The blog...
The round-trip of Scotland
Last weekend Colin, Sam, Ingo, Nolwenn and myself headed up to Scotland for some winter climbing/hiking fun. The plan was to camp in Glen Coe the first night and while the climbers headed up the Aonach Eagach Ridge on Saturday, Ingo and I would climb the less technical Stob Dearg …
Read moreAran Fawddwy
The weather seemed too good to be stuck indoors/underground today, so with Ingo, Dan and Megan we decided to tackle Aran Fawddwy - the highest peak in the Aran Range at 905 m, Starting from Cwm Cywarch, the walk is roughly 12 km and takes in some spectacular views in …
Read moreLake Vostok soon to be penetrated
UPDATE 10 Feb: Drilling this year stopped on 5th Feb at 3720.47 metres - just 29.53 metres short. The Russians will resume again in Dec 2011. Lake Vostok, which lies 4 km underneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, has remained isolated for the last 14 million years. However, Russian scientists …
Read more…New Year in Rome
I flew out to Rome on New Year's Eve and was soon out in the city celebrating the new year in. Italians seem to prefer explosives over fireworks, and by midnight we had joined the circle of crowds outside Il Vittoriano watching people set off their own homemade devices in …
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Snowfalls a thing of the past?
...or so Charles Onians thought so in 2000. His article in The Independent reported that the increased temperatures observed during the 1990's meant that snow would soon 'disappear from our lives'. Although funny in hindsight, the article is not supported with any science, and really shows how the press warp …
Read moreSnow at last
With yet another 'Big Freeze' being forecast for Britain this week, I was somewhat surprised to wake up this morning to find Aber under a good layer of snow. Usually we miss out due to being so close to the coastline, but around 4 inches had settled - enough for …
Read moreThe Grand Circle
Agen Allwedd is one of those caves that has never particularly inspired me. The last major trip I did in there was about 5 years ago while I was at Reading University, and included a tour of The Grand Circle as well as a diversion to see the then recently …
Read moreFeuerzangenbowle
Fire and alcohol always seems like a great combination, and this was reaffirmed after last night's Feuerzangenbowle party - my German officemate had invited us to come over to his cottage to try his native homeland's take on the festive drink of mulled wine. First, dry red wine is heated …
Read moreCHECC
Every year, for one weekend at the end of November, all student cavers across Britain gather for the annual caving conference CHECC. This year it was being held in Yorkshire's Dalesbridge Centre, and as seems the tradition for CHECC, the weather was fairly extreme. This year there was no rain, …
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