Summer Days

I had a few days off last week after my holiday in the Azores and I visited North Wales on a number of occasions; once mountain biking at Llandegla, then a walk up Tryfan in Snowdonia followed by a walk to Aber Falls with my family.
Here are a few recent images. More Azores dolphin photos coming soon.

Dung Beetle at Aber Falls, North Wales.

Juvenile Common Cuckoo at Meols, Wirral. It was great to see

this bird not far from my home as they are sadly declining in

Britain.

Common Blue Damselfly at Cors Bodgynydd, Gwynedd. There

were plenty of Keeled Skimmers on the wing at this Welsh

Wildlife Trust reserve, but none came close enough for photos.

This is me on the Cannon (again!) on the

climb up Tryfan in beautiful Snowdonia.

Tryfan

After an easy 5 mile run in the Cheshire countryside (where I saw my first Willow Warbler of the year) this morning, I decided to walk up Tryfan in Snowdonia; this is my way of taking things easy in the run up to the London Marathon! This is a grade 1 scramble and apart from a brief walk up stone steps near the A5 it was hands on all the way to the top. Despite the sunshine there was an icy wind blowing near the summit with snow and ice on the rocks so extreme caution was needed. The panoramic views on the entire route were stunning, and the scrambling was most enjoyable. Tryfan is 3010 feet above sea-level which makes it the fifteenth highest mountain in Wales. It was a great day out and one I intend to repeat very soon.

Me, on the rocky outcrop known as "the canon", about

half way up Tryfan's north ridge.

The view from the summit looking towards Y Gribin.

My picnic guest, not far from the summit, overlooking Llyn

Bochlwyd, also known as "Australia Lake" because of its

shape.