21
Jun 16

Gistavo Vidi

Given that Sosat was under snow, we decided to do Osvaldo Osat – but alas! the road to that was so bad that we didn’t dare to take carcon, our rented friend too far on it, and had to turn back. What was left was to go back up to Rif. Stoppani and do the Gustavo Vidi, a nice unchallenging horizontal traverse once again (we did this a couple years ago), but this time to finish the whole circle on the other side of the ridge. Weather was fine and views were spectacular, and unlike the last time, there were still fairly large snowfields to muddle through this time (I was trailblazing the way for us of course), so it was actually a bit more challenging up to the Pass dei Tre Sassi.

Gustavo V.

Gustavo V.

Up to the pass

Up to the pass

Here we are

Here we are

From there, we needed to drop hugely on the other side through a long and steep scree, which was a bit annoying, but after that it was mostly traversing back towards the rifugio. The only problem was that we were a bit tight on time, to get the last cable car at five. If we missed it, it would be at least a couple of boring hours of descent back down to the road, and we were really not feeling up to that. So, it was a bit of a race, I admit I was losing my hope for a bit there, but eventually we made it with about fifteen minutes to spare – beer never tasted so good!

Beer!

Beer!


20
Jun 16

Madonna & marmot

Got up, packed up the tent, said goodbye to Cortina and headed over to Madonna di Campiglio, for a bit of change of scenery. Had a nice strudel breakfast by the lake. Then we drove merrily out of the mountains and into the sunshine.
Arriving to Madonna in the afternoon, we stopped by Passo del Groste for a quick trip up the cable car to see the snow situation for tomorrow. We pottered around Rifugio Stoppani for a bit, and indeed it seemed that Sosat ferrata still under snow and closed – which was then further confirmed by a couple of German climbers who’ve just been there.

Rif. Stoppani

Rif. Stoppani

For now, we walked up a bit towards Gustavo Vidi, and the place was alive with marmots. We had especially one fun encounter with the brave soul of the pack who gives the warning to the rest, and who valiantly faced us standing up.

Bird of prey

Bird of prey

Marmot

Marmot

In addition, we saw a great bird of prey, which was truly huge & majestic, of which Iest thinks was an eagle, which probably was not but huge, it really was.
Afterwards we took the last cable car down and found our usual campsite at Adamelo, and – after a little search around – also our usual restaurant for dinner.


19
Jun 16

Nuvolau

The morning sky was overcast but with high clouds so not so bad, so we decided to do a hike & ferratas with the prospect of some beautiful views, in the Nuvolau group. We took the lift to Rif. Scoiattoli, right by the famous Cinque Torri, and from there a nice hike over to ferrata Averau. The views were truly epic in all directions.

Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri

Nuvolau group

Nuvolau group

Rif. Scoiattoli

Rif. Scoiattoli

We reached Rif. Nuvolau (2.574) in good spirits, and had some tea and snacks. When we walked down to Rif. Averau the weather turned really quite bad, snowstormy with zero visibility. We obviously had no choice but to get us a couple of cakes in the hut, and see if it blew over, as we wanted to do a quick up and down on the ferrata Gusela to the top of Averau (2.649).

View to Averau

View to Averau

Top of Averau

Top of Averau

Fortunately, after the cakes we had a sunny break, and we quickly ascended the last peak, and downed it the same way but fairly quickly as the weather was coming in again. From there it was already close back to the cable car station, and we got there just in time before closing for the day. By now all the great views were already immersed in fog and it started to rain too, so we were very happy about how lucky we were for the day.

We were pretty tired too, so we took a shower and dropped into Cortina for a nice dinner, with a proper tiramisu today. The usual evening beer in the camp, but off to bed early.


18
Jun 16

Forcella Stanniers

In the morning the sky was fairly clear, sun on the tent, even though some clouds on the ridges. After a hearty breakfast in Cortina we set out to Capanna Rio Gere from where we took a cable car up to Rifugio Son Forca, and from there another one up to Rif. Lorenzi at Forcella Stanniers (2.918m). The weather was not great already, so we were not really convinced to do the whole great ridge of Ivano Dibona ferrata, as visibility was low and it was snowing.

