Gwilym's Adventure Blog

This weekend I have been in a very wet and windy South Wales running a Hill and  Moorland Leader Training course for 5 candidates from Marauders Men's Health in Port Talbot. The weather was a constant battle but we were able to stay low and work around it using lesser know parts of the Brecon Beacons. Working for Adventures with Will  

 I have just got back from a Lowland Leader Assessment in Lincolnshire. Thanks to Darren for working with me and well done to the 5 new Lowland Leaders who copes with some very wet and windy conditions over the two days. One of the best things about doing courses out of my immediate locality is that the candidates always teach me things about their local area.

I switch across to the Mountain Leader Training course today to work a day with them. It was wet, and by wet I mean very wet! After a morning inside talking all about weather, route planning, remits and hazards we headed out into Cwm Idwal to see what the reality was like. Swollen streams and rivers, difficult walking conditions due to wind and so wet underfoot. Still, a bad day outside is better than a good day inside.

 A much wetter and windier experience on day 2 of the Mountain Leader Assessment although we managed to get some shelter on Tryfan. Today was all about the steep ground and manging people in that environment.

 Today I was out with 4 candidates on a Mountain Leader Assessment in The Ogwyn Valley. a little windy in places but mainly dry and nice to see some jest going through. I am directing this course for Wet and High Adventures .

The last 2 days, I have been working with Andy Holborn on a Climbing Wall Instructor Training course for staff from SSE Outdoors . The first day at The Quay Climbing Centre  in Exeter and the second day at their own site,  gave us two very different venues to work with and to explore all the skills needed by a CWI.

Sometimes (not very often) I get to work close to home. This weekend I was directing a Lowland Leader Assessment on The Quantock Hills and Somerset Coast. Super hot 2 days with loads of information shared with the candidates. I love it when I am assessing and learn something new. Passes all round. Well Done

This week I have been in Snowdonia directing a Mountain Leader Training Course for Wet and High Adventures Ltd. There was also an assessment running so I worked one day of that as well. 6 candidates and lots of smiles carried us through a week of mixed weather. Now they all get to go off to fill up their logbooks with more days.

  This weekend I have been on Dartmoor running a Rock Climbing Instructor Assessment in super hot conditions at The Quay Climbing Centre, Hound Tor and Chudleigh. Lots of climbing done as well as looking at simple problem solving, abseiling and setting up of group ropework systems.

The last 3 days have been spent mentoring Alex as he is preparing for his Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor  assessment. Alex taught Ben amd Dan climbing skills on Idwal Slabs and Milestone Butress. We then practised rescues on Tryfan Bach followed by a damp scrambling day on Idwal Butress and Continuation This is very much a two way process where both I as the mentor and Alex as the mentee get some benefits. I learnt a new route to get off Idwal Slabs and a scramble I had been up before (though I have come down it) whilst Alex got some feedback on his teaching clients. Tomorrow I will be a student myself as I have just arrived at one of my favourite locations for my own development.

 This week I have been in Snowdonia running some Mountain Leader  courses for Wet and High Adventures . I was directing an assessment but swapped with Stu for a day to work on his training course. A hot start to the week meant we could spend lot of time out getting stuff done. Always hard to do night nav when it doesn't really go that dark overnight. The last picture is of some amazing Lenticular clouds that formed over Carnedd Daffyd

I have just finished a very hot and sunny Lowland Leader Assessment on the Isle of Wight. We visited coast path, woodland, farmers fields and downs over the 2 days.  Always good to learn loads from the candidates especially the local knowledge that they had between them. Just on the ferry now heading up to North Wales for a Mountain Leader course. It is so good to be back out doing what I enjoy and making good progress on clearing the backlog of courses.

 Another Lowland Leader Training course but a long way from the last two. This time I was on The Isle of Wight with a group of DofE Leaders.  Even though it was not the finest IOW weather, we had a great weekend and covered loads of topics. The courses all follow the syllabus but different locations give us variety in how we deliver and this keeps it interesting for me as well. Sadly the mole in picture 3 was beyond help but he was moved from the middle of a cycle track and given a suitable send off wrapped in a leaf

This was the second of the Lowland Leader Training courses I was delivering in The Lincolnshire Wolds in partnership with Wolds Outdoors. A wetter weekend to start but dried out on day two to give use some lovely walking conditions