Hitting The Hills | Raising money for UNICEF

Trek Report: Wandering around Wales

Written by Phill on August 10, 2011

Last weekend Heley and I did our final practise trip in preparation of our 380-mile walk. We walked the best part of 50 miles across and two and a half miles up during three and a half days.

It was forecast to rain for four days. The forecast was wrong. Instead we had beautiful weather to complete a route that can only be described as insane. It took Heley until the fourth day to realise how crazy the route was. If we do decide to do another practise trip, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be allowed to choose the route.

Day 1: Thursday

The first day saw us rolling up in Llangynog a little after 10 am, having been to the supermarket for provisions. Setting off at 10.30 was hardly an ideal start to the trip; getting there a few hours earlier would have made the day a lot easier, but setting off at all was at least a start.

For the remainder of the morning we walked from Llangynog to Llanrhaeadr Waterfall. Heley managed to twist her ankle along the way. The start we were making to Day 1 was becoming increasingly less ideal. The waterfall was beautiful, the sun was shining, the lady serving the tea was polite and the tea itself was wonderful. My first cup of tea of the trip was closely followed by my second. Little did I realise how long I was going to have to wait until my next cuppa.

We then started our first major ascent of the trip, first to the top of the waterfall, then onwards to Post Gwyn, a subsidiary summit of Cadair Berwyn. Wiki has this to say:

“The summit is the highest bump on the most westerly of Cadair Berwyn’s long south ridges. This ridge has a peat bog covering, with the heather being very deep. No well trodden paths have developed here and the summit is seldom visited.”

We can confirm that it is seldom visited; we can also confirm that the heather is very deep, and the peat bog is very boggy. We spent a long time walking along this particular ridge. Heley’s ankle was not happy about this; neither was my left knee.

Eventually we met the main road, where we could see some crazy mountain bikers dropping down the hill that we were climbing next. Over and down into the next valley, we dropped past Pennant Melangell and up into the hills again for our first night’s sleep under a tarp.

Day 2: Friday

The second day saw us walking alongside lakes, rivers and onwards to another waterfall.

We made a couple of slight navigation errors. One saw us walking a mile further east than we should have and the other led to us having to walk through a large stream leading into Lake Vyrnwy.

Fighting our way through steep slopes covered in sharp plants that seem to sting or bite and following that with stepping from stone to stone through a stream under the cover of trees made us feel like we were in a jungle. It was a very small, tame jungle that happened to be located in North Wales, but a jungle nonetheless.

Over the dam and into Llanwddyn we got drink fizzy drinks and I had a bacon sandwich. Heley had a mint feast. Fizzy drinks, bacon and ice cream – it was the start of a very pleasant afternoon.

We walked along the lake and through some fields up to Rhiwargor Waterfall. The sun was shining, we’d arrived at an intended location, and we weren’t feeling as injured as the previous day. It was feeling a little more like the trip was supposed to, and a little less like I had drawn a crazy squiggle on a map linking as many hills, rivers and valleys together as possible.

Then the midges made an appearance. Brilliant training for any battles with the great Scottish Midge, unfortunately our current preparations were not adequate. Clouds of midges surrounded us, to the extent that we were walking around eating in the hope they wouldn’t keep up with us. To be fair, I’d score it as even. For every bite out of me that they took I have probably either killed or consumed one that had stupidly landed in my smash or my tea.

The midges made for an unpleasant start to the evening, but at least we had our new tent to play with and escape to.

Day 3: Saturday

We’d done the bulk of the planned distance in the first two days, tomorrow would be an easy day, but this one was always planned to be short but hard. Heley started off miserable having not slept well, and then slowly got worse. The midges in the morning hadn’t helped, nor had the fact my route started with a steep ascent. Then a descent, then another ascent. This was followed by a loop around a river to a spot where we could recognise as being about half an hour walk from where we started. Then we got to walk through more bog and heather. Neither of us was very happy at this point. On the bright side, there were some absolutely stunning views up there.

It was all over by mid-afternoon, and we finally reached our camping spot for the night. We stopped and brewed a couple of cups of tea, we chatted, Heley lit a fire using the magnesium fire starter, we pitched the tarp all in time to watch it start to rain a little. The most stunning rainbow I’ve ever seen made an appearance, along with a second rainbow, which seemed to only be there to indicate how awesome the first was.

Day 4: Sunday

We woke up early, cleared up camp and set off in the cold. We had a short walk into Llangynog, where we were meeting a friend of mine before heading on yet another walk up a hill. He had said to knock as early as we wanted, he obviously didn’t mean half past nine on a Sunday morning.

