Leonard Cohen Walking Weekend, or Isn't It A Long Way Down?

[blonde madonna]

Thanks for the pictures and thanks for the clips guys. As if watching the Rhys Jones 'Mountain' show wasn't torture enough. Did you see Rhys Jones and George Band (aged only 77...although he did climb Mount Everest with John Hunt in 1953), climb Tryfan? I loved that bit.

Now if I show these pictures to the man about the house could I get him interested?

BM

[Tony]

Sorry Diane. You probably have a better chance of having Patrick McGoohan appearing than me! It is a beautiful part of the country. Thank you for your kind thoughts though.

[Laura]

Diane, does this mean you have actually met Tony?! Unbelievable! Please confirm his existence and offer a quick (but detailed!) description!
Laura

[blonde madonna]

Diane, does this mean you have actually met Tony?! Unbelievable! Please confirm his existence and offer a quick (but detailed!) description!
Laura

I second that.

[Tony]

Thank you for your curiosity, ladies. However, I really don't wish to distract anyone from the actual topic.

[Diane]

For some time I too doubted Tony’s existence, but I do actually know a real person who has met him. Didn’t get a description though, sorry. Dare I hope that your appearance in the thread means you are coming along, Laura?

Ah, BM. After Cardiff I feel we are destined to climb mountains together:-) Please do see if you can make it. I missed that particular episode of Griff Rhys Jones’ excellent series, but I was watching Ben Fogle’s Extreme Dreams The Ultimate Challenge last night – he was leading a group trekking over volcanoes at over 4,000 metres in South America – and I did lament that this weekend is going to be too easy. Just kidding.

To me, Cadair Idris, the mountain we’ll be doing on the first day, is yet more of a treat than Snowdon. It is prone to cloud blocking the views, but if we are lucky enough to have clear conditions, the views from the top are out of this world.

When I was about 19 or 20 I went up Cadair in November with a couple of friends, the weather came down, and we got lost and had to spend an unplanned night on the mountain. If you spend the night on the mountain you apparently descend blind, mad or a poet. Thank you for withholding your assessment on that. Anyway we couldn’t find the stone hut that is close to the summit in the thick mist so spent the night in our tent, which failed to keep out the heavy rain. The following day the wind was so high I literally got lifted from the ground at one point. I remember frying some bacon (I wasn’t a veggie in those days) and watching sundry vegetation and bits of dirt fly into the pan in the wind. We were so hungry it seemed not to matter, it fact it tasted divine. Happy days.

Cadair boasts a beautiful cwm- lake – Llyn Cau. If you click on the link on this flickr page I found this pic on, there is an 18th century Richard Wilson painting of the mountain, with the dimensions exaggerated a little.
From http://www.flickr.com/photos/vellender/2765877394/:

cadairLlyn Cau.jpg (254.8 KiB) Viewed 3238 times

[Diane]

Suggested Accommodation in Barmouth

edit - info updated and put into new thread.
__

[Laura]

Sorry for taking so long to answer, Diane, and sorry to get into this thread when I had no serious intentions... Different meetups are generally my favourite subject, but I have to find a job before attending one again (sigh), and there are no cheap flights from here to England... so no, I won't be coming.
Laura

[Diane]

That's too bad, but no problem Laura, and re-visit the thread any time...

[Paula]

Diane just went on trainline to check the price and it will take 6.5 hours to reach Barmouth from Penge almost as long as a flight to New York!

I am going to be part of the Base Camp contingent that mountain looks a bit too high for me.

[Diane]

Hi Paula, yes Barmouth is not the easiest place to get to. Maybe you could start your journey from somewhere else:-)? It'll take me up to four hours to drive there from where I live.

btw If you are concerned about heights, far as I can remember the Llanberis Path we are taking up Snowdon (or Ladies path as Ken calls it) does not lead you along the edge of any precipices or anything like that - it's known as the tourists' path.

Back tonight with list of participants so far.

[Tony]

Penge sounds just as romantic as Snowdonia. Perhaps there could be a walking tour there next year? Any chance of panoramic photos of the highlights of Penge? I do remember the Penge Formation Dancing Team making the earth move for me!

[Paula]

Tony you were probably young the mind can play nasty tricks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUmhxwV5zZo

[Diane]

You were very lithe in those days, Tony.

Ken is hard at work on a map of Barmouth for us, thanks in anticipation, Ken.

Below is a list of current definite participants. There are about 25 others who said they'd likely come when we planned the original date last year. Let me know if you want to go on the list (you can always be crossed off later).

We will need transport requirements and availability from everyone by the end of June, for the Friday (Cadair climb day. We will assume that road transport is not essential for people who are not doing the walk), Saturday (Snowdon climb or various non-strenuous activities at Llanberis - the walking and the non-walking people can all travel together this day), and Sunday . We plan to go to Portmeirion Sunday and can use the train if necessary, but having road transport will free us up to maybe visit somewhere else in addition.

The Snowdon Railway Centre is not open until mid-March, at which time I will find out how far in advance they recommend booking for the mountain railway. On Snowdon day, time permitting, we can stop off on the way back to Barmouth at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, which has historic mountaineering links (thanks to Rob for the info on this), and at Beddgelert to see the "grave" of the dog Gelert of the legend.

At some point I will put all the info and links in order, but it all seems to be coming together nicely.

[Diane]

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