There was an Alpine feel to the start of today. It looked beautiful outside, but the photos are deceptive as there was a storm force winds howling around The Cottage. I went out to the bridge check out the mountain conditions and get a feel for the wind. I could barely stand up, so we Read more

Went for an exploratory hike in the Carneddau today. It’s still cold and the ground was frozen rock hard. It’s not been enough for the streams to properly freeze, but there are icicles everywhere. We’d tentatively set our sights on an ascent of Carnedd Llewellyn, but very cold temperatures and low clouds changed our mind Read more

Sub zero temperatures continued today, so outside climbing was off the menu. Took the team down to the north coast at Llanfairfechan to watch some of the high tide waves exploding over the sea wall! Then continued onto the Beacon Climbing Wall for a very enjoyable day with the guys. Teaching lead climbing and getting Read more

Possibly one of the coldest ever days work – without having been on a snowy mountain. Killer winds from the east. Never made it above zero all day and windchill was way lower. Balaclava and hat on all day! The fun part of the day was felling some small (dead) trees as part of a forest Read more

Bitingly cold today. A double down jacket day. Coastal walk on Anglesey’s west coast with my group should have been a warm(ish) option, but without shelter from the wind, it felt below freezing all day. Had a good hunt around during a short stop to find some good seashells – there is one little, hidden Read more

First crocus made its appearance in The Cottage garden this morning! No need for crampons and ice axes for today’s mountain walk – lots of the snow had gone during the rain last night and the freezing level has crept back above the summits. Pen yr Ole Wen was our objective today, which involved a Read more