Bethesda Blog
An occasional commentary on events in and around North Wales
The views experessed here are not necessarily those
of the Scout Association, Greater London South West, or the moderators
of the web site. Sometimes, I'm not even sure I believe in them myself.
Nevertheless, no offence is intended to anyone on any grounds, so I hope
none will be taken.
| 29th June |
Tried to get a climb in after work on the sea cliffs near Holyhead
- Gogarth. We hoped to climb the classic 'A Dream of White horses',
but rain and wind (just for once, the weather was worse on the coast
than in the hills!), and the length of the route made us think again,
and we settledd for a VS in Tsunami Zawn. Not a brilliant climb, but
at least it was a new area fro me, and there was a visit from an inquisitive
seal.
The evening was made by finding Bee Orchids in flower in the Country
Park. |
Bee Orchid ( Ophrys apifera) |
|
| 25th June |
| The Butterfly Orchids are in flower in the garden again. The first
one appeared (or perhaps I just spotted it, rather than cut it with
the rest of the lawn) about 4 years ago, and each year I find another
one or two. |
Greater Butterfly Orchid
Platanothera chlorantha |
|
| 11th June |
Spent the afternoon with Ian from the Erikson Explorers, taking
a look at Dolgarrog (Afon Ddu) Gorge. This is used by groups for gorge
scrambling, and we were checking out prior to their summer camp.
I had been there a few times before, but unfortunately mainly for
rescues, so it wasa pleaseure to see it under less stressful conditions.
It is a beautiful spot, and an ecologically sensitive one, with a
number of rare of local plants growing in it. A local group - Sustainable
Use of Snowdonia - are now actively raising money to fund projects
which will help protect sensitive areas while still allowing their
use by visitors. Watch out for raffles and events organised by them
when you are in the area, and please support them. To keep access
to sensitive areas, we will have to have some sort of management,
and better to have it organised by volunteers who are themselves involved
in using the area than by official bodies who have less interest in
activities and more in conservation. |
|
|
| 10th June |
Unusually the rescue team found themselves working with the North
Wales Air Ambulance.
The team (Ogwen valley Mountain Rescue Team) were called out to a
scrambler who had slipped and broken his ankle (quite seriously, as
it turned out later) and was now on the Heather Terrace (Tryfan),
near the bottom of South Gully. 22 Sqadron were not available, and
we had to lower the casualty down into Cwm Tryfan, with the intention
of carrying him out from there. in fact, the Air Ambulance, a Bolkow
105 DB, is a much smaller helicopter than the Sea Kings used by 22
Squadron, and so has more dificulty flyinf and landing in a mountain
environment. However, we managed to find a spot where it could touch
down, and we were able to load the stretcher with 'engines running',
and the casualty was in hospital some hours earlier than otherwise. |
Waiting to load the stretcher, Cwm Tryfan |
|
| 2nd June |
| At last better weather has arrived, and combined with the longer
evenings, it is easily possible to get in a climb or a walk in the
evening. This Friday we were at Tremadog on the climbs 'Christmas
Curry (Micah Finish)' and 'The Plumb'. On the way back, Llyn Gwnant
was absolutely still, withwood smoke drifting over the campsite end. |
Llyn Gwynant |
|
| 29th May |
A trip away from North Wales, but nonetheless related. I went to
Eindhoven to help celebrate the marriage of Colin and Marielle. Those
of you who have been on a course at Yr Hen Neuadd any time in the
last 30 years will almost certainly have met Colin either as an instructor,
or later as ACC for Mountain Activities (the post taken over by Ron
Wellbrook and Phil Handley when Colin's job took him to The Netherlands).
The Ceremony took place at Kasteel Henkenshage in St. Oedenrode; a
bijou castle, more decorative than defensive.
