TRYFAN + BRAICH Y DDEUGWM.28-7-12.

I had been contacted by Sioban to say that she wanted to climb Tryfan's north ridge with her eldest daughter,Ceire,and would i guide them,obviously i said yes and we made a date and contacted a few other friends and we had got ourselves a  good size group to tackle it.Unfortunately the weather scuppered our plans and we had to reschedule.So on saturday July 28th we arranged it and with a decent weather forecast i drove up to Gwern Gof Uchaf to meet Julian,Brian,Sooz,Sioban and her 2 daughters,Ceire and Brona.The day before Brian had pitched his tent on Gwern Gof Isaf by mistake,thinking he was on the Uchaf campsite much to the amusement of everybody on Facebook who had seen the photo he had posted.I had been invited by Brian to turn up early for a cup of tea on the saturday morning and i arrived at the Isaf site and looked for his car.I couldn't see it so i drove along the old A5 which had tents either side shouting "Brian" through the car window by every tent i passed.Brian didn't appear ?.I then drove up to the Uchaf site to find him there waiting for the others.Anyhow we all assembled and was setting off at 9 a.m. taking the path behind the farm and passing below Tryfan Bach.

The pace was good and everybody seemed to be enjoying it.We stopped to watch the climbers on Tryfan Bach for a while before carrying on and heading for the fence.When we reached the fence we turned right and followed it to the north ridge,i told Sooz to put her trekking poles away as we were going to be scrambling now.The weather when we set off was overcast but the clouds started to break up and the sun came out and as we were sheltered from the wind it was very warm and the layers were coming off,so we were having plenty of stops which enabled plenty of photo opportunities.

Below,Pen yr Ole Wen across the valley.

Great sky colour.

I kept the route as simple as i could as it was Brian's and the girls first scramble,but they were doing very well and the smiles on their faces told me they were enjoying it.Julian was taking a more difficult route,there seemed to be 3 of him,everytime i looked up at him scrambling above us he was there but then i would put my head down,i would look up again a few seconds later and he would be in a different area of the mountain.We soon reached the Cannon and the newbies scrambled up it for their photo.

We continued up to the "Nose" where we split up.I took Brian,Sioban and Sooz along the "rat run" whilst Julian took the young ones up the tougher scramble of the Nose.They would appear periodically above us on the sky line as we made our way along the easier route.Sooz said she needed some food so we stopped a short distance away from the north gully for lunch and Julian and the girls scrambled down the gully to join us.Below they are exiting the gully.

Whilst we were eating a gang of lads passed above taking a stupidly hard route up and were getting into a bit of difficulty having to come back down to find an easier route.It started to cloud over and looked like rain as a woman in her late fifties,her dreadlocked son,30 ish,and a slightly overweight golden retriever passed us and we watched them contour around the rat run.They got to a climb of about 10 feet,the son went over it but the dog couldn't make it,the son had to climb half way down it and grab his collar to haul him up,not a good sign.As we were packing up to make the final push for the summit it started to rain and the cloud came down and we lost our distant views but we could still see the summit of Tryfan above us.We made our way around to the last difficult scramble before the summit,a 20 foot rock face above a massive drop and were dismayed to find that the dog was stuck again,the son had climbed up but the dog wouldn't/couldn't go and was at the bottom with the woman virtually blocking everybody.Julian,Brian and the young girls bypassed them and continued up  but Sooz,who has vertigo,couldn't get past.The son tried to come down but he couldn't so went back to the top of this rock face,he called the dog but it wasn't for moving.I realised that they were in trouble so i asked the woman to move and i climbed a short way up this rock face,there was no hand holds and very steep and wet,i got hold of the dogs collar and pulled him up and past me but he couldn't make it,i thought if this dog slips or makes a stupid sudden movement he could fall and take me with him,i was very,very worried for my own safety.I lowered the dog and came back down myself and said to the son that he would have to come down to grab the dog whilst i push him up.The son came down a few feet and i went up again,i called the dog and hauled him up by his collar and pushed him above my head and the son grabbed him and pulled him up.I was relieved he got up but was fuming that they had brought the dog this way.My drama hadn't finished,the mother couldn't get around and up to join her son,the scramble proving too difficult for her so again i had to ask her to move,we changed positions and i helped her,Sooz and Sioban around this last difficult bit.They did thank me but i was still fuming.We made the short climb up to the summit after putting our wet gear on and grabbed a quick photo.

