Velindre Walks - Brains SA Captains' Climb

Cardiff Photomarathon 2010 with my own Captain's Climb twist

I took part in my first photomarathon last year and I had no hesitation in signing up again this year. The remit: to take 12 photos of 12 themes in 12 hours with 4 themes released every 3 hours at 10am, 2pm & 6pm. We were all registered by 9:50am then a quick recap of the rules and agenda for the day and we were off.

The first theme always involves our own registration number plus a second theme to keep us on our toes, this year is was "Your Number + Giant".

I had been trying to pick a sub theme for quite some time and it was over coffee with some Twitter buddies that I suggested I should probably dedicate my submission to promoting the Brains SA Captains Climb, Velindre Cancer Centre and our fundraising.

Giant really did challenge me but I decided on a Giant charity bracelet over a statue of Buddha with Giant watch and clocks representing my number, not a great start but it would have to do!

 Next theme, "Aroma" and my bulk buy of incense from Thailand came into good use:

For theme number 3 I had originally thought of hanging something from my hiking boot's shoe string but then I remembered that I had these little ladies and opted for a more colourful "On a shoe string".

It was really easy to pick my subject for "Inspiration" and this Captains Climb leaflet laid on my red North Face jacket was perfect, by focusing on the top of the leaflet I wanted to highlight Velindre Cancer Centre as Inspirational.

I was running late by the time I'd completed the first 4 themes so I needed to blitz the next for in super fast time. I had decided on something a little adventurous for "Up in the air" so it was off to Brains Head Office to cut out some VelindreWalks tickertape. This shot took a while to get and you can only just read the subject of the leaflet, not the best but I was now seriously behind schedule.

The good news was that I had thought through the next 3 themes and hoped to get them all done in less than an hour. It wasn't until a few days after the Photomarathon that I noticed my mistake with the sixth theme "Arc" my speed reading had led me to believe that it was "Ark" hence my Captains Climb branded paper boat (origami style instructions followed on YouTube). I'm happy with the shot and found out that some other participants went with Ark as a funky twist so hey, why not?

Eight Brains Bottles standing on a wall and if one Brains Bottle should accidently fall there'd be "Seven" Brains Bottles standing on the wall:

"Fail" was another challenging theme given that the Captain's Climb doesn't really have a failure angle but surely an empty bottle of beer is never a good thing :0)

Number 8 in the bag and I was back on track with time. As I had a baby sitting date with my 3 Nieces the aim was to complete the final 4 themes in 45 minutes, a tall order given my timings for the previous sets. Photomarathon was based in the Millennium Centre therefore I needed to complete the final shots in Cardiff Bay. "Old School" took me to The Packet pub with it's traditional Brains stainless steel windows.

The bay has a multitude of options for "Contemporary" with it's award winning architecture and cutting edge statues/displays. I decided that the decor of Woods Brasserie would give me a great venue to picture the charity band one more time. 

The Brains charity beer, Up and Over, was the obvious choice for "Backwards" and I hoped that the wording would be legible although it may be a little small when the pics are displayed at the Photomarathon Exhibition.

Here's a close-up for you:

I was running late so the quality of my final pic was compromised but the choice for "Identity" was pretty straight forward. I couldn't have been given a better twelth theme to help explain why I had chosen the Captains Climb as my sub-theme. 

And so Photomarathon 2010 was over for me, there will be an exhibition of all participants' photos at Cardiff's Old Library on The Hayes from Saturday 24th July.

Vale of Glamorgan Walking Festival - Day 1 (includes my video blog debut)

I had been planning this weekend for quite sometime and had labelled it my 3-2-35 challenge:

3 Days Walking
2 Nights Camping
35 Miles to cover over the weekend

In order to complete my challenge I booked myself onto 5 walks as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Walking Festival, the walks would make up 33 miles and I would need ot complete the final 2 miles on my own. My next 3 blogs will cover the 3-2-35 challenge as well as debuting some video blogs, one at the end of each day.

