Lynn Brenig Walk to the valley of death

Yesterday (Sunday) was very wet in East London, so no local walk. This picture is from a couple of weeks ago, when Gill and I went to sort out some family business in North Wales. 

We had time for a short but still demanding 2.5 mile walk via Ordinance Survey and Country Walking. Check my Facebook for more photos. 

We walked to a valley near the Lynn (Lake) which had been a significant Bronze age cemetery to the dead. There was no-one about and the sound of nearby wind turbines was was just a little spooky. We got soaking wet feet walking back through bog land. 

But still a lovely walk and will return to Lynn Brenig. 

Elwy Valley Walk

Off message but over Easter, Gill and I went back to North Wales to see my Mum for her 81st birthday (our Christmas visit has also been cancelled when we caught Covid) and visit other family members. 

During the day we would go for walks and this 5 mile circular in the Elwy Valley was marvellous. Plenty of up and down's, great views and hardly any other walkers. 

Unfortunately the modern Ordinance Survey Pathfinder guide  for the area does not appear to have this walk listed in it anymore. Check out this link on the my OS website "route" for a map of walk but watch out that the right of way footpaths have been slightly changed for parts of the route, so follow what the actual signs indicate rather than your GPS. 

Start in the public car park by the old bridge in Llanfair Talhaiarn. The guidebook warns that you should not attempt this walk in misty weather. We finished the walk with an outdoor drink at the Black Lion. The food looked lovely. Next time. I will post and link further photos on Facebook

"Robert Roberts was a north-Walian quarryman. His death on 23 April 1888 resulted in a churchyard break-in by candlelight, an illicit burial, and the rise of a Prime Minister".

"Robert Roberts was a north-Walian quarryman. His death on 23 April 1888 resulted in a churchyard break-in by candlelight, an illicit burial, and the rise of a Prime Minister.

All because his final wish was to be buried beside his daughter at their local churchyard".

Check out this fascinating tale  hat tip @LondonNurse2015 

Kyffin Williams, 'The Gathering, Farmers on Glyder Fach'

Top present this Christmas from my Mum was a 2018 calendar featuring the North Walian impressionist painter, Kyffin Williams. The "Gathering" is my favorite. 

Tal y fan walk

Off message but over Xmas, Gill and I went on a marvellous walk in North Wales. Tal y fan is the lowest mountain in Snowdonia at 2000ft (610m) and an ideal introduction to climbing mountains. It also follows an ancient Roman road, passes prehistoric monuments and a remote medieval church. It might be relatively easy compared to other Snowdonia mountains but it is not a walk to be attempted in bad weather if you are not experienced in using a compass.

The walk starts in the lovely village of Roewen with a steep vertical ascent along a former Roman military road. It is quite tough but the views get better and better as you go up. You pass ancient burial chambers and standing stones.

The summit of Tal y fan is steep and rocky which requires care but the views from the top are magnificent.  Since it was a little late in the day we cut the walk short by going off the suggested "pathfinder" route and headed across the ridge towards Conwy.

A herd of wild welsh mountain ponies ran past us. A fellow walker who passed by said these ponies were descendants of Roman horses who used to work in the local mines and quarries.

Going down the mountain back into Roewen was difficult since it was cold and slippery but we managed to keep upright.

This is a walk we will repeat again in a different season and will no doubt enjoy it as much then as we did last month. 

Happy New Year: Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Just back from North Wales seeing family, giving and receiving presents as well as eating and drinking too much. I also managed to fit in a couple of lovely walks (see picture) which I will post about another time.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and a great 2017. Nuff said?

Room with a view

Off message but this has been the view greeting me in the morning for the last few days. Sheep, foxes, rabbits, grouse and various other birds (real photo edited with "painting" software). An always changing landscape where you never get bored looking out of the window. The beautiful Vale of Clwyd, Ruthin, North Wales.

3 Million People Struggle to Feed & Clothe their Children in UK: Official (& What to do about it)

This is the post I was going to publish on Boxing Day but thought that by doing so I would be a bit of a Christmas misery. Instead I posted this. 

In the run up to Christmas, the information and campaigning Group InequalityBriefing.org produced the above report on the 3 million people in this country who live in poverty (or "severe material deprivation" as defined by the ONS). This affects at least 5% of our population.

Next they published a briefing that showed the richest 1% in our society have got richer. In 1978 the top 1% got 6% of national income while in 2009 (latest figures - note under a Labour government) they got 14%!

Finally, on 20 December they published a report called "Can you live on a minimum wage?". They used figures from my Borough Newham (which is one of least expensive places to live in London) which shows if you survive on a minimum wage you would have £4 per week after paying for your essential living expenses. Of course people can't live on that and either work all the hours they can,  have 2 or 3 jobs, use food banks or depend on loan sharks (legal or otherwise).

