Sponsored Walk for the Bardsey Island Trust

On the 4th of May, two local young people, Nina and Nils will set out from Llanbedrog to spend three days walking the Llyn Peninsula Coastal Path to raise money for maintenance and repairs to the beautiful listed buildings of Bardsey Island. They're taking their mum, Megan, along because someone's got to make the sandwiches and put up the tent. If you would like to sponsor them please go to www.justgiving.com/NinaNilsWalk.

Welsh 3000s Challenge

An amazing weekend of highs and... more highs! This challenge trek will see you crossing the breadth of rugged and exciting Snowdonia and summiting the 15 highest peaks in Wales. Each one of them over 3000ft, and grouped into three distinct ranges of hills; the Snowdon Massif, the Glyders, and the Carneddau. The challenge begins on Friday the 7th of June.

We begin day one on the Snowdon Massif starting with the mighty Crib Goch before going on to Crib y Ddysgl and of course Wales highest peak Yr Wyddfa - not a bad start to any mountain challenge. Then it’s down and across to the Glyderau range where we literally rise up to the challenge of Elidir Fawr, Y Garn, Glyder Fawr and Castell y Gwynt before making our back to the accommodation for a hot meal and a good nights rest - you’re going to need it!

Day 2 begins with a short drive transfer from our accommodation around to the third range of hills on our challenge - Carneddau. First though there’s the unfinished business of the Glyderau range and we begin with the ascent of Tryfan before tackling the Carneddau range proper. Our path now takes on to Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Yr Elen, Foel Grach, Garnedd Uchaf (yes, we do all 15 peaks over 3000ft) and finally Foel-fras - Congratulations, you’ve just completed one of the toughest and arguably the most spectacular hill walks in the United Kingdom. Now for a big feed and a stiff drink.

Itinerary
Day 1 - 7th June 2013
Arrival at Bunkhouse in Snowdonia by 20:00

Day 2 - 8th June 2013
Breakfast 06:00
Prepare lunches & pack gear
Depart bunkhouse by car – 07:00
Start walking – 07:30
Our walk is planned to take approx. 13 hours for the full day. And will be strenuous, so make sure you pack plenty of food!
Return to bunkhouse for 21:00

Day 3 - 9th June 2013
Prepare lunches & pack gear
Breakfast 07:00
Depart bunkhouse – 08:00—early start! Transfer to Ogwen Cottage—for start of Carnedds route
Trek lasts approximately 10 hrs, and will see us ending in the small village of Abergwyngregyn
Finish walking by 18:00, return by minibus to bunkhouse. High Fives all round before heading home.

Cost: £50 registration Fee & minimum sponsorship.

If you are looking for a challenge...

Looking for a Challenge? Feel that one mountain just isn't enough? How about having a go at the Prostate Cancer Research Centre 3 Peaks Challenge?

Pen y Fan

The cumulative effect of 2864m (9397 ft.) of ascent and about 35km (20miles) of hill walking plus 180 miles of driving on Welsh rural roads makes this a demanding and arduous Challenge. Completing the challenge successfully will require participants to have confidence in their physical fitness as well as experience and knowledge to safely navigate both ascent and descent routes on each of the mountains. We will however deploy highly experienced Mountain Leaders on each of the 3 Peaks to provide help or support where required.

Cadair Idris

Participants will have to plan their arrival at the start point for Pen Y Fan in the Brecon Beacons and the onward driving routes to Cadair Idris and then to Llanberis. The typical average driving time (without any major hold-ups) from Cardiff to Pen Y Fan is about 1 hour and it´s sensible to allow 2.5 hours to reach Cadair Idris and a further 1.5 hours to arrive at llanberis.

Snowdon

You will either provide your own transport (and driver) to complete the course or if you prefer you can opt to use one of the mini-buses (including an experienced driver) we provide at an additional cost of just £25. Teams or individuals may take part in this challenge event but those participating on their own or without a driver may want to make use of the mini - bus service.

Everyone taking part in the PCRC Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge will be provided with a comprehensive Information and Support Pack including durable laminated (all weather) mapping for each of the 3 peaks to aid navigation for ascent and descent routes.

About Prostate Cancer Research Centre The Prostate Cancer Research Centre researches the causes of and treatment for prostate cancer and the Centre needs to raise funds to continue with this research to help improve the survival rates and quality of life for men affected by prostate cancer. Our research focusses on three key areas: understanding development and progression of the disease; identifying men who will benefit from treatment; and the actual treatment of the disease. (Registered No: 802545) For more information, see http://www.timeoutdoors.com/Challenges/Closed/PCRC-Welsh-3-Peaks-Challenge?cmp=newsletter_43_challenges

Great Images of the Island Race Now Available

For the second year, the Island Race (Anglesey Half Marathon) was a great success yesterday, Sunday the 3rd of March. The start was the crossing of one of North Wales' most iconic landmarks, the Telford Suspension Bridge. The bridge was closed to vehicles for the event, as was much of the course. Most of the runners thought this quite exceptional, which bodes well for next year. You can see a video below and purchase a series of individual photos here. Unfortunately Peter didn't compete!

Hurrah for Private Enterprise

Mike Smart, the gentleman who set up Treksmart (geddit?) has launched an innovative Walking Festival in May at Llangollen. Details can be seen on http://www.treksmart.net/llww.html

Other walk leaders are Sarah Jones and Chris Grier. The walks can be booked online and paid for by credit card or Pay pal.

It's a wind up!

Another great gadget that I have come across is a shower proof radio that you can power by the sun or you can wind it up. What makes it specially handy for walkers is the integrated high power torch and the ability to charge up other devices using the hand crank. You wouldn't want to carry this up a mountain, but if you were a camper I can see that it would be very useful. See www.gadgetsUK.com

Ramblers Launches a Library of Walks

The Ramblers have launched a new online library of walking routes as part of a new look website for the charity. There are 1000 walks online with OS mapping and GPX data together with route cards. The site aims to be a one stop shop for all things walking.

For example, this is an illustration of the GPX data available for the Aber Falls Walk. Information available for walkers is getting more plentiful every day, and this is good news.