Llyn Ogwen and Cwm Idwal

I think I have attempted the Cwm Idwal walk about 5 times so far and due to adverse weather or unwilling companions have not managed to get all the way around.

Well today I was determined. Partly because I wasn't going to let it beat me and partly because having had a really stressful few days the diet has taken a bit of a hammering and so some serious hiking was a bit of a necessity if I'm not going to break the scales at Slimming club tomorrow!

So I parked up by Llyn Ogwen and walked to the Visitor Centre. The scenery here in the Ogwen Valley is so dramatic and although you walk along the A5 there is very little traffic.

By the Visitor Centre (where there are toilets and a cafe selling some gorgeous cake, but only to those not needing to get back on track with their diet) you follow the path up and very quickly come upon the view below. The peak in the distance is Tryfan. This is one of the most recognisable peaks because you can see a reclining facial image. Apparently some say Native American Chief with headdress, or Neolithic Man. Although the current most popular is apparently Homer Simpson!

Just along from this view is a small wooden bridge that goes over a waterfall.

This view is from the far side of the bridge, looking back to Llyn Ogwen. The gate in the centre has been designed to reflect the landscape of Cwm Idwal.

There is an obvious designated path which takes you along the side of the lake, towards Devil's Kitchen, the scooped out end of this glacial valley.

So far so good. The weather is beautiful with a cool breeze making it perfect hiking weather. At the far end of the lake the path suddenly gets very steep. In the picture above, right in the middle, you can see the slope. You follow that path to its end and then scramble up the side of a waterfall which you then have to cross. The path gets a bit vague here and I did my usual trick of waiting for a couple of hikers to pass and then follow them. 

This of course only works if they are heading the same place as you! After we had all been climbing for quite a long while over some very steep and rocky terrain I thought I had better check that this was the right way. Of course it wasn't. They were heading to the top ridge of the Glyderau mountain range and we were almost there. I had missed the path down to the lake completely. Seem to have done something similar before! Still the views were fabulous.

At least I could see the path from up there and it was a heck of a long way down! Still, undaunted, I retraced my steps and headed back down. I slipped once and have now had my first hiking injury. Caught my foot between 2 rocks and came out a bit bruised and bloody. Although to be fair, if I'd known that the hike was going to be so hard I would have worn my walking boots and not my shandals. (Shandal, cross between a shoe and a sandal apparently, who knew!)

So eventually found my way down to the banks of the Idwal. I was tempted to paddle, but unfortunately time was short as I hadn't expected to detour quite so much and I had to get back for the school run.

So I have finally done it, and then some! Definitely going to do it again, and maybe next time I will leave myself enough time to climb to the ridge of the Glyderau.

Lessons Learned: Next time I follow someone, make sure we are heading for the same destination!

If going mountain climbing, wear boots!

Diet Diary Had a good day today. Will find out tomorrow if it has compensated for the sins of the weekend!

Shrewsbury

Yesterday I had a nasal endoscopy, which is basically the putting of a camera up a nostril and down the back of the throat. It was a wholly unpleasant experience, but did tell me that the lump I feel in my throat is absolutely nothing to worry about.
I am a born worrier so was very worried about the procedure, and although I tried not to worry, I then worried that I wasn't worrying enough, which got me even more worried. I got myself into a bit of a state!

So today, I felt a little delicate. Wanted to get out for a walk but not too far. So Shrewsbury beckoned.

Shrewsbury is a beautiful city with so much going on. Apart from the usual shopping centre there is the river, Cathedral, park and a vibrant arts and cafe scene.

Today's trip took me through the town and I thought I would have a bit of a go at street photography. Not completely confident doing it, I know that I wouldn't be too happy with strange people taking pictures of me. Although having said that, I don't even like family taking photos of me, so strangers don't stand a chance! I am going to get a proper profile pic taken at some point. The idea was to just see the top of my head peeking out from behind the camera, but having joined blipfoto, it seems that everyone is doing that. So got to come up with something original. May be a while!

This was taken at a charity bookstall and it was very gratifying to see how popular books still are. The lady to the right of the picture is glaring a bit at me, but I figured that if necessary, by the time she had got round the table, I could probably outrun her!

This gentleman busker was so cheerful. He obviously enjoyed his music immensely and was smiling at everyone who walked past. I dropped a coin and he let me take a photo. Love this one!

Couldn't resist this picture, especially after the procedure yesterday. Just had to explore! I am finding that this type of photography really suits black and white, it is certainly more dramatic.

Headed for the Quarry then, which is a beautiful park by the river. The sky has been very grey and a little boring today, no dramatic clouds, so I have had to play around a bit in editing, but I think they have come out ok.

