Travel Photos - Black Mountains, Wales

August Bank Holiday weekend, we went to Wales, now you just know with that combination its going to rain and sure enough it did but not before some amazing walking in the Black Mountains.



We'd taken Herbie (our dog - more of him later) so we hunted around for somewhere to stay that would accommodate Herbie aswell. We found it in the Baskerville Arms (http://www.baskervillearms.co.uk/) in Clyro near Hay on Wye. This is a great place to stay if you want to take the dog and do some walking, canoeing, cycling etc. The Baskerville Arms serves great food both in the evening and at breakfast time (although you may have to wait a little for your food at breakfast if a couple of families arrive at the same time as you) and they also serve great beer - they're in the good beer guide for 2009 apparently and its well deserved I can vouch for that!

If you fancy something a little more spicy to eat, you can't go far wrong with Red Indigo Indian Restaurant (http://www.redindigo.co.uk/) in Hay on Wye. The food was superb, the service was very professional but it may pay you to book ahead during busy weekends.







On the Saturday, we decided to do a walk taking in Hay Bluff - 677m (as recommended by my mate Rab in Brum). It took us a while to find it (head south out of Hay and after the Hay Cinema Bookshop, turn left for about a mile, road narrows and then bear right for a further 2-3 miles until you reach open land and a car park on the right just below a steep hill - Hay Bluff). The photo above shows the steep walk up to the path from the car park.








We planned to walk the ridge from Hay Bluff, taking in Twmpa - 689m (affectionately known as Lord Herefords Knob) and then on a little further to another peak and then return the way we came. The views from Hay Bluff are amazing and far reaching. The photo above shows Twmpa in the middle of shot.





Mean while, Herbie had found another game, splashing in all the puddles and discovering why the Black Mountains are probably so named. He was covered in head to toe with thick black mud and wouldn't go near a clear pool of water unless it had thick mud at the bottom of it. He was determined not to get clean for a while yet!

The path stretched out ahead of us with some fantastic walking, most of the hard work being done in the first 30 minutes to get to the top of Hay Bluff. You could see for miles up here, a great place for a day out.

Crossing the road coming down from Hay Bluff and on our way to Twmpa, you can see down the valley, this would make another good day out to explore. There's a great ridge walk heading out from Llanthony down this valley - we did it on the sunday when the weather wasn't as kind, I didn't fancy getting my camera out it was that wet but the views from the ridge would be amazing in better weather - we got soaked!

Photo above shows the view of Hay Bluff with the road below it whilst climbing up Twmpa. We decided to extend our walk today and walked for another 2 hours taking in the high point of the Black Mountains - Waun Fach - 811m. This isn't that much of a challenge although it did get very muddy towards the summit, something that Herbie just loved!

On our return we decided to head down an "obvious path" just before Twmpa and do a low level walk to return to the car - the views were just as good and the gliders were out taking advantage of the ridge - it felt like they were buzzing us.





We headed back to the Baskerville Arms for a much needed shower, good pub food and a much needed drink! We'll definitely be back to the Black Mountains - there's so much more to the Brecons than just Pen Y Fan.

Travel Photos - Walking in the Drakensberg, South Africa

We had been touring the garden route in South Africa and on our way to Johannesburg, we called in at the Drakensberg mountains for a few days. We based ourselves at a rather plush lodge, Inkosana Lodge (http://www.inkosana.co.za/). Although it calls itself a backpackers, its a rather up market backpackers and you really need your own transport to get to it and to get around here. The meals at the lodge are excellent and the grounds have great gardens and spectacular views of the high peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains.



The host here at Inkosana is a serious walker/trekker and mountaineer from what I could establish although he's quite shy. We opted to stay in one of the thatched rondavels that have their own bathroom with an open air/ensuite shower, very comfortable. Inkosana is highly recommended for both location, facilities and atmosphere.



We did some low level walks to start with in the rolling, lower hills of the Little 'Berg. The scenery here was fantastic although we were hampered with bad weather on our visit but the scenery was still great. You could see for miles even in this weather, it'd be fantastic on a clear day.


The terrain just looked like it had been played with by some giant and molded to suit there needs at that particular time. It was good to be active again having spent so long in trucks and the car, but I had forgotten what a tiring pastime it was!

The landscape here is both beautiful and dramatic. Gigantic hills roll into infinity cloaked in a soft green baize which as they tower upwards gives way to the rocky outcrops of the rugged mountain peaks.


