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toughgirlchallenges · 1 year

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Rachael Crewesmith - One of only 46 female Winter Mountaineering Instructors (ever!), mountain bike, swim, run guide. Noisily taking up space in a male-dominated industry, bringing her peers along for the ride.

Join us as we dive into the captivating story of Rachael Crewesmith, an extraordinary mountaineer, rock climber, hill walker, and mountain bike guide. Discover how Rachael fearlessly defies boundaries in a male-dominated industry, taking on epic challenges and inspiring others along the way.

Rachael in her own words:

“I’m a mountaineer, rock climber, hill walker, mountain biker and occasional paddler. I divide my time between the sprawling Scottish Highlands and the compact but wild mountains of Snowdonia where I work as a mountaineering instructor and mountain bike guide.

I have ridden my bike across Nepal, round and round the Strathpuffer 24 hr endurance course and down the twisty, rooty trails of the forests of the Highlands. I have climbed up 100 Munroes (and counting), El Capitan in Yosemite, to 6000m in the Himalaya and up the north face of Ben Nevis. My favourite day out ever was climbing The Original Route on The Old Man of Hoy, on Orkney.

I’ve also spent time just travelling for travelling sake, especially in Asia. I visited Burma (Myanmar) at the same time as President Obama and witnessed the carnival of the first US state visit ever. I have walked across the living root bridges of Cherrapungee in north-eastern India and ridden the Darjeeling steam train. I have had dinner with the Nepali Army in Bhojpur and breakfast with the monks of north-eastern Thailand. I love coming home to the UK and realising just how amazing our diverse country is. From laverbread in South Wales to fresh mussels cooked in a jetboil on a Hebridean island, I love our country and all it has to offer.”

Get ready for an exciting month of July on the Tough Girl Podcast, as we shine a spotlight on women working in the outdoors. Sponsored by Land & Wave - join us as we delve into their stories, gain insights, and discover valuable tips from their incredible experiences.

Don't miss out on these empowering episodes released every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - hit the subscribe button and be part of the adventure!

Show notes

Who is Rachael

Working as an outdoor professional

Living in Llanberis in North Wales

Where her love of the mountains comes from

Being obsessed with hockey from a young age

Being inspired by her mum - who has previously swum the English Channel!

Having a year out between school and university

Spending time in Nepal and going to Everest Base Camp at 18

Meeting a boy who was into climbing

Joining the mountaineering club at Nottingham University

Why climbing didn’t come naturally to her

Studying archeology at university

Working as a hockey coach

Leaving university and getting a job at a climbing wall

Not having a plan in her career

Not knowing what she wanted to do

Becoming a Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI)

Following up and doing her Mountaineering Climbing Instructor (MCI)

Becoming a Mountain Leader (ML) and doing 40 qualifying days

Loving the variety of what she can do with her qualifications

The challenges of working in the outdoor industry

Making the transition to becoming a freelancer

Why it’s important to build connections and networks

Getting work

The advantages of being a women in the outdoors

Elitism in the industry

Observing other women working in the industry

Working with certain choice companies and what she’s looking for

Pay in the industry as a mountaineering instructor and mountain leader

Asking for more money and being paid what your worth

Favourite type of work to get

Remaining positive when dealing with miserable weather while out working

Professional enthusiasm!

Winter Mountain Leader Qualification

10% of Winter ML holders are female

Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI)

Women in Mountain Training Conference 2022

The importance of networking

Proximal Role Models - Rebecca Williams

Women’s Trad Festival

Irish Women’s Rock Festival

Advice for women who want to gain more qualifications

Dr. Will Hardy - completion rates of Mountain Leader Qualification

Bangor University and Mountain Training PhD - Developing excellence in outdoor provision: enhancing training pathways for outdoor qualifications.

Why you should practice with a variety of people

Tips for finding people to train with

Women in Mountain Training Facebook Page

Climbing the ‘Old Man of Hoy’ part of the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland.

What VS means in climbing - Very Severe

An explanation of traditional climbing grades

Balancing the job/work with your love/passion for the outdoors

Being able to pick and choose her work

Being a Trustee of Cam&Bear Fund for Adventure

How to connect with Rachael

Wanting to run the Welsh 3000ers in under 12 hrs

“Think big, start small, but do start”

Social Media

Website: rachcrewe.com

Instagram: @rachcrewe

Twitter: @rachcrewe

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-crewesmith-75211530/

Check out this episode!

#podcast #women #sports #health #motivation #challenges #change #adventure #active #wellness #explore #grow #support #encourage #running #swimming #triathlon #exercise #weights

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i-ghd · 4 years

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Pembrokeshire, county of castles, coves and film star sands.

The eye was piercing. The gaze was imperious. The message an unspoken “Do you know who’s in control around here?” Eventually, of course, the human in boots, inching forward as quietly as he could along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, prevailed over the haughty feathered hunter perched on a fence post.

I was no more than 15 feet away, with the summit of nearby Carn Llidi as a backdrop, when the sparrowhawk very reluctantly gave way. It lifted off and, after a few grudging wing beats, alighted again about six posts along.

In the space of ten minutes, as I moved slowly forward, it repeated this procedure: lift off, lazy flutter of wings and perch again, about fives times, before cutting back in a wide arc across the field to roughly where I first met it.

The guidebooks tell you to look down from the cliffs for seals, porpoises, dolphins and to the windy space between land and sea for choughs, those comical blackbird-size birds with red legs. But not a word about this top predator, which had clearly dined so well on the local singbirds that it scarcely needed to move. (The birds sang on, despite the predations.)

Approach this national trail as you might a long, detailed menu in a restaurant, one with a wide choice of starters, many of them a meal in itself. There are also some main courses, specialities of this county, and you will want to sample one or two of them. However you would need a giant’s appetite to consume the whole 186-miles, still less the entire 870 miles Wales Coast Path, of which this is only a section.

Let’s start with those appetizers. (The sparrow hawk would be in the “today’s specials” section.) I stayed at the county’s western end, on its final thrust towards Ireland. As the chough flies, Waterford is closer than Cardiff.

Hearabouts any three to five mile stretch contains many permutations. The trail twists, it lurches, it plunges, it turns severely back on itself then climbs steeply down into and up out of tiny coves. Little tumbling streams cross your path. Banks dense with foxgloves enclose your way. A flower strewn meadow ends in a sudden sheer drop down to waves boiling over jagged rocks. The view constantly changes. Nothing stays the same on this path for more than a few minutes.

I did an idle measurement on Google Maps afterwards. Made into a straight line the Pembrokeshire Path would stretch here roughly from London, 198 miles away. In 2010, duly impressed, National Geographic Magazine judged this the second best coastal destination in the world, just behind the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland, Canada.

Every three or four miles, over much of the western end at least, there is a convenient pause, in the shape of an attractive little harbour, and there’s a fair chance it is served by the coastal bus.

This part of the coast was bristling with unexpected, at least to me, industrial history. We think of the Welsh valleys studded with smokestacks and pit heads, but there is the evidence of long and serious industry in this quiet backwater. The clues that somewhere, such as Abereiddi, was once very busy is in the eroded remains of labourers’ cottages. In other places those that stood up long enough after the decline are now holiday cottages.

We dropped down into Porthgain, an industrial powerhouse in its day. The roads of England were paved with crushed dolerite processed here. Now gentrification is complete. The main industrial building is now the Shed Fish and Chip Bistro. On our visit no fewer than ten Norwegian-registered vintage MG sportscars were neatly parked on the quayside.

The drivers and passengers were in the Shed, where they may well have been enjoying the exquisite if expensive fresh crab sandwiches, sold at prices Chiswick visitors would recognize. We ordered the same at the Sloop Inn opposite. We were perfectly positioned, some time later, to see the MGs set off in orderly convoy on the road to Fishguard.

The coast continues like this for miles, with a spot of strenuous striding, frequent heart-lifting views, tantalising glimpses of islands big and small just off the coast. Here and there an encounter with a profound religious past, in the ruined chapel and well of St David’s mother St Non, for example.

There are other, bigger harbours. In Solva the man in the car park handed out leaflets promoting all the little art craft shops, restaurants and guest houses. The Dutch and German cars underline the county’s appeal to a discerning international market – the drivers were not there for the weather.

And so to those landscape “main courses” I mentioned. On the path from the lifeboat station at St Justinians, heading north, I am suddenly above a wide, flat, sandy beach where somebody had expertly drawn a vast jellyfish, so big it could only be seen to proper effect from 200 yards up, on the footpath.

Pembrokeshire’s beaches are now an international hot property. Hollywood could have chosen some enchanted strand on Bali or Hawaii as the location where Kristen Stewart thunders through the surf with 80 muscular extras on horseback in the 2012 movie ”Snow White and the Huntsman”. Instead the studios chose the wide, flat, golden film-star sands, perfectly smoothed by the outgoing tide, of Marloes Sands, on southern Pembrokeshire, even if they did computer-generate an extravagant outburst of fairy-tale towers on the conveniently flat-topped Gateholm Island, which stands just yards off the headland.

Marloes first broke into the movies in 1967 when The Lion in Winter was filmed here. Whitesands was used in the BBC4 Richard II.

In 2010 Hollywood came to another Pembrokeshire beach, Freshwater West. Ridley Scott had filmed Robin Hood there, with Russell Crowe. The filmmakers built higgledy-piggledy Shell Cottage there for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The beach is clearly visible in the film. You will find no trace that the scrupulously tidy film makers were ever there. It’s the same at Marloes, left just as they found it.

You could easily construct a week or ten day holday around this sublime coastland, mixing up walks with boat trips to Skomer or Ramsey, dining out in the many harbour pubs on fresh local fish. The coast path has been conveniently cut up into 200 bite-size local walks, some of them circular.

One took us a few miles inland to St Davids, which is Britain’s smallest city, by virtue of the cathedral. We arrived early to benefit from its remoteness. Most day trippers, coming from afar, don’t get there until well on in the morning. We came across the intimate little cathedral, nestling in a green valley, well before the throng.

In the nave we had plently of room for some entry-level surveying, measuring the startling incline on the spirit level app on my daughter’s smartphone. It is almost two degrees.

St David’s has an understated nobility, because of its size and unusual position. On a scale of conspicuous cathedrals, Lincoln would be a 10. St David’s would be a 1. It was a steep climb up to the city, in reality a pleasant little town, where we gave in to the Italian charms of the Bench cafe for coffee and ice cream.

Until the early 1800s Pembrokeshire would have been as remote by land as some European cities were for a traveler starting out from London. Railways opened the county up, and oil at Milford Haven and the Irish boat traffic through Fishguard Harbour ensured the rail links survived even in the bleak post-Beeching era.

