The March meet was at a new hut for the club, the Peter Llowarch Memorial Hut near Capel Curig. Due to a combination of injury, prior engagement, and looking at the weather forecast, attendance was the lowest we've had for some time, with only 5 making the journey.
The first difficulty was finding the hut, which involved parking by a farm and walking down a track. We arrived in 3 separate groups, and each one managed to walk down the same wrong track and try to gain entry to the wrong building! When we eventually found the right place, it turned out to be one of the more rustic places we've stayed, with no electricity, no lighting apart from candles, and just a small wood-fired stove for heat. But at least we had gas for the cooker!
As is normal for our Welsh meets, the weather was a bit rubbish. But that didn't stop Joe heading off for a trot round the first part of the Snowdon Horseshoe, starting with Lliwedd, over a surprisingly busy Snowdon, before descending from the dolmen at the col before Crib Goch.
Ann and Becky sensibly opted for a low-level walk around the Crafnant Valley. And Carmen and I went for an extended run, starting straight up the side of Moel Siabod into the mist and rain, before descending to Capel, up and over the hill to the Crafnant, and back over the pass to the hut.
That evening, the hut began to grow on us, as the stove warmed up the small central room and the cooker made a vague impression of heat in the big kitchen. As usual, we all ate far too much!
On Sunday the forecast was similarly poor so Joe went home. The rest of us risked heading for a coastal walk near Little Orme, and we rewarded by sunshine and a mostly dry day, though bitterly cold in the strong wind. We passed a monument which we thought must commemorate some Victorian battle, but which turned out to have been built a few years ago by a local hotel. On over the top of Little Orme. And to finish, we found the local seal colony at Angel Bay.
All in all, a successful meet. The hut was basic, and you wouldn't want many more than 5 staying there in cold weather, but as a summer venue it could be pretty good, with lots of space outside and views over the surrounding hills. And if we'd known then what we know now it would have been a sell-out!
Roll on 2021…
Tags: rain, seals, the good old days, Wales