What a royal day to remember! As a way of thanks for my work with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award over the years, I was invited to a 60th anniversary garden party celebration at Buckingham Palace today! With a freshly pressed shirt and suit on, and not a thermal or fleece product on sight, I… Read more

It’s a long drive to mid-wales and back for the day, but well worth the effort when the weather is like this. I was working with a group of sixth form students today, who wanted to climb the peak of Cader Idris.  We ascended from the northern side up what is know as the ‘pony… Read more

Despite the crystal clear blue skies, the temperatures have halved over night and today, despite appearances, it was only just into double figures when I picked up my group of students for some sport climbing.  There is a whole guidebook dedicated to the crags along the A55, which runs along the north coast of Wales. We… Read more

What a glorious day to be climbing in North Wales! Not a cloud to be seen! Between various other things, I managed to fit in two classic ‘hard severe’ grade multi-pitch climbs in two different valleys! My foot is still aching, so kept the walking to a minimum and kept the grades at a respectable ‘Hard Severe’.… Read more

I’ve been a North Wales tourist today! A good friend from Africa showed up unexpectedly last night and had the afternoon free today, so we hooked up for a tour of the National Park! Ice creams and Pete’s Eats for sustenance, while touring the sights and shops! A great way to catch up with each… Read more

The views weren’t exactly alpine, but the temperatures gave the kind of contrasts that my group and I might experience while hiking in the Alps next month. Today was the last in a series of training days for a team of students who are going to be hiking part of the Tour du Mt Blanc… Read more