The Way Out West - A Blog about Pembrokeshire life, as written by an idiot

About Me

This blog is not written in the hope that anyone will find it interesting; it's a visual record of my life which I will be referring to it when I'm old and decrepit. I will not be swearing in my blogs in case my grandkids read it.

I am a graphic designer who lives in Pembrokeshire. I like living in Pembrokeshire because the landscape and culture allow me to do all the things I enjoy, surfing, biking, playing rugby, climbing and boozing with my mates..
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Pwllgwaelod to Cwm-yr-Eglwys

13 July 2010
In my opinion North Pembrokeshire has the best coastal path walks. We took off from Pwllgwaelod and walked around Dinas Head to Cwm-yr-Eglwys on Sunday. Patchy blue skies and good beer in the Sailors Safety! This photo (taken on my phone) is looking from Dinas Head towards Newport, the Parrog is just visible on the right.
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Skomer Island paddle

09 July 2010
We waited until the last minute to get across to Skomer Island by kayak as the tide was still churning Jack Sound up a bit. We were met by these awesome Puffins.
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SAS beach Clean-up in Newgale, Pembrokeshire

08 July 2010
Surfers Against Sewage are organising a series of beach cleans around the UK. Pembrokeshire is getting a visit too! The clean-up will be focusing its attention on Newgale beach. They're doing it on the 31st of July, but please read this info before!
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Pembrokeshire Iron Man (over two days)

05 July 2010
What better way to enjoy the Pembrokeshire summer than cycling 120 miles through Pembrokeshire?

Rosebush > Porthgain > St.Davids > Newgale > Dale (day 2) Lawrenny > Freshwater West > Freshwater East (The worse hill in Pembs?) Tenby.

While you're at it, why not throw in 26 miles of coastal path running and a good swim down the Cleddau Estuary for good measure.
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The Big Sur

29 June 2010
Another snap from our Californian adventures, a snap looking down the Big Sur coastal drive.
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Yosemite

29 June 2010
Slight lethargy in updating recently due to... my wedding! Heres a kick-off snap from Yosemite National park on my honeymoon!
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One big weekend!

23 May 2010
Never mind the festival in Bangor, how about 5 hours surfing, 3 hours biking and 4 hours climbing for a weekend in the sun?!
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Summer sun

23 May 2010
...you just have to wait by a flower.
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The Italian Job 2!

17 May 2010
Been away on a couple of trips recently to Biarritz and then driving through France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy! Stayed in The Trulli's
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Gateholm - King for a day

17 April 2010
I spent Friday afternoon exploring the Marloes area. I hopped on to Gateholm island at low tide, I had the island to myself! It was amazing, this picture is looking over to Skomer from Gateholm island.
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Pembrokeshire Spooks

12 April 2010
An awesome weekend of biking (canaston woods), rugby and surfing (freshwater west) was topped off with more biking in Brechfa on Sunday. Beware the spooky section on the black run... there are freaks within!
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Spring is in the air!

28 March 2010
Yes, its time for my usual 'spring' shot again!
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Carmarthenshire - not so bad

07 March 2010
I spend a lot of time raving on about Pembrokeshire, well the neighbouring county of Carmarthenshire ain't so bad either. I took this whilst out biking in Brechfa.
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Cardiff outfit - SubStance

22 February 2010

Run  by  Sub:Stance

Sunday cycle

14 February 2010
A great way to round the weekend off, a blast in the local woods. Conditions were good and there were a few new jumps to play on. If you see a biker with a saw in the northern part of south Pembrokeshire give him a pat on the back from me ;) Good times.
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Green Bridge of Wales to Freshwater East

14 February 2010
We walked (not mountain biked) from the Green Bridge of Wales to Freshwater East yesterday. It's a great stretch of the coastal path which ranges from the flat barren landscape of Castlermartin to the rocky undulating path from Barafundle onwards. This shot is in Barafundle.
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Green Bridge of Wales to Freshwater East

14 February 2010
The Green Bridge of Wales
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Freshwater West - rubbish

12 February 2010
If you've ever wanted to start a fishing business (and who hasn't?) then you'll find everything you need to get up and running on Freshwater West beach. Ropes, nets, boxes, hooks, floats.

