Well, there you have it.  I know it is only a photo of the four of us somewhere in the clouds in front of a brass plaque, but it is Snowdon, honest, and there are some equally cloudy pictures of us at the top of Pen Y Fan and Cadair Idris if you don't believe me.

Pen Y Fan was over and done with relatively quickly.  Never really saw any of it as the cloud was so low.

Cadair Idris as expected was a tough climb.  Clouds were just above lake height.  Descent was tricky in the sub 50m visibility.  Hearing voices and yet not seeing anybody as the voices drift past you is really spooky.  Met a Snowdon Park Ranger part way down and along with us and a couple of other small groups with people with sore knees and other troubles he saw us down safely.  He said that the descent we were doing off Cadair Idris is the longest in England and Wales.  He also said that he climbs it twice a week and his tally is around the 1500 mark!

Snowdon started off very sunny at the bottom, a couple of the guys decided to wear shorts. However once over the ridge where Crib Goch starts the weather was totally different, slightly chilly and yety again low cloud. Knees were holding out alright, but it was beginning to hurt for Neil.  We had to take a good break at the top of the zig zags before making the final push to the summit.

Then job done and the long 'gentle' descent back down the Llanberis path.

 

Updated on May 20th 2012 at 2:37 PM from the JustGiving API

all three welsh peaks now bagged. back to the camper for a sleep.

Updated on May 19th 2012 at 7:01 PM from the JustGiving API

well we are on our way. we started at 6am with a 2:30hr climb of Pen Y Fan. Then bacon butties and a 2:30hr drive to Cadair Idris. pasta lunch then almost 6hrs up and down. the descent was truely horrible. when we got to the bottom we saw a park ranger who said it is the longest descent in england and wales. nice to know afterwards. now our wonderful driver is getting us to Llanberis for Snowdon tomorrow morning.

The SNOWDON500 3 PEAKS in aid of Prostate Cancer Research

The final practice walk before the big event

21 April 2012 - Porlock - Dunkery Beacon 

http://g.co/maps/gw7dt - for the track of the walk

Oh dear, not many people to walk with :-(  Neil and his knees are still OK so we head out to Porlock looking to climb to the top of Somerset.  We walk south out of the seaside village and hit the first climb straight away.  If you have been to this part of the Somerset coast you will know how quickly the land rises as you walk inland.

As we are climbing up into Hawk Combe we see a herd of wild red deer surprisingly close. Then to test our legs on a steep down climb we decend to the bottom of the combe and straight back up the other side.  All knees going well so far. Over the ridge of the hill and we are looking down in to the next combe.  We follow the stream through the woods and arrive at a small and delightful campsite (note to self for future) at Pool Bridge. From here I had planned to go up the road a little way and pick up a forest track, but the riverside walk lloked lovelly so we decided to take the low road. This took us through Wilmersham Wood.  So taking note of the streams joining from the right and trying to spot the footbridges across the stream we were looking to find Prickslade Combe and our path up and out of the woods and heading for Dunkery Beacon.

Well, after a little while I thought we had possibly gone further than we needed to but I hadn't seen enough bridges.  This is where I still 'rely' on my GPS.  Unfortunately this showed that we had actually walked a kilometre past our turning.  Oh well, about turn and try and find that footbridge.  OK so I can't measure distance or time while walking :-( But the map also showed a footbridge where there definately was not one.  So we stopped for some lunch and then headed back a lilttle further until we found another footbridge, crossed over and then started a very steep climb up and out of the combe.  We walked across the top edge of the woods with lovelly views back towards the coast.  And then at Cloutsham we had to make a decision.  Could Neil's knees make it up to the top of Dunkery Beacon which was a further 270m ascent from here.

Neil admitted his knees were a little sore and I really didn't want to push the point so we made the decision to forgo Dunkery Beacon this time. So we walked along the road for a while to Webber's Post and then turned off into the edges of Horner Plantation.  Neil's knees were really beginning to ache now and I felt sorry for him and the fact that we still had about 4km to walk to get back to the car. So the pace was slowed down, we stopped at a wooden lookout hut and then decended for the final time in to Horner itself. Two more kilometres on roads and we were finally back at the car.

