Walking in North Wales: LLyn Idwal

The best thing for a group of people cooped up together inside a house is to get them outside! Being outdoors is brilliant for several reasons:

1. Its very difficult to be stressed when outdoors - whether its the fresh air or the open space, I always find that its a bit like a weight has been lifted my shoulders and I tend not to worry about the things that have been bothering me. 
2. Exercise - we all need to do it so why not do it whilst getting to see trees, lakes, birds and rivers? 
3. Accomplishment - no matter how big or small your walk I always think that you gain a sense of achievement. "I walked all that way, therefore I deserve to spend the evening in front of the T.V." This particularly appeals to us a household as we like to feel that we've done something with our day. 
4. Air things out - When we've been sniping at each other about little things, being outdoors lays all that to rest, you bond over helping each other out, or laughing, or feeling scared. You can also say things and then let them go. Inside they linger, outside they seem to float away.

So we decided to try and find some snow up in the mountains above us and led by our mountain expert, Finn, we went to find Llyn Idwal. With plenty of layers and sturdy boots, we began our climb which was a time steep and slippy but together we did it. There were plenty of breaks to appreciate the views, have snowball fights and even make a small snowman. Finn took the lead showing us the way and Jack brought up the rear, giving us a boost up some of the tricky bits and a sturdy hand to hold when needed. The little one did really well only having a few moments where the height overwhelmed him but with all of us cheering him on he did things he didn't think he was capable of. Huge Mama Sue struggled every now and then as she is slightly vertically challenged but her positive mental attitude really helped when tiredness set in. 

The views from the top of our climb were incredible as we were able to look down over the Ogwyn valley seeing the pockets of snow, the lakes both natural and manmade. The cold was only really bad on our hands and to be honest I could have done without the rain, but overall it just made us appreciate the cup of tea we had when we got home. There's something about the landscape in the Ogwen Valley that can be both beautiful and desolute at the same time. I'm a tree girl myself, nothing makes me happiers than sitting under a tree, whether that sheltering from the rain or the sun, and there are parts of the Ogwen Valley - particulary where we were - that are rather sparse. However, there's something in that sparsness that makes you really focus on what's there. The clouds coming in make you think of a dramatic scene from Lord of the Rings, the stillness of the lake was so unbelievable that your eyes begin to imagine movement. The only brightness comes from the walkers coats and backpacks trecking in the distance standing out against the muted greys and purples. This is the beauty of North Wales for me. The startling change in scenery from beautiful seascapes, dense forests and muted mountain landscapes, they all give us a backdrop for adventures. 

Our adventure ended with a sense of amazing achievement for us all. Finn led us confidently and without incident, Kate got stuck in with the climb helping motivate everyone a long especially the little one when he got scared. The little one made his energy last the whole way never tiring and Sue proved that a dodgy knee and shortish legs are no match for her. Jack proved that he could put our fear above his own fear of heights and I kept going even if that meant going down some bits on my bum! 

On the way home we felt like we'd earned chip-shop chips and some tasty homemade burgers (recipe to follow at a later date, they taste so good)! So get outside, go for a walk, a climb, a run or a jog, if for no other reason that to feel you earn't those chippy chips!

(I must note that we did not take the dog on this walk as we felt that it would be too much for him and instead took him on a shorter walk combined with cuddles).