Unlike Christmas Eve Boxing Day was bright and sunny but considerably colder than the last few days. We decided it was time for a trip to the beach.
Turkey sandwiches made and a box full of other seasonal goodies packed we left for Llantwit Major with several hundred other people as it turns out. Halfway there and I realized that while I'd got my swimmers and warmth garment I hadn't packed a towel. There was a roll of blue paper towel in the truck which may have done.
It occurred to me halfway there that we could try to nail the highest point in Glamorgan but we'd got no maps and had done no research (a speciality of ours), the best we had was a dodgy South Wales internet connection on my phone.
Craig y Llyn is 600m high and comes in at number 20 on the hit-list, it's right at the north of the county.
Arriving at Llantwit it was clear that any number of us had had the same idea. It was cold, it was rough and there were a lot of onlookers, not having a towel was the final straw, swim aborted.
The tide was in so there wasn't much beach per person, onwards and upwards to Craig y Llyn with only Google Maps and a lunchbox full of leftovers for company.
As we drove through the valleys up to Rhigos the weather changed from rain to sleet. "This road will be a hoot in the snow". Indeed.
Relying on Google maps does bring a certain level of excitement that you don't get with an Ordnance Survey Map. I always feel that Google Maps is astonished that you want to go to where you have selected, "Really? Are you sure? For why? What's there ?"
Today we were told that Google Maps could get us to within four minutes in the car. Except the gate on the Forestry road was shut.
It was a bit mysterious walking up through the sleety rain, through the entry to a wind farm. We followed a wide track that is Route 47 on the National Cycle Way, signs for all the wind turbines we couldn't see only hear because of the low cloud and past lights and barriers and shipping containers with satellite dishes on and a generator running what?
As we steadily climbed higher the sleet turned to snow, an unexpected treat on an unexpected peak bag. Although relying on a dodgy phone map and footpath markers we didn't understand the mission still felt a little hit and miss. At 584m according to the attitude app on my phone we spotted a path that we felt was in the correct direction so we took it, at a crossroads we turned left, still going up but the path was a boggy mess and all we could see was the high pressure gas line marker so we retraced our steps to the main path, continued for 20 steps and hey presto there was a marker pointing to the summit. This was the work of seconds, we spotted the trig point and the high pressure gas line marker from a minute before.
Photos taken, pats on back. 9 peaks attempted, 8 nailed, Craig y Llyn an unexpected bonus, and not a red pair of trousers in sight.
Turkey sandwiches made and a box full of other seasonal goodies packed we left for Llantwit Major with several hundred other people as it turns out. Halfway there and I realized that while I'd got my swimmers and warmth garment I hadn't packed a towel. There was a roll of blue paper towel in the truck which may have done.
It occurred to me halfway there that we could try to nail the highest point in Glamorgan but we'd got no maps and had done no research (a speciality of ours), the best we had was a dodgy South Wales internet connection on my phone.
Craig y Llyn is 600m high and comes in at number 20 on the hit-list, it's right at the north of the county.
Arriving at Llantwit it was clear that any number of us had had the same idea. It was cold, it was rough and there were a lot of onlookers, not having a towel was the final straw, swim aborted.
The tide was in so there wasn't much beach per person, onwards and upwards to Craig y Llyn with only Google Maps and a lunchbox full of leftovers for company.
As we drove through the valleys up to Rhigos the weather changed from rain to sleet. "This road will be a hoot in the snow". Indeed.
Relying on Google maps does bring a certain level of excitement that you don't get with an Ordnance Survey Map. I always feel that Google Maps is astonished that you want to go to where you have selected, "Really? Are you sure? For why? What's there ?"
Today we were told that Google Maps could get us to within four minutes in the car. Except the gate on the Forestry road was shut.
It was a bit mysterious walking up through the sleety rain, through the entry to a wind farm. We followed a wide track that is Route 47 on the National Cycle Way, signs for all the wind turbines we couldn't see only hear because of the low cloud and past lights and barriers and shipping containers with satellite dishes on and a generator running what?
As we steadily climbed higher the sleet turned to snow, an unexpected treat on an unexpected peak bag. Although relying on a dodgy phone map and footpath markers we didn't understand the mission still felt a little hit and miss. At 584m according to the attitude app on my phone we spotted a path that we felt was in the correct direction so we took it, at a crossroads we turned left, still going up but the path was a boggy mess and all we could see was the high pressure gas line marker so we retraced our steps to the main path, continued for 20 steps and hey presto there was a marker pointing to the summit. This was the work of seconds, we spotted the trig point and the high pressure gas line marker from a minute before.
Photos taken, pats on back. 9 peaks attempted, 8 nailed, Craig y Llyn an unexpected bonus, and not a red pair of trousers in sight.
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