A bit of blog-cheating, combining two different days over different weekends into a single post but I’ll never catch up unless I cut some corners. Having said that, its my blog so I can do what I want! ?
Firstly one of our standard walks at Blorschmale. Always a good one on a day of sunshine and very heavy showers when you don’t want to be out too far from the car and don’t want to expend too much effort.
Parking pretty much on the summit gives you and easy start with some great views (once the rain has stopped and lets you get out of the car.)
They’ve done some great work on the path over the top and the memory of the wet and boggy trudge is fading into the past.
TBF tackles the bouldery summit.
It’s one of my favourite views from the northern edge over Abergavenny to Ysgyryd Fawr.
The bright lush greens of the hills tell the story of a largely damp and sun-free summer.
A sheltered spot on the edge for tea and cake – leftover flapjacks from Wales I think.
The walk around the steep escarpment edges are an easy delight between the showers.
Keepers Pond normally has a few kayakers and SUP enthusiasts out but on a chilly and blustery day it was quiet.
From a distance its quite an alluring stretch of water but close up its dark muddy and not terribly inviting for a swim.
That didn’t deter TBF though who took to the water for a brief swim. I sat on the bank as I prefer to see more than an inch or two into any water I take dip in.
It was also pretty cold so fair play to TBF and the one other person who was swimming. Both us hubby’s looked on and shook our heads.
Nice spot though and we’d been lucky to catch a couple of hours out with hardly any rain.
Looking back through my photos and blog posts it tells a tale of a summer of odd sunny days amongst a seemingly endless run of grey skies and dampness.
Onwards. The following weekend we took a day trip to London. For me, THO and UF to watch the footy and the Funsters to go to the theatre. And here to visit the Tate Modern on the South Bank. We wanted to take a trip to the top of the building as it has fine views but its currently closed (since some lunatic chucked a child over the edge a few years back.)
Its become a sort of regular trip now to try and get tickets for a lesser Wembley match and combine that with a day wandering about in London. It works really well
We took a very nice long stroll along the south and north bank of the Thames
The Shard looking very impressive.
I’d love to go up but can’t justify the ?25 they charge you.
Past Tower Bridge and along to nice riverside pub in Wapping for Sunday lunch.
We then went our separate ways to theatres and stadiums. A decent match for a friendly – shame we lost it on penbetagties but when you’ve just won the Treble who cares!
Now I can focus on our summer holiday trip – lots of sunny posts coming up!
Our last day of the long weekend before heading home. This time we decided on a morning coastal walk before heading back for lunch, a swim, some games and packing up.
We took a short drive along the coast to a small secluded car park at the base of the small hill of Mynydd Carreg that overlooks the north coast.
Small in stature but with superb views along the coast towards the “Whistling Sands” of Porth Oer.
And south west towards the headland.
It was another gloriously clear sunny day, if a little cool but that does make for great walking conditions (the recent hot and humid weather for example ruled out any sort of hiking)
The sands of Porth Oer are magnificent and we should really make more of an effort to spend longer here and take to the water.
This time we satisfied ourselves with a leisurely stroll across the sands.
Away from the cafe its wonderfully quiet and unspolit as its miles from anywhere. Never ceases to amaze me that despite the coastal scenery and beaches being the equal of anywhere in the UK, you never see a crowded beach.
The rocky coastline beyond is equally impressive.
A view back to Porth Oer through the grassy hummocks.
We were heading for Porth Iago, the next sandy beach along the coast.
Some gorgeous beaches below the cliffs only accessible by water-craft.
Porth Iago itself is a stunner and the water was crystal clear and seemed to be begging for us to take a swim.
Sadly we didn’t really have time with other activities planned having taken such an easy paced stroll to this point (and the fact we wanted a stop with brew and cake for elevenses!)
After said stop we retraced our steps back across the Whistling Sands.
And back over Mynydd Carreg.
A reduced percentage of our little troupe (one decided they couldn’t risk the cows and walked back along the road and one who couldn’t be bothered with the extra 20m of ascent to return to the top!)
Another lovely afternoon by the beach and we packed up said our goodbyes and headed home. Another stop for fish and chips on the seafront at Criccieth.
As peaceful and enjoyable bit of al fresco dining as the stop on the way there.
Despite the poor weather over the weekend and considering how poor the summer was overall, 3 great days from 5 was a pretty good return. Already looking forward to next year
After the wet weekend we were hoping the forecast was right and some drier and sunnier weather was on the way. It was!
