Ronnie Hughes
A selection from the several thousand photographs I’ve taken this year for this blog. Taken all together they tell one story of the year. Not a definitive one, more of a meander as you might expect.
In a year that’s been turbulent in so many ways it’s been good to have this blog to come home to. A quiet place to reflect and to tell some stories. Stories of ordinary days and determined people, trying to make our part of the world a better and fairer place.
Yes she does! A five day stay on Anglesey this time, including a course, a day off in the sunshine and two days of individual coaching, culminating in the baby seals around Puffin Island having a play around the kayaks. So read on.
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I’m taking two weeks off work as a funeral celebrant – to recharge myself, and to sea kayak and visit Poland. First the sea kayaking. My adventure continues, this time with Adventure Elements, run by James Stevenson and based on Anglesey.
I’ve booked myself four days kayaking. Two days on an improvers course and two days coaching with James.
After a good sunny week in Liverpool I arrive in Anglesey to be greeted by persistent rain and wind. This is not good for sea kayaking! So on day one the conditions are so rough we can’t go out on the sea, and neither can the more advanced 4 star group who are also training this weekend. So we go to Llyn Padarn near Llanberis and I begin my kayaking here. I am in a group of three, and our coach is the lovely Stuart Leslie, who coached me on my beginners back in May this year – post here. My five days on Anglesey provide a very varied experience:
On our way into Wales Sarah and I drive through many miles of the brutal ‘we’ve broken the sky’ kind of rainfall we get too often in these climate-changing days. But we keep going because, well, it’s a day out, an adventure and we’re determined to enjoy it.
Besides, we’ve been where we’re going many times before, though not for a long time now, and we know it can have good weather even when it’s raining everywhere else. That’s how it is with Paradise.
Across the bridge then to Anglesey and two left turns later we arrive at Niwbwrch. Where we turn left again, through the pine woods and down to the beach.
Well done that mountain range. Continue reading “Paradise: Two hours from Liverpool”
We spend the weekend together on Ynys Mon, Anglesey, one of our favourite places. A world away from Liverpool but actually very close to here. In fact we spend much of our time on Ynys Gybi, just off the main island.
