Cyngerdd Cerddwn Ymlaen

In case you haven't yet learned the "Language of Heaven", this very broadly translates as "Walk for Wales Gala Concert". This is an unusual opportunity to raise some money for the Wales Air Ambulance which has been such a benefit to walkers in North Wales over the last few years. We had occasion to use it ourselves for a customer who had slipped and broken a leg a few years ago. It's a star cast in a dream setting.

The Gala Concert is taking place in Portmeirion at 7:30pm on the 23rd of August and there are still a few tickets left.


Join Rhys Meirion, Hayley Westonra, Dylan Cernyw, Annette Bryn Parri and others in support of the Wales Air Ambulance for  a Classical Gala concert at Portmeirion. Ticket, Champagne reception & 3 course dinner £60 in aid of Wales Air Ambulance.
Or stay the night for £260 inc. tickets, dinner, b&b for two.

Phone 01766 770000 for an overnight stay or book via email at stay@portmeirion-village.com

Visit the Cerddwn Ymlaen website here.

Gwyl Gerdded Corwen Walking Festival

The Corwen Walking Festival will take place over the weekend the 1st and 2nd September 2012. Corwen is a fantastic venue for this type of event and is a wonderful base for walking enthusiasts as it offers walks from the town that suit all levels of walking. From walks around Corwen itself finding out about the history of the Town to a high level ridge walk along the Berwyn reaching over 800 metres in height the Corwen Walking Festival has it all.

See http://www.corwenwalkingfestival.co.uk/ for more details.

Art and Walking

What is the link between contemporary art, outdoor pursuits and urban walking? To find out you will need to come to Llandudno on Saturday the 1st of September when the Artist Alison Lloyd will lead a circular walk around Llandudno and surrounding high points with far reaching views of Snowdonia. The art is formed by a combination of the walk, the journey and the destination. Meet at the Mostyn gallery at 10:30 for an 11am start and you will return there at 4pm to refreshments at the gallery. The walk is not weather dependent and you won't need a map but you will need to reserve your place at a cost of £10 by calling 01492 879 201.

The walk will also feature micro navigation. This mean moving from one subtle micro feature to another, relying on detail that would probably not need to be observed in clear conditions. This will help considerably in tough weather conditions - or that's what the blurb says, and I'm sufficiently intrigued to go along on the day.

New Guides to the Snowdon Paths

We are constantly being asked by customers "which is the best way up Snowdon?" And the answer  depends a lot on the weather, the walking abilities, transport arrangements and interests of the questioner.
There are 6 established ways up Snowdon -

• The Snowdon Ranger Path
• The PYG Track
• The Miner's Track
• The Rhyd Ddu Path
• The Watkin Path
• The Llanberis Path

Fortunately, the Snowdonia National Park Authority have now produced a reasonably priced leaflet for each of these 6 ways up Snowdon. They costs only 75p each and contain both a useful diagram showing the terrain and a section by section guide as to where to walk and what can be seen. You will still need an ordnance survey map, but these leaflets are useful help and should help prevent you getting lost.

They can be purchased from the Snowdonia National Park Authority Offices at Penrhyndeudraeth, tel: 01766 770274, www.eryri-npa.gov.uk.

Family rescued from Cadair Idris

A couple of recent incidents have highlighted the dangers of walking in the mountains. 11 children and 3 adults had to be airlifted off Cadair Idris in a 2 hour rescue mission after they got lost in the dark. The party including the youngest child aged 8 and the eldest, 15, had set off up the mountain at around 11am last Wednesday. 10 hours later they got stuck on a slope while making their descent down the south side of Cadair which they had mistaken in the dark as the north side. To tackle such a walk with such young children and with so low a ratio of adults to children was described as foolish. They were also ill equipped and lacked the appropriate map reading skills.
They eventually had to be rescued by a helicopter from RAF Valley at a cost of £4,000. Seven of the party had to be winched off the ridge with the others diverted to flat ground where the helicopter could land.

Another lesson about mountain walking was illustrated by the story of a man from Stoke on Trent aged 32 who set off on his own up Tryfan after leaving his car at Ogwen Cottage campsite. He was reported missing last Monday and a land and air search was made on Tuesday and Wednesday trying to locate him. To date he has not been found. Walking alone is clearly very dangerous as this case shows and if you don't tell someone in detail where you are going then you may never be found if you get injured.

Come on... Give it a Go!

And best of all it's free!

The Outdoor Tourism Project led by Conwy Council is offering an action packed activity week to give everyone an opportunity to try an adventure activity. Providing you are over 18 and resident in Conwy County, you are eligible for one of their free taster sessions. And if you really take to one of the activities then you can progress further through their development programs and maybe even gain a qualification under their Coaching for Volunteers scheme. This is free because the Council are hoping to encourage and inspire the local community to take part in outdoor activities and see the potential within themselves to develop the outdoor tourism sector in Conwy. You can find out more about the project by visiting www.outdoortourism.org or by following them on Facebook "Outdoor Tourism Project" and Twitter.

The first activity is Climbing and Abseiling on Monday the 20th of August from 9:30 to 12:30 at Plas y Brenin, see http://www.outdoortourism.org/images/Outdoor_Tourism_(English).pdf Kayaking and Canoeing follows at 1:30pm.

Pod people

An exciting recent development in camping has been the use of "Eco-Pods". These are purpose built insulated wooden huts that provide a little more comfort than traditional tents. Their aesthetically pleasing shape blends well into the natural environment.

There is a company local to us a near Nefyn called Sustainable Choice that produces these pods. Simon visited the owner Liam last week, who showed him around some pods under various stages of construction.

Liam explained how the pods were built from renewable timber sources, and used environmentally friendly sheep's wool insulation to keep them snug inside.

If you are a landowner looking into providing camping facilities on your property and would like to get in touch with Liam, you can get use the following details:


Sustainable Choice Ltd
Coed Y Frochas
Pwllheli
Gwynedd
LL53 6TL

Tel: 01758 721513 or 07915 595137
Email: bo@logcraft.co.uk
Web: http://www.sustainablechoice.co.uk