Day 1 involved 2 walks and the first started at 10am from a Brains tenanted pub, The Sycamore Tree in Colwinston. Unfortunately we had to skip starting with a drink so that we could get the 9 mile walk underway. Our leaders were fellow Vale Ramblers Graham Woosnam & Roger Chapple so I knew that it would be fun as well as full of interesting facts as Graham would share his local and geological knowledge with the group: 

Along the walk we passed the old lead mine near Llangan, the Romans came here because of the lead ore and the mine continued for a number of centuries.

The walk followed a shortened 6 Village walk to include 4 villages starting in Colwinston, then Llandow, Llysworney and Llangan. These villages are some of the most affluent in the Vale. Graham tipped us off that The Carne Arms in Llysworney was worth a visit due to it's reputation for great home cooked food. I decided that this would be my destination of choice after the 2nd day of walking.

Towards the end of the 9 mile walk we visited the Llangan Parish Church, St Canna, which dates back to the 12th Century. In the churchyard there are two crosses and the oldest, dating back to the 9th century, depicts the crucifixion: 

The 2nd cross, from the 15th century, can be seen in the background but I couldn't resist taking a shot of the blue bells which were at their best over the weekend.

Thankfully Graham admitted to a slight mistake along the way which put an extra half mile onto our walk, ideal for me as I now only needed to make up an extra mile and a half during the weekend.

After a whirlwind stop at the campsite to pitch my tent, my next walk started in Cowbridge for the Vale Ale Trail, 3 pubs and 3 miles to finish day 1.

Unfortunately, as I arrived dead on 3:45pm I didn't have time to join my fellow walkers for a pint at the Edmondes Arms before commencing. Our leaders were Gareth Simpson, the chief honcho of the VAG Walking Festival, and Paul Cottrell.

Along the walk we came across this fabulous display of wild garlic, I just wish I'd been able to pick some over the weekend to use when I arrived home. I still haven't tried wild garlic in salads, soups, etc. next year maybe??

After a leisurely stroll I was finally rewarded with a pint of Ale at The Cross Inn at Llanblethian, and lovely it was too :)

The pub landlord was also the key holder to Llanfrynach / St Brynach Church which dates back to the 12th Century.

The Church is largely unused except for special services at Christmas, Easter, etc. It was the main Parish Church of Penllyn which is over a mile away, the route from the village to the church has unusual stiles that allow coffins to be rested on them whilst the bearers climbed over the stiles to continue their journey to the church.

Gareth signs the visitor book before we head of to pub number 3 :)

The Vale of Glamorgan in Cowbridge:

Thankfully this was opposite the Brains Managed House, The Duke of Wellington, where I indulged in one of our classic meals, Ham, Egg & Chips. I was also lucky in that the walk finished over half a mile away from my car and I was able to complete my extra mile before heading back to the camp site. On my way I captured this fabulous sunset.

Finally, I decided to record a video blog before pushing out some zzzz's and I'm feeling a degree or 2 uncomfortable with this debut but thought I'd go with it anyway. It gives the blog another angle and I guess the more I practice the better and more natural I will get . . . . . bear with me :)

Just in case there is any question over my commitment then I guess this video also serves as evidence to the contrary, I even brought a case of Up & Over as my thirst quencher for the weekend - unfortunately the video is a  bit dark but if you look closely enough you can tell, happy viewing . . . .
 

 

The staff at The Pendragon show us how to Firewalk!

The weather was perfect for the first of 2 firewalks hosted at Brains pub The Pendragon. I will be taking part in the 2nd walk at The Hanbury and I went to support the walkers at the Pendragon last night.

The walkers were made up of the Mangers, Helen & Vince, as well as staff members Natalie & Lee. The walkers had raised £400 towards the Brains SA Captains Climb. All fundraising will go to Velindre's Stepping Stones Appeal to advance lung cancer research and treatment.

The Firewalking master, David Briscombe, took the walkers away for a 1 Hour focus session prior to the walk. I presume the session aims to help you 'get into the zone' in order to overcome your fear of walking on hot coals as well as enable you to doing it without burning your feet!

First, a trial run by the organisers, presumable to make sure the coals were hot enough!

And then Vince, Manager of the The Pendragon, made his debut on the hot coals which burn at approx 500-600°C.

Next up is Lee, incredibly focused through the whole walk . . .

. . . . totally 'In the Zone'

With the PA System belting out Run DMC's "Walk this Way", next up is Natalie. A quick motivation chat with David . . .

