

The farm is run by John Quinn, and Englishman farming in the heart of rural Wales and a true gentleman. He has a beautiful property, dating back to the 1790’s, but he has been resident for the past 35 years. The farm is over seventy acres with a large percentage of it a stunning semi ancient wooded valley that would have the bushcraft boys sharpening their Mora’s in anticipation (don’t worry, he has plans for you!) John has set a path through the woods that makes it accessible to most who can handle a gentle stroll – he gave me a guided tour with his sheepdog Sally at his side.

The campsite is very basic, with a loo that I couldn’t use (I’m an arachnophobe) and an old static caravan that contains a sink for washing up, a decent WC and a hot shower. He has piped water into the various fields that he has set aside for campers and has fire pans dotted around for his campers to use.

I stayed in one of his ‘hideaway’ pitches – small enclosures set aside for a more private camping experience. The pitch had a fine group of Douglas Firs at one end and enough room for several tents. Sadly, the firs were just too far apart for me to hang my Clarke Jungle Hammock – a night in that will have to wait just a bit longer.

Rhydhowell is one of those sites that when you find it, you want to keep it a secret. But that wouldn’t be fair to John, who is trying his best to make a simple but beautiful campsite for those that would rather have a more natural camping experience.

Just don’t tell anyone else.

I set up the Bison Lavvu, got comfy (and I mean comfy – lots of luxuries come with me when car camping – a real bed, a fridge, rugs, chair and a gas cooker with a grill) and settled down to cook ratatouille over the fire and slug a bottle of wine while watching the flames flickering.

It was a very cold night due to the crystal clear skies and my RayWay quilt struggled to keep me warm, but l also bought my down backpacking quilt just in case. Had a damned good nights sleep.

Out west – Day 2

Today was Preseli Hills day.

As I was on my own (you need two cars) and I wasn’t sure if the local hiker’s bus was running, I decided not to walk the full 8 mile end to end route. I parked up in Crymych and quickly stomped up Foel Drygarn and then onto Carn Sian and back down to the van creating a short circular route.

Although not particularly high, the Preseli Hills have a character all of their own and the really do feel ancient and mystical. A quick bit of research will tell you that the stones from Stonehenge came from here and all sorts prehistoric remains have been found – the place is riddled with sacred sites.

I then drove to the western end of the range and climbed up to the highest point, Foel Cwmcerwyn at 536 metres past decimated forestry and a few very boggy sections. The view from the top was stupendous – I could even see the Gower peninsular. It was also obvious that this route could be extended, staying fairly high, pretty much all the way to the sea. Lots more exploring to be done another time.

I got chatting to a ‘local’ walker on the top who told me that on a clear winter’s day, you could see Snowdon and the Beacons from this summit. We stayed chatting and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours discussing everything from a love of wine to pickling chillies on the walk back down to the cars. Sorry, I never asked your name, but your old black lab’ was called Jasper I think.

Driving in this part of Wales is amusing to say the least. I saw at least two cars with no number plates or tax – one of these came screaming around a corner towards me and the driver had a large dog on his lap. He waved as he passed.

Back to camp and a fantastic meal of vegetable and paneer kebabs marinated in lemon, basil and olive oil. You can’t cook like that when you are backpacking. I phoned Sarah who was in Paris with the kids and my in-laws paying homage to Mickey Mouse and I think I was a little too pissed to hold a totally coherent conversion. I can’t remember.

Out west – Day 3

         

The day started with a stunning sunrise, a solid cooked breakfast and lots of proper coffee to shake off a minor hangover.

       

I drove out to Strumble Head to walk a section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path that my mate Tim had recommended. The weather was perfect, blue skies, turquoise seas, hot sun and tourist free roads. It was immediately obvious that something was going on. Groups of people peered over the top of huge cliffs down into shady bays – ‘twitchers’ I thought, until I heard the crazed honking of dozens of fluffy white seal pups. This was a first for me.