The trains helped build Tenby into as gracious a Victorian resort as Whitby or Ilfracombe. Novelist George Eliot was inspired enough by her visit to this perfect little resort in 1856 to take up writing. It has been a destination of rare distinction ever since.

A cordon of high, narrow Georgian and Victorian town houses in delicate pastel colours still wraps around Tenby’s sea front. To dodge the wind you either head to the sandy beach on the town’s north flank, or, if it’s blowing from the other direction, seek out the little harbour to the south.

Praise, then, for frequent services direct from Manchester deep into Pembrokeshire, connecting with services from London and the west and south.

It’s still the case, of course, that most visitors drive here. They will find the car necessary for visiting the centre of the county where the excellent bus service doesn’t reach.

Pembroke, is technically on the coast. The tide probes almost under the walls of the castle where Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII, was born in 1457, (It was restored to its formidable Norman pomp after a crumbly, ivy-covered interlude in the 1900s.) But it feels like an inland town.

The castle, proud and imposing above this ancient town, is just one the county’s rich crop of citadels, The list includes Manorbier, Cilgerran, Haverfordwest, Lamphey, Llawhaden, and Picton castles. There are over 50 all told, if you include forts and the reconstructed 600 BC Iron Age citadel Castell Henllys. Leading the list is Carew Castle. It overlooks a serene millpond, with a 11th century Celtic Cross and Wales’s only restored Tidal Mill. Narberth is another appealing little castle town. If you buy the Welshcakes in Waitrose, they come from here.

#pembrokeshire #west wales #walescoastpath #tenby

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tired-college-student-writing · 5 years

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A Match made in Therapy Chapter 3: Beginnings

Summary: JT and Dani know that outside of the Team Bright had very few people in his life. It was them, Gil, his mother, sister, therapist, parakeet, and his serial killer father. His circle of friends was small, but not as small as they seemed to think. Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 (HERE)

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“Are you Matt?”

He was expecting Malcolm with the latest book he had gotten, An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison, just like he had done for the last four weeks, on his lap but this wasn’t the bubbling acquaintance Matt had made. This was a man, mid-thirties if Matt had to guess, holding himself strongly, he was trained, the clink of metal on his belt said Police. Next to him was a small girl, maybe eight, long hair brushing over her collar as she looked at him.

“Why do you want to know,” He asked, hand reaching out to grab his cane, ready to scream and swing if the man tried to grab him, less likely with the girl here, but still a possibility.

“I told you,” The girl whined, “This is Matt, He’s always with Malcolm when we’re here.”

“You know Malcolm?” He asked quietly if it was an abduction then he was targeted for a specific reason, maybe Malcolm’s money?

“Uh-Huh,” She agreed, “He’s my brother.”

The Blind boy finally relaxed, remembering how the other boy had explained and detailed how much his little sister was amazing and annoying, “You’re Ainsley?”

“Yeah! Malcolm said we should find you.”

“Why? Is he okay?” He asked, realizing his fri- acquaintance wasn’t there. Why had Ainsley and this man (was he their dad?) come instead?

“He’ll be okay,” The man relayed, “ My name is Gil Arroyo, I work with the NYPD and Malcolm wanted me to tell you that he can’t make it today because he’s sick.”

Matt couldn’t stop his face from falling at those words, “But he’ll be okay?”

“He’ll be okay,” The officer repeated, voice soft and soothing, “He started a new medication a few days ago and had a bad reaction to them. He stopped taking them but he needs another few days to get back on his feet.”

“Oh...”Matt breathed, ignoring the knot in his chest that loosed as he heard Malcolm was fine, “That’s good. Thanks for letting me know.”

“No problem kid,” Gil laughed, “He did say that you might be interested in hearing a few passages from his book though, would you like me to read them or wait until next week?”

“You don’t need to-”

“Gil does lots of things,” Ainsley cut in, “Cause he wants to, even when it’s my brother calling him at weird hours in the morning and not talk, just listening to Gil talk. He wouldn’t offer if he didn’t want to read to you.”

Matt scrunched up his face, but the man’s heart was steady and even as ever, comforting almost.

“No pressure, Matt,” He said, “I don’t have anywhere to be until six when my wife wants me home, but you can wait until next week for Malcolm if you’d prefer.”

Matt was silent for a long moment, he wasn’t supposed to ask for things, but would Malcolm come back if he was rude to Gil? Whatever relationship they had was clearly a very deep one if they weren’t father and son.

“It’s called The Summer of the Danes,” Gil read off, “by Ellis Peters. Malcolm said you usually share nonfictional books but this is a new medieval mystery novel from a series he enjoys and he has been itching to read it. The synopsis says that Brother Cadfael is pleased to join his young friend Mark, now a deacon, on a mission of church diplomacy in Wales. Traveling in the safety of the Prince of Geynedd’s train, they are brought to unexpected dangers, as they seek to keep a young Welsh woman free from harm.”

Malcolm almost squirmed, it did sound interesting… but make-believe wasn’t supposed to be something he looked for. Stick used to snap about how consuming too much fiction would make him disconnect from reality.

But Malcolm wanted him to hear it…

“Can you read a little of it please?”

He could feel Gil’s smile as the man sat down next to him on the bench, and Matt couldn’t help but stiffen as Ainsley climbed up on his other side, leaning into his arm lightly.

“I want to hear too! Malcolm always reads stuff to me,” She said not bothered that her bench partner seemed to turn into a stone statue.

Gil just laughed, patting his back lightly, “Breathe kid, she doesn’t bite, and she’ll move if you want her too.”

“No, I’m okay.”

Gil shook his head slightly, but opened the book and began to read.

“ The Extraordinary events of the Summer of 1144 may properly be said to have began the previous year, in the tangle of threads both ecclesiastical and secular, a net in which any number of diverse people became enmeshed, clerics, from the archbishop down to Bishop Roger de Clinton’s lowiest deacon and the laity from the princes of the North Wales down to the humblest cottager in the trefs of Arfon. And among the commonality thus entrammelled, more to the point, an elderly Benedictine monk of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, a Shrewbury …”

By the time Gil had finished the second chapter, Matt found himself relaxing, even if little Ainsley didn’t move far from his side, brushing up against him in a familiar way that made no sense since he had just met her a little over an hour before. The story was enthralling, the plotlines drawing Matt in swiftly as Gil’s low rumbling voice painted scene after scene for his sightless eyes to enjoy. He had even started poking fun at the man's voices for the different characters, barely able to keep a straight face once Heledd, the female lead in the book was introduced, but Ainsley insisted he continues the voices, something Matt wouldn’t admit he was pleased about.

As the third chapter grew to a close, Ainsley’s attention seemed to waver. The quiet jangle of a bell told him why before she even opened his mouth.

“Can we get ice cream?”

“I don’t see why not,” Gil answered with no hesitation as he used the dust sleeve to mark his place.

“Yes!” She cheered hopping to her feet, “I want bubblegum, and chocolate, and strawberry-”

“You can get one flavor Ains,” Gil cut in, “What would you like Matt?”

“Oh, I’m fine, no need to bother” He quickly replied, even as Ainsley grabbed his hand.

“It’s really no bother,” the man soothed, “It’ll be good for us to take a break from reading anyways.”

“I… I can’t,” Matt barely breathed, waiting for the disgust, “My stomach…”

Gil was quiet, his heart squeezing oddly, “Is this an ongoing problem? Being sensitive to different food?”

“Yes…” Stick would beat him for being so weak.

“That’s okay,” Gil soothed, “Food can be tricky, we could get you something lighter, like a popsicle or just some vanilla ice cream-”

“No,” Matt’s stomach twisted into an icy ball, “No vanilla.”

“Okay, what about citrus, how do you do with that?”

Matt thought for a second, “It’s usually fine, as long as it’s not overly sugared.”

The man nodded, “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

As he walked away, Ainsley rocked lightly on her heels, “Gil doesn’t mind you know?”

“What?”

“He’s used to people not handling food real well,” She told him, “Malcolm is bad with food too, he has been since Daddy got taken away.”

“Gil isn’t your dad?”

“No, he’s the one that took daddy away,” Ainsley explained, “Mommy said Daddy hurt a lot of people and so he has to go away for a long time. Malcolm was really sad about it. Gil worries about us a lot so he comes and makes sure we’re okay now that daddy’s gone.”

“That’s nice of him,” Matt said with a smile he hoped didn’t look like a grimace. Malcolm and he had a sort of understanding that personal questions weren’t something they liked dealing with. He never asked and Malcolm never shared but for some reason, he wanted to know what had happened to his frie- acquaintance, His acquaintance.

He let Ainsley chat aimlessly to him until Gil returned with their treats, slowly taking his.

“Maybe you can read next time, Matt,” Ainsley suggested between licks to her ice cream, strawberry from the smell of it, “I think you’d do fun voices.”

“We’d have to find another book,” He hummed, not really registering the suggestion, too busy savoring the cool popsicle. It was amazing, one of the best things he’s ever eaten. The lemon wasn’t from concentrate, instead of using fresh juice and zest, just a little sugar to turn the overly sour taste into an enjoyable tart.

“Why?”

“The book is too new,” He replied easily, with a shrug, “I’d expect it to be at least a year before they make it in braille and for the libraries to get it. Though the new ADA laws being passed might get it out a little faster.”

“They don’t just make the books you can read when they make the books we can read?”

“No,” Usually these questions just felt tedious to explain to everyone, but the general earnest in Ainsley’s voice made the questions easy to answer, “They need a special printer to make a book in braille and they don’t have as many braille printers as text printers so it takes longer.”

“That’s dumb,” She whined, leaning into his side, “You like books almost as much as Malcolm, you should have all the books!”

“I think the nuns would protest to that,”

“Then they’re dumb-dumbs. I’m gonna get you all the books so that you can read them or I’m gonna learn to read really good and read them all to you!”

He couldn’t help but laugh at her proclamation, “That sounds amazing Ainsley.”

It really really did.

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When Malcolm left the precinct early, instead of being drug out by Gil he could see the surprise on the team’s face, Dani quickly asking if he was feeling okay, but he just brushed them off, holding up the business card Matt had dropped off as they were leaving the station.

He was on a mission and he wasn’t about to wait any longer, especially since the case was on hold for a few hours as they secured a warrant.

The door opened right as Malcolm was about to reach it, Foggy sticking his head out.

“Matt heard me?” He asked, watching the blond pale.

“What no, of course not! You know all that stuff they say about the other senses compensating if bullshit.”

“Moth boy!” Malcolm called gruffly, as he pushed passed the stuttering lawyer swiftly “Want to tell me all about this Devilish handsome figure that’s apparently flipping through Hell’s Kitchen?”

There were two more people in the office, a pale blonde woman whose eyes had blown huge as he entered and a dark brunette that simply raised an eyebrow, holding herself defensively, but Matt didn’t look worried, instead, his face twisted in a worried snarl.