 . . . . and then she's off and also succeeds in overcoming any fear of walking on a bed of hot coals.

Helen, also Manager of The Pendragon, complete the staff line up at with a confident walk to the cheers of pub regulars, friends and family.

Up for a 2nd round of adrenaline the boys decide to walk on burning coals for a 2nd time

I had thought that watching the Pendragon event may scare me but actually their courage and confidence has inspired me and I can't wait to give it a go next week.

The walkers all show off their blister free feet and are thrilled with what they have achieved.

The night was topped off perfectly with a pint of Up & Over and early indications are that over £600 was raised in total through the event.

 

Well Done Helen, Vince, Natalie & Lee!

Try a pint of Brains' Up & Over charity beer (4.2% ABV), here's where you will find it

http://www.sabrain.com/beers/draught/speciality/upandover

The name ‘Up & Over’ was the inspiration of Stephen Katchi who won the Media Wales competition to name the beer. The beer is a commemorative ale brewed to celebrate the fundraising effort that will see 15 former Wales rugby captains and current coach Warren Gatland climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money for lung cancer research.

Brewed in support of Velindre Cancer Centre’s Killimanjaro climb, ‘Up & Over’ is a fruity, light amber coloured beer. Fuggles, Goldings, Styrian Goldings and Cascade hops coupled with the unique Brains yeast and balanced malt flavours creates a deliciously refreshing pint guaranteed to be a high point in our ale range.

To support the Brains SA Captains Climb visit my donation site www.justgiving.com/BrainsWalks

Up & Over is also available in 500ml bottles exclusively in Welsh Tesco supermarkets.

Pub Name	Available from
BIRCHGROVE HOTEL-BIRCHGROVE	Now
BLACK LION - LAMPETER	Now
BOWL INN - BRISTOL	Now
DARRAN - RISCA	Now
GOAT MAJOR - CARDIFF	Now
GOWER HOTEL - CATHAYS	Now
HALFWAY - PONTCANNA	Now
HANBURY ALE HOUSE -NEWPORT	Now
HEN & CHICKEN - GWENT	Now
LAMB & FLAG - ABERGAVENNY	Now
LORD NELSON - MILFORD	Now
MALTSTERS - LLANDAFF	Now
OLD STATION - HALLATROW	Now
PENHELIG ARMS HOTEL - ABER	Now
PHEASANT - BRIDGEND	Now
PLAS DERWEN - ABERGAVENNY	Now
PLOUGH & HARROW - MURTON	Now
RAILWAY TAVERN - TREDEGAR	Now
RED LION - BONVILSTON	Now
STAR INN - TREOES	Now
THOMAS ARMS HOTEL-LLANELLI	Now
TYNANT - RADYR	Now
WELLINGTON - BRECON	Now
WESTGATE - RIVERSIDE	Now
WHITE HORSE - COYCHURCH	Now
YARD - CENTRAL	Now
BUTCHERS - CANTON	12/05/2010
CHURCH HOUSE - ST BRIDES	12/05/2010
COACH & HORSES - CHEPSTOW	12/05/2010
FLORA HOTEL - CATHAYS	12/05/2010
HEATH HOTEL - HEATH	12/05/2010
OLD INN - PENLLERGAER	12/05/2010
PEMBERTON ARMS - BURRYPORT	12/05/2010
PUNCH HOUSE - MONMOUTH	12/05/2010
ROATH PARK - ROATH	12/05/2010
TORBAY INN - LLANDEILO	12/05/2010
VIVIAN - SKETTY	12/05/2010
CORNWALL - GRANGETOWN	13/05/2010
FOX & HOUNDS - WHITCHURCH	13/05/2010
HEART OF OAK - HEREFORD	13/05/2010
LANGFORD INN - BRISTOL	13/05/2010
33 WINDSOR PLACE - CARDIFF	14/05/2010
BAROCCO - CARDIFF	14/05/2010
CARDIFF COTTAGE - CENTRAL	14/05/2010
DOVEY INN - ABERDOVEY	14/05/2010

Enjoy!

