So, it’s the 20th – January today, and I still haven’t written anything about our awesome New Year’s in Wales. Today seems like a good day to do it because Iestyn is having fun at pub quiz, so I’m home alone.
First, it needs to be said that I got awesome awesome presents, birthday ones carefully separated from the solstice ones (just how I like it), and all of them so good. I got me the ubersexy and ubertech mountain jacket that I had loved for ever, and also a beautiful print for the wall, signed and numbered – DON’T SHAVE! Can’t wait to have it with me and hanging. And, on top of that, I got The Ward Lock & Co ‘North Wales ‘ Southern Section’ book! This is the second part to my Northern section book that I already had since our last trip to Scotland, where I found it in a tiny old second-hand bookshop. I cannot believe Iestyn was able to find this, it is really old (probably even a couple of decades than the first one, and that was old already), and truly beautiful. I also got lots of other pretty, nicely smelling, snugly and buzzy things.
The weather was nothing too special, the loads snow that were in Wales earlier had gone before I came over. Our first little walk was up Mr. Ellis and the ridge behind it, and it was very pretty. Hopefully this was also the last time with us in the mountains and only Iestyn looking sharp (did I mention my new jacket had to go for size exchange, and so I could not wear it the whole time?).
Lots of our fun this time was related to our retro project, but that has separate posts on its own, so I will just say that places have changed since the good old Ward Lock, and even mountains have. And this is a great project that we both like to do, and we both get to use our skills, me the mastermind behind it all, and Iest the picture taker and mountain driver.
New Year’s itself was spent traditionally camping, this time not by the sea, but up Cnicht and further by the lake. It was quite cold, so even though there was not much snow left, the lake was frozen over, and it all looked very pretty. We did have a big three course dinner (with mint madness hot chocolate – thanks, my dragonfly!), made our flashlight new year’s picture (also traditional), and fell asleep even before midnight (in our defence – it was dark since four already!).
On the actual New Year’s day we went to worship Pete at his house of worship, and on top of the massive portions of soul warming grub, I discovered tiffin siocled, my new favorite Welsh dessert. Yum.
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It all passed by so quickly as always, and before I could watch (finish watching) the second part of Star Wars, I was already on the train to London again. There I acquired a pretty bike multi-tool, to make myself feel better about having to leave, but I managed to actually lose it too, and never saw it again, so it even made me feel worse. But altogether, it was a great fun trip, and I cannot wait for the next one.
Also, as I haven’t posted anything in ages, I forgot how to add pictures, how to separate the post into intro and the rest, and all these tricks. I’m not really the mastermind behind this blog it seems.
Tags: 2011, Cnicht, Foel Gron, Llyn yr Adar, Moel Eilio, Pete's Eat, Wales, Ward Lock & Co, Ward Lock a Co, Ward Lock a Co Southern Wales, Wild camping on Cnicht