In times of economic hardship it’s often quoted that sales of lipstick and hosiery increase because women treat themselves with these inexpensive items. So how can walkers apply a similar rule and treat themselves to a little something? Well, consider these two little products as an example:

Lifeventure Pocket Wallet

This pocket wallet is made from tough ripstop fabric and has a zip to open/close.

It has three pockets for your credit cards, two note pockets and a zipped pouch for receipts and coins.

Ideal for keeping all your money stuff safe in the one place and small enough to fit into your pocket or rucksack.

Only £7.99 –  click here to order yours

Lifeventure Ergo Mug

This travel mug is made from an insulated stainless steel and is ideal for keeping hot drinks hotter and cold drinks colder for longer.

It’s watertight and holds .33 of a litre.

The Ergo Mug is £9.99 – click here to order yours.

If you do fancy spending a bit more then use the discount code heart9 to get £5 off any non-sale order of £100 or  more before the end of Feb.

What little walking related things do you buy to give yourself a little treat? Leave a comment – it’d be great to hear from you.

I’ve stumbled upon an interesting post that details the highest points across the UK on a county-by-county basis.

Moel Famau is listed at the highest point in Flintshire at some 555 metres – or 1821 feet. In my earlier post about the height of Famau I detailed the figure as 1818 feet …I can’t recall where I got that figure from now, but I’ll see if I can get that confirmed.

I can’t recall now how I managed to stumble upon this topic but power scale soaring is a leisure pursuit that is popular in north Wales. From what I gather it involves flying large scale models of gliders and aircraft from either flat fields or hills. The Clwyd Soaring Club has all the info if you’re interested.

An inquest at Flint was informed that a pathologist could find no reason for the death of 48-year-old Lisa Menzies whose body was found beside a path on Moel Famau last October.

Lisa Menzies, a retired policer officer who had gone walking on the hill, was discovered at the side of a path on October 30 by a doctor who had been flying a model glider.

A pathologist told a Flint inquest he could find no reason for the death of the retired police sergeant of Dinghouse Wood, Drury, near Buckley. Apart from evidence of an old brain injury which she had suffered in a serious car crash in 1991, Lisa Menzies’ heart and lungs were extremely healthy, she had taken no drugs, there was no evidence of a heart attack or of a blood clot.

Acting north east Wales coroner John Gittins recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.

Source

Friends of ours had made plans to walk up Moel Famau on News Years Day and despite the cold they stuck to them!

They reported back and said:

• it was cold
• the summit was covered in frost
• there were snow flurries
• thankfully, there wasn’t much wind around, so no wind-chill
• they enjoyed it

Photographer David White has posted 3 good photos of Moel Famau country park in the snow. The third one is my favourite, but take a look yourself to see if you agree.

Strange flying objects have been witnessed again over Ruthin and our favourite hill !

I’ve previously blogged about UFO sightings and whilst I’m almost certain there’s a rational explanation …well, you do sometimes wonder!

How can you explain the sightings?

Q. What does the Welsh name Moel Famau mean in English?

A. *Hill Of The Mothers

* I can’t speak Welsh so I’ve relied on some searching for the translation 🙂

Now, can anyone tell me why it is the hill of the mothers?

The Evening Leader reports that the current cold snap is rare, but has certainly been seen before.

Apparently, Rod Taylor, who runs the official weather station at Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Ruthin, said of the past two days snowfalls:

It is highly unusual to have it so early but it is not unknown here.

I usually average the first day of frost around October 23 or 24.

It certainly isn’t the first time I have seen snow on Moel Famau at this time of year.

I rather suspect we’re going to have to expect more frequently changing weather patterns in the years ahead.

What’s the earliest / latest that you’ve seen snow on Moel Famau? Please leave a comment below.

We went for a family walk last Saturday on Caldy Hill, Wirral – it turned out to be a rather damp affair due to the rain!

We found our way up to the trig point and as you might just be able to make out from the photo, Moel Famau is just 16 miles away as the crow flies. As visibility was poor there was no chance of seeing the Jubilee Tower from afar.

Of course, there’s a trig point on Moel Famau too – can anybody tell me if it references any Wirral locations at all?

If you’re at all interested in trig points around the UK then this site is worth a look.