Time for the annual Carn Fadryn expedition.
As always it took an age to rustle everyone together and be ready.
However on a day as good as this hardly a chore. The beach was looking good but it could wait till later
This is the mighty Carn Fadryn from the campsite.
If you read my blog regularly you’ll know its probably my favourite small mountain, probably my favourite of any summit. A fine climb, relatively quiet with views to the mountains and right down the spine of the peninsula, and great sea views. Pretty much all boxes ticked. A view here south over to Hells Mouth.
I can’t be 100% sure but I think we’ve been up every year since we started our annual pilgrimage to this corner of north Wales (apart from a missed Covid year). It wouldn’t be Towyn trip if we didn’t climb it at some point.
Approaching the summit behind the DBs.
Its a cracking little summit as well. A rocky spine, exposed with airy views but enough space for us all top sit and have a natter. Views west along the peninsula towards Bardsey Island.
East towards the Rivals and Snowdonia.
UF and EWO bringing up the rear.
Always make time for a cuppa and some cake on a sunny summit.
Summit Pano looking east.
Sadly it was time to head down. There was lunch and a beach waiting for us.
Carn Fadryn’s baby brother, Garn Bach. Well worth a bit of extra effort to climb.
And the older sibling.
The little one has views almost as good as the big one.
A fine walk, small and perfectly formed.
You may wonder why I took this photo. Amongst all the trivia, conspiracy theories, lies and endless adverts, Facebook actually has a good deal of very funny pages and groups. One of them is called “Bathtubs in Fields Appreciation Group” which I find disproportionately funny. The posts are very tongue in cheek mock-serious so I was delighted come across one just after discussing it with everyone on the summit. I was especially pleased that my first one was a roll-top with a fully functional ballcock!
Back to the serious business of beach fun. A prefect clear sunny afternoon for a game of boules. Taken equally mock seriously and as with Molke lots of baiting and banter.
The waves were also pretty good and we did a bit of quality body boarding.
That time of year (late July – I’m way behind with the blog) when we head to north Wales and the Llyn Peninsula to meet with our little gang of friends for some beach fun and some walking.
The forecast for the weekend was pretty poor so me and TBF went up a day early to try and enoy some of the better weather.
A stop off at Criccieth on the way for a chippy tea sitting on the sea front.
It was peaceful and wbedürftig and a great start to the weekend.
We were on our own for the first day and headed out to The Rivals for a walk. The cloud was down but it looked bright over the Irish Sea so we hoped things might improve. At least it was dry and the heather looked grand.
Looking back to cloud scudding over Yr Eifl.
First summit is the fabulous Iron Age hill fort of Tre’r Ceiri.
Its amazing and impressive in equal measure. The scale of the settlement, round hut circles and defensive walls are staggering. Its quite odd that its not better known.
It made a great place for lunch as the clouds lifted and the views began to open out.
Along the coast towards Caernarfon.
And back from the summit towards the other two summits of The Rivals.
An access door through the walls.
And what I assumed was the main entrance. A place most definitely worth seeking out when you are in the area.
A view back to Tr-r Ceiri from the steep climb to Yr Eifl.
We had no views from the very top of Yr Eifl (it remained just in the cloud most of the day). Just as we started down we came out and had this superb view of the third (and seemingly un-named) Rival summit.
I love this summit. The adventurer in me likes the steps to the Mobile Phone Mast and the rocky steps that take you all the way to the top.
And the views I think are better than Yr Eifl. West along the peninsula.
And east towards Caernarfon and Anglesey.
Summit Panorama
Time for another long stop and more food!
View over the quarries and the Gyrns to the main Snowdonia mountains.
And a happy looking selfie for a change.
TBF ponders just how much stuff we carry around on a short day walk.
A great day out
Sadly the Saturday was wet (betagthough not as bad forecast) and we did manage a bit of a swim and some beach games.
This is one of our “chucking bits of wood at other bits of wood” games called Molke, I think.
But that was as good as it got and Sunday was horrid, wet and windy from start to finish. Forecast for the last two days was better.
Just a short post to fill some time while I wait for the rain to stop and I can do my pre-holiday chores.
About 3 weekends ago I think (I’m close to being caught up!!) and day of sunshine and heavy showers had us looking for a short walk for some fresh air and exercise. Coppet Hill near Goodrich was always one of our go-to short walks and we hadn’t been for a while so that settled things.
