…try telling that to wildlife. I was just waiting outside the Tree Bog on our lower camping fields. Me, the dog and four bats. The bats’ idea of queuing is pretty random: an awful lot of ducking and diving, invasion of my personal space etc. Entertaining though. Then some stoaty weasel thing shoots right in front of all us. No excuses, no “sorry, but I’ve got a train to catch” etc etc, nothing. Just straight in there. Don’t you just hate queue jumpers?
Out pops the culprit who’s been causing the hold up: a blue tit. Probably been doing it’s make up.
Over the weekend of the 30th and 31st January the RSPB are asking you to spend one hour recording the number and species of birds that visit your garden or park, more details at www.rspb.org.uk
It seems fitting that just when we change the name of our cottage to Tyr Adar (house of birds) that we take part, so tomorrow morning I will be spending one hour watching the birds.
results posted tomorrow.
Cadair Idris - imposing enough without snow
Respect to this weekend’s guests in our holiday cottage, Gavin, Anna, Dave, Jen and Mark, who climbed Cadair Idris in arctic conditions yesterday. Not only that, but they went up the hard way, tackling the scree slopes of the Fox’s Path. Although the mountain was covered in ice and snow, it was a stunning day here and they were fully prepared with ice axes and crampons.
Cadair Idris rises up to 893 metres right behind Graig Wen - you can walk to the peak from here or drive to the start of the Pony Track, a relatively easy route, within just a few minutes. The name means “Chair of Idris” - the giant Idris watches over the area from his mountain perch. The mountain lakes are rumoured to be bottomless and legend has it that if you sleep overnight on the summit, you will wake either a mad or a poet.
One of our last tent campers of the season, back in November, had spent the previous night pitched on Cader in the first snow of the winter. Madman or poet…you decide.
After yesterday’s snow we couldn’t resist the urge to get out and enjoy it. Sarah’s sledge, a real vintage model that apparently has been handed down from mother to daughter since the dawn of time, was recovered from the garage and we set off to the lower fields.
We decided to add a little bit of competetive spirit to our sledgeing and a course was devised that started from Valley view pitch to Coppice Corner (for those who haven’t camped with us basically the full length of our first fields). Obstacles included snow covered fire pits, a narrow gap in the wall, sheep and a few defrosted sheep poos, and a highly strung terrier.
Sarah’s technique consisted of screaming, whooping and a wealth of sledging experience. I took on a more scientific approach trying to use small adjustments of body weight and deploying the feet as a form of rudder to steer the speeding sledge.
The results, she wiped the floor with me !!
This turned up a few days ago. All the boys went “Wow”. Rose and Huw and Penelope the converted ambulance are planning a big trip aross Africa. They came to North Wales for a test run…You can follow their journey on The Long and Winding - we wish them a fantastic adventure.
We always like to see interesting tents, campervans and caravans on site. So I thought I would share with you this 1950s caravan that rolled up last week. Spot and her partner brought the little van with them and we look forward to welcoming them back soon.
If you have something that stands out from the crowd why not bring yourselves along.
D J Fresh Fish
Just thought you might be interested to see the Mackerel that Heath caught for our Wild Food feast. Not saying that we are all fish fetishists but just compare this to what you might find in your Tesco, Sainsbury or even Waitrose! The colours of a freshly caught fish, iridescent greens, purples and silver - quite unlike anything you will find on the “fresh fish” counter.
Fish that you buy from the supermarket has normally sat iced on a trawler, travelled by road to market. Gone to be processed and packaged and finally hitting the shelves with a few days of best before date.
If you get the chance to fish for yourself you will find that the best before date is always the day you caught your catch. Plenty of opportunities for the experienced and beginner to fish throughout Gwynedd, sea fishing to fresh water - give it a go and you will really taste the difference.
Watch this space for more Bushcraft activities at Graig Wen.
Sultry June days here at Graig Wen…a good time then for sticky manual work preparing the lower fields for tent camping this summer.
We sent Jonny down there and he quickly unleashed hell on the bracken with some serious strimmer action. He spent the day clearing all the Valley View pitches on the first field and came back plastered in grass.
Then, somewhat unexpectedly, along came Gwilym with his mighty air conditioned tractor… An hour later and 4 acres were flattened. Some nice new pitches seem to have emerged.
Meanwhile John manfully chainsawed and split some ash he’d felled in the winter and stacked it ready for our log burner this autumn.
Men and machines huh?
I spent the afternoon sitting on the terrace sipping chilled elderflower presse from our neighbour’s garden and having a nice chat to a journalist from the Rough Guide.
As colleagues from my former PR career will point out, some things never change…
The Log Man prepapareth
Mown field
Today our large yurt provided the venue for a discussion filmed for TV about the Wales Book of the Year Award. Lisa Gwilym from BBC Radio Cymru presents the show which will be broadcast as part of the Sioe Gelf arts series on S4C sometime in the next few weeks.