Category Archives: Hiking

Virtual Symi: Summer solstice and Covid optimism

Posted on June 22, 2020 by

Summer solstice, 21 June, and for the last 10 years I have been in Greece to celebrate it.  With the sun at its highest, at the zenith (13.00 with adjustment for summer time) I’ve made a point of taking a … Continue reading →

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Spring in the Brecon Beacons: The long and the short view of The Covid Lockdown

Posted on June 6, 2020 by

September 1961.  I started in the Sixth Form and my GCE ‘A’ level course.  Perhaps more importantly, I now had access to the Sixth Form Library which hitherto I didn’t even know existed.  It was like Aladdin’s Cave.  The only … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Landscape, Mountains, Nature, Photography, Pontypool, Reflections, Spring, Wales, Weather | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Under the Covid Cosh: musings

Posted on April 29, 2020 by

Five weeks in, under the cosh since 23 March, and the major change is in the weather. For all that time it has been warm and sunny, the sunniest April on record in the UK.  A single overnight shower two … Continue reading →

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Greece, Symi: The satisfaction of discovering. And undiscovering

Posted on October 22, 2019 by

After a brief sojourn on Nisyros, back to Symi, revisiting familiar and looking for new places.  There is great satisfaction in discovering new places.  But that’s ‘discovering’ in the sense that Columbus discovered America.  It was already there, complete with … Continue reading →

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Greece, Nisyros: up close and personal.

Posted on September 13, 2019 by

There are great walks on many of the Greek islands I know. Symi, Tilos, Kalymnos, Amorgos, Hydra ………   However, I have often said, become a bit boring about it maybe, that the most spectacular walking/trekking I know is on Nisyros.  … Continue reading →

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Greece, Symi: Up, along a bit, and down

Posted on July 27, 2019 by

The temperature was pushing up to 40 degrees in the shade. The previous afternoon, a friend with a thermometer on his balcony had recorded 58.7 in the sun at 13.00 – hottest part of the day is a couple of … Continue reading →

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Greece, Symi: Sea to Sky

Posted on July 8, 2019 by

The beach at Nanou is popular with visitors to Symi, not least because it is served by high-speed taxi boat and has a taverna under the shade of tamarisk trees.  I don’t do beach-days, I get bored and end up … Continue reading →

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Greece, Symi: back to the Neolithic

Posted on June 24, 2019 by

Finally made it back to Greece.  Two months later than planned but it was great to be back on Symi. Up in the mountains, temperatures in the thirty’s, pushing up to 40, very pleasant breeze, minimum of 5 miles every … Continue reading →

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Canadian Rockies: what to do when you’re not skiing

Posted on March 13, 2019 by

Spring is on its way and I’ll soon be heading for Greece again, but before I get there, a last look back to winter and the Canadian Rockies. One of the great things about Banff, apart from the skiing, is … Continue reading →

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Canadian Rockies: snow, ice and steam

Posted on January 9, 2019 by

Again, first the festive stuff:  A belated New Year to all. I’ve been doing more trekking than usual thanks to a bug which I picked up on the flight and which kept me hotel-bound for a while.  However, unable to … Continue reading →

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