Forcella Staniers

Forcella Staniers

Forcella Staniers

Forcella Staniers

We had a tea at the hut to see if we can wait it out – but it was getting worse if anything. We decided to at least do the very beginning over to the awesome suspension bridge, and then we had to go back down in the funny little pods. The second cable car was not going because of the weather, so at least we had some time for an apple strudel and teas at the hut. Dinner in Cortina and sleeping like babies – the fresh air is doing us good.

Rifugio Son Forca

Rifugio Son Forca

Ivano Dibona

Ivano Dibona


17
Jun 16

Falzarego pass

In the morning the sky was surprisingly clear – hard to believe. There were some big fluffy clouds in all the directions , but the sun was totally shining on our little B&B, and all looked shiny and bright. Iest said it won’t take more than half hour before the thunderstorms start but I was already happy with this unexpected glimpse of sun.

Our B&B

Our B&B

We had a nice breakfast and coffee, packed up, said goodbye with our host, and set out on our way to Cortina. We didn’t know if the road would be cleared up but we found soon enough – on the next main road intersection we were told no way. So we took the detour via Auronzo and Misurina and arrived in Cortina from the east. Surprisingly, the weather was still great – not totally sunny but plenty of sun around, and big chunks of clouds covering some mountain ranges, while others were in total clear. Beautiful drive with dramatic views. No rush, we got to our camp for about one o’clock. It was open but still visibly pre-season, very few people around yet. We picked a spot for our tent but seeing that the weather was unexpectedly good but unpredictable, we decided not to pitch yet and rather set out for a walk to make the most of it. We decided on a walk up from the the Falzarego pass – that’s a nice short walk with a lot of altitude gain providing amazing dramatic views in all directions. And plus – if one does not feel like walking walking down on the other side, there is an awesome cable car to take.

We started walking up at about two o’clock up the steep path from the pass. Weather was still holding nice but it was clear that some nearby ranges could not really claim the same. At about half way up we got to the interesting part of the path – a nice hanging bridge over a waterfall and some scrambling with a secured line over a narrow ledge. Afterwards we got to walking again, and some small snowfields crossing. The weather moved in a bit on us, and it started hailing – not too badly, and we thought it was better than raining in any case. When we were almost up the high point from which the path traverses almost at level to the refugio, we saw some lightning in the sky – it was still far away, over at another ridge but it still freaked out Iest a bit.

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

Up Falzarego

But at that point we were practically up and just enjoyed the flat bit of the walk on the top, with some amazing views all around. Then we got a tea and coffee at the hut and walked to the cable car to get us down. Iest didn’t really like the look of the gondolas as the cables were very steep down and he thought the wind was going to swing them all over the place – but he was too lazy to walk down as well, and in the end it turned out to be a pleasant little ride.
We went back to the camp to finally pitch the tent and then to Cortina for pizzas. Evening in the camp pub with a bit of beer and tea. Once we crashed in our tent a big storm started, proper with lightnings and thunders and a massive downpour – a nice soundtrack to falling asleep.


16
Jun 16

Off to Cortina

Long awaited start of vacation finally arrived but the excitement was tempered by the weather forecast for the Dolomites that showed a washout of truly apocalyptic proportions with no end in sight. I suggested we just ditch the tickets and go to Wales for the week but Iestyn was against, and he’s the decision-maker. So we bravely got out of bed, finished the packing and took the bus to Liverpool Street station for our Stansted express train. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time and with our biz+ tickets, which didn’t save us too much time on the check-in due to some local mismanagement but we did get to go through the fast track security. After that we had a quick lunch, and then it was already time to board. The plane was jam-packed but everything went well save for some turbulences for which totally freaked out the girl next to us, and soon we were landing in hot steamy Treviso. We got our little car (carcon), and off we went up north under the gentle guidance of our Google navigation.
Once we drove into the mountainous region the overcast sky off before became a range of heavy low lying clouds hanging ominously over all the peaks and hills. It started to rain too. We didn’t let that discourage us as we were also already prepared mentally for the situation and soldiered on towards Cortina. Alas! about 8 km from Cortina there was a road block – but just that; no people guarding it, no sign with explanation, nothing. We saw everyone else just turning around, so we decided to return to the last town on the road to get us some dinner, and see what the situation is after. In San Vito di Cadore we saw carabineri turning cars away from the road, and they explained that the road to Cortina is closed because there some landslides, and won’t open tonight. The alternative detour would take almost a couple of hours. We sat down for dinner in La Stua pizzeria, and while munching on a couple of delicious pizzas we were thinking what to do. It was rainy, getting dark and unpleasant, and we were facing still quite a drive – so the prospect was to be pitching a tent in coldness, rain and total darkness, way after Gina’s usual bedtime. So we just gave up that idea and searched some B&Bs nearby. We found one not so far away, in Caralte, which had good ratings, reasonable price and the inviting promise of a proper bed – so we booked it and set off. Shortly after nine we arrived and were met by a nice owner; our room was up in the attic and had its own balcony (we left the door open for the night), and we were the only guests around. After a nice hot shower we crashed into our bed and were out right away.

