Biking in Wales

This seems like a long time ago now... but I havn't blogged for a while
I trekked all the way to Mid Wales to spend time with freinds. It was a long way but good to see people. I wen to Coed y Brenin and did a couple of the red runs - Ceflym Coch and another 20km ish route which were great. In between I did a mountain ride - Pont Scethin from our camp site near Harlech. It was really technical in places with some challenging climbs and a very wet descent. My legs were definitely aching the week after on my TCL! This memorial stone is in memory of a lady, who used to walk up the hill I was cycling up well into her eighties. The caption read something like 'courage traveller' ...

TCL

I took and passed my TCL (Tail Cycle Leader) on Wednesday, first ticket of the year, hurrah!

sorry no pics, was too busy concentrating :)

4* open boat

The last big thing I did was 4* Open Boat Training with Stuart Bell - what a legend. We used the Spey - Ballindalloch to Knockando (dejavu? no?), the Tay down to Grandtully and went up to paddle on the sea at Fort George for our open water day. The last two days were white water safety and rescue with Chadders and Shaun. We used Feshie bridge area to practice swimming for eddies, doing superman dives (a form of live-baiting) to rescue each other, cutting a body free from an entrapment on the river and other skills. The last day was spent on the Findhorn looking at some more safety and rescue scenarios, and using our journey as an opportunity to look at leadership issues. I definitely want to go back and do the Middle Findhorn again, it was consistently interesting. All in all a great week, I learned loads.

Work

Last Saturday I was working on a nav and montain skills course for Glenmore Lodge. I always enjoy teaching nav and find it really absorbing, finding ways of communicating these skills and ideas to each individual. It always helps when you have a nice group too.

Spey Descent

This week we enjoyed blisteringly hot weather on our descent of the Spey swimming in the river most days . The river winds through some beautiful scenery and we we saw osprey diving for fish, sand martens dipping in and out of their burrows (in the pic), oyster catchers, dippers, tares, buzzards, leaping salmon, red squirrels (I had never even seen a red squirrel in England as they're so rare down there). We also found fresh water mussels. Most of the rapids and weirs were a scrape but I'd like to go back and do the section from Knockando to Spey Bay in higher water.

busy busy

Work wise I have been doing some voluntary work through the Lodge. An afternoon going up Meall a Buchaille with a group from Who Cares Scotland. A group of young people and their carers were having a training weekend for their trip to Nepal later this year.

This weekend just gone, I was supervising a bronze D of E assessment expedition in the Glen Feshie area for a group from Kingussie High School.

Ardverikie Wall

Yesterday, Ardverikie Wall (Binnein Shuas). Little did Hannah and I know that we were planning to climb this classic on the exact day it was first climbed 42 years ago to the day and one of the guys who put the route up was climbing in front of us! Fantastic sustained climbing - which made a nice change from loose chossy stuff and heather - and outstanding scenery. The weather was also perfect, what more could you ask for. Unfortunately our timing was a bit out (I was 4 hours late for work, oops) and we ended up having to ab out after four and a half pitches. Even though we didn't finish the route we enjoyed some fantastic climbing and learned many lessons from our day. I also did my first multi-pitch abseil which was cool, although we were fairly tired by that point so really had to concentrate to manage it all safely. The walk in was quite long (hour and a half) so we'll probably take bikes next time.