I Love It When A Plan Comes Together

Seems like I'm putting more and more thinking into my adventures each year. Ireland last year was quite easy as we were walking two way-marked trails. Then some group travels which where absolutely fabulous.

Until now this year was a bit vague, mainly due to starting my new life in Bristol but I can now finally announce my travel plans for 2014. Yeah!!! There's going to be some amazing stories and pictures here, I'm pretty sure.

First Weekend of May - Dartmoor
Since it's a bank holiday weekend over here. I'm going down to Dartmoor to cycle a few trails. Hopefully take my own car to get there if I have one by then. Three days of riding with trails starting from Okehampton and Princetown, staying on the remote and lovely campsites of Runnage Riverside or Cockingford Farm right within the heart of the moor.

Mid/End June - Two Weeks in North West Wales
Since my walking partner doesn't know if he can accompany me in June I changed plans from Skye Trail to Wales since it's closer, not as tough as the Skye Trail, but not too easy as well. And I'm on Skye later this year anyway.
It's been so much fun planing this tour. Spent almost two days now until I came up with the route as it is now. Pembrokeshire Coastal Path was too easy and two weeks of - though stunningly beautiful - coast sounds a bit boring. Offa Dyke's didn't really catch me as did the Beacons Way. The Cambrian Way really thrilled me, but was too long and sounds like of equal grade as the Skye Trail.
What I came up with is now a round trip from Conwy counter clock-wise along the Wales Coast Path around the Llyn Penninsula to Porthmadog, turning then north onto the last four sections of the Cambrian Way right through the heart of Snowdonia.

The first week is full of rugged cliffs, endless beaches and the roaring Irish Sea. The second week will test my endurance and navigation skills as I clamber onto some of the highest British mountains outside of Scotland making this a real adventure and the next big step to becoming a seasoned hill walker.

Last Week of August - Munro Bagging Skye
I couldn't resist to book a place in George's group of just a handful of people aiming to conquer all of Skye's 12 munros. There... I said it. All of them. The Cuillins on Skye are the only alpine mountain range of Britain and probably the most stunning... the most difficult and technical for sure as almost all of them require scrambling and the use of a rope including abseiling from the In Pinn.
Combined with the more than fickle weather there, chances of a complete success are maybe 50:50. Ambitious as I am I'll still be a happy camper afterwards - whatever the outcome - having gained my first serious mountaineering experience.

First Week of September - Munro Bagging Loch Tay
Driving straight from Skye over to Loch Tay I'll spend another week with one of those wonderful wandern-schottland.de groups. I've been to Loch Tay with one of their groups before on an easier walking week, still cashed two munros back then. This time there are some more on the plate and coming back from Skye this will most likely feel like a piece of cheesecake, haha.

On Ben Lawers 2011

Second Week of October - Climbing Sardinia
Those two weeks last year were absolutely amazing and I promised to be back this year. Well, I will. If only for a week this time. But this will be the only holiday with a promise of sunshine this year, haha.

Sardinia 2013

New Years' - Tanzania, Kilimanjaro
I made that plan on last New Year's Day thinking about the next one just wanting to be away from civilisation, doing something cool. The acclaimed Jagged Globe organizers do a Kilimanjaro Tour over each New Year's. Wow. Standing on the highest mountain of Africa, on the world's highest free standing volcano right at New Year's Day at sunrise. How cool is that, huh?
Kilimanjaro... how boring, you might say. How easy. Au contraire! Technically it's easy. Yes. But this bump is almost 6000 metres high. (5895 m to be exact) This is NOT a walk in the park and the height should not be underestimated.
For me it is purely a test. A test if I can cope with the height. How it feels above 4500 metres. When you feel the lack of oxygen in your lungs. When when you have to keep your brain from screaming "Turn around, go back!". When every step is hard labour.
If I pass that test, some more serious expeditions await in 2015. Cotopaxi and Antisana or Mont Blanc, Elbrus, Kazbek.... just to throw some names in.


But this is next year. A fantastic, exciting and adventurous 2014 awaits me with a lot of first-times and a lot of experience to be gained. Scenery that will take my breath away, views that will have tears dwelling in my eyes, situations where I'll have to force myself to go on and ones where I have to come up with plan B.
Bring it on 2014! I'm ready!!!