If you're not planning to start a fishing business then all this crap is probably just spoiling the beach for you. Its a common problem amoungst beaches in the UK and globally. Turns out only 13% of the rubbish is from the fishing industry the rest is from us average punters. 6% of it is flushed down our toilets! The Marine Conservation Society are helping to get this issue sorted. Heres a more indepth look of the wheres and why's of all the crap on our beach.
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Freshwater West - rubbish

12 February 2010
Grim.
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Big Saturday

07 February 2010
With the buoy showing 14ft and 10s with light NE's it was certainly a day for the smaller spots. I took this whilst on patrol first thing.
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Bosherston Lilly Ponds

02 February 2010
Walking round Bosherston Lilly ponds - A great way to earn a pint at the St.Govans Inn.
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Sunday fun

02 February 2010
Bosherston\Broadhaven South. Sunday capers.
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Living the dream - A short film

11 January 2010

My Day "Living the Dream" from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

Preseli Pony

10 January 2010
Whilst on the wander, this cheeky pony came over to say hello.
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Preseli View

10 January 2010
for the first time in ages i went out today with photography in mind. snapped this looking over towards Carn Ingli.
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Ski Saturday

02 January 2010
The hike to the top of Foel Drygarn was well worth the effort to snap this.
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Flat

31 December 2009
Bugger all swell around today, so a walk on Tenby South beach and some chips was the order of the day.
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Christmas swell

31 December 2009
For those lucky enough to find shelter from the howling easterlies yesterday, you would have been able to make the most of the swell around. Snapped this yesterday after a great session.
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Pebble man in Amroth

23 December 2009



Dr Geebers, the Pebble Man has just reached the 1000 mile milestone at Amroth Beach in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Dr Geebers is homeless and has set himself the challenge of walking the coastline of the UK creating pebble sculptures on his way. After Christmas he will be heading towards north Wales looking for a suitable beach for his next sculpture.

From Birdwatch to Blair Witch

17 December 2009
To commiserate my 30th birthday we all hiked across Preseli's. It turned from a beautiful country walk to a battle for survival. The Whiskey, Brandy, Sake, Champagne, Wine, Mince pies and crackers all helped though!
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Super Sunday Session

13 December 2009
After a sad farewell this morning to Kiwi, a couple of us headed to to Fresh to see what the surf had to offer. 3ft super clean perfection thats what! Snapped this on the way out of the carpark.
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Kiwi is off

13 December 2009
One the best blokes i've ever met, Kiwi, is heading home today. Its so sad he's leaving. I got all my mates round and made this picture for him as a leaving present. Framed it up real good.
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The Horrors - Bristol O2

07 December 2009
Saw The Horrors in Bristol (O2) on Sunday. Emma got me tickets for my brithday. They were immense.
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90ft Kayak drop

04 December 2009

Kayaking Metlako Falls - Headcam from Dave Hoffman on Vimeo.

Big Sunday

22 November 2009
Big swell, big wind, and guys with big balls surfing this! We surfed a more sheltered spot. Amazing day. This pic taken by e-sponger.
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Early weekend wave

20 November 2009
Visited this spot earlier today. It was a bit early to start working, but when it did an hour later there were 3ft gems rolling in. I was on one wave so long that I had to have a rest paddling back.
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Tubed in Tenby

15 November 2009

Friday surf

13 November 2009
Swell has arrived for the weekend and there is plenty to go around. All we need to do for tomorrow is get out of the 50mph winds and we're dancing! Snapped this en route to the surf today.
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A weekend of surf

08 November 2009
There was a good amount of swell knocking around this weekend. The Westerly and Northerly winds opened up a couple of spots which i haven't surfed for a while and one i haven't before at all! Todays double header was worth the 6am start!
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Eggs is Eggs near Narberth

27 October 2009
A year ago this farmer on my road starting selling eggs. He started off with a simple white sign, then he upgraded to a decorated school desk and this morning he trumped the lot with a Hawaiian sun shade. If you happen to spot this little combo at the side of the road get £1 out and purchase, these free-range eggs are amazing!
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Brechfa Woods a few weeks back

26 October 2009
A snap of us pre-ride. Some needing to work on their poses more than others!
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Time to get the lights out!

26 October 2009
Well, that's it then, summer's over! gutted. Time to get the bike lights out and hit the forest in the dark again! Could be worse.

Here's a tune to cheer us all up... the one from the Horrors...