It's a Question of Sport for Rob Howley

One of our fellow Kili walkers, John Southcombe, was our host for the night. John has pledged to raise the £10k minimum required to join the Captains on the Kilimanjaro Climb as they help raise £1m for Velindre's Stepping Stone Appeal.

I joined Andrew Morris' Velindre team and given my below par sporting knowledge I was nominated team scribe :)

There were nearly 30 teams competing for the winning spot and John had a number of rounds to quiz us on. Rob Howley was the Special Guest for the night and he joined Huw Evans' team to lend a hand with the Q&A's.

Following a touch first half John led Rob through a Q&A session, a real insight into Rob's playing career as well as his more recent position as Welsh International Backs Coach with Warren Gatland.

Following a tie breaking end to the quiz the top 3 teams won bottles of Brains Up & Over, Peters Pies and the winning team were presented with a Grand Slam ball signed by Rob Howley & Warren Gatland.

Snowdon, 10 Welsh Rugby players, Cloud, Gales and Beer - what a combo!

When Andrew Morris, from Velindre, contacted me with an invite to climb Snowdon in March, alongside the other Kilimanjaro participants, I was thrilled. However, I soon realised that the climb fell in the same week as the Abergavenny 3 Peaks Challenge. A team from Brains, including myself, had signed up for the 2 peaks route. The 2 walks coupled with my standard Sunday ramble presented my first significant milestone; approx 35 miles in one week.

I knew that I would have rest days in-between but for my training it all seemed ideal and only a step away from walking consecutive days.

My first walk (click on the link to read all about it) was 11 miles in the Rhigos area with fabulous views over the Cynon Valley towards the Beacons. The distance meant that my legs were feeling it the next day but thankfully recovered in time for the trip to Snowdonia.

After a long, late, drive I finally arrived at the White Lion Hotel in Bala to the welcome of Eileen, the Duty manager, who had arranged for some food to be kept for me. I soon met up with some of my fellow walkers Huw Evans, James Osgood, Ben Evans, Colin Charvis, James Evans, Garin Jenkins, Russel Isaac and Mark Poyser.

On the other side of the bar another group included Rob Jones, Ieuan Evans, Andrew and Kylie from Velindre, the rest of the rugby players and quite a few walkers that I hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting. Needless to say the time passed quickly and before we knew it we'd reached the end of our last drink ;o)

On the following morning a hearty breakfast set us off on the right foot and given the less than fabulous weather forecast we took the opportunity to take group pics before heading off for our climb.

Samples of the two charity products Up and Over Brains Beer and Captains Climb Pie were available for walkers to take a way with them.

Before we set off Huw called us all together for a briefing and surprised us by reading out a Good Luck letter from Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales!!

I was a little awestruck and can't remember his words of encouragement but I managed to find this on WalesOnline, an excerpt from the letter:

“What makes this expedition so important is not only the scale of effort and determination needed to reach the summit, but also the contribution which you are making to the vital cause of cancer research.”

I hope to get a copy of the full letter and will post it on VelindreWalks.com as soon as poss.

After a 45 minute drive we arrived at Pen y Pass and the planned route was to follow the Pyg Track to the summit. We were soon on our way and because bad weather was forecast the waterproofs were already on! Our guide, John Ellis Roberts (MBE) explained that the summit would be gusty and warned us that we would be hammered. A joke or two about a different type of hammered quickly ensued but then John led the way with an intense pace to start. I thought that due to the unexpected late start John was aiming for us to get back on schedule but in fact the players were dictating the pace. I've never been a fast walker, I would class myself as a tortoise rather than a hare and it's never let me down.

We soon spread out into the different paced groups and the weather steadily deteriorated. A handful of the players were breezing through the challenge, the weather was the biggest hurdle for me and the mountain for others. John gave us time to catch our breath at various points along the way. The track was quite well defined, most of the time, but there were sections that involved clambering over rocks and, when we got closer to the summit, slippery and sometimes steep strips of snow.

When we were approx 30 minutes from the summit the lead group were returning down the mountain. Initially we encountered Eddie Butler, Rob Jones and Garin Jenkins shortly followed by Bob Norster, Mike Hall and Ieuan Evans.  

