Cycle Touring the Devon Coast to Coast

Alastair BegleyRoad Cycling Short Link

With a surprising early spring weekend Becky and I decided to get back on our bikes by jumping in the deep end and cycle touring the Devon coast to coast. The route was from Ilfracombe to Plymouth via sustrans route 27, which is mostly off road due to old railway lines and follows the Tarka trail, Granite way and Drake’s Trail. After the initial shock at how heavy the bikes were when loaded up with our gear the initial climb out of Ilfracombe went surprisingly well. We were soon well on our way and made reasonable time to Barnstable where we stopped at a bike shop for some warmer gloves! The rest of the first day was mostly enjoyable cycling on good cycle paths, with some road at the end of the day. We didn’t quite make it as far as we had planned but managed to find a good spot to wild camp before Okehampton. In the end this turned out to be an excellent idea as it meant we were sheltered from the wind which was fairly brutal the next morning. The next morning we woke up to. Read the full article…

Glen Strathfarrar Munros

Alastair BegleyWalking Short Link

Having joined Mountaineering Scotland specifically so that we could get access to the Glen Strathfarrar Munros it was great to get the conditions to enjoy this classic remote walk on such a stunning day. We woke up to a hard frost and a cold van due to an unexpectedly clear morning. We drove up the Glen as early as we were allowed to, and it was a beautiful morning as the sun was rising over the mountains. We dropped a bike at the end of the circuit to enable a 6km cycle back down the road to the van, rather than having to walk down the road. The ascent was very warm in the morning sun and out of the wind, but we soon climbed up into the wind. The views throughout the day were fantastic and we could see massive amount of Scotland. To the north we could see Ben Wyvis, Beinn Dearg, the Fannichs, the Fisherfield, Torridon. To the south we could see the Cuillin Ridge, the Affric hills, the Mullardoch hills, Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor, Creag Meagaidh and over to the Cairngorms. The walking along the ridge. Read the full article…

Cùl Mòr

Alastair BegleyWalking Short Link

After flying up to Inverness on Friday afternoon we headed over to near Ullapool with a plan to climb some of the Fannichs the next day. Unfortunately after driving west the forecast somewhat deteriorated as the wind got stronger and the amount of precipitation increased. Due to this we had a lie in in the morning and headed into Ullapool for breakfast. We decided to head slightly further north to the fine Corbett of Cùl Mòr which is an isolated hill in the Assynt Mountains with fantastic views in every direction. The ascent was fairly windy at times, but the views to the north were spectacular which made the ascent interesting. After we got to the col between the two summits we were greeted with a fantastic view towards Stac Pollaidh and the Achiltibuie peninsula. As we made the final ascent to the summit the wind increased and made walking extremely arduous, I was very glad to only be spending a short period in the full force of the wind! I was hoping to get fantastic views on the descent of Suilven, Quinag and Canisp in the afternoon sun, however. Read the full article…

Sunset from Mynydd Troed

Alastair BegleyLandscape Short Link

I had a weekend planned in the Brecon Beacons to celebrate a friend’s 30th birthday, and given the beautiful forecast on the Friday afternoon I decided to leave work early and head up Mynydd Troed for sunset. I was hoping for a fantastic view of the Dragon’s Back on the Black Mountains, but it just looked a bit rounded from high up and would have lost the sun too early. Thankfully the more classic view over Llangors Lake and the Pen y Fan massif was excellent. I still haven’t done much sunrise or sunset photography, so I feel like I learnt lots. The key things being that I don’t need to arrive so early, and that I should definitely stay later! The sunset turned out to be lovely, with a small bank of cloud on the horizon, which was thin enough to allow the sun through. Just after the sun had set I descended as I was cold and it was a bit later than I was expecting, but as I got back to the car I realised how much the sky had improved so shot a few more frames.. Read the full article…