Gwilym's Adventure Blog

On the third and final day on Dartmoor today working for Wet and High Adventures Ltd on a Hill and Moorland Leader assessment it was drier and less windy and almost verging on being pleasant at times. Well done to those who passed and hope to see the others back soon to finish off the award.

A much drier but very windy day on Dartmoor today working for Wet and High Adventures Ltd on a Hill and Moorland Leader assessment with 6 candidates split between Mark and I. We swapped groups today and went to have a look at some of the devastation caused by last weeks fires. They covered a substantial area and there is significant damage to the grasses. The mosses and lichens however seemed to have survived. I would expect that quite a few ground nesting birds lost their nests. A proper late night as we had to stay out to await for darkness, finally getting back to the cars around 10:30pm

A very wet day on Dartmoor today working for Wet and High Adventures Ltd on a Hill and Moorland Leader Assessment with 6 candidates split between Mark and I In between the showers it was actually quite nice and a pleasure to be out and about until the next one hit us.

This week I have been at Adventure Activities base on the Isle of Wight working for Wet and High Adventures Ltd running a National Beach Lifeguard Qualification for some of their staff We had mainly sunny days but the water was still very cold and sub 10 degrees which made the open water sessions a little challenging at times. Good efforts from all candidates and all those who took the exam passed and there were some very impressive swim times in the pool.

After a few weeks of mountains, I arrived on The Isle of Wight today for something different. This afternoon I was out conducting some risk assessments at the two beaches I will be using during the week to run a National Vocational Beach Lifeguard Course . I also got to take my SUP back to where it was born (metaphorically as I am sure it was made overseas). You can see in picture 2 the logo and the headland that it was drawn from at Freshwater Bay.

With the Mountain Leader Assessment candidates out on expedition with Si and Stu, I was back out on Tryfan for a second day with 2 other candidates who needed a one day steep ground assessment provided by Wet and High Adventures Ltd to finish off their qualification. I am please to say both performed at the required standard and passed. Well Done!

On Day 2 of the Mountain Leader Assessment I am directing for Wet and High Adventures Ltd , we headed to Tryfan's North Ridge for all things steep and ropey! I had the group of 3 today and the other 4 who I had yesterday were out with Stu. Lots of decision making, route finding, spotting, coaching and of course the occasional use of rope throughout the day. A damp humid and muggy start that cleared up nicely and turned into a pretty good hill day.

https://www.mountain-training.org/qualifications/walking/mountain-leader A pretty windy day for the first day of a Mountain Leader Assesment in Snowdonia for Wet and High Adventures Ltd . 7 candidates in total and 4 with me today. We sheltered from the wind in the Ogwen valley looking at all things navigational, environmental and leadership

Today for the second and final day of the Mountain Training Intermediate Rock Skills course for Wet and High Adventures Ltd we were at Chudleigh South looking at how to set up Top Ropes and of course, got lots of climbing done as well. 5 different routes between the showers and a couple of abseils. This is the first Rock Skills course we have run and I really like the syllabus. Although each course will be different depending on the candidates initial skill set we certainly got a lot done over the 2 days.

On the first day of a Mountain Training Rock Skills (Intermediate) course for Wet and High Adventures Ltd with two teenage brothers, we headed to the Dewerstone to look at belaying skills and becoming a competent second. This is the very reason that Wet and High got an AALA licence so we can do some exciting stuff with keen youngsters. The boys top roped Agags Slab before seconding me on Pinnacle Buttress and Muck Gully.  8 pitches climbed each during the day and well as learning how to take gear out, belay and coiling ropes. Looking forward to a second day tomorrow to look at how to set up climbs and other useful skills.

After another long drive back to Bristol on Monday afternoon, on Tuesday morning I drove the same minibus back up to Snowdonia with the second wave of groups from Bristol Cathedral Choir School for their Gold DofE practice. Similar routes and yet again we had amazing weather during the day but it was certainly cold at night with temps dipping below zero and ice on the tents. I really enjoy working with the staff and students from this school and look forward to their summer expeditions to The Lake District this summer.

After a long drive back from Wales on Thursday (in a blizzard), on Friday morning I drove a minibus back up there with groups from Bristol Cathedral Choir School for their Gold DofE practice. So different by the time we got there with most the snow gone other than a few patches on Cadair Idris and Aran Fawwddy. We had amazing weather for the trip with only light drizzle on the first day. Some lovely evenings in the campsites and a pleasure to be sitting around on the hills waiting for groups. Tomorrow morning it all starts again with the next cohort.