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Hi pete, I hope the snow will have cleared by then.......

Paula wrote:EFC that was really terrible. They actually have now found another body not connected with the brothers and they don't know how long the third one had been there.

Do you think it was irresponsible to climb in such bad weather the rescue crews had to put their lives on the line or am I being too callous?

http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national ... owdon.aspx

A lot of people have been killed on that route in winter.People think it's a safer way to descend following the railway,but the route is sort of concave and when you have ice covered with snow,it's easy to slip and there is a drop of about 600ft.

liverpoolken wrote:Linda

It looks Barmouth is more like Hydra than we first thought....here is the sea temperature chart and it looks like we can bring our cossies (bathing costumes for those that speak proper like)

My cossie is only allowed one outing a year, Ken. It's going to be difficult to choose between Hydra and Barmouth . But if the weather's as good as Hydra maybe we should be thinking beach barbie for the evenings rather than looking for somewhere indoors.

Paula wrote:EFC that was really terrible. They actually have now found another body not connected with the brothers and they don't know how long the third one had been there.

Do you think it was irresponsible to climb in such bad weather the rescue crews had to put their lives on the line or am I being too callous?

http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national ... owdon.aspx

Hi Paula. I think you're the Paula I met at the Troubadour! Either way I hope you're keeping well!

Yes, the deaths were very sad. I didn't know about the other body.

I don't think you're being callous, you're wanting people to be safe, and not put others at risk.

I'm not sure what mountain "etiquette" says about this, but I don't think that some people realise the dangers. Even hills can be dangerous if the weather is bad/turns. Plenty of people go up Snowdon clothed as if they were going down the pub.

I suppose the rescuers would like people to have the right gear, have a bit of knowledge, and exercise common sense. I sometimes wonder if the experts should be able to close the mountain, so to speak. Difficult to enforce though.

liverpoolken wrote:

Btw I'm must apologise for offending efc and kwills concerning my habit of throwing stones at the Welsh.
The blame for this unforgivable trait must be placed firmly on the Liverpool education system.
Every school child in Liverpool is taught at a very early age to....

'embrace the Irish, keep the Scots at arms length and to throw stones at the Welsh'.

I fully understand that such things shouldn’t be taught in our schools and are quite unacceptable in the politically correct society that we live in today, but it is jolly good fun.


Ta Ken

You sound a bit out of date, and touch.

Rob I was at the Troubadour. I can't place you so looking forward to meeting you again on the Welsh jaunt.

There was a special feature in last weekend's Sunday Times about rail travel.
Included in the '10 best UK train journeys' was the Snowdon railway.

Before I lose the link I thought I would post it up here for those who intend taking the train up the mountain.......

SNOWDON
Half train ride, half mountaineering — a spectacular rack-and-pinion haul up Wales’s highest mountain. Pricey but thrilling. 0871 720 0033, snowdonrailway.co.uk ; £23/£16 (or £16/£13 if you walk back down)

http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

The link will take you to the railway's very own website which will tell you all you need to know about the trip.
BTW even in these credit crunchy times I don't think £23 is too expensive for the return journey considering the experience that it entails.

Ta Ken

I just spoke to the information lady at Snowdon Mountain Railway. A group booking is 15 people or more. I doubt that 15 of us will be taking the train, just a handful (far as we can tell so far), so the best thing is for people to book themselves in individually. Full payment is required when you book. She suggested booking at least a week in advance.

the carriage is not coupled to the engine

Passengers have to lean out and hold on to the engine, so start pulling some weights in preparation.

I also spoke to Mair, the Arts Festival lady, last night. The program still isn't officially out but she confirmed Paul Robeson evening is on the Thursday, Queen tribute band on the Friday and the choir on the Saturday. Roger McGough is not appearing, but another poet called Mike Parker will be appearing on the Tuesday, should anyone be arriving early in Barmouth. Arts Festival performers are staying at the Wavecrest, so those staying there will be having breakfast with Freddie Mercury.

Margaret and Byron - you can pre-book disabled seats at the Dragon Theatre and I will let you know about that when Mair sends me the official program.

Diane wrote:Passengers have to lean out and hold on to the engine, so start pulling some weights in preparation.

Oh my God Dee you had better have had your spinach!

Can anyone get those video links to work I am not sure if the page is not loading properly or there are just no links

Paula you need to click actually on the videos - no, hang on, I can't get the second one, it says no longer available. I won't need spinach as I'm going to walk up. How about you?

I have finally typed out the itinerary for the essential information thread. There are still times to be added in and a few details to be ironed out. I have yet to add in the daily pre-breakfast work-out on the prom (which will finish with a short dip in the sea). Please can someone volunteer to lead this activity.

Here's something that may be of interest to some of our participants.

One of Barmouth's star attractions in recent years has been the Arousal Cafe. Originally the 'Carousal Cafe', the letter C was stolen soon after the sign was put up. The owner replaced the C numerous times, only to find it stolen again. He has since ceased his attempts to fix the sign.

Not quite as interesting I suspect as the late night German leather bars that proved so popular during our Berlin Event in 2006 but I'm sure Henning for one would still be interested:-)

BTW there is a slew of videos of the Snowdon railway on youtube here is just one of them......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUZmmdLO ... re=related

or just do a search on the site and take your pick

Ta Ken

Snowdon looks a bit grey and cold in that video, Ken. Wijbe's video I'm sure will be full of blue skies and sunshine, with just a touch of cloud and mist here and there to add a bit of atmosphere. I am bringing a guitar for Henning, so that he can sublimate his arousal into song.

1.) Hi
2.) As a German hardcore walker - will there still be time for me to do the railway trip ?
3.) I hear that some are bringing their dog - I bring my brother. He doesn't know any tricks and can't bark properly. Will he still be accepted ?
4.) I read that Deirdre is not walking - It's a pity since I wanted to suggest that I carry her water to the top of the mountain
5.) Who the hug is Paul Robeson ?
6.) Bye for now