The extent of my insanity became clear to Heley after we met Karl. Karl took us on a pleasant walk along a footpath and up a hill. It was a sharp contrast to the hard, winding walks that we were now used to. It was the most enjoyable walk of the weekend, mostly along bits of footpath, our rucksacks felt light, there was no heather to do battle with, no bogs, no doubling back, and other than a few ferns, and the ascent was plain sailing.

The craziness that had been our route through some of the hills and valleys of North Wales was pretty much over, and we got to enjoy the walk. I’d put us through a few very tough days, so it was a welcome reminder of how pleasurable walking through the hills on a sunny day really can be.

We had a few photos taken of us near the top, and wandered past a few caves and back down into Llangynog.

Summary

The idea of ‘train hard and the real thing comes easy’ has its pitfalls; for example, being demoralised, tired, and injured. On the bright side, we’ve come through everything really well. We encountered more than enough problems, from tough terrain and troublesome plants to issues with insects and injuries.

I can’t say I enjoyed every minute of the trip, but that was never the plan. We needed to make sure that we took advantage of this trip to fully prepare for our walk around Scotland, and I think we managed to do that. We coped with everything my route threw at us, and kept on going.

Next stop… Scotland.

Please remember to visit our Donation Page to help us to raise money for DC Boxing. More photos of the trip can be seen on our Facebook page.

Up a hill in Wales.

Written by Phill on August 5, 2011

Right now we are up a hill in the middle of North Wales. Just testing that I can blog from my phone

Interview with a DC Boxing Coach

Written by Phill on August 2, 2011

Ivan from DC Boxing has kindly answered a few questions about the club for us. Ivan is the head coach at DC Boxing, and has a wealth of experience as both a former boxer and a coach.

1) What is your role at DC Boxing Club?

My role is as a coach, along with being the clubs competition secretary. As well as whatever needs to be done.

2) How did you get involved in boxing?

I remember watching Joe Bugner box Henry Cooper back in about 1970 – at the same time my brother had just started training at the Howard Mallett – so it was not long before I started as well.

3) Why train at DC boxing?

I think the club is a good club – over the past year we have had over 26 lads box for the club as well as nearly every session is all but full. I think you are best to ask that question to all the members, we must be doing something right and I do think the club is on the up.

4) Describe a typical training session

As you know, a lot of the session is based around skill, developing technique and tatical awareness. Cardio work is always a part of the sessions.

5) What makes DC Boxing a special club?

The boxers – every single one makes this club special

6) How could donations be used to benefit the club?

Every club relies on donations and DC is no different. At this moment we are looking to expand the training area so we can have a second sparring ring and another training area.

7) Is it safe? The club trains a lot of youngsters, aren’t parents worried about their children being hit in the head?

Amateur Boxing has a good saftey record, along with a very good medical system. Yes boxers do get hit in the face , but they are trained to defend the punches and headguards are worn in sparring and competitions.

8) Do you have to be a fighter to train at a boxing gym?

No, anyone from 7 to 100 can train at DC

9) What do you think about the sponsored trek to raise money for DC Boxing Club?

I think the trek is a good idea, it will be a hard effort needed to complete and it will test your personal character, I wish you both a good and safe trip and I hope the Scottish weather is kind to you. It would be nice if you are able to raise enough money to purchase our second sparring ring – instead of a red and blue corner we will have the corner pads labelled with PHILL & HELEY.
Good Luck to you both

Interview with a DC Boxer

Written by Phill on July 29, 2011

Justin from DC Boxing has kindly answered a few questions about the club for us. Justin is one of the clubs senior boxers and recently won DC Boxing’s Dedication and Achievement award. He’s always the first person to offer advice and encouragement to other boxers, so we thought we’d ask him to answer a few questions for us.

Justin won DC Boxing's Dedication and Achievement award

1) What is your role at DC boxing club?

Boxer/Coach. I like to help others as my boxing career is nearing its end at 35.

2) How did you get involved/interested in boxing?

I got involved in boxing watching mike Tyson with my brother in those days it was on terrestrial TV. And of course, there were the Rocky movies.

I’m interested in boxing because it’s a great way to keep fit and it brings all sorts of different people together.

3) Describe a typical training session…

A typical session is cardio, coupled with technique; we go over certain things we need to improve on. Sometimes sparring is involved and hopefully what we learn outside the ropes helps us when in them.

4) Why should people raise money for DC Boxing?