“Depends,” His voice was low, Malcolm only able to discern the anxiety in his tone from years of knowing him, “Want to tell me about Watkins and how your dad ended up in the hospital?”

“Ohh,” Malcolm hummed, “Someone did their research, but I asked first.”

“No I asked first,” Matt snapped, “Back at the precinct.”

“My escapades are well documented through the news, and by retelling of my sister for her new very loyal following, you, on the other hand, get away with only ghost stories, broken bones and a few shaky pictures of a man in an armored Halloween costume,” He shouted back, moving into Matt’s face, “I mean Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? Anyone that spends enough time with you could piece it together, it’s not like you don’t say ‘Murdock boys have the Devil in them,’ at the drop of a hat or anything!”

“Oh, I don’t want to hear the moral high ground from you, resident! You let your mom stab your father!”

Malcolm faltered, making Matt pause as his heart flipped.

The room grew silent as Matt glared at the other man, “You’re hiding something.”

“Always,” Malcolm slide in easily, their old inside joke falling short.

“Mal…”

“I can’t tell you,” He answered back, “Not about that, the trail hasn’t even started yet for Mother.”

“If I wanted to see boyfriend drama,” The brunette grumbled, “I would go find a case, what the hell is even happening, Murdock?”

“Yeah,” The other woman added, “I’d like to know that as well.”

“Hello,” Malcolm greeted, “I’m Malcolm Bright, this blind reckless idiot’s best friend, we’re currently discussing how we’re both lack sense of self-preservation and how we’re mad at each other for not sharing our latest escapees, and you are?”

“Karen,” The blonde answered with a raised brow, “I’ve been working with Matt and Foggy on for over a year now.

“Ah,” He smiled, “You must be the Page of the Nelson, Murdock, and Page then, and you Miss?”

“Jessica Jones,” She offered, “ Thought Nelson was Murdock’s best friend?”

“He has two,” Foggy shrugged, “He’s known Malcolm for longer and they both have the same dumbass martyr thought process.”

“Not a martyr,” The pair answered in unison.

“Not from a lack of trying,” Foggy mumbled, “But either way, I guess you figured out Matt’s night job?”

“Profiler. Didn’t even know about Daredevil until today, guess the only good news is someone has to know you pretty well to see the clues, Moth.”

Matt scowled at him, “Can we go back to the fact you were kidnapped and then witnessed your mom stab your father through the heart?”

“No. Can’t tell you anything about Mother anyways.”

Matt squinted at him, or rather at his ear, before holding out a hand, “Wallet,”

“Why?” He asked even as he handed it over. Matt fumbled through it a little pulling out four bills.

“Are these all the same amount?”

“Yes, hundreds,” Malcolm answered with a raised brow.

“Rich boy,” Matt mumbled with a fond eye roll, “One for Jess, one for Karen, one for Foggy and One for me. Congrats Mr. Bright, you just hired three lawyers and a PI. You now have attorney-client privilege and PI level discreetment. Tell us what happened with your mother and the carousel killer.”

Malcolm just sat there blinking in confusion for a long minute before he let out a soul-weary groan, “I hate you.”

Matt just smiled back, “No you don’t.”

__________________________________________________

Taglist: @ofvalkyrja

#prodigal son #daredevil #malcolm bright #matt murdock #gil arroyo #ainsley whitly #foggy nelson #Jessica jones #karen page #Matt and Malcolm are childhood best friends

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weavingthetapestry · 5 years

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9th September 1543- Coronation of Mary I of Scotland

On 9th September 1543, the coronation of Mary I of Scotland took place in the Chapel Royal of Stirling Castle. An infant of barely nine months, she had been recognised as the kingdom’s next monarch at just six days old, after the premature death of her father King James V, leaving no other legitimate heirs of his body. She had been described as queen of Scotland in most official government documents since, but her official coronation was preceded by nine months of political intrigue and tension, culminating in a double-edged triumph for the faction led by her mother, Mary of Guise, and Cardinal Beaton.

The little queen had been resident in Stirling for just over a month. At the end of July 1543, her mother, the dowager queen Mary of Guise, supported by Cardinal Beaton along with the Earls of Huntly, Argyll, Lennox, Bothwell, Sutherland, Menteith, lords Erskine, Ruthven, Fleming, Crichton, Drummond, Lisle, Hume, the bishops of Moray, Orkney, Galloway, Dunblane, and several thousand others, had finally succeeded in removing her from her birthplace in the palace of Linlithgow. This was achieved in the face of opposition from the Governor of Scotland, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran. Arran was the infant queen’s 27 year old cousin and the official head of the Scottish government as regent and the next in line to the throne. As he was then pursuing a pro-English policy, and also had reason to view both the dowager queen and Cardinal Beaton as rivals, in early 1543 he had had the Cardinal arrested and forbade Mary of Guise to leave Linlithgow for the greater protection of Stirling. However, following the Cardinal’s escape and the return of the Earl of Lennox from France in 1543, the opponents of the Governor (or at least the opponents of his policy in favour of an alliance with England) gathered an army and marched on Linlithgow. After several days of stalemate and negotiation, with the army sitting outside the palace walls, Arran had been forced to climb down and allow the little queen and her mother to leave.

The sudden flitting of the queen was an even greater source of displeasure to Henry VIII of England when he heard of it, as the English king had not only wished to marry her to his son the Prince of Wales, but had also wanted the queen to be kept in England until the marriage could take place. This would have served as a useful means of keeping the Scots in check, and anyway, despite their promises, he certainly did not trust her French mother to follow through with the English marriage, much less the wily pro-French and militantly Catholic Cardinal Beaton. Linlithgow would have suited Henry better as then there was at least a chance that one of the Scottish nobles he had attempted to suborn, or even an English invasion, would have been able to abduct the young queen from the beautiful, yet low-lying and relatively unprotected lochside palace. Stirling Castle was another matter entirely: perched on its high rock with a commanding view of the surrounding country, its Renaissance embellishments had not diminished its status as a formidable fortress, the veteran of many bitter Anglo-Scottish conflicts. Nevertheless, Henry VIII could live in hope. The Treaty of Greenwich might yet be ratified to his satisfaction, and the Scottish nobles who favoured alliance with the English king, whether for political or religious reasons, had managed to bring the Governor Arran round to his point of view, which lent their policy official authority.

(An engraving of the Earl of Arran in his later years, and probably his most famous picture, which tends to obscure the age he was when he became Regent. Not my picture)

But any plan which rested on the consistent cooperation of the chronically indecisive Governor Arran could hardly be called secure. The Governor was already under pressure from his half-brother John Hamilton, Abbot of Paisley, an ardent Catholic who had recently returned from abroad and set about putting the fear of god into his pliable younger sibling over Arran’s recent support of Protestantism. Meanwhile the mood of the country was also shifting, and the English alliance was becoming increasingly unpopular, not least due to the disturbing effects of religious unrest in Scotland and Henry VIII’s not so thinly veiled intimidation tactics. Arran’s allies soon had reason to become wary of his behaviour and watched his movements closely. On 1st September 1543, the English Ambassador Sir Ralph Sadler wrote to his king and said of the Governor that, “he abides not long in one mind, and Sir George Douglas tells me that he much fears the Governor’s revolt, now that things grow to extremity, and that there is a great likelihood that this division will not be ended nor exterminated but by the sword. The Governor is so afraid, of so weak spirit, and faint hearted, that (...) he fears he will never abide the extremity of it, but will rather slip from them and beastly put himself into the hands of his enemies, to his own utter confusion.”

The Earl of Arran’s anxiety was perhaps understandable. He might have feared for his position as governor if the Stirling lords decided to choose a different governor at the coronation, as the event could serve as a major political coup for Cardinal Beaton and the dowager queen. Or perhaps it was the presence of the Earl of Lennox at Stirling which disturbed Arran as Lennox had a rival claim to be next in line to the throne. Perhaps, indeed, as Marcus Merriman argues, Arran was acting with uncharacteristic farsightedness, seeing that the collapse of the English marriage was inevitable almost immediately after the queen’s removal to Stirling, and yet delaying his defection long enough to put off English invasion until the harvest had been brought in and the best time for campaigning had passed. Although Arran ratified the Treaty of Greenwich which promised Queen Mary’s hand to Henry VIII’s son on 25th August 1543, this was to be the high watermark of his active support for the English alliance. Despite the English king’s last-ditch offer of a marriage between his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and Arran’s son, and despite the careful watch set by his former allies and the blandishments of his own wife Margaret Douglas, Arran changed sides in the first week of September. On Monday 3rd September, he slipped away to Blackness Castle on the Forth, claiming that his wife was in labour there. But the next morning Arran departed from the castle again, leaving Margaret weeping tears of rage at his inconstancy, and he soon covered the ten miles or so to Lord Livingston’s residence at Callendar House, on the edge of Falkirk. There he met with the wily Cardinal Beaton and the Earl of Moray (the infant queen’s uncle), and after long discussion accompanied them back to Stirling that night.

(An eighteenth century copy of a portrait of David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews and Cardinal. Not my picture)

With the Governor’s ‘revolt’ accomplished, there was much to be discussed between Arran and his new, if not exactly beloved, allies. Arrangements had to be made for the secure keeping of the queen’s person during her time at Stirling, and also for the bairn’s coronation which was set for the coming Sunday, the 9th of September. Letters were sent to those recalcitrant Scottish nobles who- whether for reasons of religion, sound policy, or personal gain- had favoured the English marriage, asking them to attend the coronation. And there was spiritual work to be done as well: the lords at Stirling having agreed that Arran was “accurst” , it was determined that he should do penance for his previous flirtation with Protestantism. This was performed on Saturday the 8th of September in Stirling Greyfriars, when the earls of Bothwell and Argyll held the ‘towel’ over the humbled Governor’s head as the Cardinal and other bishops solemnly absolved him of his sin.

The coronation was due to take place early the next day, and the inner close of Stirling Castle must have been a hub of activity that September morning. The Chapel Royal, in which the event was to be held, stood on the north side of the close, forming a quadrangle with the King’s Old Buildings to the west, the magnificent Great Hall constructed by James IV to the east, and the mint-new royal palace (begun by Queen Mary’s father James V and to be completed by her mother over the next few years) standing to the south. The Chapel itself stood a little to the south of the current chapel (built by Mary’s son James VI in 1594) which now occupies the spot. It had been founded by James IV in 1501 and would witness several royal christenings and other notable events over the course of its short history. Perhaps most poignantly, it had also been the site of the coronation of Mary’s father James V, almost thirty years earlier in September 1513. This was the so-called ‘Mourning Coronation’ and the king on that occasion had also been little more than an infant. Had anyone called to mind this other coronation thirty years later, they might also have realised that the 9th of September 1543 was itself a significant date, being the thirtieth anniversary of the disastrous Battle of Flodden. This battle had caused the death of the new queen’s grandfather King James IV (also the Earl of Moray’s father and Huntly’s grandfather), her uncle Alexander Stewart who was one of Cardinal Beaton’s predecessors as Archbishop of St Andrews, the grandfathers of the earls of Lennox and Argyll, the father of the Earl of Bothwell, and countless other Scots of all classes. If anyone noticed this singularly inauspicious date however, it does not seem that it was allowed to throw a sombre shadow over proceedings.