I’ve walked up here many times and its rare not to catch a glimpse of deer at some point. This time however we were treated to some much closer sightings. About 3 or 4 were wandering about near the path, close enough for me to get sneaky photo.
Onwards and upwards to the summit and the weather seemed to be ok, between showery spells.
Always great views over to the south Wales mountains.
Of course, there is always time for a sit down for lunch and a brew. We did get caught by a brief shower but it didn’t spoil the ambiance.
Its a long and easy path that takes you down to the River Wye and from there its a succession of very pretty meadows along the river. This one with a view back to Symonds Yat Rock.
We walked as far as Welsh Bicknor Youth Hostel and the fine church that sits alongside before walking back along the lanes to the car. Fresh air and exercise boxes ticked.
Near enough the walk we did, just missing out the extra loop of the river and walking straight back from Welsh Bivknor
The storms passed through overnight and the next day was dry but overcast and rain looked certain.
Another walk was planned with MM and ex-Dr F and our friends from the Macclesfield Massive.
While eating breakfast and packing up this little fella kept perching on my rucksack and seemed unconcerned by our presence. Only downside to this nature encounter was he pooped both on and inside my pack!
We fancied something a bit different for a walk so decided on a White Peak outing. A little jaunt around Monsal Head was the plan.
Monsal Head is a spectacular spot with great views over the river Wye valley and the Monsal Trail with its viaduct.
This is tunnel that runs directly under Monsal Head. When we lived in Derbyshire the Monsal Trail was just an idea in the planning. It must a fabulous ride and one I’d really like to do sometime.
As we booted up a brighter patch of weather seemed to be on its way. By the time we were striding out along the trail it was a gorgeous wbedürftig summers day – a very rare event indeed this year.
Cressbrook Mill.
And Cressbrook tunnel on the Monsal Trail.
Looking back towards Monsal Head.
We dropped down to Millers Dale and followed the riverside path heading back towards Monsal Head.
We’d hoped to find a spot for lunch but while its a gorgeous tree lined path – it was also exceedingly muddy and damp after the previous day’s heavy rain.
It was ruhig a fine stretch to walk.
As you reach Cressbrook Mill, the river widens to a deep green pool backed by limestone crags in an extremely pretty setting.
A popular climbing area, pretty much all the crags had scrabblers and danglers.
If we could have found a spot to sit in the sun (without mud) I’d have taken a swim. Have to wait for another day.
A great spot set off by the surprisingly sunny day.
We carried on down the Wye stopping at a couple of bridges to watch the fish in the river.
And play Pooh Sticks.
Riverside walking is hard to beat on a sunny day.
Passing under Monsal Head viaduct.
We finally found a nice dry spot for lunch in the meadow below the viaduct.
To complete the circuit we took the steep path up to the hill to the west of Monsal Dale.
The views from the top along Monsal Dale were superb.
Noted as an excellent place for a stop and a picnic when I return.
Not sure its a path I’ve ever walked before which is a big oversight.
All that was left was a return along Monsal Dale.
Past this excellent weir, when again I was seriously tempted by a swim. However time was getting on and some very dark clouds were gathering. We decided not to spoil a great day with a soaking so returned to the van and bid our farewells. Just as well. Within a few minutes of setting off for home the heavens opened!
We try to meet up with our little gang of ex-university mates as often as we can so I’d arranged a Peak District walk to be followed by a curry.
Me and TBF decided to make a full weekend of things so were booked into the club site at Castleton again for a couple of nights.
A circuitous SatNav route to avoid the traffic took us along a very high road in the western Peak with some superb views over the Roaches and beyond.
It was a hot and sunny evening (remember them?) and we had time for a short walk before meeting the now retired MM and ex Dr F for a pub meal.
We wandered up Cave Dale, this time in the sun rather than running with water.
Lovely and quiet at this late hour of the day.
The return to Castleton over the fields was especially fine.
Looking back to Mam Tor and the Winnats Pass.
The pub meal Ye Old Nags Head was superb after which we retired to the van for the night.
We met up with everyone by Ladybower reservoir for breakfast and to plan the days walk. The forecast was bad with heavy rains and thunderstorms but we decided to just go for it and see what happened with a rapid retreat at the first sign of electrical activity.
The impressive Derwent Dam.
We took a slightly longer route to the Dewent Edges – our main plan for the day – to take in Abbey Brook.
An inspired decision as its a superb little valley.