In fact, Drakensberg means “Dragon mountain” and the grey craggy band which runs round the hills in the Monks Cowl area suggests that whilst arguing about the rights to the mountains, the legendary dragons divided the land by cutting though it with a blunt knife.

We walked Mandi Falls, Blind Mans Corner and Sterkhorn. We then went on to to tackle the 1 day hike to Sentinel Peak/Beacon Buttress and Tugela Falls. There are 2 stunning trails to the Tugela Falls. The most spectacular trail is to the top of Mount-Aux-Sources, which starts at the Sentinel car park at Witsieshoek via Phuthadjhaba from where it is a relatively easy climb to the top of the Amphitheatre, however it does take about 4.5 to 8 hours round trip depending on fitness level. You can gain easy access to the summit via two chain ladders . These chain ladders are a great adenaline rush - there are no clip in rails and both ladders are used for going up and down. The ladder ascent is over vertical rockface and is probably about 100m. Coming down is probably the worst bit or best depending on your point of view. The views are spectacular from the ladders, if you can look that is.

Once at the top, its a short walk to the edge of the escarpment and to Tugela Falls.

Tugela Falls is the world's second highest waterfall. The total drop in five free-leaping falls is 3,110 feet or 947m. The drop off is vertical, so tread carefully, the views are out of this world, what an awesome place and walk! If you're only going to do one walk in the Drakensberg, make it this one!

Travel Photos - Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

We went with world Expeditions on this trip - it was actually the 2nd week of 2, the first being a safari in Tanzania. The guys from World Expeditions (http://www.worldexpeditions.com/) are professional and friendly, we cannot recommend them enough. It's recommended that you do some aclimatisation before attempting Kili as it gives you a better chance of making the summit. Our safari was good as we were camping at around 2500m above sea level which gave our bodies that time to get used to the altitude.

Kili Mountain Resort to Simba Camp (2700m) 13th Jan 2007
A nervous start this morning with a big breakfast in anticipation of the climb. We arrive at the foothills where over 40 porters sat under the trees hoping for work – 30 would be for our team of 9 climbers and 3 guides – a real expedition. We walked “pole pole” up a woodland path until the heavens opened and arrived in camp (2700m) wet but not tired. Today had been a “piece of cake”!

Kikelelwa Caves (3600m) 14th Jan 2007
We ascended 900m today – 3 hours before lunch and 3 after. We had soup and cake in the 2nd cave. The porters are amazing – they leave at the same time or after us and by the time we arrived at the cave, the toilet tent was up and cake, bread, fruit and salad laid out on the table – the soup was served as soon as we were seated. Again when we arrived at camp, everything was setup with tea and peanuts on the table. The walk today was good. I felt a little weak before our second break – quite steep here. But after chocolate and a banana I was fine. I felt very fresh the second half of the day (rain again!) and Helen seemed strong too. I’ve had my fingers crossed for us both – and the group. I hope we all make it. Tonight at 3600m (11° C in tent – cold) (Dave 78bpm, Helen 72bpm)

Mawenzi Tarn (4330m) 15th Jan 2007
Another 750m today but no rain. The terrain was rocky and steep but the slow pace made it quite manageable. Beginning to notice the altitude – trying to do anything quickly gets you out of breath. As we walked today we crossed a lot of volcanic fall out – pumice rocks and scree. As we scrambled over some Steve pointed out a large “toobe”, where the lava had flowed so fast it made a wave and then set, having a hollow centre. I found my heart shaped pumice at the beginning of today’s walk. Tonight at 4330m we arrived at camp for lunch (“owl pellet” sausages and roast potatoes) and snoozed in the afternoon. Helen and I sat in the tent after popcorn and sang songs with the mp3 player!!

Kibo Hut (4700m) 16th Jan 2007
A straight forward trek today of 4 hours across the saddle between Mawenzi Tarn and Kibo – it was like a desert, truly amazing. The last 50m was tough – we got a move on because rain was threatening and going quicker than normal we all felt the extra elevation. Fingers still crossed, I’m hopeful that we’ll make it and almost getting emotional. This morning both the ground outside and out tent zip was frozen, it was 9 °C in the tent – it’s cold in here now (4:30pm) and I’ve 3 layers on top and two below. I’m not looking forward to trying to sleep tonight.

