Friday 29 April 2011

Llyn Stwlan - 5/46

Morgan!



Graceful as ever!


Llyn Stwlan, Near Moelwyn Mawr, N Wales - with Morgan 29 April 2011
Morgan, Sasha, Fidelma and I decided to go on a jaunt into the Moelwyn Mountains, nothing too strenuous but enough of a leg stretch to know you'd gone uphill. We initially walked along a disused railway (adjacent to the famous Ffestiniog railway) aiming for the Tanygrisiau Reservoir. Morgan and I had designs on a swim in the reservoir but when we got there found it nearly empty! Obviously the result of the recent dry spell - IN NORTH WALES!!!

We then decided to walk North West uphill to the Llyn Stwlan reservoir - and boy was it uphill, a real calf burner. We reached the water via a scramble over the approach rocks that guarded the valley, and the view was amazing (pictures to follow). There nestled this large body of fresh water in a typical welsh mountain cwm.

We aimed for a spit of land that stretched into the water and we thought would make an ideal spot for lunch and a good launch platform for our swim.

Morgan and I stripped off and changed into our swimmers just as the sun decided to disappear behind a thick black cloud. However, that wasn't going to stop us going in... we spotted a rocky promontory that would prove to be perfect, as I was mustering up the courage to go for it Morgan sped past me and dived straight in! He looked stunned and aimed for the bank to get out again - this didn't bode well. I was next, in I went with what I thought was a good dive, oh-oh-oh it was cold, probably a new low in terms of my swimming temperatures! I managed to swim about 100m in total before the need to get out proved too great. However, when I got out I decided I needed to dive in again, and again, only the last time without swimming cap and goggles.

It was a wonderful swim, with a well earned can of cider when we got out.

When we got back to the cottage we chopped wood, drank cider, paddled in the river and built a fire... "This is what real men do, drink cider and make fire!" (Morgan)


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