(The only view I could find of most of the Inner Close of Stirling Castle- James V’s palace is to the right, James IV’s Great Hall in the centre, and on the left can be seen parts of the current Chapel Royal, built in 1594 by Mary’s son James VI almost on the same site as the Chapel Royal where she was crowned. Not my picture.)

Not much is known about the details of the coronation itself, which took place around ten o’clock in the morning, once the assembled lords and ladies had filed into the Chapel Royal. The Treasurer’s Accounts are unusually silent about the occasion, though it was probably carried out with as much propriety and careful observance of etiquette as was possible given the circumstances. We do know that Cardinal Beaton presided over the ceremony, and that the Earl of Arran bore the Crown, the Earl of Lennox the sceptre, and the Earl of Argyll the sword. These precious royal items- now known as the Honours of Scotland and still to be seen in Edinburgh Castle- each had their own story. The sceptre and sword had been gifted to King James IV by two separate popes, while the crown was of dubious but likely ancient origin (give or take a few meltings) possibly stretching back to the days of Robert Bruce, and it had been refashioned as recently as 1540 on the orders of Mary’s father. A heavy crown for a bairn, it was probably held above her head. There is a tradition that the infant queen cried all through the ceremony but otherwise the coronation went off without a hitch.

In terms of coronation festivities, it must be said that even when taking into account the natural bias of the English ambassador, and the fact that he was not at the coronation himself (being unable to stray far from his house in Edinburgh without fear of the mob), it is hard to disagree with his assertion that Queen Mary was crowned, “with such solemnity as they do use in this country, which is not very costly”. There were to be no ceremonial entries, no elaborate pageantry such as had been planned for the coronations of James V’s consorts in the 1530s. As with most other recent Scottish coronations, which had a funny little knack of coming at the worst possible moment to kings who had hardly reached knee height, simple dignity was probably the order of the day. The late-sixteenth century writer Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie does state that the guests retired after the coronation and occupied themselves in dancing and merry-making however, so possibly there was more cheer than the records indicate.

There was also no escaping from the harsh reality of the political situation. This coronation had been a political triumph for Cardinal Beaton and Mary of Guise and their supporters, but there were notable absences, not least the Earls of Glencairn, Cassilis and Angus, Lord Maxwell and the other lords still considered to be of the ‘English’ party. And there would have to be a reckoning with the king of England as well, especially after the Treaty of Greenwich was finally overturned by the Scottish parliament in December 1543. The events of 1543 would lead to the devastating period of Anglo-Scottish warfare which is nicknamed ‘the Rough Wooing’, and as a result of this, within five years of her coronation, the Queen of Scots was sent away from her kingdom to the safety of France. She would not return for thirteen years.

(Mary I in childhood, as painted by Clouet. Not my picture)

Selected references:

Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland

“Acts of the lords of council in public affairs, 1501-1554: Selections from the Acta dominorum concilii”, ed. R.K. Hannay

“Scottish Correspondence of Mary of Lorraine”, ed. Annie Dunlop

“Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic of the Reign of Henry VIII”, Volumes 17 and 18, ed. James Gairdner and R. H Brodie.

“The Hamilton Papers”, Vol. II, ed. Joseph Bain

The various histories of John Leslie, George Buchanan, Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie and John Knox- all of which can be found online but as only Lindsay was really useful, forgive me for not citing them properly here

“Mary of Guise”, by Rosalind Marshall

“Mary Queen of Scots”, by Antonia Fraser

“The Rough Wooing”, by Marcus Merriman

“Glory and Honour”, by Andrea Thomas

“Life of Mary Queen of Scots”, by Agnes Strickland (I hate admitting it but I do have to credit her)

And others

#Scottish history #Mary Queen Of Scots #Scotland #British history #women in history #sixteenth century #Mary of Guise #Cardinal Beaton #Regent Arran #Henry VIII of England #stirling castle #Linlithgow Palace #Blackness Castle #Callendar House #the Stewarts #coronation #today in history

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thesewomenarebadass · 6 years

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Amelia Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart was born on the 24th of July 1897. She was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was also active in the creation of the Ninety-Nines, an organisation for female pilots.

Amelia was the daughter of Samuel Stanton Earhart and his wife, Amelia (‘Amy’). She was born in Atchison, Kansas, in the home of her grandfather, who was an important member of their town. She had a younger sister named Grace, and they were nicknamed ‘Meeley’ and ‘Pidge’. Their mother didn’t believe in raising her daughters to be “nice little girls”, so they had a slightly unconventional upbringing. However, their grandmother disliked that they didn’t wear trousers.

As children, the girls spent a lot of time playing together. They climbed trees, hunted rats, collected animals and explored their neighbourhood. With the help of her uncle, Earhart made a ramp and attached it to the roof of their shed. Her first go of the ramp left her tattered and bruised, but it exhillerated her, and she exclaimed “Oh, Pidge, it’s just like flying!”

Her father’s job as a claims officer for the Rock Island Railroad meant that the family had to move to Des Moines, Iowa, where she saw her first aircraft the following year at the state fair. Samuel tried to get his daughters interested in flying, but Amelia took one look at the unsteady “flivver” was enough to put her off the idea.

When their parents moved into a smaller home in Des Moines, the girls moved in with their grandparents. During this time they were educated by a governess and their mother. Amelia greatly enjoyed reading and often spent time in the family library, and when the family reunited in 1909 the sisters were sent to public school.

Even though the family’s situation greatly improved, it quickly became evident that Samuel was an alcoholic, and he was forced to retire from his job five years later. He never got his job back despite rehabilitating himself. Amelia’s grandmother also died around this time, leaving a considerable estate that placed Mrs Earhart’s share of the inheritance in a trust, as she feared Samuel drinking the money away. The Otis family home was auctioned off, along with everything in it. Amelia was heartbroken and later described it as the end of her childhood.

In 1915, her father found a job at the Great Northern Railway in St. Paul, Minnesota, and it was there that Amelia started Central High School as a junior. He then applied for a transfer to Springfield, Missouri, but the claims officer re-evaluated his retirement and took his job away. Amy took her children to Chicago, where they lived with friends. Amelia looked through nearby high schools to find the one with the finest science programme. She eventually decided to attend Hyde Park High School, but she was unhappy the entire year. Amelia graduated in 1916. She continued to aim for a future career; she kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women in largely male-orientated careers, including film direction and production and mechanical engineering. She began junior college at Orgontz School in Rydal, Pennsylvania, but did not finish her course.

During Christmas break 1917, Amelia visited Grace in Toronto. WWI had been going on for 3 years, and Earhart saw the injured soldiers coming home. She trained as a nurse’s aide with the Red Cross and began work in the Voluntary Aid Detachment at Spadina Military Hospital.

When the Spanish flu pandemic reached Toronto, Earhart engaged in arduous nursing duties that included night shifts at the hospital. She was eventually admitted herself, as she began to suffer from pneumonia and maxillary sinusitis. She was discharged about two months after the illness started. As she was in hospital before the tie of antibiotics, she had several small but painful operations to wash out the affected maxillary sinus, but they were unsuccessful and subsequently she suffered from strong headaches. Her recuperation took almost a year, which she passed at her sister’s house learning to play the banjo, reading poetry and studying mechanics. Chronic sinusitis hugely affected her flying and other activities later in her life, sometimes she had to wear a bandage on her cheek to cover a small drainage tube.

Around this time she attended the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, in which one of the mail events was a spectacular air show. A WWI flying ace who was participating saw Earhart and the friend she had come with standing away from the crowd, so he dived at them, hoping to give them a fright. Amelia stood firm, and later said, “I did not understand it at the time, but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by.”

In 1919, Earhart enrolled in Columbia University, in a medical studies course, but she quit a year later to be with her parents, who had reunited in California. In December 1920, Amelia and her father visited an airfield where Frank Hawks gave her a ride that would forever change her life. Within minutes of the flight she knew that it was what she wanted to do, and she decided that she had to learn. She took an assortment of jobs and managed to save up $1000 for her lessons. She had her first lesson on the 3rd of January 1921, at Kinner Airfield. Her teacher was Anita Snook, a pioneer female pilot. To get to the airfield, she had to take a bus to the end of the line, and then walk four miles.

Earhart’s commitment to flying meant having to endure the challenging work and basic living conditions that came with the training. She updated her look to fit in with the other pilots - she cropped her hair and bought a leather jacket (which she slept in for a few days to make it look used). Eventually she bought a yellow Kinner Airster biplane, which she nicknamed “the Canary”, and flew it to 14,000 feet, which was a record for female aviators. In 1923, Amelia became the 16th woman in the US to receive a pilot’s license.

In the 20s, Amelia’s inheritance from her grandmother steadily lessened until it was completely gone. This caused her to sell the “Canary” and the second plane she had bought, and purchase a yellow Kissel “Speedster” two passenger automobile. Her sinus infection also came back, and she was readmitted to hospital for another unsuccessful operation.

Her parents got divorced in 1924, so Amy and Amelia took a transcontinental trip from California, eventually ending up in Boston. Earhart underwent another operation, but this one was more successful. When she recovered she went back to Columbia University for a few months, but had to leave because they could no longer afford her tuition. She began working as a teacher shortly after this, then a social worker in a settlement house.

During this time she remained interested in flying, even becoming a member of the American Aeronautical Society, and eventually becoming the vice president. She also became a sales representative for Kinnear Aircrafts and wrote for local papers to promote flying. She became increasingly famous in her local area, so she began her plans for an all-female flying organisation.

Earhart’s first transatlantic flight was sponsored by Amy Guest, as the trip was determined to be too dangerous for her to make herself. She took off from Trepassey Harbour, Newfoundland on the 17th of June 1928, and 20 hours and 40 minutes later she landed in Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales. Amelia had no experience with the equipment used for the flight, which meant she could not pilot it herself, but it did spark her interest in making the trip solo.

When Earhart and the crew arrived in the USA they were greeted with a parade along the Canyon of Heroes, followed by a reception with President Coolidge. Shortly after this she set off on her first ever long distance solo flight, across North America and back, and was the first ever woman to do so.

Earhart became known as the “Queen of the Air”. After her return to the United States, she went on a two-year-long lecture tour. She began to undertake mass market endorsements to promote her flying career. The money she made with some of her endorsements was saved for a forthcoming expedition to the South Pole.