It was really cold up here so i suggested making our way down to Bwlch Tryfan where we could stop for another break.As we made our way down the rain stopped and the cloud lifted and we got our views back.It was quite windy on the west side of Tryfan and it was a cold wind and when we reached the wall we climbed over to shelter out of it and had another food stop.I had made a lemon drizzle and we ate that here.Julian had plans to continue up and over Bristly Ridge and we were to continue over Y Foel Goch and Gallt Yr Ogof and meet him later but we changed our plans as it was getting late and decided to stick together and descend via the Braich y Ddeugwm ridge,which i hadn't done.Leaving the bwlch we contoured around the Miners Path and up to Llyn Caseg-fraith.

From the lake you get a great view of Tryfan.Unfortunately i cannot post any more photo's as i've again used all my space up ?.From the lake we followed the ridge down and crossed the Nant Gwern y Gof to pick up the paved path below Heather Terrace.Me and Julian took a detour to the top of Tryfan Bach to watch the climbers below us before back tracking to the path where we walked back to the camp site.We all then drove to Cobdens Hotel for a beer and to recap on a great day on my favourite mountain,this was my 32nd visit.Although we only walked 4.5 miles it had taken us 8 hours,the ascent was 2,500 feet.

MILEAGE WALKED   346
ASCENT                      90,300
TOPS                           79.

CEFN-DU + DINAS OSIAN.21-7-12.

Today me and Julie visited Llanberis to do a small walk up to visit the antennae buildings on Cefn-du.Llanberis was a hive of activity today as it was the day of the Snowdon Mountain Race so we parked in the long car park that runs along side Llyn Padarn and waked through the town and took the steep road to reach the narrow lane that runs below the hill fort of Dinas Osian,it was very hot as we gained height and the views weren't bad,below looking back to Elidir Fawr.

Julie's feet were hurting already so we slowed the pace down and had a few stops so she could recover.Once we got to the path that branches off for Moel Eilio the path flattened out and we could see Cefn-du ahead.

Julie's spirits were lifted when we saw that we didn't have far to go or to gain a lot of height.We left the lane near to the Chwarel Fawr slate mine and picked up a narrow path and as we gained height we could see the peaks of Yr Eifl to the right of Moel Tryfan.

We were soon at the summit which is marked by a trig point,seen below,and the ruined antennae buildings.

Cefn-du was the site of the first radio transmission from the UK to Australia in 1918.Marconi used this hill to experiment with long distance radio waves.We stopped and had dinner here,marvelling in the far reaching views across to Anglesey,the Lleyn Peninsula,the Nantlle Ridge,Moel Eilio and its 2 small quarries of Donnen Las and Bryn Mawr,Snowdon and across to the Carneddau.We took a detour to see the massive chasm of the Chwarel Fawr quarry before returning to the track.Below is the hill fort of Dinas Osian in the foreground and the scarred side of Elidir Fawr.

I made a quick visit to the hill fort whilst Julie carried on down the track,its summit cairn seen below.

Leaving the hill fort i took the very steep path down through the bracken slopes to get in front of Julie and took a photo of Yr Wyddfa,below,while i waited for her.

We made our way back to town by 1.30.The Snowdon race started at 2 o'clock and there was a lot of competitors running around warming up for the race.A quick change by the car and we made our way over for the start of the race.

The lad in the white vest is last years winner and 6 times champion Andy Jones but he pulled out with injury half way up,and the lad in the dark blue vest on the left is Murray Strain from Scotland.Last year he finished runner up but this year he won it,his Canadian girlfriend won the womens race in her first ever mountain race !.
    Today we walked 7 mile with 1,500 feet of ascent.

MILEAGE WALKED     341.5
ASCENT                         81,800
TOPS                               78.

BLEAKLOW + HIGHER SHELF STONES.19-7-12.

Having completed the Welsh Nuttalls and wanting to bag a few more of the English ones me,Howie and Clive set off to Glossop,Derbyshire where we met Mike to bag 2 of only 5 Nuttalls south of the Lakes/Yorkshire Dales.Parking at the industrial estate in Old Glossop we set off in light drizzle but thankfully in only lasted 15 minutes as we made steady progress up an old trackway,which had quite a bit of water running down it.

