Wales Archives - A Simple Life of Luxury

Pen y Fan: One New Nuttall, Nearly Two

Alan Cole — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:25:02 +0000

Having recently climbed both Cadair Idris and Yr Wyddfa, I thought it might be nice if Clélia could climb Pen y Fan as well, so she could complete the Welsh Three Peaks before heading home to France. Unfortunately, we kind of ran out of time, but I got her a print of the Three Peaks...

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Getting Ready for Traws Eryri

Alan Cole — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:38:00 +0000

A while ago, Mike asked if I fancied doing Traws Eryri with him. I’m not entirely sure whether this was an invitation or revenge. A couple of years ago, we did the OMM together, and, depending on which version of events you believe, I either pushed us both rather enthusiastically or nearly broke him. Either...

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Bagging Nuttalls in the Rhinogs

Alan Cole — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:40:00 +0000

After summiting Yr Aran on Friday, I had a taste for bagging some more Nuttalls, and all of a sudden the weather for the weekend was looking lovely. I had a few other things I wanted to do on Saturday, so decided it would be nice to head to the hills later in the day,...

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Another Nuttall Bagged – Yr Aran

Alan Cole — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:33:25 +0000

Whilst taking Mel and Clélia up Snowdon recently, we stopped partway up the South Ridge for a snack and a chat. Sitting there on the grassy slopes overlooking the valley, our eyes were drawn to the summit to the west. Yr Aran. A summit that I’d not really clocked before. On that day it was...

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Yr Wyddfa South Ridge: A Quieter Way to the Roof of Wales

Alan Cole — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:50:13 +0000

I had another great day in the hills on Friday with Clélia and Mel. Several plans were floated, but with Mel heading back to France soon, we thought we should at least summit Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) before she left Wales. It is the highest mountain in Wales after all, even if it isn’t my favourite....

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Cadair Idris with a French Flavour

Alan Cole — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:52:21 +0000

After a postponed trip up Cadair Idris last weekend due to a slight back injury for me and a lack of suitable shoes for Mel and Clélia, we tried again on Sunday. The Crowd Gathers My back was mostly better, Mel’s Mum and brother were now visiting and had brought Mel’s boots, and Clélia had...

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A Night at The Checkers, Montgomery

Alan Cole — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:52:31 +0000

Our anniversary has become a good excuse to try somewhere a little special, and this year we’d booked a night at The Checkers in Montgomery. It was somewhere I’d had my eye on for a while and, with a ten-course tasting menu waiting for us on Friday evening, it wasn’t exactly a difficult date to...

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Bagging Nuttalls in the Sunshine

Alan Cole — Sun, 31 May 2026 14:59:01 +0000

With the settled weather due to break at the weekend, I decided to make the most of it and head into the hills to bag a few more Nuttalls. Most of the local ones are already ticked off now, so it meant a longer drive, but the Black Mountains and Bannau Brycheiniog still had plenty...

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Fata Morgana in West Wales

Alan Cole — Mon, 25 May 2026 05:59:28 +0000

Yesterday afternoon’s stroll over to the beach here at Ynyslas brought an unexpected surprise. Out across the water, the distant outline of the Ll?n Peninsula appeared to be floating above the sea — stretched, distorted, and shimmering in the warm haze. It was a classic Fata Morgana mirage, caused by layers of warm and cool air bending the light...

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Three Nuttalls and a Friday Well Spent

Alan Cole — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:35:48 +0000

I only work part-time, four days a week, with Fridays as my day off. It’s fairly easy, though, to accidentally get sucked into some work on a Friday, so it’s best to have a plan to get out of the house and do something. With the forecast looking like a cracker, I decided to make...

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