July - Waun Fach & Bye Bye Brum

Waun Fach

Summit Height:
811m

What?
Highest point in the 'Black Mountains'

Where?
Brecon Beacons


With?
Andrew, Richard, Lettie, Tam, Cerys, Geroge & Adam 

A fantastic weekend of camping in the Back Mountains at a quirky little campsite/barn/pub called Castle Inn included a pleasent and sunny hike up to the highest point in the Black Mountains; Waun Fach. The walk included a ruined castle, a ridge walk, peat bogs, a cairn island, a field of alpacas and a whole loads of tired looking fell runners.

Although Waun Fach was my 'Mountain a Month' this month, I didn't want my July blog to go past without the mentioning the following...



... Bye Bye Brum!

As I write this at the end of July I am surrounded by half packed boxes, since I am leaving Birmingham, my home for the last 5 years, to move to London. It's in this time that my passion for climbing and mountain walking grew due to the relatively short distance between Brum and the Peaks, Lakes, Brecons, North Wales etc.

My 'day to day' walking and climbing in the last 5 years has been in and around the city itself. This month I managed to do some of the the 'Best Bits of Brum' one last time (as a resident, of course... I'll be back for visits), and here they are;

Redpoint Climbing Centre

I'll start with Redpoint Climbing Centre, which is a brilliant, intesting and exciting place with an incredble ethos which seems aimed towards creating a climbing communtiy where, regardless of your climbing ability you feel comfortable and secure. The staff are fantastic, the routes are very interesting and grades are well varied. As well as going to Redpoint once or twice a week to improve my own climbing, as a teacher I've also taken many groups of pupils (once we took 100 in one day) and the experience that they have had thanks to the redpoint staff has been amazing.

One of the most impressive features at Redpoint is a stalicite in the middle of the centre. In my last week in Brum myself and fellow climbing buddies, Mel, Nick and Rog, went on our usualy Thursday night climb, and Mel (secretly) filmed my scampering up the stalectite one last time;

Canal Walks

Whilst living in Brum I've used the canals to walk/cycle to work, for short hikes and journeys into town. When using footpaths for convenience it's easy to overlook their beauty. I completed one last canal-based hike in my last month in Brum, and expereinced again the suprising contrast between the busy main roads (just a few meters away), and the quiet, calming canals. Suprisingly I think I'll miss frosty winter cycle rides to work which usually involved being attacked by geese!
 
Lickey Hills

Lickey Hills are my favourite walking spot in Brum! I've always enjoyed a trip to the Lickeys, and seem to discover something new there every time I go. During my last week teaching in Birmingham I helped out with a school trip to the Lickey Hills for pupils to have a 'taster' of hiking ready for the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme to be set up next year! I'm very jealous that I'm leaving the school just as the DofE is starting because with Laura running it, it is bound to be a fantastic experience for the pupils and the start of a real legacy for the school. Good luck Laura!