Tuesday, no more Dave. On to Steve. We do more classroom work and then out to take turns leading a leg. Davy races us up a hill and most of us are panting, he isn’t but then he is militarily fit. As I get my leg to nav to, 2 women of a certain persuasion appear and want directions. I am convinced they are Steve’s stooges so am on my best behaviour and show them where they are. Very good practice as we have just negotiated a tricky non path.
I tramp the group across the heather just for fun. We finish up having to do a steep descent.
Back to PYB for more lectures, tea, cakes, showers.
We get a special early dinner because we are going out night navigating. Steve drives us about 2 miles down the road. It is frosty. We tramp up a hill again going far too fast straight after eating 3 courses. Then we send 2 ahead to walk on a bearing and direct from behind.
Once we work out we haven’t walked for long enough to reach our river, we continue and then find it. Our next stop is a spot height which we find by aiming off. Am very impressed that the techniques work. We aim off to a wall and descend back to the bus. Hannah gets stuck in the freezing bog, but no problem as the drying rooms are very efficient.
We only did a couple of kilometres but it was great that the principles worked and we achieved our aims and found the places on the map, fab.
Arrived at Plas y Brenin on Sunday 14th, after a good journey taking just over 3 hours. I checked in, unpacked my bags in my twin room with just me in it. I have a brand new en suite and the rooms are warm and comfy. No TV which is great.
In the bar, I chat to a woman who is going to do kayaking and eat a burger and chips and salad, well I didn’t eat the chips, very nice home made burger.
Go to bed quite early after orienting myself around the rabbit warren on the place, it’s an old coaching inn for travellers from Dublin and has a staircase and selection of corridors at every turn. It’s been a mountain training centre for over 50 years.
In the morning, go to breakfast, eat various things on toast and fill a plastic bag with rolls for lunch, all labelled with day and contents and all very neatly filed, also fruit and a piece of home made cake.
The only criticism I have is that the coffee is pants, yes all the food is included which is great but they could do with a proper coffee machine.
Go to Introduction Lecture with the Director of the Centre and meet Lorraine who is in the WGL group. We all hive off with our trainers who are Dave and Steve. Follow them across the road to our training room in Berwen. Steve says he’ll see us next day and leaves us with Dave.
We are Lorraine, nurse from Cardiff; Cath, a DoE scheme leader from school in Surrey; Hannah, the same; Peter, retired construction firm owner from Brecon; Davy, who old deaf ears here thinks is called Steve, about to leave military intelligence after endless years; and me.
Dave the trainer does some talking and then we’re off in the minibus for about half an hour up to the north wales coast but inland a bit to spend the day practising our nav.
Cold and wet all day, we get to use the group shelter to eat our lunches, bit squashed but keeps the wind off well.
Then back to PYB for a shower, a bit more lecture, then tea and cake, then more lecture, then dinner of roast beef – very nice. Then more lecture. Working us hard.
A swift drink in the bar then bed.
I didn’t sleep very well in my luxurious room. I was on the 4th floor and the window had a stupid opening so it opened like a door and it would be very easy to fall out if you had a mind to. So the only way to open the window was by getting a handle from reception. I just hadn’t been bothered to and used the air con. I woke up in the early hours or even the wee wee hours as Bruce often refers to them, feeling very dry. I rang reception and asked them to bring the handle up, this seemed to take forever. Then I read a bit more and eventually dozed off but woke up fully at 7. Used all the stuff in the shower, had my breakfast ** only because no muesli or granola!
After an immense feat of packing (should be used to packing my rucksack by now!), I got the shuttle bus to the airport and put my bags in the left luggage. Then I hopped on a train to the central station, walked to the Place Bel Air, hopped on a tram for 4 stops to Villereuse and then asked a nice woman in a newsagents where the Rue St. Laurent was. She whipped out a map and proceeded to direct me quite arbitrarily but fortunately I spotted where it was, literally 1 minute away. She was very sweet, just not good with a map.
So I located No. 2 in the street and it looked to be just an office block having a refurb so a building site. I kept looking at it and then a bloke in a suit came out and I just wandered in. I could hear a workman banging away, so I asked him if it was the Le Corbusier building and he confirmed that it was. I didn’t really see very much of it as I was effectively trespassing. I also hadn’t seen a photo of the building before trying to find it.
I’d gone to check out a Corb building in Paris one time and it was open as a museum to the public so a very different experience.
Then I had a nice cup of coffee in a cafe I’d spotted on my way up the Rue St. Laurent.
I checked out a museum from the map which was natural history but I wasn’t in the mood for that so then I tried another one which was watches but that was shut for ever. It was in a nice little park and I saw a red squirrel jumping from tree to tree, lovely and most unexpected in the middle of a city.
I ambled back to the tram, rode a few stops, jumped off and wandered around the shops and the edge of the lake on my way back to the station. Got the train to the airport, only my 4th visit to the airport in 2 days!
Had a sandwich and a pastry, reclaimed my bags and checked in. Had to pay some more money and almost lost my temper with the guy who tried to break my credit card, so I paid him in Euros which he returned my change in Swiss Francs. I’d only just got rid of all my Francs.
Ann turned up from the Alpibus and we departed. The plane was a bit late leaving but thanks to our 45mph tail wind, we managed to arrive on time.
I was sat next to an ancient fellow in tweeds with very bony elbows, how do I know this? Because he kept jabbing me in the ribs. And I wasn’t the one hogging the armrest.
Ann and I took our farewells.
I then buggered about with the parking ticket, got my bus to the car park, drove to Sainsburys, bought pizza, coleslaw and beer. Then home, sweet home.
Pack up and breakfast. Farewell to guides. Quick walk into town with Annie and Caroline for some tourist shopping.
Say goodbye to Ann who is staying at the hotel for another night.
Off to the airport with Liz, Mel and the girls. The girls and I say goodbye to Mel and Liz there.
I get onto the shuttle bus which takes me to the NH hotel. I check in and rest for a bit. Then out for short walk to the bus stop which takes me off in the wrong direction but I spot my error, jump off, cross the road and pick up the next one going in the right direction. The buses are very frequent. But best of all they, and the trams and the trains and the boats are all free to tourists who pick up a tourist card at their hotels. Fantastic.
I walk around the old town and spot a nice restaurant but they don’t serve until 7 and it is only 5. I locate the Demi Lune cafe which is a gay bar and have a beer while writing up my journal. I return to the nice looking restaurant and the wretched girl who I’m sure is queer, says I may have to eat outside, I’m not keen as it’s getting cooler. However she does locate me a table inside and then attempts to be nice. I have tuna on thin toast with grapefruit ***, chicken with courgette flower in batter, with potato wedges and a delicious vegetable stack of courgette, aubergine and something cheesy *****. More beer, more wine and water. Finish off with creme brulee ***. Stuffed at the Cafe Papon!!
I return to the bus station but the last bus is long gone, thinking fast, I get on a bus going to the airport and then get the airport shuttle back to the hotel. No cost and all very quick!
I put the photo of Cavour’s plaque in because my great great great grandfather, Evasio Radice, was big in the Italian risorgimento. Extract from Giles Radice’s (my dad’s cousin) book.