Cream teas were required before we could consider making our way home :-)

31 March 2012 - Castle Drogo

http://g.co/maps/735qk - for the track of the walk

Yay! Neil is fit again.  I had planned a very up and down route around Teign Gorge and Castle Drogo, but it had options to miss out some of the climbing if Neil decided he wasn't up to it.

We started at the small village of Drewsteignton and briefly followed a section of the Two Moors Way (http://www.devon.gov.uk/walking/two_moors_way.html) to the edge of the gorge.  We got lovelly views west towards Castle Drogo and east in the direction of Fingal's Bridge.  We walked along the gorge edge towards Castle Drogo, however it was surprising how little of it you got to see when close up as we were below it a little way and there were plenty of tall trees. After passing the castle (the newest castle in Britain built in the 1920s, designed by Edwin Lutyens) we dropped down to the river in the bottom of the gorge. So far it looked like Neil's knees were doing OK.

The walk from here down to Fingal's Bridge was really lovelly riverside walking amongst trees.  If it had been warming there were a number of places where we could have had a paddle or even a swim!

Fingal's Bridge is a very convenient stopping point with enough car parking and a large pub.  In the height of summer it must be heaving with it's riverside location.  But we pushed on a little further.  In fact this next bit was our first big climb of the day, up on to the top of Cranbrook Castle over 230 metres of climb in a very short distance. But we got up there successfully and stopped for lunch.  Even though it was a very mild day there was a brisk breeze and we soon cooled down while stopped.

After coming down from the hill we moved in to Forestry land.  Although the walking was relatively easy, the scenery was not really as enjoyable as wild woods. We walked on up and over another hill, Wooston Castle and then headed back up the other side of the river to Fingal's Bridge and eventually back to Drewsteignton.

And even after all that, Neil's knees held out fine.  That was good news :-)

23 March 2012 - Minions -Twleve Men's Moor

http://g.co/maps/p8q2e - for the map of the walk

This will sound like there is a strange back story, but I assure you there is not.  While taking a day off work to drive to Cornwall to collect an upright freezer I took the opportunity to have a walk over Bodmin Moor. 

Having grown up in Cornwall for the first 20 years of my life, moved away for a further 24 years, it is only now that I am walking in such a lovely place.  I was on my own, mainly cos there was no room in the car for anybody else with the freezer there. 

It didn't look like it was going to be a good walk when I got to the car park and couldn't see the far end of it because of the mist.  It was only big enough to hold about 10 cars.  I phoned Tony and mentioned about the weather, apparently it was glorious sun in Yeovil :-(  He convinced me to still do the walk as it would be good navigation exercise. 

I started from the village of Minions and the first sight you come across is The Hurlers which are two ancient stone circles, very impressive.  And very soon after this it is up a hill to a rock outcrop called The Cheesewring (check out the pictures by googling it).  Coming off this hill I needed to walk through a farm. And by this time the mist had disappeared and it was glorious walking weather, thanks Tony :-) 

Well the map and some walk instructions from a magazine implied I could, but when I got to the farm it had big private property signs around, so what had been a permissive path (not a public right of way I have to say) was no longer.  This required me to either retrace my steps for a short way and then walk a section that I intended to walk on the way back.  This didn't seem quite right, so I took the detour around the farm using the open access area.  Oh dear, that was a mistake.  Bog, bog, bog and more bog.

Anyway I got around it in the end and climbed on to some higher and dryer ground. Skirting around Twelve Men's Moor I was walking along a dismantled quarry railway where the granite sleepers and loading ramps were still clearly visible.  It was then up to Trewortha Tor and lunch in King Arthur's bed! Honest, look at the map :-)

The route back was via Hawk's Tor, the other side of Twelve Men's Moor and Sharp Tor.  I spent a very pleasant quarter hour on Sharp Tor watching 5 buzzards soar and hover, and then it was back to the car for the long drive home.

Freezer works too!

Team Change

Late change of team members.  Unfortunately Keith can no longer be our driver for the weekend.  However Martin has 'volunteered' his serives for the weekend.  Thank you Martin.

25 February 2012 - Bishop's Lydeard - Stogumber (google map at --> http://g.co/maps/9j2uz; or OS getamap at --> http://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/?key=Rra0AUaYt0fyDSFu6RWn3w2 )

So, back again on the Quantocks, good reliable hills.  But by using the West Somerset Steam Railway I was able to plan a linear walk rather than a circular walk.  14.5 miles walking with over 800metres climbing.