Roofing and paving slabs were transported this way from the quarry on Cock Hill which loomed ahead.

I veered off from the boys to find a geo-cache and to explore the quarry.

By now the rain had stopped and i caught up with the boys at the trig point on Cock Hill.

Now we headed north east past lots of grouse butts to reach the shooting hut which had a helicopter parked by it,with bags of lime and a spreader,i couldn't resist a sit in it.

We now dropped down to the Pennine Way and followed it up Torside Clough.

We crossed the stream at the top of John Track Well and followed Wildboar Grain a short distance before Mike took us to see the site of the Bristol Blenheim Bomber that crashed here.

We returned to the clough and walked the short distance to the summit of Bleaklow.

Here we had our dinner and we then visited the "kissing" Wain Stones.

Next entailed some serious bog trotting and stream jumping before we reached the Hern Stones.

Over these stones,more bog trotting and we reached the wreck of the Super Fortress.

A short distance away is the summit of Higher Shelf Stones.

Leaving the summit we headed south east and followed Crooked Clough down the valley to join Doctor's Gate which affords a great view back up to the summit we had just left.

The path now joins the bridal way following Shelf Brook back to Glossop,but we had to walk the last 15 minutes in heavy rain.This walk was 10.5 mile long with an ascent of 2,200 feet.I have completed 62 of the English Nuttalls.

MILEAGE WALKED    344.5
ASCENT                       80,300
TOPS                             76.

The CLWYDIAN HILL'S linear walk.17-7-12.

Yesterdays walk with Clive and Mike to Rhobell Fawr was cancelled due to the poor weather forecast so we arranged a walk to the Clwydian Hills today as the forecast for north east Wales was favourable and so we all met in the village of Cilcain where me and Mike left our cars and Clive drove us to Afonwen where we left his car at the craft centre.A steep ascent is immediately thrust upon you as you head up to the mast at Moel y Parc and with it being hot and overcast we were immediately plagued with flies,Clive taking a nasty bite on his wrist from a horsefly.I stopped to apply deet and got myself a piece of bracken to swot them away.As we reached the col by Nant Coed-y-mynydd farm the flies left us alone and we followed the Offa's Dyke path up to Penycloddiau,the summit marker seen below.

Next we walked along side the wooded area,through a car park and made our way up to Moel Arthur.

We then took the steep path down its south side to another small car park and lane and headed up to the unmarked top of Moel Llys-y-Coed.We continued along the Offa's Dyke path to eventually reach Moel Dywyll,our 4th top.

We now had the short but steep walk up to the highest point in the range,Moel Famau,but we had to share its summit with about 40 other noisy people.

We had a quick break here before descending along side the forest and passing Cae Newydd before walking back up to Cilcain via the lanes.We drove back for Clive's car before calling in the Glasfryn for a cider.The distance of this walk was 10 mile with an ascent of 2,900 feet.

MILEAGE WALKED   334
ASCENT                      78,100
TOPS                            74.

HILBRE ISLAND.15-7-12.

Having worked 7-7 nights i woke at midday and to my surprise it was sunny.I came downstairs and after having breakfast i said to Julie "come on,lets go to Hilbre Island",and we were setting off just after 12.30 Parking at West Kirby we set off across the sand on a beautiful sunny day.

After a 1 mile walk you reach Little Eye,the smallest of the 3 islands.

Little Eye with Little Hilbre yonder.

Leaving Little Eye.

Although sunny the northerly wind had a bite to it.We soon reached Little Hilbre A.K.A. Middle Eye.

Little Hilbre is a lot bigger than Little Eye with nice rock formations on its west side.

Below,the causeway across to Hilbre.

Hilbre is the largest island,we passed the Bunter Sandstone which looked great in the sunshine.

Nearing the ruined lifeboat station.

Looking across to Wales.

Close up of fishermen on sandbank.

After visiting  the lifeboat station and watching the seals we rounded the island and dropped down to the east shore for the return.

Returning to Little Hilbre we sat at the south side sheltered from the wind and sat sunbathing and people watching.

 Returning to West Kirby we had a massive ice cream before setting off to the Cottage Loaf pub in Caldy for a sunday dinner.This little walk is 4 miles long with 100 feet of ascent.

MILEAGE WALKED   324
ASCENT                      75,200
TOPS                            69.