I’ve just got back from my 15th (I think) trip up Snowdon. The trip started yesterday morning when I jumped in the (lightened by way of back seat removal) car and travelled around 4 and a half hours from South to North Wales. When I got there I set up the tent at the camp site and waited for my sister-in-law and co. After an evening of curry and Plop Trumps we retired for the nights. Getting up early this morning was easy cuz we didn’t sleep much (camp site was noisy.. booo), and we managed to get to the Pen-y-Pass car park for 6:45am. Good job we got there early because we ended up with two of the last 5 or so parking spaces – that car park is getting more ridiculously busy each time I visit it. We took it nice and slow to the summit as the weather was so hot, but the summit was covered in people wearing flip flops and trainers because the train service has started to run again. Looking around a gift shop at the top of a mountain is a strange experience but it has been done a lot nicer than the tasteless glass dome mockup I saw a few years ago. Anyway I’m back home now and covered in midge bites. Photos will follow once I get them off Helena (photos of the walk, not the bites).
Saturday morning I drove to a camp site at the foot of Cadair Idris in North Wales… pitched up the tent then set off with the usual crowd to the summit. Was a nice walk with only a bit of wind and the odd small hail shower thrown in. The summit was surprisingly busy for December to be honest especially as we passed nobody else on the way up our route.
Once down it was Daz’s home-made chilli for tea and a few hours of talking rubbish around the camp fire. There was only one small interruption when Garry locked his keys inside his car with his stereo on. To save us from listening to that all night there was a window / rock solution provided by Matt, followed up by a cling film bandaid curtousy of Daz.
Anyway, I’m back in one piece despite the damp field I woke up in this morning and the tent will be drying out in the garage for the next few weeks no doubt.
An early birthday pressie…
June 24th, 2007 2 Comments »Today we journied all the way in to Coventry to a huge outdoor/adventure/camping called store Go Outdoors….. and we bought a tent! The idea is we can now go away for a cheap weekend away when the weather is nice – will also be interesting to see how Poppy manages.
We bought the Outwell San Remo 600. No idea whether it’s a good one or not, but it certainly seemed nice. Two 3-berth bedrooms and plenty of space to store stuff / cook / crawl around / sit and doze.
It will get its first real test later in July when I take it to Wales (without Vicky and Poppy).
We also got a camping stove – 2 burners plus a grill. So thanks very much Dad for the loan of your stove every few months, I won’t be bothering you again…. and thanks Greg for the loan of your tent at the same time, you may now use it yourself.