Raising money for the club will benefit everyone associated with the club.

The club needs more equipment as it is growing each week. The club is expanding into the adjacent building and renovation work needs to be done for it to be a fit for people to train in. Once repairs and renovations have been completed the club could do with another boxing ring, but the priority is completing the extension in order to provide enough space for new members to train.

5) Boxing has been getting a lot of media attention in the UK recently, for example Amir Khan, David Haye, do you think that British Boxing is on the up?

British boxing is very much on the up, Amir Khan recently winning another world title and Carl Froch to come. Very exciting times and I think this encourages the youngsters to the gym.

6) What sort of people train at DC Boxing?

We have a wide variety of people who train in our gym, ranging from the young to the old, from men to women. All circles of life where each individual has a story to tell.

7) What sort of person would you recommend boxing to?

I would recommend boxing to absolutely anyone. Give it a go and see where it can take you. It’s certainly changed my life.

8) What do you think about the sponsored trek to raise money for DC Boxing Club?

The sponsored trek for the club just shows how much our club means to the boxers, they care about the club and don’t think they should just turn up for a session and forget it until the next one. Everyone wants to get involved personally. And physically. A great club that means so much to them. The donated trek just goes to show the boxers what it means to the others.

On a personal note well done to both the walkers from DC and we appreciate your efforts.

Gore-tex Boots vs. Trail Runners

Written by Phill on July 28, 2011

I should have done an A-B test with a different shoe on each foot!

Heavy Gore-tex (top) vs Inov-8 Roclites (bottom)

Final Score: Phill 17 – Heley 1

Walking over 350 miles requires good footwear. There’s no way we want to cut short the trip because one of us has foot rot.

When we first looked at boots our immediate reaction was to look at waterproof footwear. I was divided between boot or shoe, waterproof or not. Heley was keen on shoes rather than boots, but leaning towards the gore-tex waterproof models.

There’s little scientific evidence that boots are better than shoes for lowering the chances of injuring yourself. We decided we were best off choosing what we felt most comfortable with. We chose low-cut footwear rather than boots.

Waterproof or not

Over 3 weeks your footwear is going to get wet. Even the toughest most waterproof boot has one place that lets water in – how else would you get your foot in the shoe otherwise?

If the weather is bad and you are walking through mud and puddles, water is going to get in, even if wearing gaiters. If the weather is beautiful then the sweat from your feet has nowhere to escape either. Essentially you are walking with your feet in little water-collecting buckets. Your feet will get wet, and your footwear will be slow to dry.

Using trail runners allows your shoes to drain quicker. Sure, your feet are going to get wet, but over a long journey they are going to get wet anyway. The advantage of lightweight breathable shoes is that you can walk the boots dry. The water seeps out as you walk, and they are quicker to dry when than waterproof boots.

Gore-tex boots are better for shorter journeys, where you have a chance of keeping dry throughout the trip. They’re also recommended for situations where conditions are going to be below freezing.

The Ely warm-up trek

Heley had already got her lightweight inov-8 Roclite 268s by the time the Ely trek had arrived. I was still in my old Karrimor gore-tex boots. Bombproof maybe, but it seems the right boot had a leak. Five miles into the first day, walking through pouring rain, Heley’s feet were still dry; Heley being the one not wearing waterproof shoes.

My right foot was damp, and by mile number eight it was downright sodden. Ten miles in and water had managed to get into my left boot too. Heley’s feet were now wet, but she was still comfortable, water left her Roclites as easily as it went in. I was now walking on the newly formed puddles in my boots.

Every few miles I needed to stop and wring out my socks, in the hope of another half a mile before the puddles in my boot reformed. There was no way these boots were going to be “walked dry”. In the end I gave up.

Summary

Sitting down after the walk, Heley had one blister, which could have been prevented had we stopped when she noticed her foot rubbing on the 2^nd day. Heley never complained about cold feet, and for the best part of 50 miles her feet were fine. She may not have been happy about the weather, but there were no complaints about the choice of footwear.

I had no complaints about the weather. I grew up in North Wales, I’m immune to rain. I did have some complaints about the footwear. Walking in waterproof boots is wonderful until they get wet. Then you’re in trouble. There was little I could do to dry the boots out, and short of carry another 50 pairs of socks I was stuck with wet feet. I hobbled home to a blister count of 17. This despite wearing a good pair of wool socks and a nice pair of liner socks too.

The choice we’ve made is to go with lightweight trail runners, which may not be waterproof, but are quicker to dry and allow water back out once it’s got in.