Just realised my Virgin account where I put my photos is running out of space - ha - they are clearly too busy concentrating on zooming off to space rather than providing me with hosting space :). So I'll have a go putting my pictures on another location - so I apologise in advance if there is any difficulty viewing them.
OK, so after that distraction, on with the important stuff...
I booked a week off work in September, after the kids had gone back to school, so everywhere would be quieter. Sally wanted to visit Anglesey in North Wales because we'd never been there.
Friday
Sally suggested some cycling might be involved, so I strapped the folding bikes to the roof of the camper - not that we used them:
Friday afternoon we headed north west towards Birmingham and then up along the Welsh border. The Camping and Caravanning Club have a POI file I downloaded onto the Garmin Nuvi GPS, so as we headed towards sunset I started looking for campgrounds to use for a stopover for the night - something basic and cheap was called for. We stopped at one and and it was just what we wanted. Just and empty field really, owned by a very pleasant retired couple.
Saturday
Come the morning we checked out the toilet facilities - hmmm, these look interesting:
But quite cute inside:
We headed up further north west through Snowdonia National Park:
We didn't stop - that would come later in the week, instead we headed straight for Anglesey and the historic bridge over the Menai Straits:
Thomas Telford's bridge:
Not much clearance:
We headed up to the north east coast of the island - almost still summer:
After a walk along the beach and some sandwiches we moved inland and found an old copper mine:
Some of the copper mined here would have ended up lining the hulls of wooden warships
Then onto the campground - this one Sally had booked in advance - again, a fairly basic campground, but with a sea view:
We decided to fry some food, but rather than do it on the camper stove covering the camper in grease and making it smell, I had brought my old camping stove - it worked well:
Stay tuned for more...
Steve.
OK, so after that distraction, on with the important stuff...
I booked a week off work in September, after the kids had gone back to school, so everywhere would be quieter. Sally wanted to visit Anglesey in North Wales because we'd never been there.
Friday
Sally suggested some cycling might be involved, so I strapped the folding bikes to the roof of the camper - not that we used them:
Friday afternoon we headed north west towards Birmingham and then up along the Welsh border. The Camping and Caravanning Club have a POI file I downloaded onto the Garmin Nuvi GPS, so as we headed towards sunset I started looking for campgrounds to use for a stopover for the night - something basic and cheap was called for. We stopped at one and and it was just what we wanted. Just and empty field really, owned by a very pleasant retired couple.
Saturday
Come the morning we checked out the toilet facilities - hmmm, these look interesting:
But quite cute inside:
We headed up further north west through Snowdonia National Park:
We didn't stop - that would come later in the week, instead we headed straight for Anglesey and the historic bridge over the Menai Straits:
Thomas Telford's bridge:
Not much clearance:
We headed up to the north east coast of the island - almost still summer:
After a walk along the beach and some sandwiches we moved inland and found an old copper mine:
Some of the copper mined here would have ended up lining the hulls of wooden warships
Then onto the campground - this one Sally had booked in advance - again, a fairly basic campground, but with a sea view:
We decided to fry some food, but rather than do it on the camper stove covering the camper in grease and making it smell, I had brought my old camping stove - it worked well:
Stay tuned for more...
Steve.
sabconsulting wrote:
Thursday
Today it was supposed to be raining, but fortunately the weather seemed to have forgotten. We did have a longer lay in bed though - we were a bit achy and the virus was taking its toll.
The plan for today was to drive to the nearest village and enjoy a nice lunch. However, I spotted that the farmer had a nice rock face just above the campground - this was difficult to resist and I wanted to try out some dynamic rope, caribiners and belay devices. Sally took some persuading because she really wanted a relaxing morning, but I insisted on rushing up the hill and rigging a climb for her:
Everything worked, and Sally also got to prove that her new Saloman hiking boots were actually quite good on rock (though hardly rock boots).
Having got that out of my system we headed to Beddgelert for some lunch. Parking was cheap (free) because the machine was out of order - note the bilingual notice:
Oooo, Ham, egg and chips (fat fries) in the sun:
We walked off lunch by visiting an outdoor clothing store and then doing a small circular walk around the village:
We therefore arrived back at the campground fairly early - time to do some maintenance.
Firstly I bought a small folding luggage trolley to allow me to drag our grey tank when taking it to be emptied:
I had also bought some replacement elastic cord to repair the camping table - the elastic had broken a couple of years ago when I stupidly threw the table out of the camper:
Finally we rounded the day off by walking to the lake at the end of the farm:
I caught the grandfather on his way back into the farm house in order to pay for the camping (he was the oldest of about 4 generations living off the farm). Sadly he was wearing a black tie and explained that he had just had to bury a childhood friend - who had all his life cycled the same route through the village, but recently, and unknown to him, the local council had placed a chain across the bollards he sped through those 80 or more years.
Sabconsulting wrote:
Having got that out of my system we headed to Beddgelert for some lunch. Parking was cheap (free) because the machine was out of order - note the bilingual notice:
Steve, you thought you were in another part of England, being so close to Liverpool, but it was fascinating seeing "English People" speaking another Language!