In the park is the Dingle, which is a gorgeous walled garden, with pond and waterfall. You walk round it or just sit and admire the beauty of it.

Since taking up photography, I have explored so many new places and have taken the time to actually look around me and appreciate what is there. Even if the photos aren't brilliant, its still worth it for the experience.

One of our local heroes is Percy Thrower, Gardener Extraordinaire! In the Dingle is this lovely memorial to him.

Today I was trying to look for the beauty in the ordinary and came across these drains. I still battle with "arty" as there is a very thin line between that and pretentious or just plain boring. But I thought I would take the photo and see what it came out like. Funnily enough, out of all the photos I posted on Facebook, this one had the most likes and comments so maybe I am on the right track after all!

All in all, a lovely local day. Even if I did forget my purse again and had to throw myself on the mercy of Barclays otherwise I wouldn't have had any money to get the car out the car park!

Lessons Learned: Have the courage of your convictions. Don't worry that people may not "get" your picture. If you like it, then that's ok. Otherwise think of a really "arty" and "clever" explanation and people will be too embarassed to admit they don't understand. 

Refill the change pot in the car when you empty it!!!

Diet Diary Next weigh in is Tuesday. Feel its going well. Have walked the equivalent of the London Marathon in the last week, so hopefully all is good!

Pistyll Rhaeadr

One of my favourite places and the scene of one of my earliest solo excursions. Limited by school runs and horrified by the amount I have spent on petrol recently, I decided to keep it quite local.
Pistyll Rhaeadr is a beautiful waterfall in the Berwyn Mountains, just inside Wales and west of Oswestry and Shrewsbury. At 240ft or 80m it is the UK's tallest single drop waterfall. Or at least that is what it said on the website!

I decided that today was going to be about the photography rather than the hiking, so I packed lenses, filters and tripod. Its a great place to play around with shutter speeds and I have experimented quite a bit.

These gorgeous creatures guard the bridge that crosses the river that the waterfall flows into. The bridge is the perfect place to stand and take photos. Not just because it has a perfect view of the falls, but because it's flat and the tripod doesn't wobble!

To get to all the little tributaries that flow into the big waterfall you have to climb to the top! I did this once before but went up completely the wrong way and ended up scrambling through ferns, bracken and heather which, believe me, wasn't pleasant. So, especially as the beautiful weather had tempted me to venture out in cut-offs, I decided to find the easier path. There are 2. One is very steep with large uneven steps, the other a gradual sweeping incline. Guess which one I found first!

The top of Pistyll Rhaeadr is incredible. The views are amazing and you can see for miles. Its a heck of a climb, but so worth it. There are many little cascades and you can follow the river for quite a long while. Here are a couple of my favourite pics from the top.

I had the camera on the tripod and manually focussed using the live view which helps a lot, although I do have to dig out my reading glasses to be able to see clearly otherwise I can't tell if any blur is due to the focussing or just middle age!

Again I was practically the only person up there and sat for a while on a rock just dangling my feet in the rushing water, felt like a kid again.

Some parts of the top level are very swampy and its like a military manoeuvre getting across, but by channelling my inner mountain goat, I managed it. Was worth it if only to come across these weird and wonderful tree creatures.

Found the gentle undulating path down (typical!) and headed back to the car and home, only to stop with a screech of brakes when I saw these growing out of a tree:

Got to be Alien!

btw. Family have staged an intervention re the tattoo and I have promised to consider it for at least a month before I do anything drastic. So watch this space!

Lessons Learned: Sometimes its good to regress to your childhood. Paddle in the sea, dangle your feet in waterfalls and clamber over large rocks in an inelegant and wholly inappropriate manner! Life is for living!

Diet Diary First week at Slimming World and 4lb off. Very pleased and feeling determined, but then I may have said that before!

A change of Plan

I have attempted to walk around Llyn Idwal 4 times so far, and its either been too icy or too windy so today was going to be the day. It was a bit cloudy when I left home, but ok. However, the closer I got and the higher the road went, the lower the clouds were until when I got there, visibility was extremely poor and I had to admit that there was no way I was going to safely negotiate the walk. It had also started drizzling which was no fun.

So plan B, head for lower ground, so Betws-y-coed beckoned. I had done the 5 bridges walk before and enjoyed it, so thought to pay a return visit.

Regular readers will know that I can't go to Betws without calling in for coffee and cake at Cadwaladers, but last night I had my first Slimming World Meeting and weigh in, which was a bit of a shock! So will power is fully charged and I sat there with my black coffee. I decided rather than avoid Cadwaladers, I would go in and look temptation in the eye and prove just how strong I have become! No one was more surprised than me when it worked! I think this whole believing in myself nonsense is starting to sink in!

The walk takes you along the river and beside the golf course where there were quite a few players, despite the poor weather. Its quite a gentle walk, most of it suitable for all abilities and is quite pretty.

Because the conditions were dull, the sky was characterless, so I have had to do a fair bit of editing just to get something in there. I took the exposure right down and then highlighted detail with the adjustment brush, which I think worked.

Actually, the best part of the walk is the White Bridge. This is a suspension bridge across the river and as you walk across it, it bounces. It is the weirdest feeling!

I had intended to have a full day hiking, but the weather was poor and I was worried about the camera, so headed back to the car. 

It is obviously a very old tree and was cut down and just left, which seemed very sad, but I am sure there must have been a good reason for doing it.

I thought on the way home I would detour to Llechwedd to have a look at the zip wire and see if I really fancied it, but unfortunately the clouds were still very low so couldn't see a thing. I think I have convinced myself to go for it tho.

Time for home along a much travelled road, except that I ended up in Dolgellau. I have absolutely no idea how I managed that, as its not as if the roads are unfamiliar to me now. I think I get so caught up in planning my next adventure, I forget to pay attention to the road and miss turnings. Not safe to be let out. 

Going to try somewhere new for my next adventure. Might have the opportunity for a night away so am going south, possibly the Pembrokeshire Coast. Should be exciting.

Lessons Learned:  I am trying to do at least one completely out of character and outrageous thing every month. So watch this space, I am either going to have the time of my life, kill myself or get myself arrested!

I do possess will power, if I can go into Cadwaladers and not eat cake, I am better than I give myself credit for.

Diet Diary: Only Day 1, but feeling good, strong and hopeful.

Anglesey Llandwyn Island

Its always lovely when someone offers to do the school runs for me as it means I can get out early and don't have to rush back. It was a bit last minute, so spontaneous decision needed, so decided to go for a favourite of mine, Llandwyn Island on Anglesey for the morning then Plas Newydd in the afternoon.

It is a beautiful drive there, I go through Llangollen, Corwen, Betws-y-coed and through the Ogwen Valley. Takes over 2hrs but it never seems long because the scenery is so beautiful.

It was a gorgeous warm and sunny day and I must admit that I paddled! 

I think what I love about Llandwyn is that you seem to see everything in one go. You drive through the forest, which you can later walk through, to get to the beach where you can see Snowdonia across the Menai Strait (or at least I think that's what the water is, geography never my strong point).

The island itself is very interesting. You get a real historical feel to it, and now that they have opened up the exhibition in the Pilots Houses, you can understand more of how the island came to be, and how people lived and worked on it.

But the real beauty of it to me is the coastline. You get fabulous craggy inlets to secluded sandy bays. 

Such a beautiful and interesting place and as of yesterday, you pay just £4 to park all day, and there are toilet facilities and a refreshment van. Well worth a visit.

So I head for Plas Newydd, a National Trust Property, but when I get there it is shut! Apart from the tea room and the children's adventure playground and although I am tempted to go and have a play, decide to head elsewhere. Caenarvon in fact.

The castle is of course magnificent and I spend a happy hour wandering through the back streets. Decide to try a bit of street photography.

This was the Welsh/German meeting of the Outlaws Motorcycle club and I know the post is in the way, but I had to hide behind something to take the photo!

Then homeward bound, but via Llanberis and a stop at Llyn Padarn.

This to me is one of the most beautiful views of Snowdonia. You are looking across the lake towards the mountains and I could sit there for hours just looking.

Lessons Learned: Check that places are actually going to be open before you drive to them!

Don't risk annoying the bikers. I am sure they are really teddy bears under that gruff exterior, but wasn't going to take the chance!

Diet Diary: Finally admitted defeat. I am going back to Slimming World on Tuesday. I lost a lot of weight with them before and I think it is the only way for me to do it. Wish me luck!

A couple of trips

We have had some gorgeous sunny, if a trifle windy weather so I have just had to go out. Although that might just be an excuse because I have actually been out in rain, snow, gale force winds and freezing conditions. Nothing if not hardy!

Headed for Betws-y-coed for coffee and cake at Cadwaladers, to plan my trip. I may have mentioned that I rather like Cadwaladers. 

While I was sitting there I decided not to go anywhere else, but to explore the river and woodlands a bit more. It is a beautiful place to walk around if you stay away from the giftshops and the coachloads of elderly tourists.

Much of the path is on wooden walkways which makes it very accessible for every fitness level. Bearing in mind that the town centre was packed, I barely met a soul on my walk. It was very quiet, all you could hear were the birds and the river. The sun was bright but the woods were cool and the light made very interesting dappled patterns.