I walked out to Trwyn Llwyd and back and on every inaccessible beach were groups of pups with the parents lazily sloshing around in the shallows seemingly enjoying the attention of the onlookers.

I was sitting on a hot rock in blazing sun eating my lunch when a glistening white ferry left Fishguard harbour and disappeared into St Georges Channel. It reminded me of months spent on the Greek Islands when I left college. I had to remind myself that it was almost October and this was the end of one of the worst summers I could remember.

I stopped at the amazing Pwll Deri Youth Hostel perched on the cliffs under Garn Fawr and filled up my water bottle. (When I got home, it turned out that my next door neighbour’s sister-in-law was warden there for years. What a perfect place to live).

I got back to the van tired, dehydrated and footsore. Looks like my trusty Salomon’s have finally had enough with around 400 miles of rough terrain under their belts. (Just bought some new ones, with a GTX lining for the winter – no way I’m going back to boots).

Back at base was another perfect evening cooking on embers, drinking organic cider from Hereford (nearly Welsh) and listening to all manner of creatures 'doing stuff’ in the trees over my head.

The wild west

I spent a few glorious days in west Wales last week. I'm in love.

More soon.

Pencelli Castle

I took advantage of the finest weekend of this miserable Welsh summer and took Aaron (6) for a quick Saturday night camp in the Brecon Beacons. It was really a reccy to check out a 'proper' campsite that we could use for family camping weekends.

Pencelli Castle is a family owned site at the foot of Pen-y-fan, on the road between Brecon and Talybont on Usk. It's the site of a real castle, built around 1080 A.D. although no evidence of remains apart from the moat.

The site has three areas - The 'Orchard' and the 'Oaks' are set up for caravans and those campers that need electricity and furthest from the facilities (more about those in a minute) is the magnificent 'Meadow'.

The Meadow is reserved solely for tents and is a very large gently sloping and perfectly manicured field surrounded by trees and broken up by conservation areas of un-mown grass, trees and shrubs. At the bottom of the field runs the Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal.

I'm not one to get excited by campsite facilities, I'm happy with a clean stream and a place to dig a cathole, but when you have a family in tow, good toilets and showers make for a much nicer experience. The accolades these guys have collected are pretty impressive, they are Visit Wales 5 Star rated, have won every 'Loo of the Year' award since the 12th century, have won several Campsite of the Year awards and a few Wales in Bloom awards for the attractive landscaping and floral touches (all the waste and water areas have a trellis surround with climbing roses hiding the plastic bins).

We set up camp in a quiet but very soggy area of the Meadow. Although the weekend was hot and sunny, the ground was very waterlogged and some areas of the closely cut lawns looked more like Ypres than South Wales. Quite a few people were getting stuck, making the ruts and mud even worse, but we had big tyres and 4WD and this combo didn't make the slightest impression on the ground.

At around lunchtime, Aaron said he couldn't eat his lunch because his loose front tooth had turned around and was facing the wrong way. After a few minutes, he plucked up the courage and let me pull it out - he must have been pretty hungry!

We cooked on the Grilliput and our Cadac Safari Chef combo and slept comfortably on a big fat airbed. As the meadow was 'the scene of many a bloody battle', we expected a disturbed night, but it was pretty uneventful apart from Aaron managing to wriggle out of his sleeping bag and waking in the early hours shivering.

Next morning, we checked out the facilities and showered to piped classical music. They also have family bathrooms, the usual washing up and food prep areas, laundry, drying room and an information room full of stuff to help you make the most of your time there. There is a funky little play area and a red deer enclosure for the kids. Everything is immaculate, even the bike and boot wash areas.

All of this loveliness comes at a price though - some quick mental arithmetic  - £35.00 a night for Sarah, myself and the three boys. That is pretty steep for a campsite IMHO (It looks like that is pretty average after all - see comments). But it can't be cheap maintaining Pencelli Castle to such high standards and I didn't see an Aston Martin parked in the owners driveway.