Horombo (3700m) 17th Jan 2007

Well, as you can see from the piccies, we made it! All the way to Uhuru Peak – 5896m. It really hasn’t sunk in and we are shell shocked completely by the effort it has taken and the debilitating affect of the altitude – 3.5 miles above sea level. We were woken at 11pm after 4 hours sleep. At 12:15 we set off with head torches after biscuits and tea to the volcanic screed slopes. The slopes were frozen and we soon encounter deep snow and rocks as we zig-zagged our way up the mountain. The first half was fine – my breathing was controlled and I felt strong. A wall of snow at a 45 degree angle loomed above as far as my torchlight would allow me to see - a scary sight – this felt like a real expedition. We stopped briefly for drinks but it was too cold to hang around and after about half way my platypus nozzle froze so I tucked it in my neck scarf. Time dragged as we wearily plodded relentlessly in the dark and breathing became difficult. As we neared the top (Gilman’s point) Helen started to struggle – we had been hiking for over 5 hours in the dark and we were approaching 5700m. We paused briefly at Gilman’s before resuming our hike – now around the crater rim to Uhuru. The scenery was breathtaking but it was too much to take in; looking up from my next foot placement would send me into a dizzy spin which could potentially culminate in me toppling down the rocky crater slopes into the bowels of Kili itself. The route was well trodden snow but all around waist deep snow crystals twinkled in the light of the rising sun. But I couldn’t sight see, I couldn’t concentrate or think or breathe or walk. My head pounded and nausea gripped my throat. But somehow I made it – Helen and I encouraged each other, pausing slumped over to gasp for breath and rest weary limbs. Everybody was struggling, even some more so than me. Fraterin (the expedition leader) took Helen's pack and Charlie (lead guide) her hand to prevent me crumpling in a heap at the side of the snow trodden path. Eventually after what seems like an eternity we’d made it but all we wanted was to be back at Kibo. It was now 7:40am and respite was over 3 hours away down steep and loose screed. After a brief lunch we trekked another 2.5 hours to Horombo – at 3700m the air feels luxurious here and we are shattered. The hardest day of our lives and I cannot move another step.


Marangu (1900m) 18th Jan 2007

Descend to Marangu today not before the tipping ceremony and a song from our guides and porters - they have been an amzing bunch – really painful toes from “skiing” down Kili screed slopes – an agonizingly long way home, which should have been an easy trek.


Moivara Coffee Plantation 18th – 20th Jan 2007

Rest and recouperation – bought souvenirs and shipped them home.

Travel Photos - Mount Everest and the Khumbu Icefall, Nepal

The view of Everest Base Camp, Mount Everest and the Khumbu Icefall from the summit of Kala Pattar (5545m). There aren't many places were you feel so remote but at the same time in the company of friends - the mountains. Needless to say, the scenery is absolutely stunning with huge 7000 and 8000 metre peaks all around you - phenomenal! Trekking in Nepal is a unique adventure that if you love the outdoors, you'll definitely get hooked.

After a cold night it was a relief to get going – an assault on our final challenge – the rocky buttress of Pumori – Kala Pattar. The ascent was steep and rocky but relatively short – a few hours. The Sherpas and guides from World Expeditions (http://www.worldexpeditions.com/) were fantastic as ever and they encouraged us up all the way. Views from the summit were spectacular – Everest, our closest and most complete sighting yet now loomed majestically above its neighbours – a challenge for the brave and fitter. Nuptse alluring from this angle tried to steal the show above the Khumbu Glacier, ice fall and the pin pricks of colour denoting tents at the capital of the Khumbu – Base Camp. To the left Everest’s West buttress shielded part of our view, left of that Changste, Everest’s North Peak waned for attention and a large snow cornice balanced precariously over the Lo Lah Pass. Right of Nuptse, Ama Dablam again put on an impressive show, chased by Khantega, Thamserku, Taboche, Cholatse, Lobuche East and West – another picture book panorama - 360° round to Pumori and Lingtren. We spent 45 minutes at the summit; we could have stayed there forever. I can only equate it with meeting a VIP of which you are in awe – there is a special chemistry, excitement, marvel. You have to pinch yourself - is this really real? I tried to examine every rock, snow flake and ice crack thru my binoculars, but still it wouldn’t sink in.

There is a magic here and I can just about touch it, we're definitely going back here, Nepal that is. We loved it here, the mountains, the people, the flight into Lukla (a little bit scary) and the excitement in Kathmandu before the trip starts, its all magical!