This time tomorrow I will be on top of Snowden setting up camp.  Then on Saturday at day break we will be off to do the other 14 peaks in the 15 Peaks Challenge.  Wish me luck, it is not too late to sponsor me.

 I have not had much time to BLOG with doing several training weekends on the mountains and three days a week at the gym.  The walk is taking place this weekend, we climb Snowden on Friday the 19th, sleep at the summit and then start off at day break on Saturday,  to cover another 14 peaks all over 3000 feet high, (hopefully) before dark.

On Saturday the 13th, the group I am doing snowden with, climbed the malvern hill from end to end and back again which is about 20 miles round trip.  We managed to do it in just over four and a half hours, which is not bad I think?  Quite a good endurance test as it is one of those up and down walks where every crest has another hill in the distance and there seems no end to it.

I have a few more pains in muscles, mainly from not looking where I was going at one point and stepping off into a cliff drop.  All is well though and I am sort of looking forward to the big one next weekend.  Youy can still sponsor me at this address.

https://www.charitiestrust.org/members_data/event/frankpeaks/index.html

From Thursday to Saturday last week, I stayed in Breacon with my family, my good friend Nigel and his two sons, and Ted and Alice Waldron.  Ted had kindly offered to give me a few pointers for the Snowden 15 Peaks Challenge by taking me on a 20km hill walk.

We had a great time camping, real open fires at night, lovely farm with ponds and ducks.  The newest member of the family, BEN the dog had great fun.

Just got back from a Scout Camp and training exercise.  Walked from Brierley Hill to Kinver on Friday night and set up camp just as it was getting dark.  Had a great Night out under the stars with Nigel, Ian and the scouts.

Next day, packed up and hiked to the camp near Kidderminster Safari Park, going zig zag routs cross country to build up the miles.  I think we did about 16 miles on this walk.  It was tough going at times as the path would suddenly change from stiles and rough pathways, to barb wire, electric fences and 6ft nettles where the farmer had forgotten about the public footpath rules so his animals could graze and his spuds could grow I guess.

Got a few injuries when an old rusted through fence collapsed on me, after I had helped a few others over.  Several puncture wounds (barbed wire) later and with aching ribs from the landing, I am OK, but a little wiser and less trusting of ancient gates.

Today the scouts came back by bike to the HQ at Blakedown and I came back with Justine and the boys who picked me up to give them a chance to meet all the scouts.

Great weekend so CHEERS guys, really a great bunch of friendly and helpful kids, and leaders.

You can still sponsor my SNOWDEN WALK, details below…

https://www.charitiestrust.org/members_data/event/frankpeaks/index.html

Richard has been very kindly giving up his mornings three days a week to do training sessions with me in his gym.  I ache all over, which he says is a good thing, but I am really enjoying it and I am very, very grateful to him for the time he is putting in and the equipment he lets me use. Cheers again.

I start the day by walking the kids to school (about a mile), and then back again.  Then I walk to Richards house in Wordsley (about two miles), and begin the workout which lasts about an hour and a half (I think it is supposed to last an hour?), doing bench work, bike and all manner of other stuff that Richard has all the names for but I don’t have a clue, yet!  Then I walk back home and have a massive sandwich, which is probably wrong, but I am always starving by then.

I follow this with the two mile round trip back to the school and do a bit of work on my own bike and weight before bed.  I like the exercise and the company, and though we have only done two days of these sessions so far, I really feel it is helping more than anything I could achieve without Richards input, patience and time.

St Geaorges Day Brierley Hill Victoria Cafe

We are all looking forward to the St Georges Day Parade on Saturday the 25th of April in Brierley Hill town centre.  The parade starts at 10.30am and continues with events in the town and at the local Marsh Park for the rest of the day.

Most of the shops in town have made an effort to ad some bunting and other items to brighten up the town for the last few days.  Colin and Kaye at the Victoria Cafe, part of C and K Catering Brierley Hill www.brierleyhillcatering.co.uk, have added a great castle scene to their front window at the Cafe, depicting George and the Dragon. 

C and K Catering are expanding the area they cover to include Brierley Hill, Dudley, Stourbridge, Kingswinford, Wordsley, Wombourne, Himley, Blackheath, and all surrounding areas.  For all your party food and catering needs, whether it be a wedding party, wedding anniversary, Christening, Wake/Funeral Buffet or just a celebration or birthday party food buffet, they can do it all.

We started to do some proper hill walk training this weekend.  On Saturday morning we started a climb at 8am to the top of Snowden. Starting in the car park at Pen-y-pass we climbed for six and a half hours doing the entire Horseshoe walk including the assent to Snowden via Crib Goch, which is an amazing high level exposed ridge.  We stopped at the summit of Snowden for lunch, then went down the scrambling descent of scree slopes continuing along the mountain range curving back to the car park.  We had to park a few miles from the car park as it was so busy, which added a good warm up to the hike.

All I can say is that the experience was hard, and probably not the best first walk to do for any one new to climbing and hill walking.  I did it though, and I know with more practice and preparation I can do it faster and more methodically.  I also learned a lot about what to take and what to wear, which was very useful.  I will add some pictures when I get a chance.  If any one knows how many miles the walk is, I would love to know.  I think we did a total of five peaks on this walk, three of them being ones over 3000 feet, that we will have to do for the Welsh 3000s / 15 peaks challenge.

I did all the normal exercise routine yesterday and today.  Also spent the day at the allotment on Sunday, digging and replanting all the strawberries, which was good exercise.  Today though, Justine was kind enough to take the boys out with Janet so I could walk from Brierley Hill to the canal  lock just outside Kinver.  Then I  got on the main Wolverhampton canal and walked to the Bratch Lock in Wombourn before meeting up with Justine at the Railway walk car park.  I managed to out pace all the other walkers I passed and every canal boat going my way, just to make sure I was going fast enough.

I managed to meet up with Kevin for a quick pint, and later we all met up with Rachel and Christian for a swift half before putting the boys to bed.  Good day all round, and really nice weather, actually got sun burn, brilliant!

Today I started to gear up my training so that as well as doing all the normal sit-ups, bench presses and all that, I walked from Brierley Hill to Dudley Zoo. 

This might sound like not much work, but it is about 3-4 miles to Dudley, I would normally have driven, and when I got there I did two circuits of the Zoo and Castle including all the steps and castle tower, some of which with a child on my back.  I met with Justine and the kids in the car park and we had a really nice day out, plus I got the extra exercise.  I just hope I can find the time to keep up the training when I go to visit Spen and Debbie in Weymouth/Portland this week.  If not Snowden will be harder work on Saturday.

I am awaiting the arrival of my ever late sister in law so she can bbsit. We are off to a Motown evening in Old Hill. Not sure what to expect, hope the bar is cheap. Must try not to start smoking again!