Tag Archives: winter

#165 – Creigiau Gleision – Winter arrives in North Wales

When we look back on 2014, in North Wales we will remember the wettest August for a long time, followed by a prolonged spell of warm, settled weather. Then, just a week ago, winter arrived, and not before time, because … Continue reading

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

#149 – No pain, no gain – The Spine Race 2014

Fifty years ago, the UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson said, “a week is a long time in politics”.  In The Spine Race, a week feels like a lifetime.  For the uninitiated, ‘The Spine’ is “Britain’s most brutal race. The longest, … Continue reading

Posted in 4. Northern England | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

#141– Two men and a dog, and the highest noodle bar in the UK (Having a fun time on ‘The Spine Race’!)

“Do you fancy a couple of days up at Greg’s Hut in January?” If anyone other than John Bamber had asked the question, I would probably have answered with a reply that included sex and travel!  For those who don’t … Continue reading

Posted in 4. Northern England, Bothy days | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

#128 – Man’s (and woman’s) best friend learning to search for avalanche victims in North Wales

Statistics tell us that the average UK resident can currently expect to live for over 80 years.  Bury that same UK resident (or any human for that matter) in an avalanche, and life expectancy drops to about 15-20 minutes!  Because … Continue reading

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

#125 – Snow time in Snowdonia – Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr

It’s been a funny sort of winter in North Wales – a promising start to the winter mountaineering season in December gave a great trip out up Pen yr Ole Wen (see post #108) but after that the snow started … Continue reading

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , , , | 23 Comments

#124 – Avalanche!

There has been little incentive to head for the higher hills over the past week – strong winds have made walking difficult in the mountains, and wind chill on top of an already cold temperature has made it feel like … Continue reading

Posted in 1. Scotland, 2. Lake District, 3. Yorkshire Dales, 4. Northern England, 5. North Wales, 6. Mid and South Wales, 7. Everywhere Else! | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

#123 – Fun in the snow – Helvellyn by Swirral Edge and Striding Edge

“The Spine” has gained a reputation for being one of the toughest challenges in the UK adventure-racing calendar, and with good reason – after all, running 268 miles along the Pennine Hills in winter in seven days is never going … Continue reading

Posted in 2. Lake District | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

#120 – The Snowdon Halfshoe? What’s a Halfshoe?!!

When is a horseshoe not a horseshoe?  When it’s only half a horseshoe, and then it’s a halfshoe!  Well, at least in my world it is.  The Snowdon Horseshoe is regarded by many as being one of the finest circular … Continue reading

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

#115 – Winter in the Clwydian Hills

‘The Spine’ race is one of those events that takes over your life – for the competitors it’s the culmination of months of planning and training, but the members of the support team also had to prepare for a week … Continue reading

Posted in 5. North Wales | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

#114 – ‘The Spine’, Britains most brutal race – the inside story.

Saturday morning 12th January – It must have been getting quite tense at the start line of ‘The Spine’ race.  After all, running the 268 mile Pennine Way in winter in less than one week is a pretty tough challenge.  … Continue reading

Posted in 1. Scotland, 3. Yorkshire Dales, 4. Northern England | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments