Walk Around Wales - Dai's Blog

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.

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.................

WALK AROUND WALES To walk around the circumference of Wales.	FIRST WALK 2010 GOWER PENINSULA - SWANSEA TO CHEPSTOW - OFFA'S DYKE LAST WALK 2018

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 STAGE 4 - WALKS 22-24 - OGWR RIDGEWAY PATH to MARGAM ABBEY STAGE 5 - WALKS 25+ - ST ILLTYD'S WALK

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).	CLICK HERE 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	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. RESOURCES

............ more to follow

18/1/15		Georgie Dog Rescue Walk hits the headlines CLICK HERE
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. CLICK HERE
1/3/15		St David's Day and being Welsh - and why is there a grave in the middle of nowhere CLICK HERE
20/3/15		Partial Eclipse of the sun 'paper clip olympics' CLICK HERE
4/4/15		Happy birthday Pat Davies - Cerdded-y-Cwm walking on part of the St Illtyd's Walk CLICK HERE
23/5/15		73rd Anniversary of Spitfire crashing at Gwaun Nant Ddu - sunrise at the crash site CLICK HERE
7/6/15		Sunset on the Llia Roundabout. CLICK HERE
2/7/15		Are you Ambididdlemous and what is that flower ? CLICK HERE
5/7/15		Sunrise on the Fan Hir ridge and 2 lengths of Llyn y Fan Fawr CLICK HERE
9/8/15		Portugese invasion at Oxwich CLICK HERE
10/9/2015		PEN Y FAN - LAST OF THE SUMMER SUNSETS CLICK HERE
18/9/2015		RUGBY WORLD CUP GUINNESS COMMERCIAL CLICK HERE
9/10/2015		GALLAHER JERSEY HITS THE BIG TIME CLICK HERE
25/11/2015		Who lived in this egg case? CLICK HERE
9/12/2015		CHARTISTS CAVE ON MYNYDD LLANGYNIDIR CLICK HERE
13/1/2016		I want to be a professional photographer when I grow up CLICK HERE
27/6/2016		NEWCASTLE-ON-CLUN to MONTGOMERY Offa's Dyke Path LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE CLICK HERE
15/8/2016		ALIEN PINBALL on ABERAVON BEACH CLICK HERE
17/9/2016		SUNSET AT THE SKATE PARK CLICK HERE
7/10/2016		THE VIGILANTE VIXEN CLICK HERE
5/11/2016		BONFIRE NIGHT PHOTO PRACTICE CLICK HERE
13/12/2016		DAI'S FIRST (AND MAYBE LAST) BOOK RELEASED CLICK HERE
3/1/2017		PILE UP ON PEN Y FAN CLICK HERE
7/8/2017		SUPER SUNSETS MONTH AT ABERAVON BEACH CLICK HERE
25/9/2018 29/9/2018		SUNRISE WEEK ON THE FAN HIR RIDGE CLICK HERE
23/10/2018		THE STORY OF A SUNSET CLICK HERE
6/11/2018		INTERESTING IRON ORE CLICK HERE
21/12/2018		GRAFFITI ARTIST IMPROVES PORT TALBOT CLICK HERE
28/4/2019		NEW SPECIES OF PLANT DISCOVERED CLICK HERE
4/5/2019		NEW BOOTS ON THE CRAIG Y LLYN RIDGE CLICK HERE
24/8/2019		LLYN Y FAN FAWR TRIATHLON CHALLENGE CLICK HERE
5/9/2019		THREE SUNSET WALKS ON ABERAVON BEACH CLICK HERE
13/9/2019		SUNRISE & SWIM SERIES 1 - SEPTEMBER 2019 10 DAYS - 10 WALKS - 10 SUNRISES & 10 SWIMS CLICK HERE
10/11/2019		A walk and swim with JIM THE SWIM to Rotherslade Bay, Gower. CLICK HERE
13/12/2019		Meet Dai 'Canal' our first Walk Around Wales Community Champion. CLICK HERE
1/1/2020		New Year's Day at the bat cave CLICK HERE
4/2/2020		Dad's Army, Morfa Terriers company on Royal duties CLICK HERE
19/3/2020		Council of Death - Council malpractice has placed my family in danger for the last 12 years. CLICK HERE
24/6/2020		Swimming the Beam - a personal challenge realised in June 2020 CLICK HERE