Dinner

Dinner


05
Jun 16

Horniman & Seven Sisters

Another nice weekend on our hands, decided to potter around a bit, nothing serious. On Saturday, we went to the Horniman Museum and Gardens, which was quite nice and we also saw the Horniman aquarium with loads of little creatures. Then we drove down to Crystal Palace for lunch in a nice hipster place (the type that is a cafe but also a vintage crap type shop, managed by three guys in skinny jeans, one of whom brings the coffee late on purpose just to be able to make an excuse for ‘having to get the grind right’ – so, right down our alley, and by ‘our’ I mean Iest’s).

Hipster lunch

Hipster lunch

On Sunday we decided to go all the way to the coast to Seven Sisters, which gave us an opportunity to drive through some nice english Sussexy countryside. We arrived at about noon, which turned out to be super busy on a sunny Sunday, so once again, we had a problem parking. Eventually we found a spot, and finally made it out of the car into the sun. In the visitors’ center we got a little seaside life guidebook, which was on sale and is from the same series I already got the bird book and insect book, so I am all set now for my nature explorations. Then we walked the usual path along the river bed toward the cliffs, and in the meanders of the old river branch we saw a beautiful grey heron, very majestically owning the place. And not only that, there was also a little egret sharing the space, all white with a black beak and yellow feet, elegantly wading the waters. We were very excited to be able to observe them, and took many cool pictures.

Heron & Egret living in harmony

Heron & Egret living in harmony

When we had enough, we continued the South Down Way path away from the river and up on the cliffs. It was a beautiful day, so there was a lot of people, but the cliffs were nice and shiny and it was a pleasant walk. We then made it down to the main beach for a little stroll in the cool water.

Seven Sisters

Seven Sisters

All seven of them

All seven of them

By then of course we were already really hungry as we had no lunch or snacks, and so we started to make our way back to the car. On our way down we saw a great looking pub in Friston, called Tiger Inn, but when we got there around four they were not making food yet. So we drove back to the Cuckmere Inn by the Seven Sisters’ park, and we definitely did not regret (egret?) our choice! From the deliciously refreshing virgin cocktails through rustic bread starters and big burgers to the freshly made desserts, everything was perfect. Plus, the outside terrace where we were sitting was flooded with scores of little birds, waiting for crummies and being all cute. A great finish to the day. Well, except for the drive back that was still awaiting us but Iest totally covered that. I managed not to fall asleep throughout, although I did have a couple of weak moments. Fortunately there was and 80s hour on the Heart radio, so that helped to revive the zing in Terrell for the rest of the trip.

Cuckmere entrée

Cuckmere entrée


30
May 16

Cymru/Wales

So we had a long weekend on our hands, and the first weekend in a long time that i didn’t have to work, so a great opportunity to head up to Wales and have some fun. In addition, we had just acquired Terrell, our new bff, so everything was set up beautifully. The only problem was that the forecast was stubbornly showing downpours for the whole three days, but that as well got sorted shortly before the weekend, and we were ready to go.
On Friday night of course the whole of London town had the same idea to get out and we got stuck in traffic for hours, eventually arriving at our destination super late, after what would probably have been a nice drive through Snowdonia, had it still been light when we were doing it.

But on Saturday, we woke up into glorious sunshine and were happy to be there. We decided to once again go up Snowdon, which we don’t do very often as it is kind of a tourist highway, and especially on the top there is too many people due to the train. But, it is still a nice walk via many of the routes, and from time to time should be done. We decided on the Ranger’s path up and down to Rhyd Ddu, a trail we last did several years ago in lots of snow and frost (&sun). This time, the sun was with us as well, and already arriving to the trail we had some doubts about our choice as all the parking spots were gone, a clear sign that the combo of long weekend and sun brought all the boys to the yard to play. We decided not to be discouraged, found an alternate parking spot and took a hike up from there through a nice farmer’s land to meet up with our ranger’s path. From there, we saw quite a few people, but it was not too terrible, and the walk was very nice overall.

