I’m not normally one for celebrating anniversaries (cue rant about the woefully inept base 10 counting system) but exceptions are often made and today feels like a particularly significant one: today is ten years to the day that i moved to North Wales.
It seems ironic, then, that my last post commented on the idea of grinding out results and being in it for the long haul. Given 27 crags – which plays host to my extensive and comprehensive ticklist of ascents – have recently begun a summary of the calendar year, i was initially thinking of this post being a quantitative breakdown of statistics from the last ten years, on grades, crags, countries etc. However, those stats only seem to work back to 2017. Instead, i’ll approach this in a more qualitative fashion.
If ten years seems like a long time when you’re looking forward, it is an eternity when you’re looking back. Most of my records, my instagram feed, indeed this blog! don’t actually go back that far. Instagram itself didn’t appear until a year later and i started the blog in 2010. The above is my very first Instagram post, at the Indy which has become my home away from home but wasn’t for a long time. When i moved here, it wasn’t a commercial wall in the typical sense and i certainly didn’t think myself strong enough to climb there; instead preferring what is now known as the old Beacon.
So much has changed in that respect. I’m now in the upper echelons of strong climbers at the strongest wall in the area (albeit near the bottom of that little group) and have progressed from V6 to V10. The Beacon has moved, the Indy become more inviting and even that old staple, the Brenin wall, is looking like it won’t remain the same for much longer.
The shops have changed too. I applied and was offered a job working for Joe Browns and that, too, has undergone many changes; the ownership has changed, the staff have come and gone and even the buildings are not as they were. For a while, Joe’s ran the corner shop but now that is under private hands as the Outdoor Shop and Crib Goch sports has developed more of a standing on the high street.
Along the way, there have been countless local friends made; some long standing, some fleeting, many people that have touched my soul and to whom i am eternally grateful both for their love and support and often, for not throttling me for being a dick. Many, no doubt, have thought about it. No one has so far tried.
Said friendships are too numerous to mention so i hope any of those that read this will not be disappointed and will more think back on the fun we’ve had. I can’t even remember the amount of weddings or other major social events i’ve attended, through connections made to some fantastic human beings.
That’s not to mention my own developments! The last three years, since finding the love of my life, seem to be even more accelerated. Not only have i got engaged but we’ve even managed to introduce two more people into the world. Because going abroad for new friendships wasn’t enough.
I can’t count the number of foreign adventures i’ve had over the last ten years. (Well, i could but i’m not going to, or this post will start Yesterday is ten years to the day…) It does seem slightly ironic that i moved from a city with a major international airport to a small backwater corner of the UK in order to start running off all over Europe and the World but that would be to oversimplify. It is because of the friendships and connections i’ve made here that i’ve been able to travel; because of the thrill for climbing that was reinvigorated once i settled here.
It’s not the only ironic aspect to the last ten years: i joined a swimming club and competed around the country in indoor pools – a fact little known about me. Before i moved, there was a long course pool within 20 miles of my house. Now, the nearest is nearly 90 miles. Nevertheless, i was introduced through that network of friends again and absolutely loved it. I still miss it.
I joined a mountain rescue team, played football weekly for a while, dabbled briefly with squash and various other activities that have fallen out of the long term memory and only occasionally come up due to Facebook’s memories feature. I even managed to remodel an entire house.
Housemates came and went in much the same way as other friendships and every time, my old house on Goodman Street underwent some new transformation. Em asked me just a couple of days ago what my favourite house has been and the answer was instant: Goodman Street. I learnt so much, worked so hard for such a long time and despite my best efforts outdoors, have never been as physically filthy as i did there.
And of course, that was where Tess came at the end of October 2012. I still don’t quite know what possessed me to get a dog and i can thank Ian for the rest of my days for nudging me into it. I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like without her in it; she’s been my travelling companion and best friend. I still say she doesn’t belong to me, she is her own dog, she just likes me best and i know she didn’t have much say in the matter but i hope she’s enjoyed being around me as much as i have.
I tied down a reasonably long term job, moved into another that is still going and managed to get myself into a postgraduate degree. None of this would’ve been possible without that networking and those people again. I’m now a small business owner, based primarily on my experiences over the last ten years.
The draw to the area remains the same. Recounting the tale of the move, i tell people i had a choice: big buildings or big mountains. It was obvious and it still is; the appeal then is still the appeal now. I’m still out climbing, juggling it with my many other commitments that we all obtain as we get older. Give me half a chance though and that’s where you’ll find me.
I said i’d stay until i took the place for granted. Ten years later and i’ve still got a long way to go.
I am very sorry if i’ve forgotten anyone in particular who deserves special mention or if i have forgotten anything specific that deserves to go in – keeping the post to a manageable and readable length was difficult. Captioning ten years of life (and nearly nine years of blog posts!) into one article certainly was not easy. I wish to end by thanking each and every person that has made my life here – even just one single day – better a heartfelt thank you.