I spent Christmas in North Wales and visited members of my family who do really difficult jobs and are bringing up kids on a minimum wage and insecure employment contracts. Life is really tough for them.

So what is the answer to widespread poverty and inequality in Britain?

The answer in my view (apology for rant) has got to include:- 

• A Living Wage for all as the new minimum wage. A Living Wage that will (eventually) also pay a living pension, decent sickness benefits and employment rights.
• Binding Wage councils between trade union and employers in sectors that can afford more than a living wage. 
• Truly progressive taxation to make sure that those who can really afford it - pay their fair share.
• Democratise shareholding to make sure that our Pension and insurance funds take their responsibility of ownership serious and stop us being ripped off by excessive executive remuneration.
• Re-balance power in the workplace and enable trade unions to protect workers and win back a greater share of national income for wages.
• Quality and well funded public services designed to prevent people falling into poverty in the first place and bringing them out if they do.
• Better regulation and intervention by local and national government to fix broken markets and protect consumers.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of each particular policy above, unless there is change then I am convinced that the long term future of this country as a free (but imperfect) stable Parliamentary democracy subject to the rule of law is at risk.

If the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer then you don't have to have a degree in history to know what will eventually happen. The Labour Party needs to resume its historic mission to act and save capitalism from itself.

Cadair Idris - the Giants Armchair

Off message but just back from a walking holiday in North Wales and Shropshire. Highlight in Wales was a superb walk up Cadair Idris in Snowdonia.

Went up via Minffordd Path, which is the shortest way up but also the steepest.  The weather was as always in Wales, warm and sunny, but it had rained heavily the night before, so lots of gushing water everywhere.

The way up was not as bad as I had expected. A series of hard climbs but some relatively easy bits in between.

The path was quite quiet with relatively few other walkers for the time of year. 

The views all the way up and around were simply glorious. You felt on top of the world. The way down (horseshoe route) was worse since it was just straight down and down on a steep wet, slippery shale path.

Picture (double click to bring up detail) is from the way down looking back towards Cadiar Idris. You walk up on your left and around the mountain range. Believe me this looks easier than it is.

This walk was magnificent and now one of my favorites but not to be tackled in poor weather.  Had a lovely (but expensive) cold beer at Minffordd Hotel at the end to celebrate.

Update: More photos on Facebook here.

Kids stabbing Kids

Two weeks ago I was in a traditional cafe in Tower Hamlets, East London meeting one of my trade union members who is off sick from work. While we were discussing his situation I was vaguely aware that some sort of disturbance had broken out in the street outside the cafe. Youths on push bikes seemed to be having some sort of a row. There was about 3 or 4 of them involved with some more hovering around.

I wasn't really paying attention until I heard some women I knew shouting at them to stop and to break it up. Then I saw one youth carrying what looked like a scaffolding pipe who also tore off his tee shirt and threw it on the floor then ran off. I went outside and found out that  one of the youths had been stabbed. On a street rubbish bin there was a blue tee shirt covered in blood with a small cut in its side.  I rang the Police who were quickly on the scene and sealed off the area. I left them my details if they needed to take a statement from me. I saw the victim being treated by a paramedic further up the Street. I understand that his injuries were serious but not life threatening.

What is wrong with our society? Why are our kids going around armed with knives in the middle of the day?  When I was young there were plenty of such stupid and pointless fights but the premeditated use of weapons amongst the young just by and large did not happen. 

This was not in any way a "golden age".  There was far more unreported horrific domestic and child abuse in those days. I also as a young man growing up in the relative backwater of North Wales actually saw more senseless violence and knife crime than I have ever seen socialising in East London, but this was largely immature males in pub and nightclub drink and drug fuelled stupidity.

The idea of 16-17 year olds on push bikes stabbing each other in the street in broad daylight over teenage petty macho nonsense just leaves me speechless. 

It was ironically not all doom and gloom. The local women who went out and challenged the youths and broke up the initial fight, the passerby who gave mouth to mouth resuscitation to the youth who had been stabbed, the number of people willing to speak to the Police and tell them what they saw. Don't get me wrong, this type of public violence is still very rare and exceptional and the evident shock that local people felt did show this.

But what is the answer? The picture above is of "Get a life and bin a Knife" bins but surely there needs to be more than that?

Drop Dead Gorgeous Wales

This was a hastily snapped photo taken near the roadside on route back home to the smoke yesterday in Snowdonia. I think it is Llynnau Mymbyr on the A4086.   Lovely...