I left The Cottage early, having had to scrape a thick layer of ice from the van windscreen, but by midday was in t-shirts, basking in the sunshine at Barmouth Slabs. After meeting Wally, Andi and J at the beach, we drove up the hill a bit and enjoyed a sunny walk up to the Read more

What are the ingredients of a good adventure? I’m sure there are many different variables, but today’s combination of companionship; a journey; an unknown outcome; exploration; good fortune, certainly provided a high-quality experience. And of course, throw into the mix a little bit of physical hardship and some endorphin releasing euphoric relief and you get a Read more

So good to be back on the bikes again! Even just an overnight trip brings with it the buzz and excitement of being self-sufficient and back ‘on the road’ again, exploring new places under our own stream. This time, we took the bikes to Chirk, where the weather was looking far more clement than in Read more

It’s always a bit frustrating for someone like me, when the weather is glorious, but there are other jobs that don’t involve being on mountain tops that need to be done. There was another decent frost this morning, so I consoled myself with the thought that at least it was warm inside. I worked as Read more

Our first frost of winter arrived last night and walking out from The Cottage this morning we were treated with some beautiful views of the white-capped mountains. It’s just a dusting, but with the blue sky backdrop, they looked stunning. Just before dusk, we ventured up onto the hills behind the house. We’d ambitiously set off Read more

In 1980, Steve Ashton published a guidebook on the scrambles of Snowdonia. I’ve climbed all the classic routes, often multiple times, but I noticed while flicking through it recently, that there are a few scrambles that I’ve yet to ascend. Some of them are ‘included for completeness and should be avoided’, others are a way off Read more