We packed up after lunch and went for a stroll along the canal to Talybont on Usk (good pubs and food) and then drove the long way home up through the mountains via Talybont Reservoir, Taf Fechan and Pontsticill. We stopped for a Miss Whippy (ice cream ;) and watched the Brecon Mountain Railway steam engine puff through the hills.

One last stop off to walk across the 92 foot high Pontsarn viaduct just north of Merthyr Tydfil and it was onto the Heads of the Valleys road and back to sunny Swansea to dry out the dew soaked tent.

Wonderful weekend :)

Aaron's mountain

A couple more shots from Aaron's first big hill day, taken by Dave Griffin, a good friend and superb photographer working out of Swansea. Check out his work here and his Flickr stuff here.

Aaron and me, just about to cross from Corn Du to Pen y Fan.

 

River crossing below Corn Du. The first wet foot of the day for kiddo!

Aaron's first big Welsh one

Aaron, my eldest (6), had his first big mountain experience today. Well, big for South Wales anyway!

We met up with Alan and Dave this morning at about 8.00am, and dashed up to Storey Arms and climbed Corn Du and Pen y Fan via Y Gyrn. It was only a 5 mile jaunt, but we topped out at about 2900 feet.

Aaron even saw his first Red Kite - it flew straight over our heads and then off down towards the Swansea Valley.

We had a great morning and it was good to catch up with Al and Dai, but the day belonged to Aaron and he had a fab time :)

It was a bit of a double whammy for Aaron - he learnt to ride a bike yesterday too.

Out at last

A few weeks ago, we finally managed to get so hill time, exploring an area we don't visit too often.

We went back to Capel-y-ffin (Last visited February 2007) to walk a 13 mile circular route taking in a boring bit of Offa's Dyke Path, the fantastic views from Hay Bluff and the serious stomp up Lord Hereford's Knob (or 'Twmpa', but that isn't half as much fun).

From Twmpa, it was a pretty gentle stroll along the ridge of Tarren yr Esgob to the Blacksmiths Anvil, (which is disappointingly just a waymark stone that doesn't even look remotely like an anvil). Rain started picking and by the time we reached the steep drop down the Tarren yr Esgob cliffs, it was pouring heavily and we were immersed in a full blown thunder storm. The forecast had predicted it, so we were prepared, but they got the timing wrong.

We didn't bother with waterproofs as we were soaked anyway and it was a warm day, so soggily,  it was straight to The Skirrid Inn, the oldest pub in Wales in which more than 100 people were hanged in the stairwell. It's a favourite with ghosthunters and has been visited by Yvette Feilding and her team. As it was a Bank Holiday weekend, the place was teeming with people scaring the shite out of each other. Apparently, there was a group coming later that evening and they would spend the whole night sitting in the bar, drinking strong coffee and tweaking the dials on there monitoring equipment.

Anyway, a spookily good (but uneventful) meal and a pint or two later and we were aquaplaning back down the valley to Swansea, still a little moist but with that happy 'fresh air 'n' a pint' glow about us.

Orange Peel Fungus?

I took my boys for a muddy ramble around our local woods yesterday, and these little red cups were everywhere.

I thought they may be Orange Peel Fungus, which is edible, but looking at their uniform cup like shape, now I am not too sure.

Does anyone have any ideas?

UPDATE: Mum came to the rescue - it looks like a Scarlet Cup Fungus!

Aaron's first Wainwright

September 2007 - Aaron (5) topping out on his first Wainwright, Walla Crag, with Catbells in the background (my first Wainwright). He was excited because he could see Scotland in the distance and he thought he might see David Tenant.

Rinog Fach Wildcamp 2

Another test post - Alan about to filter from Llyn Hywel.

Rhinog Fach Wildcamp

Picasa test post - posting to Blogger directly from Picasa

Rowan Youth Hostel

I was just flicking through last summer's Cambrian Way photos and found this classic shot of Pete putting his Leki's to good use.

If any of you have ever climbed up to Rowan YHA (SH 74660 72082) at the end of a long day, you'll know exactly how he feels!

Take a look at that little arrow painted on the wall... notice how it points upwards?

