This was the grim outlook at the lake today. Windchill putting the temperature around zero. Bleak. After packing away the sailing boats for the winter, we retreated to the comparative warmth of the ‘heated’ kayaking pool at Plas y Brenin for a lesson in kayak rolling. Read more

There was a slight respite in the wind and rain this afternoon, down in the Conwy Valley. Been ‘grafting’ today with some volunteers at the National Trust’s ‘Bodnant Gardens’. Nothing glamorous, just raking up leaves for composting, but a necessary job to keep it all looking good. Read more

Glynllifon Country Park. A little gem of a lost world! An overgrown jungle of plants and trees, collected from all over the world about a hundred years ago. Californian giant redwoods, Chinese bamboo thickets and Tibetan cherry trees all muddled together in an enchanting little dell. A great place to explore on a wintery day… Read more

I’ve been working ‘off the grid’ for the past few days with a group of students and have been based in this cabin in the depths of the woods! No phone, electricity, running water or showers; just a whole lot of wood smoke, some simple living and some questionable hygiene standards. Half of the excitement Read more

Felt like a Spitefire pilot scrambling to the run way on an incoming attack this morning. I’d loosely made an agreement with Aled to go for a morning kayak on our local river, the Afon Ogwen, but given his tight schedule, didn’t think he’d be able to make it. I was just putting my feet Read more

An ascent of Y Garn in the tail end of Hurricane Barney seemed an unlikely choice of activity first thing this morning. Rain continued to bombard The Cottage with flower pots and leaves doing circuits of the garden. Needless to say, the rivers were in full effect – this is Ogwen Falls by Ogwen Cottage: Read more