Friday
It rained during the night and as before this signalled time to move on.
We spent most of the day heading south through Wales, before popping over the border near South Wales. We had a couple of nights booked at a campground we had used before:
Saturday
The purpose of returning to this campground was to do some more climbing at Symmonds Yat. Unfortunately there had been a fair deal of rain and the limestone cliffs were really slippery.
However, the main purpose was not to stretch our climbing abilities, but to spend a day with Alec looking at practical issues of rigging in various locations.
After rigging one climb on the limestone cliffs we moved onto a quarry where the rock would be drier and there would also be different types of rigging required:
Later we returned to the limestone cliffs and rigged a climb there, but that was a slippery nightmare (even the abseil down was tricky). We succeeded, but came away with scrathes, bruises and various muddy bits of clothing. The session had been very useful though and we had a great time.
Saturday
Sunday morning we took a leisurely drive home, stopping for a picnic in the Cotswold hills. We had been moving closer to home with each change of location since Sunday, so the final return journey was only a hundred or so miles.
For once we had a trip with great weather - I guess you have to win at least once.
Cheers,
Steve.
It rained during the night and as before this signalled time to move on.
We spent most of the day heading south through Wales, before popping over the border near South Wales. We had a couple of nights booked at a campground we had used before:
Saturday
The purpose of returning to this campground was to do some more climbing at Symmonds Yat. Unfortunately there had been a fair deal of rain and the limestone cliffs were really slippery.
However, the main purpose was not to stretch our climbing abilities, but to spend a day with Alec looking at practical issues of rigging in various locations.
After rigging one climb on the limestone cliffs we moved onto a quarry where the rock would be drier and there would also be different types of rigging required:
Later we returned to the limestone cliffs and rigged a climb there, but that was a slippery nightmare (even the abseil down was tricky). We succeeded, but came away with scrathes, bruises and various muddy bits of clothing. The session had been very useful though and we had a great time.
Saturday
Sunday morning we took a leisurely drive home, stopping for a picnic in the Cotswold hills. We had been moving closer to home with each change of location since Sunday, so the final return journey was only a hundred or so miles.
For once we had a trip with great weather - I guess you have to win at least once.
Cheers,
Steve.
Thursday
Today it was supposed to be raining, but fortunately the weather seemed to have forgotten. We did have a longer lay in bed though - we were a bit achy and the virus was taking its toll.
The plan for today was to drive to the nearest village and enjoy a nice lunch. However, I spotted that the farmer had a nice rock face just above the campground - this was difficult to resist and I wanted to try out some dynamic rope, caribiners and belay devices. Sally took some persuading because she really wanted a relaxing morning, but I insisted on rushing up the hill and rigging a climb for her:
Everything worked, and Sally also got to prove that her new Saloman hiking boots were actually quite good on rock (though hardly rock boots).
Having got that out of my system we headed to Beddgelert for some lunch. Parking was cheap (free) because the machine was out of order - note the bilingual notice:
Oooo, Ham, egg and chips (fat fries) in the sun:
We walked off lunch by visiting an outdoor clothing store and then doing a small circular walk around the village:
We therefore arrived back at the campground fairly early - time to do some maintenance.
Firstly I bought a small folding luggage trolley to allow me to drag our grey tank when taking it to be emptied:
I had also bought some replacement elastic cord to repair the camping table - the elastic had broken a couple of years ago when I stupidly threw the table out of the camper:
Finally we rounded the day off by walking to the lake at the end of the farm:
I caught the grandfather on his way back into the farm house in order to pay for the camping (he was the oldest of about 4 generations living off the farm). Sadly he was wearing a black tie and explained that he had just had to bury a childhood friend - who had all his life cycled the same route through the village, but recently, and unknown to him, the local council had placed a chain across the bollards he sped through those 80 or more years.
Today it was supposed to be raining, but fortunately the weather seemed to have forgotten. We did have a longer lay in bed though - we were a bit achy and the virus was taking its toll.
The plan for today was to drive to the nearest village and enjoy a nice lunch. However, I spotted that the farmer had a nice rock face just above the campground - this was difficult to resist and I wanted to try out some dynamic rope, caribiners and belay devices. Sally took some persuading because she really wanted a relaxing morning, but I insisted on rushing up the hill and rigging a climb for her:
Everything worked, and Sally also got to prove that her new Saloman hiking boots were actually quite good on rock (though hardly rock boots).
Having got that out of my system we headed to Beddgelert for some lunch. Parking was cheap (free) because the machine was out of order - note the bilingual notice:
Oooo, Ham, egg and chips (fat fries) in the sun:
We walked off lunch by visiting an outdoor clothing store and then doing a small circular walk around the village:
We therefore arrived back at the campground fairly early - time to do some maintenance.
Firstly I bought a small folding luggage trolley to allow me to drag our grey tank when taking it to be emptied:
I had also bought some replacement elastic cord to repair the camping table - the elastic had broken a couple of years ago when I stupidly threw the table out of the camper:
Finally we rounded the day off by walking to the lake at the end of the farm:
I caught the grandfather on his way back into the farm house in order to pay for the camping (he was the oldest of about 4 generations living off the farm). Sadly he was wearing a black tie and explained that he had just had to bury a childhood friend - who had all his life cycled the same route through the village, but recently, and unknown to him, the local council had placed a chain across the bollards he sped through those 80 or more years.