The marketing campaign was successful in catching the public’s attention and put Amelia in the spotlight. Rather than simply endorsing the products, Earhart actively became involved in the promotions, especially in women’s fashion. Promoting products helped Amelia pay for her flying, she even accepted a position as Cosmopolitan’s associate editor , which she used as an opportunity to promote greater public acceptance of flying and to campaign for more women to enter the field.

In 1929, Amelia was one of the first pilots to promote commercial air travel through the development of the Transcontinental Air Transport, and she invested in starting the first shuttle service between New York and Washington D.C. She was also a Vice President of several airlines, including what was then called National Airways. During the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women’s Air Derby that year, Amelia made her air racing debut, coming third in the ‘heavy planes’ category.

Earhart became an official of the National Aeronautical Association in 1930, and advocated for the separation of women’s records. The following year she set a world record for altitude, at 18,415 feet. She also became the president of the Ninety-Nines around this time. The organisation was created to provide support and advance the cause of female pilots, and Amelia herself was a spirited advocate for women in aviation. When the Bendix Trophy Race banned women from entering in 1934 she publicly refused to fly Mary Pickford to open the race.

Amelia spent a considerable amount of time with publisher George P. Putnam around 1928, and once he was divorced in 1929 he proposed to her - he asked six times before she said yes - and after some hesitation on her part, the couple were married in 1931. However, Earhart was adamant that this would not be a traditional marriage in which the woman was inferior to her husband, and wrote him a letter on the day of the wedding telling him just that. Her ideas on marriage were unconventional at the time, as she believed in the equal sharing of responsibilities and kept her own surname, refusing to be called “Mrs Putnam”. The pair had to forgo their honeymoon because Amelia was taking part in a cross-country tour promoting autogyros. They also never had any children of their own, but George had two boys from his previous marriage, whom Amelia is said to have been quite fond of.

She set out on her first solo transatlantic flight on the 20th of May 1932 from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, and intended to fly to Paris. After 14 nearly fifteen hours and enduring icy conditions, strong winds and mechanical problems, she landed in Culmore, near Derry in Northern Ireland. For her trip she received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society and the Cross of Knight of the Legion Honor. She went on to make many pioneering solo flights and broke many flying records.

As she became increasingly famous, Earhart developed friendships with people like Eleanor Roosevelt. The two shared many interests, most notably women’s rights, and the two kept in contact throughout their lives.

A fire broke out in Amelia and George’s house in 1934 that destroyed much of their belongings, so the couple decided to move to California. They bought a small house in Toluca Lake and remodelled it to suit them. A year later Earhart and her friend Paul Mantz set up the Earhart-Mantz Flying School at the Burbank Airport, but it was short-lived.

Amelia began to plan her round-the-world flight in 1936. Her trip was financed by Purdue University, where she had begun working, and a Lockheed Electra 10E was built to her requirements for the trip. Fred Noonan and Harry Manning were selected to be the navigator for the flight, and the plan was that Noonan would navigate from Hawaii to Howland Island, which was a difficult section of the journey, then Manning would navigate to Australia where she would carry on by herself. Due to mechanical difficulties, the first attempt to make the journey was unsuccessful, and the plane had to be shipped home from Hawaii.

The second attempt was a success, with Earhart and Noonan departing from Miami on the first of June 1937 (the direction change was to do with seasonal weather) and, after several stops in various countries, they arrived in Lae, New Guinea on the 29th. They only had 7,000 more miles to go. On the second of July they took of and intended to land on Howland Island. Their last recorded position was 800 miles into the journey, at the Nukumanu Islands.

There have been many theories as to what caused Earhart and Noonan’s failure to navigate their way to the island, but to this day nobody knows exactly what it was. Search efforts started approximately an hour after the pair failed to show up, but they were never found. There have also been many theories on how they disappeared, but again, nobody knows exactly what happened to them.

#amelia earhart #women's history #strong women #women in science #female aviator #american history #feminism #feminist #Badass Women #history #mystery

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zealoptics · 4 years

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A Decade of Memorable Days Out in North Wales

By Sam Farnsworth

Sam is a British trad climber living and working in North Wales, UK. He teaches full time on rock climbing courses and outdoor adventures for his company Gaia Adventures. With an environmental ethos at heart, Sam and Gaia Adventures have a drive to inspire people in the outdoor environment. Getting out, getting climbing and adventuring with great people in beautiful parts of the UK.

Learn more about Sam and Gaia Adventures at www.gaiaadventures.co.uk/

Not all days out climbing are created equal. Sometimes you achieve what you set out to do, a certain route or peak completed. Job done, home for tea and cake. At their best, these days can be brilliant immersive fun or, at worst, just 'fine.' But I find that when all goes to plan, they fade quickly in our memories. Other times you come home with experiences that marinate with time. When adventure flirts with misadventure, we return home changed. For many of us, this is the basic appeal of heading outdoors. If we knew what was going to happen, that it'd be easy, what would be the point? When it doesn't quite go to plan, we learn a little more._ _

I was a student the first time I visited Craig Doris on North Wales Llyn Peninsula. It must have been ten years ago. The rock there is renowned for being a tad reluctant to support a climber's full weight. My friend Tim described it nicely, 'Good from afar, but far from good". It's a place where it's fairly easy to find the meeting point of adventure and misadventure.

Photo by Andy Teasedale

I remember inching my way up on that first visit, with holds flaking off or crumbling under my weight. The safety gear, to my stressed little mind, was not going to hold a fall. It was providing only psychological support. At one point, I looked down past my feet, my eyes refocusing on the boulder beach below. A bead of sweat mixed with sharp dust slowly slid, stinging into my eye. I was convinced that I'd fall if I let go to wipe it away. Basically, I was not in my happy place.

After a lot of playful abuse/encouragement from my partner holding the ropes below, I eventually reached the top. The next job was to create an anchor strong enough to hold my partner if he fell following up after me. After searching for a while, the best I could do was to pop my arm into a rabbit hole and claw through the dusty soil creating a loop through which I could thread the rope. He didn't test it.

As we walked across sheep-filled fields to the car, life was good again 'It wasn't too bad,' the second half was a lot easier', 'some of the gear was o.k?' The truth is that we'd been just on the boundary with misadventure. I learned a little bit about myself and returned home marginally wiser. I can still recall the feeling of that sweat sliding into my eye and the fear that meant I couldn't even wipe it away. Are these the experiences I actually want to have?

Much more recently, just a couple of months ago, an unusually calm winters day sent us back to Craig Doris. This time was different. I looked down past my feet, leaned back, and let out a whoop of pure joy. The same rock was now a treat to climb—a simple childish joy. Ten years flirting with (and sometimes finding) misadventure had shifted my comfort zone. What was once right on the edge was now just a fun day out. The memory of it is already starting to fade. When it all goes well we learn a little less.

It makes you wonder what 'just a fun day out' will look like in another ten years time? I'm excited to find out.

Learn more about Sam and Gaia Adventures here.

All photos are by Andy Teasdale. See more of his work on his website or Instagram.

zealoptics.com

#climbing #tradclimbing #adventure #travel #northwales

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crafnanthouse · 4 years

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Ten best outdoor & adventure activities in North Wales!

1. Zip World

With three locations across North Wales, Zip World has a unique range of activities that will guarantee you thrills and excitement! At Zip World Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog you will find Titan, Europe’s largest zip zone which will see you zip-wiring a total of 1890 metres. Also at this location is Bounce Below and Slate Caverns Adventures. Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda has Velocity, the fastest zip line in the world seeng you travel at speeds of over 100mph! Also at Penrhyn Quarry are the thrilling new Quarry Karts, the UK’s ONLY mountain cart experience. Finally Zip World Forest Adventures near us in Llanrwst has the Fforest Coaster, a Zip Safari, Treetop Nets and Plummet - another world first which sees you drop through a trap door over 100ft high to experience the closest thing to freewill! So much to choose from!

www.zipworld.co.uk

2. Mountain Biking

North Wales has some of the best MTB trails and routes in Wales and the UK. Whether you want a leisurely ride on forest tracks or more exhilarating downhill action there is something for everyone. The Gwydir Mawr & Bach trails are just two miles from us and offers you big climbs, thrilling descents, brilliant singletrack and amazing scenery. Beics Betws in nearby Betws-y-Coed hires mountain bikes, including e-mountain bikes. Antur Stiniog in Blaenau Ffestiniog has downhill MTB trails with 14 routes graded green to black and the best mountain bike uplift service in the UK, whilst Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park has various trails on forest tracks catering for everyone from complete beginners to experts craving fast, flowing single track, and a skills area to practice in! There’s even more world-class mountain biking at Penmachno Forest and Mynydd Hiraethog. Riders are just spoilt for choice! As keen cyclists ourselves we are happy to advise you where to head, and a hose and bike storage facilities are available at our B&B.

3. Go Below Caving Adventures

From their base near Betws-y-Coed, Go Below offer unique underground caving adventures that include abseiling, a zip line, boating, scrambling and climbing a waterfall. At one point you abseil your way down to the deepest point in the UK! Fun, experienced and qualified instructors guide you through the caves and abandoned mines, and absolutely no prior experience is necessary. Guests who have stayed with us at Crafnant House and tried it have come back absolutely buzzing, so definitely an experience to recommend!

4. Surfing

Adventure Parc Snowdonia (formerly known as Surf Snowdonia) in the village of Dolgarrog is the world’s first inland surf lagoon and a justifiably popular place for surfers to practice their moves as you are guaranteed a wave every 90 seconds! Beginners are welcome too with lessons available from expert instructors - they’ll have you performing tricks on the waves in no time! Also on site is Adrenaline Indoors which has climbing walls, indoor caving, extreme slides and a zip line over the lagoon. All of this is only 3 miles from us at Crafnant House.

www.adventureparcsnowdonia.com

5. Walking up Snowdon

Of course Snowdon is one of the most popular walks in North Wales, and climbing the tallest mountain in England and Wales is a challenge most visitors want to do at least once. Snowdon (NOT Mount Snowdon as it is often called!) has six different paths to climb to the top. The Llanberis path goes from the village of the same name - it is the longest (it takes about 6-7 hours to walk to the summit and back down) and some claim it to be the easiest, but this also means it is the most popular! The Miners Track and PYG track both start at Pen y Pass car park and we often recommend going up one and coming back down the other to get the most of the stunning views both offer - they are a lot more interesting than the Llanberis path. Finally the Watkin, Rhyd Ddu and Snowdon Ranger paths all start on the west side of Snowdon and are often quieter than the other routes. Whichever path you choose you are guaranteed a great day out - you may even get views at the top if the weather behaves and there is a cloud free summit.

Of course Snowdon is not the only great walk in North Wales - there are plenty of other interesting places to hike and ramble - just ask us for tips and advice!