What I did this weekend

Good camping, good company, good food, good wine, and a fine campfire.

Secret spot, 20 minutes from my front door :)

September

I love September - apart from the annual arachnid invasion of my house.

Here's something different for you to try... relaxing, educational, primal and just a little bit hippy.

Download one of these charts, sharpen your old penknife (or get one of these), buy the poor man's BushBuddy for a tenner and go and spend an hour or two in your local woods. Not the horrible coniferised F.E. forests, but a real woodland.

Spend some time getting away from the dog walking paths, find a nice quite spot, sit on your rucksack, make yourself a brew or two with your little woodburner (maybe even some lunch), whittle a stick and just chill.

Sit there long enough (and quiet enough) and it's a totally different outdoor experience to the hills we know and love. Wildlife comes and finds you. If you are brave enough and The Blair Witch Project is a distant memory, try camping in the woods.

Use the chart to learn some trees on the way.

I did this with my 5 year old son this weekend and he can now spot about 8 trees just from their leaves.

Smelling of woodsmoke reminded me of being 11 again :)

Bushcraft fun

We had a day in the woods on Saturday with Dryad Bushcraft run by a fella called Andrew Price, here on Gower Peninsula.

They run several courses and we opted for the one day starter course, set in private woodland about 10 mins from home.

Alan, myself and Alans son, Robert, together with three other folk, were taught to light fires by friction (Al was the super hero at this - said his carpenters skills helped), make fire using a piece of flint, campfire cookery including some fantastic beer bread (flour and beer in a Dutch Oven), tarp'n'hammock set up and then a foraging expedition.

It was a slow paced, relaxing day with two instructors who lived for the outdoors and had an answer to every question. We got chatting to one of the guys who told us that when he has to go to London, he uses his hammock in Kew Gardens!

We had a great day - it was like being a boy scout again - we got to play with knives, fire and axes. We got to eat berries that you would have thought would give you the trots for a week and learned a lot about the green stuff all around us. I know it will add a new level of enjoyment to our walking and backpacking.

If you love spending time in the outdoors, find your local bushcraft course provider - you'll love it!

Peak District v Wales

Did a 'quick one before lunch' today - a scramble up Crowden Clough, along through the Wool Packs, over to Edale Rocks and down Jacobs Ladder.

Haven't been on Jacobs Ladder since the Penine Way over 20 years ago.

Beautiful day.

I saw more walkers in 3 hours than I saw in over 3 weeks on the Cambrian Way.

Lots to do

Lots to do on the blog now we have finished our trip. Missing days to write, photos to upload, gaps to fill in.

I'll get round to updating over the next week or two.

This photo sums up the last week. I am standing on a footpath!

Almost ready for the last leg

On Saturday morning, we'll be travelling back up to Porthmadog to finish the final leg of our Cambrian Way. Starting from Maentwrog, over the Moelwyns, up and over Cnicht into Beddgelert, then over Snowdon to the PYG hotel. Up onto the Glyders and a night in Idwal Cottage then onto the Carneddau for a couple of days and drop down into Conwy to the Quay Hotel to rest our weary limbs in shameful luxury.

This week has been all about getting work sorted out, cleaning, replacing and repairing kit and getting the food ready - all over again!

We are in pretty good shape now and will be killing Pete on the uphills! (he will be joining us again for this last week) . My feet are a bit tender and looking up the syptoms on the web, it looks like they are suffering from being damp for too long. I have invested in some Sealkins merino inner socks so I can wear my Sealskins more next week if its damp.

Last week, while the rest of the country was suffering with horrendous weather, we were very lucky. Hopefully, we'll have good fortune this week too as it's the best terrain of the walk.

I read the Rhinogs bit of the 'official guide book' when we got back and learnt a couple of things...
1. The reason the Cambrian Way didn't get national trail status was because the Rhinogs are too dangerous and mountain rescue crews did not relish the increased numbers in the range.

2. The way we came off Rhinog Fach is NOT recommended - come down the same way you went up!

Lessons learned? RTFM before you go!