Nick and I parked at Bishop's Lydeard Railway station and set off across town and some fields before hitting the hills properly which gave our legs a gentle warm up. Up on to Lydeard Hill and then to Will's Neck which is the highest point on the Quantocks.

We then dropped off the hills in to Triscombe hoping for a pleasant pub stop but were very disappointed with the rather pretentious pub that was trying to be a posh restaurant.  It didn't sell chips!!

Oh well, sandwiches eaten then back up on to the hills and over to Crowcombe Park Gate which we had been to on a previous walk on this side of the Quantocks. Headed over Black hill and then down in to the combe of Lady's Hill.  Finally got to Bicknoller Post before heading down to Stogumber. Bicknoller Post is a bridle post that marks a big crossrounds of paths and bridelways.  It holds somewhat bad memories for me because when I first walked on the Quantocks it was from this point that we became lost and I realised my navigation skills needed improving.  Also strange things happened around here for me.  The second time we came to the post it had moved position, changed size, but was dated two years previous and was well bedded in.  When I tried to take a photo of it I got home and of all the photos I took on the walk that was the only one that didn't appear, it was completely white.

So down off the hill to Stogumber railway station, wait half an hour (better than being too late for the last train home).  That was a very steep decent, close to 45 degrees! Very sore muscles.

Then a lovely relaxing olde worlde stream train ride back to the start :-)

4 February 2012 - Cotswolds (map at --> http://g.co/maps/jbfse)

OK, so this was a new walking area for me. For Tony it was pretty close to going back to where he was born. Up the M5 to Dursley.  The forecast was for very cold and possible snow.  Well starting off it was about -9 deg C.  Good chance to try out new gloves.  Fleece and coat and woolly hat required as well.

Starting at Stinchcombe Hill golf course we headed south towards North Nibley and it's monument to William Tyndale who translated the New Testament. Then to Brackenbury Fort and then turning north east to Folly Wood and then a stop for lunch at Uley Bury, a large very flat expanse that was once an Iron Age fort.  By now it had warmed up to, ooh, -2deg C.  Warm enough for snow.  As we were packing away our lunch the first flakes started falling :-)

We took a slight detour/extension to go and see Hetty Pegler's tump, neolithic burial mound, not a long barrow but actually a transected gallery grave. Never sat inside one before.  Considering the cold and windy weather outside it was lovely, peaceful and quiet inside.

Heading west to Cam Long Down, we had planned to climb this but the weather and feeling a bit tired we decided to just skirt around the foot of the hill.  We then finished the walk by walking across Dursley village and back to the golf course.  This was a bit of a killer to finish the walk off as it was a long and quite step climb up to the top of the hill.  Wind was blowing the snow sideways as we finished the walk crossing the golf course to the car.

After that walk it was nice to round it of with a lovely pint of real ale in the Old Spot Inn in Dursley before heading home.

21 January 2012 - Cheddar - Axbridge - Cheddar

OK - try a different link for this walk route -> http://g.co/maps/ymvv3 (cool, short url as well)

Headed over to Mendip hills this time, starting in Cheddar with a gentle walk through the town, past all the shops that were still closed. Then we were off the pavement and up the north side of Cheddar Gorge.  (If you click on the end marker for the walk you should get a pop-up window with the profile of our walk) Basically I had planned the walk so that we would have three good ascents and descents. 

Weather was lovely for the walk.  Walking poles at the ready from the start of the first ascent.  I know it makes me out to be an old man (almost 45 now!) but using the walking poles really does take a weight off your legs and makes the climbing a lot easier.

Something that might be a problem over this walk is that Neil only has one walking pole as the other is broken :-(  Let's see how it goes.  Both Neil and Nick have lived in Somerset longer than I have but neither of them had been up to the gorge, so we took a little detour when we got to the top of our first climb to get as near to the edge as the field boundary, and sense, allowed.

Then it was from the naturally created hole in the ground to a man made hole, Batts Coombe Quarry. Back down Fore Cliffs and back up the other side of this 'headland'.  The haphazard bit of tracking was when the style out of a field was well hidden in a thicket and it took us a while to work out how to get out of the field - careful climbing over barbed wire in the end. After a walk around Cheddar Woods it was back down again for a stop for a sandwich and drink.  So this was the point where we gauge our fitness and decide whether we can carry on for the third ascent or cut it short and head back for the car in Cheddar.  Nick and Neil were up for it so off we went.

