Another overnight trip while this fantastic weather lasts. Although I scouted out a different area I ended up not far from my last trip. This time I went to a many-topped hill, more a group of rocky tops, called The Heights, Yr Arddu in welsh on the OS map. A little above Beddgelert, in Snowdonia. Continue reading
As described in part 1, this overnight trip gave three distinct shooting sessions. First, the sunset, which was slightly disappointing. Then the sunrise, which was pretty good. This had the bonus of the sea of low cloud which was the key to part 3, this part. Continue reading
After a night spent mostly wide awake in my plastic bag on top of a hill the alarm went off at 4:45 and I was surprised to find I was asleep. I poked my head out to find everything covered in dew on the outside and condensation on the inside and a beautiful line of bright colour on the eastern horizon suggesting I should get a move on to be ready for the sun. Continue reading
A fine weather forecast encouraged me to try my first wild camping trip of the year. The plan was go to Snowdonia and set up near the summit of Cnicht. This is a modestly-sized but extremely attractive hill just east of Beddgelert. Some people call it “the Matterhorn of Wales”. It doesn’t look like the Matterhorn, it’s just very pointy. It stands by itself, which gives it fantastic views all around.
Usually I report this trips in two parts, first part for the sunset and second for the sunrise. This time, thanks to interesting weather and the best coffee I’ve had for a while, I’ve got a third part to report. But first the first part. The sky above was very clear but with a lot of haze lower down, which meant the mountains west of me were just black outlines. This isn’t ideal for sunset weather. No midges out, thankfully.
Whenever a walk has a significant stretch in managed woodlands, like Forestry Commission woods, I always get lost. It isn’t my fault. The paths on the ground and the paths on the map don’t bear any relationship to each other. The woodland managers make new paths and tracks whenever they want and when you’re hemmed in by conifers all directions look the same. Coed y Brenin in south Snowdonia is no exception to this. Continue reading
We’ve just got back from a holiday in Provence. Not the weather we’d hoped for and I didn’t take many photographs but here’s one that includes two of the main features of the holiday – rock (for climbing on) and blossom.
Anthony Shaughnessy 