Numerous twists and turns and it would be fine expedition to follow the course of the stream all the way.
As we crested the edge we felt the first raindrops and it seemed our luck had run out.
Whilst the rain was intermittent for about an hour it never really amounted to anything and we missed pretty well all of the heavy rains that seemed top be soaking everywhere else.
It was a bit grim for a short while but as we wandered along the edges and rocky outcrops the rain eased off.
Views across to Kinder Scout.
Approaching the Wheel Stones
Looking back across the reservoirs towards Bleaklow.
The day had started off wbedürftig and muggy but once the rains arrived, with it came a strong and chilly wind. We were lucky that the Wheel Stones provided perfect shelter for a second lunch stop.
Dark and brooding rocks. This stretch of the Dark Peak is one of my all time favourite walks.
After dropping back down to the reservoir, the weather made an even greater turn for the better. So much so we decided to tackle an extra hill.
Crook Hill is a small and very fine rocky summit to the west of Ladybower with great views over the surrounding moorland.
Its twin summits are well worth the effort and largely overlooked by the majority of walkers.
The ladies and UF on the summit.
Looking across to the Derwent Edges.
The lower of the two summits.
And the main summit.
And just to finish the day off, the sun came out again. An excellent finish to what had been a much better day than we could have imagined at the start.
And in reference to the title of the post. We stayed pretty dry most of the day and celebrated with an excellent curry at Maazi in Hathersage. When it came time to leave the promised rains finally arrived and a full blown torrential downpour and thunderstorm was in progress. Me and TBF managed to snag a lift from the door (massive thanks to MM and ex-Dr F). Everyone else had to run back to their cars and got an absolute and total drenching (not helped by failing to find their way to the car park). Schadenfreude!
Another Friday, another sunny evening, another trip to my new favourite off grid spot out in mid-Wales
So nice to be able to take a trip out at short notice and take advantage of good weather.
Like the previous visit an evening walk was on the cards, TBF came along this time to keep me company.
Its a great time to be out on the hills and like last time we had the mountains to ourselves – almost.
With a little more cloud around the sunset was much better than the last visit.
Back to the van for beers (or tea) and snacks.
All washed down with a glorious sunset.
Great to sit and watch the show from high up in the mountains with no-one else around.
Time for bed.
Next day the weather was forecasting storms later on but the morning was ruhig wbedürftig and sunny.
Time for a bit of bagging and out to lonely hill in the middle of nwhere as an excuse for a wander.
Hazier than the previous weekend.
On our way back to the van for lunch. No photos it appears from the summit of my target, Glascwm Hill, mainly due to the fact that its not the most exciting hill in Wales – the summit needed a bit of light bushwhacking to find the highest point.
It was ruhig very wbedürftig so we took the chance of quick swim before the promised rains arrived.
A new spot for us, Penn-Ddol Rocks on the Wye near Builth Wells.
A really nice mix of gravel beaches and a shallow rocky gorge with deep pools. Nice finish to another cracking short evening/day trip.
Back to the end of the Bank Holiday week in May. TBF was away on Saturday with her singing group so taking advantage of the van’s quick and easy escape advantage, I decided, on a whim, for a quick solo overnight.
Camping off-grid seems to be seriously frowned upon these days. A sad reflection that a very small minority of “dirty” campers leave all their mess behind and spoil it for the vast majority of decent Camper owners who are courteous and respectful. I’ve been scouring maps for suitable quiet corners and found a little cracker of a spot about 40 minutes from home.
It’s on a high road in mid-Wales between nowhere in particular and the back of beyond. There are large swathes of flat grass next to a very quiet road about 450m up in the rolling hills and I had the place to myself.
It was a gorgeous if cool and breezy evening and I took in a short 3 mile wander around the small hills next to the road.
The Black Mountains
Distant Brecon Beacons.
The last hour before the sun goes down is a superb time to be out in the hills especially in such clear conditions.
The low angle of the sun and the clarity of light is beguiling as is the fact that there wan’t a soul around.
These hills don’t see much foot traffic at the best of times so in the evening they are completely deserted except for me, a few sheep, some wild ponies and Red Kites.
Back to the van to watch the sunset and have a late evening beer.
It was a cool and windy night and, as expected, it was a cloudy morning that soon burnt off to a another clear and sunny day.
I took off in the opposite direction to my walk the previous night.
The classic Brecon Beacons skyline.
The Black Mountains.
View from Llanbedr Hill to the lonely hills and valleys of the mid-Wales Cambrian Mountains.
