It's not meant to be easy.
Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:59 pm
I met up with Yetiman at a famous Welsh beauty spot late Friday afternoon. After a brief diversion to the only shop for miles we headed off in search of our accommodation. It was somewhere I'd spent the night before and would give us a good headstart for Saturdays breakfast quest. The weather remained kind throughout Friday night and we awoke to a mist filled valley on Saturday morning but by the time we climbed into the mountains the sun had broken through and the world was wonderful.
This is actually the entrance to Friday nights digs ... the stepping stones are a bit slippery but not as slippery as the banking side leading to them.
Early Saturday morning, post breakfast - pre packing. We knew there'd be a long climb over the mountains ... but we hadn't realised just how long and tough the day would get.
Some tracks really didn't exist on the ground ... while others, like this one were almost motorways.
Had this been in better condition it might have been a contender for remotest overnight spot in Wales (until we found the next one). The land surrounding it is pretty much trackless, so if you want to visit you'll have to enjoy/endure at least an hours 'death march'.
Sadly it was a little rough inside and fairly dangerous in all honesty.
Sunday morning in the cold light of day ... 7 hours earlier we'd climbed, carried and dragged for 3 hours in truly horrible conditions in the hope of finding it. Had we not found it, had it been locked or had the roof been blown off, we'd have have a very, very bad night. This now takes the crown for remotest, hardest to access spot I've ever had the pleasure to kip in. There are no paths leading to it just thigh deep heather, knee deep bogs, scree slopes, cliffs and rock.
Not posh by any standards but reasonably water tight and windproof ... the picture does do it a few favours though.
An hours 'drag-a-bike through a bog and down a cliff' led to something we could ride again ... obviously it was raining at this point too. The day continued (and continued and continued), a very late lunch was had a Coed Y Brenin and the decision made to make a push for home, rather than take the easier, third night out option.
Good job it was locked or we might have moved in.
The compulsary Spar shot. Sunday night, 9pm and 2 hours until home ... in a hail storm. We arrived home just before 11pm having set off just after 9am. The previos day had also been a 12 hours plus affair and actually got tougher the longer it went on. All in all I racked up about 100 miles and 4000+ metres of ascent ... fantastic weekend
PS ... I knocked on but no one was home.
This is actually the entrance to Friday nights digs ... the stepping stones are a bit slippery but not as slippery as the banking side leading to them.
Early Saturday morning, post breakfast - pre packing. We knew there'd be a long climb over the mountains ... but we hadn't realised just how long and tough the day would get.
Some tracks really didn't exist on the ground ... while others, like this one were almost motorways.
Had this been in better condition it might have been a contender for remotest overnight spot in Wales (until we found the next one). The land surrounding it is pretty much trackless, so if you want to visit you'll have to enjoy/endure at least an hours 'death march'.
Sadly it was a little rough inside and fairly dangerous in all honesty.
Sunday morning in the cold light of day ... 7 hours earlier we'd climbed, carried and dragged for 3 hours in truly horrible conditions in the hope of finding it. Had we not found it, had it been locked or had the roof been blown off, we'd have have a very, very bad night. This now takes the crown for remotest, hardest to access spot I've ever had the pleasure to kip in. There are no paths leading to it just thigh deep heather, knee deep bogs, scree slopes, cliffs and rock.
Not posh by any standards but reasonably water tight and windproof ... the picture does do it a few favours though.
An hours 'drag-a-bike through a bog and down a cliff' led to something we could ride again ... obviously it was raining at this point too. The day continued (and continued and continued), a very late lunch was had a Coed Y Brenin and the decision made to make a push for home, rather than take the easier, third night out option.
Good job it was locked or we might have moved in.
The compulsary Spar shot. Sunday night, 9pm and 2 hours until home ... in a hail storm. We arrived home just before 11pm having set off just after 9am. The previos day had also been a 12 hours plus affair and actually got tougher the longer it went on. All in all I racked up about 100 miles and 4000+ metres of ascent ... fantastic weekend
PS ... I knocked on but no one was home.