6. Climbing

Snowdonia and North Wales are popular for climbers from all over the UK, who come here to enjoy the major mountain crags situated in breathtaking scenery. Whether you come to the region for clambering, climbing, abseiling, traversing or bouldering, expert instructors at outfits such as North Wales Active will help find the best locations for your adventure. If the weather is not so good there are great indoor climbing centres too, such as Beacon Climbing Centre in Caernarfon - the largest indoor climbing centre in North Wales.

7. Paddleboarding

Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) is one of the fastest growing activities in the UK and our region is the perfect location for your adventure with clear, still lakes to paddle on and stunning landscapes to enjoy. Snowdonia Watersports in Llanberis offers paddle boards for hire on beautiful Llyn Padarn, so you can head out onto the water at your own pace and without an instructor. Psyched Paddle Boarding are one of the leading specialists in this exciting area and offer guided trips to explore the rugged Anglesey coastline.

8. Wild Swimming

Whether you want to swim in a river, a lake or even a waterfall, North Wales offers some stunning locations to enjoy a swim outdoors. The Fairy Glen near Betws y Coed is not far from our bed & breakfast - a picturesque, narrow gorge with some large rocks to sit on. Llyn Dinas near Beddgelert is a a 1km-long valley lake at the foot of Snowdon in the heart of the national park, where you can have a dip with a beautiful backdrop. Plenty of other locations in Snowdonia offer you a chance to swim in open water - why not plan your trip now!

9. Cycling

North Wales is not just a destination for mountain biking - quiet roads and traffic free cycle paths allow cyclists to enjoy panoramic vistas and combine rides with wonderful sightseeing. You can cycle from our B&B right into the heart of Snowdonia, with some challenging climbs along the way! The Brailsford Way offers you 50 mile or 75 mile circuits around the national park with breathtaking scenery at every turn. The North Wales coastal route from Chester to Holyhead is largely traffic free and offers you coastal towns, mountainous scenery and sea views along the way. The Lon Eifion cycle path departs from Caernarfon and runs parallel to the Welsh Highland Railway for some of the ride,with the 24 mile traffic free cycle path giving you fantastic views of the mountain ranges around you. So bring your bike with you when you come to Crafnant House - we’ll gladly advise you of the best cycling routes, and the best cafes too!

10. Rib Rides on Anglesey

For something completely different why not try an exhilarating boat trip on Anglesey? RibRide in Menai Bridge offer you their Velocity trip which sees you flying down the Menai Strait on the world’s fastest RIB, whilst other trips allow you to go under Thomas Telford’s Menai Suspension Bridge and see other sights along the Menai Strait - the body of water separating Anglesey from the mainland. Seacoast Safaris offer a variety of trips from their dock in Beaumaris on their hybrid rib boat which has 700HP of power!

We hope this gives you some ideas of what to do in North Wales when you plan your visit and choose your accommodation - don’t just come for two days!

www.crafnanthouse.com

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areteoutdoorcentre · 9 months

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Snowdonia white water rafting is an exhilarating activity in the breathtaking surroundings of Snowdonia National Park in Wales. Arete's expert guides assure safety and supply all required equipment, allowing both novice and experienced rafters to enjoy this adrenaline-pumping activity. For further information, please visit the link.

#white water rafting snowdonia #arete outdoor centre #outdoor education uk #canyoning snowdonia #rock climbing courses north wales #climbing courses uk #mountain walking snowdonia #outdoor climbing courses uk #arete centre #areteoutdoorcentre

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edinburghtattootickets-blog · 5 years

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A colorful history of Edinburgh Castle

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will start from the 7-29th August of 2020. It is an evening of live military performances from Military bands and Regiments that include the military displays, massed pipes and drums, dancers, performers, singers, special lighting effects and the Lone Piper.

Edinburgh Tattoo is just closer to its 70th birthday that’s are celebrating in August 2020. Tattoo fans who want to join this iconic festival can buy official Edinburgh Tattoo Tickets from our most consistent and unfailing online platform.

Edinburgh Castle stands on a volcanic plug, a piece of hardened basalt that has withstood the ice caps of Europe. The flow of ice divided around it, braiding the edges and depositing debris in its wake. When the ice retreated, it left a flat area to the north with a rock (the castle rock) and a tail (today the "Royal Mile").

The top of Castle Rock is 130 meters (430 feet) above sea level, with rocky cliffs to the south, west, and north, rising to a height of 80 meters (260 feet) above the surrounding landscape. The only easily accessible route to the castle is to the east, where the ridge slopes more gently, but where any approach can be seen for miles and where a defense could be concentrated.

Climate and geology had combined to create a natural defensive position.

Archaeological investigation has not yet established when Castle Rock was first used for human habitation. There is no trace of Roman activity. The map of Ptolemy from the 2nd century AD shows a settlement on the Votadini territory called "Alauna", which means place of rock, which makes it perhaps the first known name of the castle.

It did not reappear in historical documents until around 600 AD, however, when the epic of the Welsh poem Y Gododdin referred to "Din Eidyn" (the stronghold of Eidyn).

The first documentary reference to a castle in Edinburgh is the disputed account of Jean de Fordun of the death of King Malcolm III. What is more widely accepted, however, is Malcolm's youngest son, King David I, who began to develop Edinburgh as the seat of royal power in the 1140s. In 1174, King William "the Lion" ( 1165-1214) was captured by the English during the Battle of Alnwick.

He was forced to sign the Cliff Treaty to obtain his release, in exchange for the handing over of the castles of Edinburgh, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Stirling, to the English king Henry II. The castle was occupied by the English for twelve years, until 1186, when it was returned to Guillaume as dowry from his English wife, Ermengarde de Beaumont.

The colorful history of Edinburgh Castle really started to take off in March 1296, when Edward I launched an invasion of Scotland, thus starting the First Scottish War of Independence. Edinburgh Castle was quickly bombed for three days and surrendered to British control.

Edward brought his master builders from the great Welsh castles to Scotland and Edinburgh was strengthened. However, after the death of Edward I in 1307, England's control over Scotland weakened. On March 14, 1314, a surprise night attack by the 1st Count of Moray took over the castle.

A group of thirty handpicked men was guided by a William Francis, a member of the garrison who knew a route along the north face of Castle Rock and a place where the wall could be climbed. Making the difficult climb, Randolph’s men climbed the wall, surprised the garrison, and took control.

Robert the Bruce immediately ordered the destruction of the castle's defenses to prevent its re-occupation by the English. Four months later, his army won the battle at Bannockburn. Tickets for the Edinburgh Tattoo are available online.

After Bruce's death in 1329, Edward III of England decided to renew Scotland's attempted subjugation. Edward attacked in 1333, marking the start of the Second Scottish War of Independence, and English forces reoccupied and re-fortified Edinburgh Castle in 1335, holding it back until 1341.

This time the Scottish physical attack was led by William Douglas, lord of Liddesdale. Douglas' group disguised themselves as Leith merchants bringing supplies to the garrison. Driving a cart into the entrance, they stopped him to prevent the doors from closing. A larger force hidden nearby rushed to join them and the castle was recaptured. The English garrison, 100 in number, was killed.

The Berwick Treaty of 1357 ended the wars of independence. David II took over his reign and began to rebuild Edinburgh Castle which became its main seat of government. The Tower of David was started around 1367 and was incomplete when David died at the castle in 1371.

It was completed in the 1370s by his inheritor, Robert II. At the beginning of the 15th century, another English invasion, this time under Henry IV, reached Edinburgh Castle and began a siege, but eventually withdrew in due to lack of supplies.

Edinburgh Castle from Prince's Street Gardens. The castle never really developed the traditional turrets and towers that we could associate with Wales.

From 1437 Sir William Crichton was the caretaker of Edinburgh Castle and soon became Chancellor of Scotland. In an attempt to win the regency of Scotland, Crichton sought to break the power of the Douglases, the principal noble family of the kingdom.

William Douglas, sixteen, Earl of Douglas, sixteen, and his younger brother David were summoned to Edinburgh Castle in November 1440. After the so-called "black dinner", the two boys were summarily executed on accusations fabricated in the presence of King James II, 10 years old.

Supporters of Douglas later besieged the castle, causing damage, but construction continued throughout this period, the area now known as Crown Square being vaulted in the 1430s.

Royal apartments were built, forming the nucleus of the last palace building, and a large hall existed in 1458. Edinburgh fans can buy Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Tickets online.

In 1479, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, was imprisoned in the Tower of David for plotting against his brother, King James III (r.1460-1488). He escaped by drinking his guards, then lowering himself from a window on a rope.

Albany fled to France, then to England, where he allied with King Edward IV. In 1482 Albany entered Scotland with Richard, the Duke of Gloucester (future King Richard III) and an English army. James III was trapped in the castle from July 22 to September 29, 1482, until he successfully negotiated a settlement.

In the 15th century, the castle was increasingly used as an arsenal and an armament factory. The first known purchase of firearms took place in 1384, and the “big bomb” Mons Meg was delivered to Edinburgh in 1457.

The first recorded mention of an arsenal for the manufacture of firearms took place in 1474 and, in 1498, master gunner Robert Borthwick threw bronze cannons at Edinburgh. In 1511 Edinburgh was the main foundry in Scotland, replacing Stirling Castle,

Mons Meg, the 13,000-pound (5.9-ton) gun rests on a reconstructed cart. Some of Meg's rifle stones, weighing around 150 kg, are on display next to her. On July 3, 1558, she was dismissed to celebrate the marriage of Marie, Queen of Scotland, with the French dolphin François II. Soldiers recovered one of his stones near the Forth River, 2 miles from the castle

On September 9, 1513, the Scots were routed at the Battle of Flodden. James IV was killed. Waiting for the English to take advantage of their advantage, the Scots hastily built a wall around Edinburgh and raised the defenses of the castle.

Three years later, King James V (r. 1513-1542), was brought to the castle for safety. When he died 25 years later, the crown was passed on to his week-old daughter, Queen of Scotland, Mary. The English invasions followed as King Henry VIII attempted to force a dynastic marriage in Scotland, "The Rough Wooing" from 1543 - 1551.

The city of Edinburgh did badly in 1544 and was razed to the ground. Those who sought refuge in Edinburgh Castle remained largely unchanged. The fortress held under cannon fire was spilled on the Royal Mile.

In June 1548, however, Musselburgh and Dunbar were razed and it was deemed necessary to evacuate Mary to a safe place, where she was engaged to the Dauphin of France in August 1548. Edin Tattoo Tickets can buy online from our trusted online market.

Edinburgh Castle at night - (Just on a complete tangent, during her exile in France, Mary continued to play golf. She was a natural target for English assassins and was assigned to a bodyguard of the cadet body from the nearby naval academy. She quickly discovered that her cadet bodyguard could be used to carry her batons.