Unfortunately the lack of two walking poles started to tell on Neil.  Coming back down the final ascent his legs were really hurting, but at the bottom it was a flat walk around the Cheddar reservoir back to the car.

A great walk and some good climbing, approx 20+km and 800m.

One big problem though. Next day Neil went to hospital. Knee ligament damamge, strapped up for 6-8 weeks :-(

Very sorry Neil.

2 January 2012 - Holford - Crowcombe - Holford

Picture has 4 of the 5 involved in the challenge.  I'm the shadow on the trig point.

And so we didn't manage to find time before the end of the year to get another walk in, so New Year's resolutions and all that, we started the New Year with a good walk.  This time it was back to the Quantocks.  Lovely place when the weather is good, easy to got lost on when the weather is bad.  But hey, I've got my Navigation Bronze award now so little chance of getting really lost.

This walk started like our previous Quantock walks in Holford on the eastern side of the hills. From here we walked up to Dowsborough Fort, an Iron Age hill fort now covered in stunted ancient oak trees. Past the top end of Dead Woman's Ditch, through Seven Wells Wood and down Quantock Combe in to the village of Crowcombe.

A cosy pub was open for a pint of real ale and a plate of ham, egg and chips.  The trouble with an enjoyable lunch is getting those walking legs started again.  Not the best planning as the first chunk of walking was straight up the hill out of the village back on to the top of the Quantocks.  Up to the trig point on Black Hill and north to Higher Hare Knap and finally back down in to Holford.

Give this link a try if you want to see the route.

http://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/?key=GwJGwff2CoeFpCd1yEOreQ2

click on the Leisure button near the top left for a better map.

16 December 2011 - Compton Dundon round

So our first practice proper was 16 December, but what with other Christmas period family commitments it was no tema outing.  So I walked with Neil in the morning and Mike in the afternoon, with lunch at the Castelbrook Arms in Compton Dundon.

So first off was out of Compton Dundon, up towards the Street YHA and then across Collard Hill to the Hood Monument through Coombe Woods and down Coombe hollow back to Compton Dundon.  And because the pub had not yet opened for lunch we added on a quick climb up to Dundon fort and back.

After ham, egg and chips, it was a change of walking partner, then back up to Hood Monument, through Coombe Woods, across the top of Coombe Hollow, through Kings Woods and Great Breach Wood with lovely views west across the 'levels', before decending down to walk around the back of Dundon Hill and back to the car.

Well, that was 11miles for me - a good start.

The SNOWDON500 3 PEAKS in aid of Prostate Cancer Research

Two years ago I, and Nick, Neil, Tony and Keith, managed to drag ourselves up to the top of Snowdon and back down again safely. Together we raised over £2000 which was a brilliant effort by all those who sponsored us.  Every little donation makes a difference.

I wouldn't say it has taken us 2 years to recover, but after a close friend of ours died from cancer late last year it focused our minds again on getting valuable financial support for the chrities that do so much.  So we looked at what we could do this time.

Just doing the same again was not an option.  Doing the National 3 Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon) felt like too big an ask for our fitness or the fitness we could achieve in time, and the Yorkshire 3 Peaks was a little too far and too long.  Then I got sent a reminder for the Snowdon500 (http://www.snowdon500.co.uk) but it included a special addition for this it's 5th year. The team behind Snowdon500 were offering an additional challenge - climb Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons and Cadair Idris in southern Snowdonia on the Saturday and then climb Snowdon on Sunday!  Yes that fitted the bill.

The team this year is slightly different due to various work commitments. Nick and Neil are still with me and Keith has committed to be our support team and driver.  Unfortunately Tony will not be with us this year.

So the challenge involves about 20 miles of walking up the following:

South Wales: Pen Y Fan 886m / 2907ft

Mid Wales: Cadair Idris 893m / 2930ft

North Wales: Snowdon 1085m / 3560ft

I have put a picture of each mountain in the photos section if you are interested to see what they look like.

I'll try as last time to provide some updates as our 'training' progress.

The SNOWDON500 3 PEAKS in aid of Prostate Cancer Research

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