DAI'S WALK-AROUND-WALES BLOG A journey of personal evolution. BLOG HIGHLIGHTS - BLOG PAGE LINKS - PHILOSOPHY & CHALLENGES - VIDEOS - ABOUT ME Between the years of 1982 and 2010 I spent my life racing around Wales, doing triathlons, mountain running, mountain biking, cross country, running road races & orienteering. I was so focussed on the racing that I spent little time enjoying the country, but out of the corner of my eye I saw that Wales was beautiful, that the people were interesting, I saw hundreds of places that I wanted to spend more time in, I wanted to explore and enjoy the beauty and to learn more about this amazing country, and I said "I'll come back here one day". and that's what I'm trying to do........................ Initially my intent was to run around Wales but injuries forced me into walking for rehabilitation so now I'm in my 60s and time is not my friend any more, I've realised that I'd better take my time and enjoy walking around wonderful Wales rather than rushing things. Previously to this I'd also spent time walking locally with my kids, with friends and on my own. To walk around Wales is one of my ambitions in life but I want to remember it too and because I have a shocking memory so the idea is to build this website as a blog of these walks and of my past walks. While I'm building the website I'm also trying to self-educate myself, how things work, identifying flowers, birds, insects, trying to understand the weather, learn about our industrial and political past, what makes people tick, and what makes them tock, etc etc. There is so much to see, so much to do and so much to learn. Please feel free to use my walks as an inspiration for your own but also remember to let someone know where you are going and stay safe. But above all enjoy this beautiful and interesting land of ours. WALKING LOG - CLICK HERE |
PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE - CHALLENGE YOURSELF
I've always set myself challenges for as long as I can remember, the
majority of these have related to sport. We are socially programmed to be
part of a group and lots of those groups are related to sport. My personal
traits involve being competitive and having fun, I was always naturally inclined to
join those sporting groups. The first ambition I can remember was to play
for Wales in sport and when asked at the age of eleven at what sport ? My answer was
"any", I joined clubs, played at
different sports, entered competitions, lived my life and in 1987 I
realised this ambition when I represented Wales at cyclo-cross. Roll
forward five years and in 1992 I realised that I had the potential to
become a world champion. It took another eight years of planning, training
and fine tuning my lifestyle but on 26 August 2000 at the age of 40 I
became the veteran (over 40) quadrathlon (swimming, kayaking, cycling
& running) world champion. Along the way I'd represented Wales at
another five sports. (triathlon, mountain biking, mountain running,
duathlon & marathon kayaking). My second life challenge put to bed I
set myself the target of focussing on my family and supporting them the
best I could, that's not to say I didn't do a good job beforehand, its
just that I switched my main focus to this.
Now all the kids have left home and my youngest is in his 30s, its time for me to enjoy my remaining days left on this earth and so I keep setting myself challenges. My reasoning for this is that if there is always a challenge to aim for then I will always be around to complete it. The reality however is probably different to this, perhaps I'm trying to fool my body and my mind into believing its going to stay forever young. We all know that's not going to happen but let's have a go anyway. And so I am not really concerned about the outcome of each challenge, whether I complete them or not, I don't mind as as long as they are interesting, have a personal development value and/or I have fun doing them.................
|
DAI'S CHALLENGES
WALK AROUND WALES To walk around the circumference of Wales. |
|
TOUR OF NEATH PORT TALBOT My aim is to walk around the county borough of Neath-Port Talbot learning about anything and everything. Nature, geology, how to take nice photographs, who my ancestors were, how they made iron, tin, steel and dug coal out of the ground, who built what, commerce etc. etc. |
STAGE 1 - WALKS 1-12, GLYNNEATH to PORT TENNANT on the NEATH & TENNANT CANALS STAGE 2 - WALKS 12-18 - WALES COAST PATH STAGE 3 - WALKS 18-21 - RIVER OGWR to OGWR RIDGEWAY PATH |
THE DAI-ATHLON A continuous (in stages) triathlon challenge from the very northernmost mainland point of Anglesey (Llanlleiana Head) to the southernmost tip of mainland Wales (Rhoose Point). |
This page is located on my personal training website. |