The last section was particularly windy; the rain was about the same all the way up, lashing and horizontal! At some stages the wind would catch you and push you towards the edge, there were more than a handful of times that I had to stop to steady myself and/or wait for the wind to die down before I could continue. I am so grateful I have no fear of heights and I can't imagine what it would have felt like had I needed to deal with that also. I walked much of the route with Peter Phillips, from Milford Haven, and we seemed to deal with the situation in a similar way. He however had a dodgy knee to contend with on top of the weather.

I have no idea how long it took us to get to the summit but I suspect it was around 2.5-3hrs and the cafe was confirmation that we'd almost made it. 

Only a quick jaunt around the corner and we were soon stood over the distance dial celebrating our achievement. A few bottles of beer and a pie had managed to also make it to the summit and Emyr Lewis tracked down a bottle opener so that we could have a celebratory sip . . . pah who needs Mumm when you've got Real Ale!

Colin Charvis, Paul Thorburn and Bleddyn Bowen braved the sub zero temperatures for a quick pic:

Here's the evidence that I made it to the Summit of Snowdon, in terrible conditions but with a lovely bottle of Up and Over :D

The bottle was passed around and Colin was rather impressed by the nicely chilled beer!

After a quick bite to eat I resumed my tortoise technique for the descent. I often find the descent tougher than the climb as your knees take a bit of a battering. We took it easy and were pleasantly rewarded with some nicer weather as we reached lower ground. We even spotted, what Madeleine Brindley declared to be, a Welsh Mountain Goat and her kid - there was no arguing with that; factually correct for an astute journalist ;) You can read Madeleine's account of the walk here btw.

When we reached the base, to find our fellow walkers waiting patiently, we were all suitably tired, wet and somehow elated. The conditions were tough but I loved every minute of it. I wish I was able to recount the banter between the players and the shared experiences and chats along the way. I guess I'll leave that to likes of Madeline and Mark.

We finished with some team shots and then set off on the next little hurdle, a 4 hour drive back to South Wales :(

Challenge number two complete and my mind started to focus on the 15 miles and 2 peaks that I would need to climb in 3 days time; doubt started to creep into my thoughts for the first time. I quickly decided that there was no point worrying about the unknown and instead planned what I needed to do to give myself the best chance. That started with a soak in a hot bath to help my muscles recover from summiting Wales highest mountain :^D

(PS Many thanks to Ben Evans, of Huw Evans Picture Agency, for sending me some photos to include on this blog. The photos of me walking and the group infront of The White Lion and at the end of our walk are all Ben's photos.)

Beer Tapas: What it's all about and where you can give it a go during Cask Ale Week

Press Release by S. A. Brain & Co Ltd (http://www.sabrain.com/news/11192)

Brains, famed for cask ale favourites such as Brains SA and Dark, will be launching ‘Beer Tapas’ ahead of National Cask Ale Week (29^th March – 5^th April) in a bid to encourage trial.

Featuring three third pint glasses in a branded wooden tray, Beer Tapas will be available throughout and beyond National Cask Ale Week in around 200 pubs, including over 100 Brains managed and tenanted houses.

Richard Davies, Sales and Marketing Director explains: "The beer tapas tray gives customers the opportunity to try three different cask ales but drink the equivalent of one pint. We think it’s a great way of encouraging customers to switch from other categories to try cask ale and also a good way of giving current cask drinkers greater variety of choice."

The tray has been branded ‘Brains Beer’, and the glasses are etched with ‘Beer Tapas’. Richard Davies adds, "This is about growing the cask ale category, with an emphasis on trial and exploration. Naturally we want to encourage customers to try the full Brains range, but we also want to see them trying brands and styles they wouldn’t normally try."