The French word for a cadet is, of course, pronounced Cad-Day. Therefore, his club bearer became his junior. When she returned to Scotland, she had adopted the idea of a club carrier. You have probably already guessed where the word caddy comes from?)

Be that as it may, with the military and financial aid of France, the Scots were able to maintain the resistance. Hostilities ended with Scotland with the Treaty of Boulogne in March 1550, which was mainly between France and England.

James V's widow, Marie de Guise, acted as regent from 1554 until her death at the chateau in 1560, over which the Catholic Marie, Queen of Scotland, returned from France to begin her reign, which was marred of crises and quarrels among the powerful Protestant Scottish nobility.

In 1565 the Queen made an unpopular marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and the following year, in a small room in the palace of Edinburgh Castle, she gave birth to their son James, who would later become King of Scotland and England. The reign of Mary was however condemned and ended abruptly.

Three months after the murder of Darnley at Kirk o ’Field in 1567, she married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, one of the main murder suspects. Much of the nobility rebelled, eventually leading to imprisonment and forced abdication.

She escaped and fled to England. Edinburgh Castle was originally handed over by its captain, James Balfour, to Regent Moray, who had forced Mary's abdication and now held power in the name of the infant King James VI. Tattoo lovers can get Military Tattoo Tickets 2020 online.

Shortly after the Battle of Langside, in May 1568, Moray appointed Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange Keeper of the Castle. Grange was a trusted lieutenant of the regent, but after Moray's murder in January 1570, his allegiance to the king's cause began to falter.

Under the inspiration of William Maitland of Lethington, Mary’s secretary, Grange changed sides, occupying the city and Edinburgh Castle for Queen Mary and against the new regent, the Earl of Lennox.

The ensuing impasse was not resolved until two years later and became known as the "Lang Siege". Hostilities began in May, with a month-long siege in the city and a second short-lived siege in October.

Blockages and skirmishes continued while Grange continued to re-fortify the castle. The King's party appealed to Elizabeth I of England for help as they lacked the artillery and money to reduce the castle and feared that Grange would receive help from France.

A truce expires on January 1, 1573, and Grange begins to bomb the city. However, its reserves of powder and shot were low and, despite the availability of 40 guns, there were only seven gunners in the garrison. However, the king's forces, now led by the Earl of Morton as regent, were advancing.

Ditches were plowed to surround the castle and St Margaret’s Well was poisoned. In February, all the other supporters of Queen Mary had surrendered to the regent, but Grange had resolved to resist despite the water shortages in the castle. The garrison continued to bomb the city.

In April, a force of approximately 1,000 English soldiers arrived in Edinburgh. They were followed by 27 cannons from Berwick-upon-Tweed. The English troops built an artillery site on Castle Hill, immediately opposite the east walls of the castle, and five others in the north, west, and south. By mid-May, these batteries were ready and bombing began.

Over the next 12 days, the gunners fired about 3,000 shots at the castle. On May 22, the south wall of the Tower of David collapsed and the following day, the constable's tower also fell. Debris blocked the entrance to the castle, as well as the Fore Well, although it has already dried up. People can enjoy the live moments by getting the 2020 Tattoo Tickets online.

On May 26, the English attacked and captured the castle's external fortification. The next day, Grange emerged, calling for a ceasefire. However, having obtained no conditions, he decided to continue the resistance, but the garrison threatened to mutiny. Therefore, he arranged for Drury and his men to enter the castle on May 28, preferring to surrender to the English rather than the Regent Morton.

Edinburgh Castle was given to George Douglas of Parkhead, the regent's brother, and the garrison was authorized to liberate. Much of the castle was now to be rebuilt. The task falls to Regent Morton. The spur, the new Half Moonbattery and the Portcullis gate have been added.

James’s successor, King Charles I, visited Edinburgh Castle only once, hosting a party in the Great Hall. It was the last time that a reigning monarch resided in the castle. In 1639, in response to Charles’s attempts to impose the episcopate on the Scottish Church, a civil war broke out between the king’s forces and the Presbyterian Pacts.

The Covenanters, led by Alexander Leslie, captured Edinburgh Castle after a brief siege, although it was returned to Charles after the Peace of Berwick in June of the same year. The peace was short-lived. The following year, the Covenanters took over the castle, this time after a three-month siege, during which the garrison ran out of supplies.

In May 1650, the Covenanters signed the Treaty of Breda, joining forces with Charles II in exile against English parliamentarians, who had executed his father the year before.

In response to Charles King's Scottish proclamation, Oliver Cromwell launched an invasion of Scotland, defeating the Covenant army at Dunbar in September. Edinburgh Castle was taken after a three-month restriction, which caused further damage.

The next wave of turbulence did not take long to arrive in 1688 when James VII was deposed and exiled by the Glorious Revolution which installed William of Orange as King of England. Tattoo Edinburgh Tickets can buy online from all over the world.

Shortly after, in early 1689, Scotland officially accepted William as their new king and demanded that the Duke of Gordon surrender Edinburgh Castle. Gordon, who had been appointed by James VII as a Catholic confrere, refused.

In March 1689, the castle was blocked by 7,000 men against a garrison of 160 men. Viscount Dundee, determined to spark a rebellion in the Highlands, climbed the west side of Castle Rock to urge Gordon to hold the castle against the new king. Gordon agreed. Despite his first victory at Killiecrankie, Dundee was fatally injured. Without its leadership, the rebellion lost its leadership.

The battle of Dunkeld resulted in an inconclusive result. Some rebels began to abandon the cause and returned to the Highland valleys. Returning to Edinburgh, Gordon began to realize that he was not going to be relieved and would surrender on June 14 due to reduced supplies and the loss of 70 men during the three-month siege.

The castle was almost taken during the first Jacobite lever in support of James Stuart, the "old suitor", in 1715. On September 8, just two days after the start of the lever, a group of about 100 Jacobite Highlanders, led by Lord Drummond, tried to climb the walls with the help of members of the garrison.

However, the rope ladder lowered by the castle sentries was too short and the alarm went off after a watch change. The Jacobites fled, while the deserters from the castle were hanged or flogged. The last military action at the castle took place during the second Jacobite uprising in 1745.

Under Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), The Jacobite army captured Edinburgh without a fight in September 1745, but the castle remained in the hands of his aging, General George Preston, who refused to surrender. After their victory over the government army at Prestonpans on September 21, the Jacobites attempted to block the castle.

Preston's response was to bombard Jacobite positions in the city. After the demolition of several buildings and the death of four people, Charles lifted the blockade. Fans can know Edinburgh Tattoo Tickets prices online.

The Jacobites themselves did not have heavy weapons with which to respond, and in November they entered England, leaving Edinburgh to be the garrison of the castle. The uprising would eventually perish on the Culloden field in April of the following year

During the following century, the vaults of the castle were used to hold prisoners of war during several conflicts, notably the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and the wars Napoleonic (1803-1815). After a massive escape of prisoners in 1811, it ceased to be used as such from 1814

The Edinburgh Castle regularly originated to assume a different role as a national monument. The palace began to be open to visitors in the 1830s. The Sainte-Marguerite chapel was "rediscovered" in 1845, having served as a store for many years.

Works in the 1880s, saw the Argyle tower built above the Portcullis Gate and the great hall restored after years of use as a barracks. A new Gatehouse was built in 1888. The permanent garrison moved in 1923, although the castle was briefly used again as a prison during the Second World War, for captured pilots from the Luftwaffe.

The castle was entrusted to "historic Scotland" when the agency was created in 1991 and was designated a historic monument registered in 1993. Today, it fulfills a function of ceremonial, tourism and administration, soldiers still present.

He is probably best known today for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which takes place on the Esplanade every year in August. The basis of each performance is a parade of massive pipes and drums from Scottish regiments, and since its creation in 1950, the tattoo has developed a complex format that includes a variety of guest performers from around the world, albeit always with a purpose military.

The highlight of the evening is the solitary bagpiper on the ramparts of the castle, playing a pibroch in memory of the comrades-in-arms, followed by massive groups joining a mix of traditional Scottish melodies. The tattoo attracts an annual audience of around 217,000 people and is broadcast in around thirty countries to an estimated television audience of 100 million.

Another tradition that visitors can observe is the discharge of the One O’Clock Gun, a time signal, fired every day at 1 p.m., except Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas Day.

The "Time Gun" was created in 1861 as a signal for ships in the port of Leith and the Firth of Forth, 3 km away. The original gun was an 18-pound muzzle-loading cannon, which needed four men to charge, and was fired from the Half Moonbattery. On Sunday, April 2, 1916, the One O’Clock Gun was fired in vain at a German Zeppelin during an air raid, the only known use of the pistol in wartime.

Edinburgh Castle remains Scotland's most popular tourist attraction, with more than 1.4 million visitors in 2013. Historic Scotland has a number of facilities within the castle, including two cafes/restaurants, several shops and numerous historical exhibitions.

An educational center in the Queen Anne Building organizes events for schools and educational groups and employs reenactors in costume and with vintage weapons.

Tattoo fans can get Edinburgh Tattoo Tickets through our steadfast online ticketing market place. www.edinburghtattotickets.com is the most unfaltering source of The Edinburgh Tattoo Tickets.

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presentationdisasterwales · 5 years

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TO THE TORRENT AT THE DEVIL’S BRIDGE, NORTH WALES, 1824

HOW, art thou named? In search of what strange land

From what huge height, descending? Can such force

Of waters issue from a British source,

Or hath not Pindus fed thee, where the band

Of Patriots scoop their freedom out, with hand

Desperate as thine? Or come the incessant shocks

From that young Stream, that smites the throbbing rocks

Of Viamala? There I seem to stand,

As in life’s morn; permitted to behold,

From the dread chasm, woods climbing above woods,

In pomp that fades not; everlasting snows;

And skies that ne’er relinquish their repose;

Such power possess the fitmily of floods

Over the minds of Poets, young or old!

This poem, written by William Wordsworth, was inspired by a village high in the mountains near to Aberystwyth, where a very old bridge crosses a deep gorge, above it are two other bridges built at later dates. But the lowest one….Well, they say that the Devil himself built it! Devil’s Bridge is one of the biggest attractions of the "green desert" of central Wales. It is located in a small settlement of the same name, located in County of Ceredigion.

Legend is that a long, long time ago, before the bridge in Devil’s Bridge, a woman’s cow escaped. To the general amazement of the woman, the animal found itself on the other side of the rapid river. There was no way to get there. Old woman fell into deep despair. So there he appeared, as it usually happens, the devil was just walking across Wales and offered his help. Of course not for free. The bridge will be built for the very high payment -a soul whose owner would cross the bridge first. Old woman didn’t want to trust stranger but she agreed with a heavy heart. The following day, astonishingly the bridge was there, so just before entering the bridge, however, she came up with a simple and brilliant idea. She took a piece of bread from her pocket and tossed it over the entire length of the bridge, tempting the dog across. And so the clever woman scolded the devil. The devil was upset and left the area , apparently forever. The bridge remained. What happened to the unlucky dog, the chronicles do not say. Well, the Devil was never seen in Wales again as he was so embarrassed at being outwitted by the old lady.