Wednesday
We were both starting to feel ill this morning, but again it was wonderful weather. Last time we climbed Mount Snowdon (highest mountain in Wales, 2nd in the UK) it was in fog and horrible. This time the weather was clear to the summit and I wasn't going to lose the opportunity since there was a threat of more usual weather moving in.
It was just after 9am when we arrived at the car park where we planned to start the walk. This was on a pass, so we had the benefit of starting above sea level (though in the end we did ascend and descend more than the height of the mountain). I was worried we had left it too late, and I was nearly right - despite being mid-week outside holiday season during a time when the weather is often not at its best, the car park was almost full. Luckily we found a space suitable for the camper and paid the rather expensive ยฃ10 all day parking charge.
Most people took the higher level Pyg track up towards the summit, starting from the other side of the car park and heading around the other side of a hill (it has the benefit of gaining altitude right from the start, rather than in one big push just under the bulk of the mountain). Instead we took the flat Miner's track and were virtually the only people on it (we had a different plan). After a couple of mile we hit the lake in the bowl below the mountain:
Here we deviated from the normal tourist route and took a path straight up a peak on the left hand side of the horseshoe. This involved some scrambling up rock faces, but was worth it for the view and isolation when we reached the top:
We skirted along the edge of the horseshoe, climbing up and down the peaks adjacent to Snowdon, before descending down to join the popular Watkin track. Along the whole of the ridge we had been alone and had great views.
Having descended several hundred feet to join the track we then had to climb several hundred feet up scree to get to the summit of Snowdon. The disappointment there is that the funicular railway that goes to the summit disgorges large numbers of day trippers to the cafe at the top, so after quite a substantial slog up a mountain you are greeted with crowds:
However, I cannot complain - there are few peaks in Britain where the elderly or disabled can access such views and it would be selfish to demand that only those fit enough to climb the mountain could enjoy the benefits.
We didn't stay long and continued our circle around the horseshoe, descending by the Pyg track, which during the first mile also contains the traffic descending to the Miner's track:
I suspect a lot of people starting in the car park we started from take the upper Pyg track to the top, then descend by the Miner's track giving them a nice walk by the lakes on the way back. So once these two tracks diverged and we stayed on the higher Pyg track we found ourselves virtually alone.
It had been a fantastic walk, with some scrambling / climbing thrown in and stunning weather. During the walk I hadn't even noticed my illness. So back to the campground for tea and medals :B
We were both starting to feel ill this morning, but again it was wonderful weather. Last time we climbed Mount Snowdon (highest mountain in Wales, 2nd in the UK) it was in fog and horrible. This time the weather was clear to the summit and I wasn't going to lose the opportunity since there was a threat of more usual weather moving in.
It was just after 9am when we arrived at the car park where we planned to start the walk. This was on a pass, so we had the benefit of starting above sea level (though in the end we did ascend and descend more than the height of the mountain). I was worried we had left it too late, and I was nearly right - despite being mid-week outside holiday season during a time when the weather is often not at its best, the car park was almost full. Luckily we found a space suitable for the camper and paid the rather expensive ยฃ10 all day parking charge.
Most people took the higher level Pyg track up towards the summit, starting from the other side of the car park and heading around the other side of a hill (it has the benefit of gaining altitude right from the start, rather than in one big push just under the bulk of the mountain). Instead we took the flat Miner's track and were virtually the only people on it (we had a different plan). After a couple of mile we hit the lake in the bowl below the mountain:
Here we deviated from the normal tourist route and took a path straight up a peak on the left hand side of the horseshoe. This involved some scrambling up rock faces, but was worth it for the view and isolation when we reached the top:
We skirted along the edge of the horseshoe, climbing up and down the peaks adjacent to Snowdon, before descending down to join the popular Watkin track. Along the whole of the ridge we had been alone and had great views.
Having descended several hundred feet to join the track we then had to climb several hundred feet up scree to get to the summit of Snowdon. The disappointment there is that the funicular railway that goes to the summit disgorges large numbers of day trippers to the cafe at the top, so after quite a substantial slog up a mountain you are greeted with crowds:
However, I cannot complain - there are few peaks in Britain where the elderly or disabled can access such views and it would be selfish to demand that only those fit enough to climb the mountain could enjoy the benefits.
We didn't stay long and continued our circle around the horseshoe, descending by the Pyg track, which during the first mile also contains the traffic descending to the Miner's track:
I suspect a lot of people starting in the car park we started from take the upper Pyg track to the top, then descend by the Miner's track giving them a nice walk by the lakes on the way back. So once these two tracks diverged and we stayed on the higher Pyg track we found ourselves virtually alone.
It had been a fantastic walk, with some scrambling / climbing thrown in and stunning weather. During the walk I hadn't even noticed my illness. So back to the campground for tea and medals :B