Pub	Address
Albany	105 Donald Street, Roath, Cardiff
Birchgrove	1-3 Birchgrove  Road, Cardiff
Black Boy	444 Gower Road, Killay, Swansea
Black Lion	High Street, Lampeter
Black Lion	49 Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff
Blackweir Tavern	35 North Road, Cardiff
Bowl Inn	16 Church Road, Almondsbury
Bull	Bulkley Sq, Llangefni, Anglesey
Cardiff Cottage	25 St Mary Street, Cardiff
Darran	2 St Mary Street, Risca
Duke of Wellington	48 High Street, Cowbridge
Flora	136 Cathays Terrace, Cardiff
Fox & Hounds	Old Church Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff
Goat Major	High Street, Cardiff
Grafton	Ross Road, Grafton, Hereford
Greenhouse	Newport Road, Llantarnam, Cwmbran,
Grove Hotel	High Street, St Davids, Pembs
Hanbury	Uskside, Caerleon, Newport
Harbour Inn	31 Main Street, Solva
Heath	2, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff
Hen & Chickens	7 Flannel Street, Abergavenny
Hen Dderwen	Sketty Park Drive, Sketty, Swansea
Halfway	247, Cathedral Road, Cardiff
Lewis Arms	Mill Road, Tongwynlais, Cardiff
Maltsters	42-44 Cardiff Road, Llandaff
Merrie Harrier	117 Penlan Road, Llandough, Cardiff
Old Arcade	14 Church Street, Cardiff
Old Inn	Swansea Road, Penllergaer, Swansea
Pendragon	Excalibur Drive, Thornhill, Cardiff
Pheasant	Heol Eglwys, Pen Y Fai, Bridgend
Pick & Shovel	Fothergill Street, Treforest, Pontypridd
Piercefield	St Arvans, Chepstow, Monmouthshire
Plas Derwen	Monmouth Road, Abergavenny
Pontygwindy	Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly
Punch House	4 Agincourt Square, Monmouth
Pump House	Pump House Quay, Maritime Quarter, Swansea
Red Dragon	Litchard Hill, Litchard, Bridgend
Smoking Dog	62 High Street, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
Star	Station Road, Dinas Powys, Cardiff
Terra Nova	Mermaid Quay, Stuart Street, Cardiff
Three Arches	Heathwood Road, Cardiff
Tynant	Tynant Road, Morganstown, Cardiff
Ty-Risha	Pen y Cae, Bridgend
Vivian Arms	104 Gower Road, Sketty, Swansea
Wellington	The Bulwark, Brecon
Wenvoe	18 Old Port Road, Wenvoe, Cardiff
Westgate	49 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff
White Horse (Coy)	Coychurch, Nr Bridgend
Yard Bar & Kitchen	42-43 St Mary Street, Cardiff

Want to try Brains' new stout, Brains Black, find out where & when you can get a pint:

 

FIND YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST

PUB NAME	AVAILABLE FROM
Angel Hotel, Narberth Halfway, Pontcanna, Cardiff Yard, Cardiff City Centre	9th March
Farmers Arms, Swansea Hope and Anchor, Pendre Old Arcade, Cardiff Station, Cogan Tafarn Y Trapp, Swansea	10th March
Albion Hotel, Penarth Royal Oak, Fishguard	11th March
Black Boy, Swansea Lime Tree, Chepstow Terra Nova, Cardiff Three Horseshoes, Cardiff	12th March
Crwys Hotel, Cardiff Dempseys, Cardiff Jolly Sailor, Porthcawl Kitty Flynn’s Cardiff Millwood Inn, Barry	15th March
Adam & Eve, Swansea Colliers Arms, Aberkenfig Court Royale, Aberystwyth Packet Hotel, Cardiff Scholars, Aberystwyth Three Arches, Llanishen, Cardiff	16th March
Birchgrove Hotel, Cardiff Clifton Hotel, Roath Cockett Inn, Swansea Crown Inn, Tenby	17th March
Kings Head, Llantwit Major	18th March
Plough, Whitchurch, Cardiff	19th March
Royal Exchange, Llandaff North, Cardiff Splotlands, Splott, Cardiff	22nd March
Romilly, Canton, Cardiff	23rd March
Royal Oak, Roath, Cardiff	29th March
City Arms, Cardiff	30th March

To find out more about Brains Black click here

Did I survive the Beacons + pics of last Sunday's walk

I've walked Pen Y Fan on numerous occasions but haven't ventured onto the Beacons away from main routes before, I was quite excited to be finally getting 'off road' rambler style.

Our leader for the walk in the Western Beacons was Del Rees, who I'd met on the previous week's walk. Del gave us a brief overview of the day ahead of us, it would include a waterfall, sinks, shakes and the wreckage and memorial of a plane that crashed during WWII.