'Twas the night before...

Hair's cut, work is sorted (thanks guys!), gadgets charged, final, final, final, final gear list is printed. Food's all packed (12lb's - ouch). The map is on the wall so my boys "can see where daddy is tonight". Forecast is checked and dismissed as pessimistic claptrap. I have cut my paperback into three - why take a whole book if you are only going to read a bit of it? I can't decide if my Z55 needs a lid or not (hell yes, this is Wales). Do I need a whole bog roll for a week? Depends how well I dried my food I suppose.

I am frantically carbo' loading using a box of half decent US Chardonnay.

I daren't phone Alan because I know he will be up to his eyes in chaos.

Oh well, this time next week, we would have done 100 miles and climbed the equivalent of half way up Everest. (Kenton Cool, eat your heart out).

And devoured 12lbs of food... hopefully.

Next edition, technology permitting, will be live from the Royal Oak in Rhandirmwyn (just about my most favourite place on the planet).

C2C Days 4 & 5 - the first wild camp

Last weekend, we completed the first overnighter of our Welsh C2C trip. Saturday was a nine mile stretch (2300 feet of ascent) from Glanaman to a wild camp on Foel Fraith then an 8 mile haul (another 1100 feet upwards) to Llanddeusant (and a bit further to the pub).

It was the first time we had used all of the new kit in anger. Alan cheated and didn't bring everything he is going to take on the main trip and then boasted about how light his pack was. Bad man.

Saturday's walk was blustery with a few short showers around lunchtime, then the wind dropped developing into a beautiful still evening with clear skies (read cold). We found a great camp site big enough to hold 50 Akto's, let alone our three on the terraces of an old limestone quarry - the sort with immaculately manicured bowling green grass thanks to the local sheep population. The forecast had predicted a 3 degree night and by 9.00pm it was rapidly approaching 6 degrees, so after very succesful FBC meals (Fish Risotto - thanks Stef - aka BG!) and a Platypus of red wine, we snuck into our tents ready for a chilly evening.

My home-made Golite quilt was very warm if I could keep my ass under cover. As a sleeping bag, it was rated at 0 degrees and it coped very well with the temperatures as a quilt, but I am a fidgety sleeper and every time I turned over, I got a cold bum. I have two options - abandon the quilt and use my Mountain Hardwear Phantom bag, or persevere with the quilt and hope it gets warmer (this weekend was freak weather, nights are back to 10 degrees now).

During the night, the cloud dropped and saturated everything (Pete got up for a pee at 4.30am and experienced the zero visibility), but when we emerged at 6.30am for a brew, the sun was burning the dew from the flysheets. Obviously, the Akto's suffered badly with condensation and a lot of mopping was required before we packed the tents up. Does anyone have a method of dealing with the Akto's evident condensation problem? We would all love to hear about it!

Once we had had breakfast and pulled some more water from a rather dubious water source (full of newts and therefore newt crap), we fiddled with the kit for a bit - fashioning a washing line from walking poles and spectra - packed up and were walking by about 10.30am... straight into a half hour climb along a spiky, rocky ridge (Garreg Glas - complete with limestone pavement and nosey red kites), that would not have looked out of place in Snowdonia.

The day's route took us across unpathed land, free styling through heather, bog and bilberry to the rim of Bannau Sir Gaer - one of the best views in south Wales (IMHO) and one of my most favourite places on earth. We dropped down to the bothy and then took the track past a fish farm and then a long tedious lane slog past Llandeusant YH to the Cross Inn for a couple of excellent pints before Jackie (Al's better half) picked us up.

I learnt a few lessons and quite a bit about the gear...