I  have been struggling to take good photos with my telephoto lens. I haven't been able to get clear shots, there is always a bit of blur and a lack of crispness in the focussing. I decided to spend the day practicing with it and I think I have discovered the problem, well 2 problems actually. Firstly I found myself holding the lens to steady the camera and thereby turning it slightly out of focus. 2nd problem was that I had left on an ND filter which took away much of the light and so I wasn't getting fast shutter speeds! I might be quite good at this photography lark if I ever work out how to use the equipment properly! So hopefully next time out will be better. Watch this space.

After my stroll through the woods I had a browse in some of the outdoor gear shops. Its amazing what you can buy and staggering how much you can pay for it too! Anyone who says hiking is cheap is misinformed! Managed to get away with just a new fleece and a lightweight jacket and that had absolutely nothing to do with the helpful and handsome young man who assisted me! Might have to go back.

Todays trip was slightly less adventurous but still enjoyable. My Mother is starting to get quite interested in my explorations so I decided to take her for a stroll around Moreton Corbet Castle. I have blogged about it before, but basically it is a ruined Elizabethan Manor House and it has such an absorbing atmosphere. 

My Mother has always had a love of history so it was interesting going around with her, chatting about how the house would have been built and lived in. Bearing in mind I usually go on trips by myself, it made a nice change.

On the way home we stopped at a Plant Centre (not Garden Centre, no giftshop or posh coffee shop there, just plants and gardening stuff). I didn't buy, as previously mentioned, I wouldn't inflict my gardening skills on a currently living plant, but did take a couple of photos. I do love Gerberas. Probably one of my favourite flowers.

On the way home we just stopped at a shop in Ellesmere for Mum to buy something for her garden.

No, I don't know why either!

Lessons Learned: Never think you are going to understand your Mother. Just when you think you have her figured out, she goes and buys a gold Buddha!

Diet Diary: Nope, nothing

Attingham

Really not sure how I do it. Going somewhere I have been before in an area I am quite familiar with and still manage to end up going the wrong way down the motorway! I blame the roadworks!

Eventually got to Attingham Park, just outside of Shrewsbury. Another National Trust property, really am getting my money's worth this year! 

It was a beautiful day on Thursday so had a lovely wander around the deer park and woodlands. I don't know about anyone else, but I find woodlands very hard to take a good picture of. Whilst you are walking through them, especially on a sunny day, they are so beautiful but I find my photos are too green and uninteresting. 

I try to find focal points and pathways, but it doesn't always work. This is probably the best of a mediocre bunch. I do find it very hard to be objective about my pictures, so any comments appreciated.

The house itself is huge but only a limited amount of rooms are renovated. Apparently there was a lot of debt in the family and over the centuries most of the furnishings had to be sold and the house fell into disrepair.

None of the upstairs rooms are available to see, but there is a display showing what the National Trust want to do next. The current major work in progress is repairing the glass roof over the picture gallery and you can see how they are doing that inside.

They ask you to leave back packs in a secure area before you go in and I hate doing that. My pack is so much a part of me on these walks that I feel half naked without it, but I can understand why they ask because they are very bulky. Although it did feel like I was depositing a favourite child at a creche!

As with many of these old houses, what furnishings there are, are delicate so light has to be kept low, which is a photographers nightmare. The dining room had very low lighting and I was very surprised that a picture came out reasonably well.

As with Erddig, I had to put the ISO up really high and open the aperture to get half decent shutter speeds, plus the obligatory leaning up against a pillar!

I was definitely a servant in a previous life because I was drawn to the kitchens again. Just love all the old gadgets, copper pans and ranges!

To me this is all so much more interesting than portraits of Sir this and Lady that and all the posh furnishings. Copper jelly moulds are much more beautiful! 

Little bit more light in these rooms, so pics a little easier.

I am still trying to look at detail and texture as per my workshop with Richard. Still not there yet but there are definitely more pictures of "things" appearing!

This pic is one of my favourites of the day I think. You can see how big the mansion is by the scale of the people underneath the columns.

I pay my National Trust Membership over the year and it is the best £4.83 I pay out each month. I have got so much enjoyment out of my trips, and remember its not just stately homes. The NT manage miles of beach along the British coastline and your membership entitles you to free parking!

Lessons Learned: Don't go anywhere without the sat nav and a postcode.

Diet Diary: Nope, still no comment.

p.s. tattoo is a definite! Flying swan. Just hope to tweak design a little and its all systems go. When I asked an experienced friend about the pain levels, she said its not as bad as childbirth! Well that's alright then!