Meet Report: Tyddyn Farm meet, North Wales, 9-11 January
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Contributed by Simon Kennedy
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Saturday, 27 August 2005 |
14 people came on this meet based at this very comfortable farmhouse near Betws-y-Coed.
Meet Report: Tyddyn Farm meet, North Wales, 9-11 January 2004
14 people came on this meet based at this very comfortable farmhouse near Betws-y-Coed.
It was a quick journey from London, even for those who didn't try the new toll road past
Birmingham, and by half past nine most of us were sitting round the kitchen table at Tyddyn Farm,
in eager anticipation - not so much of the weekend to come, but of a first glimpse of Paul
Mandel's spectacular new hair colour. We were not disappointed.
On Saturday most people headed for Arenig Fawr. Paul, Tuba and Tim went to the Arans and I
gather that Tim got a bit futher along the ridge than the others. Hazel, Debbie and I opted
for a "pleasant walk with a scramble" over three tops leading to Arenig Fach. Having
congratulated ourselves on avoiding the rain in the morning, the weather broke as we
reached the foot of Arenig Fach. After ploughing through steep knee-deep heather in no
visibility, we found something that looked like a ridge, but no sign of the scramble
mentioned in the guidebook. It didn't lead to the top either, but a compass bearing
got us there. I think the experience of others was fairly similar, especially as regards
misty walks through trackless heather. Still, it was a good opportunity to test newly
acquired equipment, a test which Tom's Chinese "North Face" jacket failed. However he
compensated in the shops of Betws-y-Coed on Sunday, as far as I can tell from the shopping
bags I shared the back of his car with on the way back to London.
We were plied with cooked breakfast and an excellent Saturday night dinner by our superb
hostess Lynda, and further Saturday night entertainment was provided by the gadgets around
the dining room, including a plasma globe thingy and a clock with a different bird singing
to announce each hour. I won't try to explain what Derek was doing with his big torch . . .
A certain amount of drinking also took place and given the weather and expected gale force
winds, some of us contented ourselves on Sunday with a brisk tramp through the fields around
Pentrefoelas before heading back home.
Sandy Gordon
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