Walking

[hollins]

Really interesting photos. Thanks Hugo.

[Merddin Emrys]

That looks fascinating up there! 

[Gwynant]

    That's a really interesting walk Hugo, with lots of history as well, and great photos. I've walked the lower levels from Deiniolen through down to Nant Peris with Mrs. Gwynant and we looked up to the levels above which I've looked down onto in the past when doing the Elidir Fawr Horseshoe but I've never visited them. One for the "to do" list!
   On a more sombre note there was a very tragic accident on Tryfan yesterday when a 70 year old lady fell to her death after reaching the North Tower on the North Ridge with a party who carried on to the summit but she and her elderly companion decided it was too taxing and they decided to retrace their steps, but they both fell while descending the ridge and  although he suffered injuries he managed to make it down to the car park by Llyn Ogwen to raise the alarm. A very sad story.

[Hugo]

It was so sad to hear the news about the couple and sadly Tryfan has claimed the lives of many others in the past.  It's one place I'll steer clear of in certain conditions as the rocks there can be quite slippery.

When we did the quarry walk there was one thing we didn't find as we chose to go back to our cars because the weather was closing in on us.
I'll post it on here again as I'm having a problem with posting the video

[Hugo]

I hope I'm luckier with this link as we didn't see this suspended railway track because we decided to leave early because of the weather.  Tellytubby was so disappointed as he was looking forward to doing it but perhaps Gwynant can have a go and post his video on here.     

It's suspended over a 150 feet drop into Twll Mawr  ( the Big Hole )



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0rdy6BByE

Als Stag Do Perilous Rail Crossing Dinorwic Quarry

[Merddin Emrys]

That looks terrifying, even with the safety rope!

[SteveH]

I hope I'm luckier with this link as we didn't see this suspended railway track because we decided to leave early because of the weather.  Tellytubby was so disappointed as he was looking forward to doing it but perhaps Gwynant can have a go and post his video on here.     
t's suspended over a 150 feet drop into Twll Mawr  ( the Big Hole )
Als Stag Do Perilous Rail Crossing Dinorwic Quarry

There is enough hazards in the mountains without looking for more or encouraging them,....  (creating work for the rescue teams...)

[Hugo]

Calm down Steve,  I hope you didn't think that I was being serious when I posted the comments about Tellytubby and Gwynant.   It was a joke, just a throwaway remark.
Yes, we did want to see the suspended railway track but not one of us would have wanted to go near it let alone on it.  You'd have to be a nutter to want to do that and in any case it probably wouldn't support Tellytubby's weight!     
Having said all that, the guys in the video were obviously experienced climbers and had taken and assessed all the possible safety requirements before doing what they did.
Similarly the rock climbers we saw in the quarry would have done the same.  We don't take risks on our walks either, especially in a quarry like this.
Accidents can happen anywhere, an old friend of mine broke his collar bone when he tripped over and fell down and that was in Mostyn Street when he tripped over a loose paving slab so we are well aware of the risks where ever we go.

[SteveH]

Sorry Hugo, it does read a bit sharp on reflection, not aimed at you, my initial reaction after watching the video was to make some funny comment but my serious side jumped in.........nice and calm now...

[Hugo]

That's OK Steve         
We don't take any risks on our walks as we want to make sure that we're safe for the next walk and our rucksacks are always full of gear such as cameras, torches, maps, whistles food drink etc etc and they are quite heavy.      It's not so easy carrying everything especially when you have OAP's knees but it's better to be safe than sorry.
You do have a valid point though and people should act responsibly when they are out in the countryside.

[DaveR]

I hope I'm luckier with this link as we didn't see this suspended railway track because we decided to leave early because of the weather.  Tellytubby was so disappointed as he was looking forward to doing it but perhaps Gwynant can have a go and post his video on here.     

It's suspended over a 150 feet drop into Twll Mawr  ( the Big Hole )



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0rdy6BByE

Als Stag Do Perilous Rail Crossing Dinorwic Quarry

I've been up there to photograph the suspended railway track and the whole area is pretty unsafe. The slate waste at either side has large cracks in it and could slide at any time, definitely not a place to get too close to the edge!

[Hugo]

Were you tempted to have a go walking across it?           

[hollins]

Sorry to butt in on this thread but here is Action man's latest exploit on Glyder Fach which involved crawling along an underground chasm before descending Bristly Ridge.


He says,
"Chasm Face - an unusual mix of climbing and troglodyting. The guide suggests "tubsters may choose an alternative line". The below ground pitch involves a horizontal squirm of 25ft followed by a very tight 25ft vertical chimney. Getting from horizontal to vertical requires case-hardened knees and a lot of thrutching. Rucksacks have to be removed and pushed ahead or dragged behind."

[Hugo]

That's definitely not for me or the faint hearted.   I tried the chimney once and had two people above me and the person on the top was in difficulty and not confident of doing it.  That's when my knees started knocking together and I bottled it as I had visions of a domino affect fall with me underneath the others.
I left them to it while I got down and scrambled up the boulders instead     

[Hugo]

Instead of walking up the mountains today I took my friend to Llanddwyn Island, a place that he hadn't been before.    Before we got to the island we had two nice surprises, the first was that the barrier to the toll box was up so we had a free entry to the forest car park.  The next was when we bumped into an old friend and colleague who was busy clearing the sand that had drifted onto the board walk.    I'm afraid that the board walk is just like the West Shore cycle track and will never ever be clear of the drifting sands.
We took the easier path through the forest and then dropped down to the beach and had our refreshments behind the old lighthouse as we sheltered from the cool breeze.   It was nice just sitting there relaxing and watching the birds flying by and the occasional seal popping his head up in the calm waters surrounding the island.
After looking around the island we headed home through the forest to the car park and by the time we arrived at the car park it was nearly full up with people taking advantage of the warm sunny weather.
The tide was very low and the sea calm but  I couldn't see the shipwreck of the Watkin F Nesbit that I had previously swam out to, perhaps it has been moved away because the iron hull was certainly a hazard to people on the sea.