The Z55 was awesome with about 30lbs in it. The caldera cone stove boiled a pint of water, in wind, in 4 minutes with 12ml of fuel. The OMM chest pack was worth it's weight in gold and will come with me on the trip. We took too much food, at least the lunches were too big. The new inflatable Insulmats were worth the extra grams. I am going to take earplugs to keep the sheep's nocturnal activities at bay. The Road Angel was perfect for checking our position. I bought a new Canon Ixus 850 as I was jealous of Alan's tiny camera. Don't forget to put on sunscreen - very burnt nose. Dr Bronners is fine for washing your teeth. Take more baby wipes (Pampers unscented) for washing when you can't face an icy wash in newt crap. Pacer poles rock. Merino does stink. The Black Mountain is wild, beautiful and very moist underfoot - but the Salomon shoes and Smartwool socks combo drained and dried very quickly. Newt crap blocks water filters very quickly. My Montane windshirt is the most versatile garment I have ever owned. Both Al and Pete were very jealous of my Knirps X1 during showers, despite taking the pee.

Did I mention that Alan cheated? I'm not bitter ;)

This weekend, we are doing a dayhike from Llanddeusant to Llandovery, then we are on the trail for a week and I can't wait!

C2C days 4-5

We are going to spend and wet'n'windy weekend on the Black Mountain this weekend, knocking off two more days of the coast to coast. It's really a shake down of the kit (and us!).

Just checking the forecast and after weeks of balmy evenings, Saturday night is going to be 3 degrees, so our zero degree sleeping systems will be tested to the limits. A litre Platy full of a half decent red wine should solve that problem.

C2C Route Planning

We have just about finalised our Welsh coast to coast route. I have painstakingly plotted the whole 25 days into Memory Map. We (Alan and I) plan to take it really easy with an average of 10 miles per day - more of a relaxed bimble rather than record breaking march.

We are section hiking the route a week at a time, with a week back in work in between each week. We start at Rhossili, right on the end of Gower and finish at Conwy Castle, taking in every major hill range on the way.

Stats: 242 miles, 387,200 steps, 56,019 feet of ascent and 56,204 of descent, about 18lb-20lb base weight.

The bulk of the walking will be done throughout June, finishing in North Wales with several pints on the 7th July.

BIG THANKS to Sarah and Jackie for letting us go - yes, we do know it's going to cost us dearly!

Outdoor Show 2007

The usual supsects
From right to left, John, his pint, Cameron, Big Mike, Andy, Paddy, George and yours truly. Dave, BG and Darren out of shot.

Not a bad show, good to see Paul of Hike Lite selling a TON of Montane stuff. No new Golite on show :(

Graham Thomson was actually very good so I apologise!

Parking has gone up a quid. Not convinced by the Road Angel Adventurer (but it was a nightmare to try and speak to anyone on the Memory Map stand). Al saw some nice light Berghaus boots (in the shops this summer). Watched Leo Houlding - the loony that did the Berghaus Slacklining advert. Was glad I bought an Akto when I examined the Terra Nova Laser Comp. Saw the Garmin Topo software for half price but wasn't tempted. Took lots of photos of the Wales1000things stand and felt very proud! Saw some very clever chaps riding beautiful Norco's over some impossible obstacles. Bought some Croc's. Did a double take when I saw Simon Ingram (the dishevelled looking but very talented writer from Trail magazine- IMHO). Looked at some very inexpensive Alpkit down gear. Drooled over Paul's (from Hike Lite) Mont Bell down jacket - sorry about that Paul.

Not a bad show, but not the best. Was it me or was it smaller than previous years! Anyway, it was good to meet all of the bloggers!

New shoes and happiness II

Last weekend, we had a damp 10 mile stomp around Gower to try out the new Salomon's. The route took us across muddy farmland, coastal cliff paths and half way up Gower's pride - Rhossili Down. Most of the route was on the Gower Way - which we plan to use to link up to the Cambrian Way for our summer 'mid life crisis' hike.

It was a beautiful day after a night of torrential rain, so it was very wet underfoot. We stood in all of the puddles we could find to test how the shoes drained and how quickly our feet warmed up again. They were better than I hoped and very comfortable. If they had the same tread pattern and depth of the Terroc's, they would be absolutely perfect.

A day like this reminds me of how lucky I am to live on Gower. We always head North for the 40 minute journey to the Beacons for our walking, but this stunning coastal scenery is only 10 minutes from my house.