So much legend, beautifully serving the place for the past two centuries in the form of a magnet for tourists; in fact:

-the first of the three Devil’s Bridge was probably built in circa 1075–1200 by monks residing in the nearby Strata Florida Abbey

- 1753 a Second bridge was built over it, also a stone one, but larger,

- 1901 a third iron bridge was built over both bridges.

-The bridges lean over the deep narrow ravine, which runs the river Mynach

- The action of one episode of very popular series Hinterland takes place in Devil’s Bridge – it is a crime series shot in Wales.

- almost every country in Europe have own devils bridge with similar legend – in Poland there are 2 bridges with this name.

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megamikethomson · 5 years

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25 of the best UK bars with strolls for Boxing Day

Feeling remorseful pretty much all you ate on Christmas Day? Pursue the rebuffing three-legged Boxing Day race up Primrose Hill, by the Kinmel Arms – you need to do it conveying a bundle of roughage. Try not to feel like that? Doing an area of the close by Wales Coastal Path is an increasingly quiet approach to hone the craving before plunking down to gourmet expert Chad Hughes' on-point bar works of art, for example, Menai Strait mussels, or more cheffy dishes, for example, venison midsection with poached pear and celeriac-apple purée. Outdoorsy proprietor Tim Watson (that is his climbing gear in the bar) can likewise guide you toward incredible strolling courses around the Aber Falls and his preferred pinnacle, Moel Siabod. • Mains from £10, The Village, St George, Abergele, 01745 832207, thekinmelarms.co.uk

The Inn At Whitewell, close Clitheroe, Lancashire Inn at Whitewell, Ribble Valley, Lancashire

The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a walkers' heaven, and the fifteenth century Inn at Whitewell, with antiquated hailed floors and thundering flames, is the ideal base camp. There are various delicate strolls locally (the southern finish of the Trough of Bowland, got to from the town of Dunsop Bridge, is wonderful), yet increasingly genuine walkers can leave on the four-hour roundabout Birkett Fell trek along the Hodder Valley, redirecting into Knowlmere Manor domain and around Marl Hill, which offers a touch of everything. Reward yourself with the Inn's epic fish pie or Cumberland frankfurter and champ. • Mains from £8, nr Clitheroe, Lancs, 01200 448222, innatwhitewell.com

The Griffin Inn, Swithland, Leicestershire

On Boxing Day, the entire of Leicestershire is by all accounts out strolling in Bradgate Park, Swithland Woods and Swithland supply. Fitter walkers can take in every one of the three on round strolls of around eight miles. All shining metal and finished wood, the Griffin is a most loved with drifters (there are likewise simple forest family strolls on its doorstep). It gets into the soul of things with a Boxing Day hoard broil, and a visit from the Leicester Morris Men (early afternoon 4pm). • Hog cook about £7, 174 Main Street, Swithland, Loughborough, 01509 890535, oddjohn.co.uk

The Plow, Hillsborough, County Down

Solidified walkers who need mud 'n' blood on Boxing Day may scoff at the buggies in this flawless, really Georgian town south of Belfast, however families will appreciate investigating the 98-section of land gardens at Hillsborough Castle (passage £3.50), in addition to its lake and backwoods. Head to the Plow, an occupied, keenly refreshed training hotel, for a remedial drop from its Irish and Scottish "whisk(e)y assortment" or an art beer from Lisburn's Hilden or Cork's Franciscan Well bottling works. • Bar mains from £9.50 (no nourishment on Boxing Day), 3 The Square, Hillsborough, Down, 028-9268 2985, ploughgroup.com

Mansion Inn, Lydford, Devon Photograph: Alamy

This is an all-capacities strolling spot. Lydford chasm and cascade and the remaining parts of Lydford Castle – specifically, its thirteenth century jail tower – are on the Castle Inn's doorstep, as is Dartmoor national park. Appropriate walkers can strike out on day-long undertakings to Sourton Tors stone circle or Dartmoor's most elevated point, High Willhays. Or then again settle in the Castle Inn, a flawless period bit of uncovered shafts, open flames and cleaned brasses, where you can fold into hand crafted meat and brew pie or gammon, egg and chips, washed down with pints of St Austell's Proper Job IPA.• Mains from £9.50, Lydford, Dartmoor, 01822 820242, castleinnlydford.com

Wizard, Nether Alderley, Cheshire

On the off chance that you are attempting to cajole obstinate youngsters to go out, Alderley Edge – with its legends of wizards and sleeping knights (all clarified on sheets at this National Trust site) – is a moderately simple sell. What's more, this stroll through woods, past caverns and over rough outcrops just takes 60 minutes, regardless of whether you occupy to take a gander at the old opencast works at Canyon Mine. The characterful Wizard is obviously superior to bars will in general be in such vacationer honeypots. Its lager hitter fish 'n' triple-cooked chips (utilizing brew from Macclesfield's Storm Brewery), or its Galloway burger, are notably better than. • Mains from £10.95, Macclesfield Rd, Nether Alderley, Cheshire, 01625 584 000, ainscoughs.co.uk

The Bull and Last, Kentish Town, London

Hampstead Heath is mobbed at Christmas with individuals getting a charge out of the perspectives from Parliament Hill. This gussied-up gastropub on the Heath's edge is a mainstream spot to recover, so ring to check there's space in the event that you need to eat in the lounge area. In spite of the refined idea of its regular dishes, for example, cooked venison, celeriac purée, salsify-pistachio piece and game kromeski (somewhat battered, singed bundle), the Bull's ground-floor bar still feels like a genuine bar. There are outstanding bar snacks, A1 make brews from any semblance of Five Points and Wild Beer, and pigs' ears for any eager pooches. • Mains from £15, 168 Highgate Rd, 020-7267 3641, thebullandlast.co.uk

Moulin Hotel, close Pitlochry, Perthshire

This antiquated hotel – it dates from 1695 – backs on to Ben Vrackie (or Speckled Mountain, alleged on the grounds that it used to glimmer with white quartz), a top with incredible perspectives on crisp mornings to Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. There are great, if soak, ways for six to eight miles through heather moorland to the top past Loch a' Choire, which experienced slope walkers ought to have the option to do in a couple of hours. Fatigued bones can rest by open flames in the cozy and lounge area of the uncovered stone motel. Its very own nearby bottling works produces lagers, for example, Ale of Atholl and a solid dull nectar brew, Old Remedial. • Mains from £12.50, Pitlochry, 01796 472196, moulinhotel.co.uk

The Killingworth Castle, Wootton, Oxfordshire

Extending your legs on Boxing Day need not be a wet, wild encounter. At a value (grown-up £13.80, youngster £6.70, blenheimpalace.com), you can walk around Capability Brown's mind blowing gardens at Blenheim Palace or lose yourself in its Marlborough Maze. Keep it tasteful by then driving a couple of moments not far off to the Killingworth, a seventeenth century motel which, as of late, has cleaned up pleasantly. Lagers from its very own Yubberton Brewing Co supplement Michelin Bib Gourmand-garlanded nourishment, for example, cod with dark colored margarine crush, savoy cabbage, simmered roots and red wine sauce.

The Stackpole Inn, Stackpole, Pembrokeshire

A short stroll from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, this flawless bar on the Stackpole Estate is an extraordinary spot to recuperate subsequent to investigating Bosherston lily lakes or two of the coast's most wonderful sea shores, Barafundle Bay and Broad Haven. The Stackpole gets occupied on Boxing Day, however it serves its privately sourced dishes in the bar as well, for the individuals who drop in spontaneously. Its healthy sheep cawl with bread and cheddar, rarebit-bested barbecued haddock, or a 28oz imparting rib of Welsh meat to every one of the trimmings ought to resuscitate even the most depleted walkers. Wash that down with a 16 ounces of Dark Heart from Cardigan's Mantle Brewery (from £3).• Mains from £9, Jasons Corner, 01646 672324, stackpoleinn.co.uk

Bankes Arms, Studland, Dorset

This creeper-clad sixteenth century motel ignores Old Harry Rocks and Studland Bay and is mainstream with Jurassic Coast climbers – the South West Coast Path is 200 meters from the bar. Twitchers and families may want to investigate the RSPB Arne nature save, as opposed to the tempestuous headlands. In any case, cockles can be warmed at the Bankes over pints of its own Isle of Purbeck sharp flavoring, for example, Fossil Fuel, just as wines including Fleurie and head cru Chablis.

Three Shires Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria

This beautiful, record constructed bar eatery in Little Langdale offers a breather for those doing the generally level, six-mile roundabout "cascade stroll" from Skelwith Bridge. Those searching for something all the more testing can handle Lingmoor Fell behind the motel. Gutsy bar dishes that go enormous on privately sourced fixings, for example, Cartmel Valley Cumberland hotdog with herb squash and balsamic onion sauce, will resuscitate hailing walkers. As will a container lager choice concentrating on Lake District lagers from micros, for example, Hawkshead, Bowness Bay and Barngates.

The Quiet Woman, Earl Sterndale, Derbyshire

This notable bar in the Peak District national park won't suit everybody (hounds are not permitted and there is no nourishment at all), yet it's an untainted town neighborhood – basically one room – with character to save. The fire in this wood-shot parlor bar will offer sweet help to those strolling from Longnor to Hollinsclough (around eight miles) or those plunging into shorter, round areas of that course from Earl Sterndale. Swerve the occupant lagers for visitor lagers from the nearby Wincle Beer Company. • Closed 3-7pm, Earl Sterndale, close Buxton, 01298 83211, no site

The Charles Bathurst, Arkengarthdale, North Yorkshire

Roosted on the slants of a valley above Swaledale, this tidy, whitewashed eighteenth century motel (known as the CB Inn), is a hit with walkers and foodies. There is somewhat of a climb up to Seal Houses, however the generally undemanding roundabout walk (4.5 miles) from the bar by means of Langthwaite and Whaw is prevalent, albeit increasingly bold guests should investigate the deserted lead mines that spot the field tops. Back at the bar, you can sup pints of Copper Dragon and Wensleydale beers and crevasse on nearby hamburger and Black Sheep brew goulash with suet dumplings, or catch mushroom, red onion and thyme frittata. • Mains from £11.50, Arkengarthdale, Richmond, 0333 7000 779, charlesbathurst-arkengarthdale.co.uk

Extension Tavern, Newcastle

Getaway along the Hadrian's Wall Path along the Tyne, close to the Metro Radio Arena, and wa

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