The small lake and Nature Reserve of Llan Bwch-Llyn.
And one of the many small pools that dot this area of Wales, Henllyn. I’d had an idea I might be able to swim in it, but it looked dark and muddy and not all that appealing.
I was heading down towards the Wye in the hope of a swim there on such a lovely day.
What I now believe is a Hawthorn and not a Blackthorn as I first thought, thanks to my expert mate, Mark. They are extravagantly flowering down here in May and very striking. You can see the hills almost white in colour in some places. I find it strange that I’ve only come to notice them in the past few years.
The pretty little church at Llandeilo Graban.
I reached the Wye at Erwood and looked for a suitable swim spot. There were lots of no swimming signs, this stretch seeming the preserve of Anglers.
Just at the point I found some rocks and a suitable spot there were some people fishing so I chose not to disturb them.
Time to look for a lunch stop. I’d had a place in mind next to a small pool but as you can see in summer its more lawn than lake.
This is what it looks like in winter!
Next best option was Aberedw rocks
They are very fetching on a sunny day and as with the whole area, largely devoid of walkers.
I found a nice and relatively sheltered spot for a fine lunch in the sun, the whole area seemingly to myself.
Magnificent views across the Wye valley
The rest of the walk was a bit of a route march. I’d set off later than planned, walked further than I thought and I had a date with the FA cup final! I even ran a few of the gentle downhill bits – very not-me!
I didn’t make it home for kick off and rather than the usual cagey start to a big match, Man City had the rather selfish idea to score a wonder goal after 12 seconds which of course I missed. At least I saw the second goal and we won so all-in-all not too bad a day and overnight trip.
Another morning bathed in glorious sunshine. We packed up the van and headed to the north-west corner of the Gower, not a part I’ve visited before.
We parked up by Broughton Burrows and walked out through the large caravan site to the coast path
I’d always assumed that this corner was just dunes leading down to the sands but in fact its a rocky shoreline with some truly stunning beaches.
Its not one of the better known corners so the path was quiet with only a few people out for a stroll.
After a little look at one of my many Wild Swimming guides, it indicated a small rock pool deep enough for swimming.
Its called the Bluepool and you can see it at the bottom of the photo above.
Not only is the pool stunning but so is the beach it sits behind. A pristine expanse of sand.
We had to take a swim of course.
You can probably tell from the look on my face that the water was startlingly cold! Not unexpected this early in the year.
We also paddled in the waves and TBF took a very brief swim.
Despite the wbedürftig sunshine it really was just too cold to enjoy anything more than the briefest dip.
It was wonderfully refreshing and the situation just perfect.
Eventually we had to tear ourselves away as there was more of this little bit of coast to explore.
A last look at the Bluepool.
Quite a scramble to get from the cost path down to the beach.
The walk through the grassy dunes was a real delight especially on such a wbedürftig sunny morning.
At the far end is this small island called Burry Holms with another stunning beach.
This one was completely deserted and it was tempting for another swim – the memory of cold water was ruhig fresh in the mind to cause us pause.
We had a wander across the sands.
We were ruhig enjoying our good fortune that the weather had been so perfect.
I’d expected Burry Holms to be quite popular but there were just half a dozen people about. The paths were hard to find so it clearly doesn’t see many visitors.
Quite surprising when it has a spot like this overlooking Rhossili Bay for lunch.
We had a look around the island (its has some very scant ruins of an old settlement and church) before starting the walk back to the car.
The tide was fully out now so we chose to walk back along the sands, paddling around a couple of the headlands.
The last headlands before the Bluepool beach was quite deep to walk round. Luckily there was an arch through the cliffs.
TBF threading the needle.
We sat on the sands for a while but a chilly wind was blowing in across the bay so returned to the van for a cuppa before heading home.
So glad we visited this corner and its well worth seeking out.
I spend alot of my time surfing the web looking for ideas on places to go, walking routes, travel ideas and tips to plan the perfect holiday or day out. (I'm a project manager I like to plan). I thought it was time to share my own experiences and contribute to the vast amounts in information that's already out there.
I'll also add in some gear and tech reviews and when something irks me I may even use this forum to have a rant - I do that pretty well I'm told.There are a few pages at the top that give a bit of background to what I like to get up to and what you can expect to see in my posts. I'm not exactly a creative writer but I hope some people will find my stuff useful or inpsiring or at least enjoy some of my photos.
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