I am planning to explore the Gower coast a lot more this summer :)

The Eclipse

Last night, Alan and I took our boys onto Cefn Bryn, Gower to see the lunar eclipse. We had hot chocolate by Arthur's Stone and navigated the short route using a PDA and a Memory Map aerial photo of Gower - very '24'!
Aaron (5) couldn't stay up to see the thing through, so Sarah and I enjoyed it a bit later with a glass of wine. If you missed it, Aktoman shot the whole thing (see his 'Eye of the sun' post).

Here is a taste of the fun (all shot in night vision)...

Bal Mawr - 3rd February 2007

We took a drive over to the Black Mountains on Saturday, winding westward through the Beacons to Capel-y-ffin in the Vale of Ewyas, famous for the remains of Lanthony Priory. Alan was nursing a skiing injury, so we had planned a fairly easy 8 miles along the Bal Mawr ridge and then drop down to follow a path back to Capel-y ffin. The return leg traversed the hill, about half way between the ridge and the valley floor and gave a very different view of the surroundings.
It was my 40th a couple of days before, so I was trying out my birthday present, a new pair of Pacerpoles and giving the Z55 another outing.
It was a beautiful, sunny frosty morning and we set off out of Capel-y-ffin past a monastry and a half constructed chapel built by the rather eccentric Father Ignatius in the late 1800's. I found out later that Eric Gill, artist and type designer (famous for his typeface, Gill Sans) spent some time there in the 30's.
The path zig zagged up past a pony trekking centre then onto the hill proper. After a brief flat section (with acres of perfect wild camping spots), we crossed a stream and then slogged up to the ridge, arriving at the Blacksmiths Anvil stone.
The Pacerpoles were very impressive during the climbing, powering you upwards with noticably reduced effort. We tied the handles together and slung them over our shoulders straps when we were on the flat, drawing them like a pair of ninja swords for the descents. I read about this method of carrying the poles in the excellent instruction sheet from Pacer.
The views were amazing and I shot a panorama, swinging from East to West, out towards Hay Bluff and Lord Herefords Knob (how cool is it to have a mountain named after your old boy) and then West towards Pen Cerrig-calch. Sugar Loaf was also visible to the South, as you can see in the photo below.
We trundled along the ridge and stopped for a sandwich and brew-up, trying out our little alcohol stove. I don't take a flask in winter, but a brew-up is always a bit of fun if the conditions are favourable.
After lunch, we dropped back down into the valley, which was still in shadow and therefore still hard with frost - just as well as the path would have been pretty muddy.
We talked a lot about our coast to coast walk in June, planning routes across Snowdonia, discussing the food we will take and the gear that would be suitable for 200+ mile expedition. As I mentioned, I am 40 this year and Al hits the big half century, so we both have a lot to celebrate. Rather than having a typical mid life crisis involving Las Vegas and red sports cars, we decided to walk from Snowdonia to Gower over three weeks, sort of following the route I have mentioned in previous posts. Al and I don't see each other very often as we both have businesses and kids, so time is in short supply, so when we do get a chance to steal a Saturday or Sunday in the hills, it gives us a chance to discuss the details of the trip.
On the way back, we explored an old ruin of a farmhouse and found some regurgitated owl pellets containing fur, bones, claws and teeth - I have seen these in books but never broken one apart myself.
The poles and pack worked well, I still need to work out how I am going to carry water as the bladder/tube combo is pretty difficult to manage when backpacking. My Montane Sportwool experiment is still going well, lets just say that I am testing the limits of merino's anti odour properties (more next post).
We didn't have a chance to have a pint on the way back as Al had an evening out planned, which was a shame as we drove past the Skirrid Inn on the way home, which has featured in the TV show, Most Haunted. It's ancient and has a wonderful view of The Skirrid (Ysgyryd Fawr), or the Holy Mountain, one of the three decent hills that circle Abergavenny, the others being Blorenge and Sugar Loaf.