SUNRISE & SWIM Most weekday mornings I swim and I coach myself in the hope that I can re-kindle formers glories. Probably my greatest glory (as a swim coach) was when I coached and participated in the first ever British Aquathlon. (swimming & running race) Aquathlon is like a triathlon but without the bike. My early morning swim lane which I coached, won 5 individual medals and the team gold. Personally, I was 2nd in my age group (over 40) and a member of the winning team. Part of my summer coaching strategy was to take my morning lane on tour once a week to swim in the sea or another pool or a lake. These were enjoyable times so in 2019 when I wanted to learn how to make videos I decided that I would set myself a 10 day stretch sunrise and swim challenge. I waited until a block of good weather appeared on the forecast and in September 2019 I completed my first ever Sunrise and Swim Series. I enjoyed myself so much I want to do it all gain but I think 5 days would be enough............ SWIMMING THE BEAM - A 2020 challenge to swim into a sun beam........ CLICK HERE |
CLICK HERE FOR THE SUNRISE AND SWIM SERIES BLOG
CLICK HERE FOR PERSONAL SWIM COACHING & TO JOIN ME IN YOUR OWN PERSONAL SUNRISE AND SWIM SERIES |
SUNRISE & SUNSET PHOTOS You may have gathered from the regular mentions of sunrise and sunset that I enjoy the morning and evening low sun glory. I do indeed and have been saving sunrise and sunset photos for a number of years now. I'm trying to place the best on a single page and also am trying to complete the immense task of capturing a sunrise or set photo in a location in Wales for every day of the year. That's 730 photos in total. I've about 180 added to this page and probably another 50 not yet edited so there's a long way to go. The page is growing and already there are plenty of stunning photos so feel free to go and see my collection of - SUNRISE & SUNSET PHOTOS |
Take a photo of sunrise or sunset including the glow on every date of the year. |
THE MEANING OF LIFE Since publishing my book on the Origin & Evolution of Sport in 2016 I've been on a journey of understanding. I've been trying to understand myself and why I am who I am. I've looked at my historical environments, circumstances and some of the events that have governed my current position in life. During this journey, it is my opinion that I have identified the meaning of life but then again I may be wrong. I've invented an academic character Professor David Glyndwr Penderyn Bevan Richards to explain everything including - THE MEANING OF LIFE. |
|
............ more to follow |
DAI'S BLOG HIGHLIGHTS
18/1/15 |
Georgie Dog Rescue Walk hits the headlines |
|
17/2/15 |
Is it toilet roll ? is it a fungus ? no it's hair ice needing a short back and sides but by 3.00pm it's been completely shaved off. |
|
1/3/15 |
St David's Day and being Welsh - and why is there a grave in the middle of nowhere |
|
20/3/15 |
Partial Eclipse of the sun 'paper clip olympics' |
|
4/4/15 |
Happy birthday Pat Davies - Cerdded-y-Cwm walking on part of the St Illtyd's Walk |
|
23/5/15 |
73rd Anniversary of Spitfire crashing at Gwaun Nant Ddu - sunrise at the crash site |
|
7/6/15 |
Sunset on the Llia Roundabout. |
|
2/7/15 |
Are you Ambididdlemous and what is that flower ? |
|
5/7/15 |
Sunrise on the Fan Hir ridge and 2 lengths of Llyn y Fan Fawr |
|
9/8/15 |
Portugese invasion at Oxwich |
|
10/9/2015 |
PEN Y FAN - LAST OF THE SUMMER SUNSETS |
|
18/9/2015 |
RUGBY WORLD CUP GUINNESS COMMERCIAL |
|
9/10/2015 |
GALLAHER JERSEY HITS THE BIG TIME |
|
25/11/2015 |
Who lived in this egg case? |
|
9/12/2015 |
CHARTISTS CAVE ON MYNYDD LLANGYNIDIR |
|
13/1/2016 |
I want to be a professional photographer when I grow up |
|
27/6/2016 |
NEWCASTLE-ON-CLUN to MONTGOMERY Offa's Dyke Path LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE |
|
15/8/2016 |
ALIEN PINBALL on ABERAVON BEACH |
|
17/9/2016 |
SUNSET AT THE SKATE PARK |
|
7/10/2016 |
THE VIGILANTE VIXEN |
|
5/11/2016 |
BONFIRE NIGHT PHOTO PRACTICE |
|
13/12/2016 |
DAI'S FIRST (AND MAYBE LAST) BOOK RELEASED |
|
3/1/2017 |
PILE UP ON PEN Y FAN |
|
7/8/2017 |
SUPER SUNSETS MONTH AT ABERAVON BEACH |
|
25/9/2018
29/9/2018 |
SUNRISE WEEK ON THE FAN HIR RIDGE |
|
23/10/2018 |
THE STORY OF A SUNSET |
|
6/11/2018 |
INTERESTING IRON ORE |
|
21/12/2018 |
GRAFFITI ARTIST IMPROVES PORT TALBOT |
|
28/4/2019 |
NEW SPECIES OF PLANT DISCOVERED |
|
4/5/2019 |
NEW BOOTS ON THE CRAIG Y LLYN RIDGE |
|
24/8/2019 |
LLYN Y FAN FAWR TRIATHLON CHALLENGE |
|
5/9/2019 |
THREE SUNSET WALKS ON ABERAVON BEACH |
|
13/9/2019 |
SUNRISE & SWIM SERIES 1 - SEPTEMBER 2019 10 DAYS - 10 WALKS - 10 SUNRISES & 10 SWIMS |
|
10/11/2019 |
A walk and swim with JIM THE SWIM to Rotherslade Bay, Gower. |
|
13/12/2019 |
Meet Dai 'Canal' our first Walk Around Wales Community Champion. |
|
1/1/2020 |
New Year's Day at the bat cave |
|
4/2/2020 |
Dad's Army, Morfa Terriers company on Royal duties |
|
19/3/2020 |
Council of Death - Council malpractice has placed my family in danger for the last 12 years. |
|
24/6/2020 |
Swimming the Beam - a personal challenge realised in June 2020 |
|
Search the website with Google |
PLEASE VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES - www.rugbyrelics.com - www.world-rugby-museum.com - www.personal-trainer-wales.com - www.origin-of-sport.com - www.a-better.wales - www.dai-richards.wales - www.glynneath.com |