Langdale Weekend
Pictures from last weekend, spent around Langdale in the Lake District. I have resolved myself to learn more about the Lakes!
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LAMM
Pictures from the LAMM (Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon) in which my friend Clive and I took part in over the weekend. The location was kept a total secret (more or less) right up until the start. All we knew beforehand was that it was to be held somewhere in Scotland. This turned out to be Morvich in Kintail.
We did the B course, which involved 44km of distance and 3250m of ascent and descent over very mountainous and rugged terrain. It was a wonderful weekend spent out on the hills, with amazing scenery, and a satisfying feeling of freedom gained from carrying all the kit for the overnight stay the whole way. Scrambling up ridiculously steep slopes, pioneering routes through wilderness, running along tops and down isolated wide open valleys… More of this please!
I must say a huge thanks to Clive for getting me into this, and expertly navigating us round the course. Lots of fun!
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Cader Idris Race, 2009
A favourite for me this one. 10.5 miles and 2927ft of ascent/descent. It was an extremely hot saturday, so warm that even walking from the car to the start required strenuous effort and brought on the hunt for shade from the midday sun.
The race had a slightly higher turnout this year. Was very hard going due to the blazing heat, and suffered near exhaustion by the finish. Wasn’t as quick as last year, some 12 mins slower, finishing near the 2 hour mark.
Thanks to Alastair for the excellent pic.
Counting Crows
Last night I’ve went to see Counting Crows in Manchester with my sister. Haven’t been to a standing gig in ages and it was fab. Great atmosphere, and excellent perfomance. Very much enjoyed the night.
Arenig Fawr and Camping
I spent the bank holiday weekend camping in Snowdonia with my good friend Andrew. We arrived on Saturday evening and checked into a campsite near the Bryn Tyrch hotel in Capel Curig. I recently acquired a new one-man hyper light tent – MSR Carbon Reflex 1, so this was an excellent opportunity to put it through its paces. After several thirst quenching beverages in the Bryn Tyrch we retired to our tents, and received rain and strong winds during the night. My tent held up very well with no issues. On Sunday we were joined by some companions and did an excellent walk to the summit of Arenig Fawr – my first venture into the Arenig mountains. The weather was very annoying and interchangeable, hot/cold, windy/sunny/wet.. We celebrated the walk with a tasty curry in Bangor. During Sunday night I realised I’d been rather optimistic taking a 1-season sleeping bag and got very cold. Monday was essentially a wash out, the rain was perpetual until we returned to Chester. A day mostly spent in Penrhyn Castle near Bangor was the solution. Nice weekend.
Pink
Went to watch Pink last night in concert at the MEN arena, Manchester. I’ve been a partial fan of her music over the last few years, but was very impressed with the show indeed. She’s an amazing performer – simultaneously singing whilst performing trapeze and circus acts was rather impressive!
Glyderau
A truly awesome day’s walking on the Glyderau. This comprised of Tryfan (South Ridge) with some additional scrambling thrown in, Bristly Ridge taking a tougher initial climb than Sinister Gulley, fun on the Cantilever stone, Glyder Fach with scramble to the top, Castle of the Winds with scramble, summit of Glyder Fawr, and descent via the Devil’s Kitchen. Weather was superb. Great day.
Show of Hands
Last night I watched Show of Hands in Shrewsbury’s new Theatre Severn. Miranda Sykes accompanied them on double bass, and it was a fine evening of outstanding entertainment.
Nantle Ridge
Pictures from a walk along the Nantle Ridge with Matt. A very nice outing indeed. Many thanks to the old couple and their labrador for giving us a lift all the way back to the Cwellyn Arms in Rhyd Ddu.
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We Will Rock You
I just went to watch the Queen Musical, “We Will Rock You” in the Manchester Palace. The story was a little bizarre but that didn’t matter, as many classic Queen songs were served up along the way. Very enjoyable, and a must see for all lovers of Queen’s music.
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