Our walk concentrated on the hills above Dan yr Ogof caves, the largest showcaves in Europe with 17 kilometres of limestone cave formation including stalactites and stalagmites, formed some 315 million years ago.

Much of the group have obviously walked together for many years and have that familiar round of well known jokes and banter that you can tell takes place on a regular basis. Offense is taken by no one and it's a good job as there's many a light insult thrown back & forth. I also like the standard walking anecdotes and quips that take place, for example just before the following photo was taken someone shouted "Anyone seen Pete?".

 

The walk was hard going and hopefully perfect training for the uneven ground on Kilimanjaro. It was graded 3/4 (or strenuous in other groups) due to a large part of the walk being away from defined paths. I was a little concerned about sore feet / blisters as I'm still wearing in my new boots, the Meindl Softline Ultra Gtx (don't they sound awesome):

Del revealed so much about the geology and local history of the walk; sinks (where rivers disappear into the ground/rock), shakes (where the ground has collapsed and created mini craters), different bands of limestone, red sandstone and much more were discovered along the way.

 

One of the final objectives was to find the crash site of a Wellington Bomber that accidentally crashed into the southwest slope of Carreg Goch whilst on a training flight in 1944. Six Canadian's were killed during the crash and recently their relatives have been traced and a plaque & stone memorial built on the site, quite poignant especially with the still evident wreckage and recently placed remembrance poppy wreaths.

We were even blessed with some sunshine at the end of the walk and a tired pair of legs gratefully sat in the pub whilst we supped Hobgoblin and tucked into Del's round of assorted crisps. I am also pleased to report that my feet were once again blister free, looks like I've picked the right boots J 

  

You can see the full set of photos by clicking on the pic below:

Ciao for now!

 

Up and Over

It’s been a frustrating 3 weeks as December kicked off with a sore throat and I was forced to cancel the fortnightly sessions with my private trainer at the gym and any hope of climbing some local hills & mountains. This year, it’s arrived a little later than usual but, the change in weather has been accompanied by the usual round of seasonal illnesses. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to dodge the bugs and in no time at all I was coughing, wheezing and laughing like Muttley!

 

In any normal year I would buy all the standard remedies and concoctions to ease myself quietly through the ordeal. However, this year I realised this bug could seriously hinder my progress in achieving the short term goals for the Kili climb. It’s funny how my attitude towards health and fitness has changed since joining the Captains’ Climb, from a selfish point of view, there is far more at stake these days. I don’t think I’ve ever been so diligent at taking my prescribed medicine on time not to mention abstaining from alcohol in order to ensure that the antibiotics weren’t hindered from doing their job.

 

My thought process reminded me of an episode of Friends where Joey & Phoebe battle it out in a debate on whether acts of charity can ever be selfless. Well I’m starting to realise that Charities organise events that appeal to us and by doing so they remove many of the barriers that could discourage individuals from getting involved. So yes, I have selfish reasons for looking after my health and well-being but I don’t feel bad about that anymore. I know that each of us we will put every effort into raising the funds for Velindre, training for the event as well as avoiding any risky activity that could prevent us from taking part. It’s a win-win situation all round.

 

Talking about winners; Brains have picked a winning entry from the WalesOnline completion where readers were asked to use their ‘Brains’ to come up with a new name for the Captains Climb beer. The winning entry was from Stephen Katchi, who came up with 'Up and Over'.

It’s a great suggestion and name choice, it seems to work at all levels linking both the Kilimanjaro Climb and the sport of rugby together. Stephen was invited to the Old Arcade pub, in Cardiff, to meet with Mike Hall, Rob Jones & Paul Thorburn who will be 3 of the 15 ex-Captains taking part in the climb.

Rob Jones, Paul Thorburn, Stephen Katchi, Gary Corp (Manager of the Old Arcade) & Bill Dobson (Brains Head Brewer)

The beer will be on sale as a seasonal ale in May, I will post details of the launch closer to the time.

Finally I’d like to thank The Ultimate Travel Company for posting a link to my blog on their website. Hopefully, sometime soon, I will be able to post an update about a training walk now that I’m recovering from the cough from hell.

Ciao!