Sheeps

Shortly before summit we got immersed into a thick fog/cloud that wrapped the top of Snowdon, and upon arriving at the top we met the real crowds who had gotten there by the cog train. With no views and the crowds of twerps there was no reason for us to spend much time, and we quickly retreated down to Rhyd Ddu path, which was mercifully sparsely populated, and descended into the sun again. The rest of the walk was lovely and uneventful. Later we bought all the stuff for a four-bean chilli and fell asleep quickly, all sunned out for the day.

Wyddfa

Wyddfa

Down to Rhyd Ddu

Down to Rhyd Ddu

Down to Rhyd Ddu

Down to Rhyd Ddu

On Sunday, with great weather continuing, we wanted to finally take out our sea kayaks. But for that we needed to run a number of errands, from picking up Iest’s kayak from the bodyshop in Anglesey, to buying and installing roof racks for Terrell, to getting a number of missing items like life vests and stuff. So by the time we were ready to go, it was mid afternoon. We didn’t mind very much though, as the days are long and it was warm and sunny, so we took them down to Aberdesach and set out for some paddling around. There was a bit of wind, so we had some nice mild chops to play with, and I was awesome and Iest will need to get better if he wants to keep up with me. But at least i had some time to take nice macro beach pics while waiting for him to catch up. Beautiful day overall.

IMG_7593

On Monday we needed to make our way down to Llundain again, but since we have Terrell we were much more flexible and decided to first go to Beaumaris for a trip to Puffin island. I wanted to go on kayaks but Iest was a scaredy cat and so we went on a little boat with other people. It was nice though as well, as the skipper knew a lot about all the birds and animals and showed us everything. We saw:
– Shags: check
– Puffins: check
– Guillemots: check
– Razorbills: check
– Cormorants: check
– Loads of seagulls: check
…and of course seals, who were very cute as always, just chilling on the rocks in the sun.
Afterwards, we started to make our way down home, stopping over to give Terrell a proper shower, which he needed after the weekend. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t get stuck anywhere in traffic on the way, and had quite a pleasant trip.

Going to Ynys Puffin

Going to ynys Puffin

Shags

Shags

Seals

Seals

Cormorant

Cormorant


30
Mar 16

Wales Easter

As usual, we headed up to Wales for Easter. Hurricane Katy was also heading up, so we had to give up kayaking plans, but otherwise we were totes on the top of our game – hiking, sea, sunsets, birds, oen bachs and family time, all check! Plus, awesome time with my macro lens.

We did a nice little hike up the Roman steps to Rhinog Fawr, down by Harlech. Saw a Red Grouse on the way too.

Up Rhinog Fawr

Up Rhinog Fawr

Down Rhinog Fawr

Down Rhinog Fawr

Red Grouse

Red Grouse

Sunset before the storm, from Dinas Dinlle.

Sunset

Sunset

Also a nice hike our fave Yr Aran, the Vatican way this time, with some nice views on the snowy Snowdon ridge.

Gina and Yr Wyddfa

Gina and Yr Wyddfa

Cwm Llan a Yr Wyddfa

Cwm Llan a Yr Wyddfa

Up Aran

Up Aran

Up on Aran

Up on Aran

Down Aran

Down Aran

Spectacularly windy trip around Morfa Nefyn, sort of sunny though. No seals!

Morfa Nefyn

Morfa Nefyn

Macro throughout. Getting really good at it, should be selling them for postcards!

Macro

Macro

Oen bachs everywhere!

Oen bach

Oen bach


13
Mar 16

Hampstead Heath

Sunny Sunday, spring is almost here, so we made our way to Hampstead Heath to give some air to my mini drone. Plus also to find the parakeets and possibly other birds.
We were not so lucky on the drone front, it still pretty much does what it wants and then it ran out of batteries.
BUT we were super lucky on the birds! We saw:
– parakeets (all green, check!)
– geese (of some kind, not check, we don’t know what they are)
– and a KESTREL, and not only that but we saw him catch a mouse and munch on it in the sun in the tree (check check check!) Love my monocular.

Parakeet

Parakeet

Geese

Geese

Kestrel

Kestrel