A messge of congratulations from the SSGMC was read. |
Janneke, Evert, Colin, Marielle and Norman |
|
| 25th May |
| The Gallt y Glyn Hotel just on the Caernarfon side of
Llanberis do a 'Pizza and Pint from £5' night on Wednesday and
Thursday evenings, and with family staying we went across as a change
from cooking. It provides an excellent value meal, and just to complete
the evening, we came out to find the sun had broken through, and was
bathing the hills in that glorious yellow/pinktinted evening light. |
Dolbadarn Castle and the Llanberis Pass across Llyn Padarn. |
|
| 21st May |
On Sunday we went up to Treborth Gardens for a stroll and see what
plants were coming into bloom. It was a delight to find a wild Early
Purple Orchid in bloom . It was right next to a path, and in danger
of being trampled, and so had been carefully protected by the garden
staff. The gardens are owned by Bangor University, and are the plant
breeding, teaching and research facility for the School of Biological
Sciences. In addition there is a certain amount of education of the
public through open days and guided walks, and connection with various
conservation projects. The also have probably the finest Orchid collection
in North Wales. I've now the place since I was a student, and when
we saw on of the staff going in to water the plants in the glass houses,
I persuaded him to let us have a quick look round. There were a number
of Orchids in bloom, as well as a variety of other plants. I hope
the pictures give some Idea.
Having said all this, it was more than disappointing to learn that
as of the end of September the gardens are to be handed over to the
Estates department of the University, the heating to the glass houses
will be turned off, and the staff, for whom caring for the plants
is not so much a job as a calling, will be made redundant. It is a
resource that will never be replaced. The garden is situated above
the Menai Straits, and it is easy to imagine the the running down
of the gardens by removing the staff that really care for the place
will just be the first step in the journey that will lead to them
being sold off for housing development (as were the laboratories in
Bagor with the views out over Anglesey). Do we really live in an age
where everything is calculated against its price, not its value? |
Orchids from the collection at Treborth Gardens
Early Purple Orchid |
|
| 14th May |
It was the Mountain Skills Weekend, and on Saturday the weather
was almost perfect for navigation practice: still, not too cold, poor
visibility, but without the rain. Parties were out on each of the
main massifs - Carneddau, Glyderau and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).
Sunday was a brighter morning, and we were all out again doing micronavigation
around Moel Faban. It is a great area for micro-nav with lots of small
features marked on the map, most of which exist on the ground.
Unfortunately tthe weather came in over lunch, rather spoiling the
afternoo for those of us who were hoping to go climbing before returning
home. Never mind, there's always the Rock
Weekend in June. |
Saturday, Andy, Howard and Mike descending Yr Elen
Sunday - a question of position |
|
| 8th May |
| It only takes a little low cloud to make the mountains look so much
bigger. The rain of earlier in the day had blown through, and the
weather was starting to break up as I was coming back through the
Ogwen valley. |
Y Garn |
|
| 7th May |
Good weather over the weekend let us get on the rock again, but
the breeze still had a bit of an edge to it, so low, sheltered locations
were in order. On Sunday Mike and I went out to 'The Range' - on the
maps as Penrhyn Mawr - on Holy Island, as much because I had not done
any of the routes there as for any other reason. Here Mike steps out
onto the bottomless slab of (the perhaps misnamed) 'Ramp of Pink Emulsion'
(VS, 4c). It provided entertainment, as not only was it no soft touch,
but you spent the whole time wondering if some critical hand or foot
hold was going to break off just as you committed yourself to it.
We were not the only ones taking advantage of the weather, and a fleet
of fourteen sea kayaks passed by late in the afternoon. |
Mike on 'The Ramp of Pink Emulsion'
Sea Kayaks off Penrhyn Mawr |
|
| 1st May |
Took advantage of the improved weather this afternoon to tale a
trip out to South Stack Nature Reserve near Holyhead. Ellen's Tower
- an old Coastguard lookout, now an RSPB observatory - has opened
for the summer season, and the South Stack Lighthouse and exhibition
are open as well.
While the the RSPB are primarily interested in birds, but in addition
to sightings of Peregrine falcon, Chough, Razorbill, Guillemot and
puffin today's records also showed that both porpoises and seals had
been seen off the coast. Fulmar are already nesting, and by the end
of the month the cliff ledges will be lined with auks incubating eggs.
The smell of the gorse was fabulous, and spring sqill, scurvy grass,
violets and campion are also in flower. |
Ellen's Tower and South Stack Lighthouse |
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| November and December 2005 |
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