Olive trees 2

23 September 2009
Here's a picture of the Olive trees. The olives will be ready in late November. Did you know that black olives are just green olives left on the tree longer?
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Olive trees

22 September 2009
We've just come back from a weeks grape picking in Italy. We stayed with Mino and Carole Maggi in their Truddi's. We helped them pick their red wine Primativo grapes. Access to the Puglian area of Italy is easier these days with Ryanair flying to Bari and Brindisi.
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Sunday stroll

07 September 2009
Our intended walk from Porthgain was rained off yesterday, so we took a quick jaunt from Abereiddy to the tower on the headland. This snap is looking back towards the beach.
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Shaped my own board!

06 September 2009
Well, its taken me over three years, but i finshed my own board over the weekend! Its a 9'6" longboard, single fin rounded pintail. The shaping was awesome fun, but the glassing is a real stresser! I got all the clobber from Home Blown
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Brechfa Enduro 2009

17 August 2009
The JNT collective entered the Brechfa Enduro mountain bike race again this year. Competition was fearce, as is being proven hear as Dylan runs some youngster off the track! More photos here and here. The 55km race was won by Wiggle rider Mathew Page.
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St Dogmaels to Tenby by Kayak

11 August 2009
A friend of mine is currently coming towards the end of a kayak trip around Pembrokeshire. He started in St Dogmaels slipway on Saturday and is expected to turn up in Tenby on Wednesday! Heres a picture of him launching (the paddle is on the other side!)
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Meribel

08 August 2009
A view from the lift, looking down at Meribel.
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Mountain biking in Meribel and Les Arcs

05 August 2009
Four of us drove out to Meribel for 5 days of downhill biking. It was amazing. A few more snaps to follow.
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Cliff hopping \ Coasteering

04 August 2009
After a heavy night before, a few of us took Castlemartin for a spot of cliff hopping. Beach cricket, seals, a 4 ft body surfed shore break and amazing sunshine.
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Druidston

24 July 2009
Even the average days in Pembrokeshire are good...
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New surf board design!

16 July 2009
I've been following this new surf board shape by thomas meyerhoffe from its design to build. I would LOVE a go on one, the paint job on them is pretty cool too. More photos and videos here.
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Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon

13 July 2009
A few of us took part in the Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon on the weekend. Batman was also there. Check out more photos from Raw Photography
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Glastonbury 2009

12 July 2009
Its taken me this long to unpack my Glastonbury bag to dig my camera out.
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Gwithian Beach for sale!

18 June 2009
Gwithian Beach in South Cornwall is for Sale! Its currently owned by Dennis Arbon but he's selling it by auction on the 10th of July to raise money for some performing arts outfit.
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Tour of Pembrokeshire bike race

08 June 2009
Yes, well it was a good idea a few months back. This weekend i took part in the Tour of Pembrokeshire bike race. It was bloody wet, bloody windy and bloody cold, but ho-hum, it made the beer taste better after.
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Skomer Island

02 June 2009
We took a trip to Skomer Island on one of the sunniest days of the year. Leaving St.Martins Haven at 12 o'clock we had 5 hours on the island. It was such a great day, chilling out in the sun watching Puffins, Seals and fat yanks.
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Summer in Pembrokeshire

02 June 2009
The summer in Pembrokeshire can be amazing, so much so that crowds can be a problem, but if you have a little explore you can find little beaches to yourself!
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The Paddle Out

27 May 2009
Take a look at this awesome short from Surfline. The Paddle Out

Ye Olde Worlde Café

11 May 2009
In Bosherston exists the full-on best cafe in world. It's more like an open air tea-room with the finest tea being served. Those with a penchant for a tea-cake or a scone, your needs are also well catered for. This place is a sanctuary after a knobbling surf or an all day climbing epic. You may even be joined by the local wildlife for a bite. This little fella is a Chaffinch.
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Abereiddu Blue Lagoon

06 May 2009
A snap from the dip in the Abereiddu Blue lagoon we took on the weekend.
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Carry on...

05 May 2009
Keep calm and carry on. I thought id do it before some else did!
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Super Saturday Swell

05 May 2009
A good size swell hit us on Saturday. We managed to get three sessions in, two in the morning and one as the sun set. This great swell came in just at the right time as the nationals were being held in Freshwater West.
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Coastal erosion near Castlemartin

26 April 2009
Much of the cliff edge along Castlemartin has been fenced off due to high levels of erosion over the winter. Several key climbing spots round Bullslaughter bay and the St.Govans carpark have been affected. The lower photo shows the erosion by St.Govans carpark.
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Harry Potter at Freshwater West

26 April 2009
We hit Freshwater West this morning for a surf and stumbled upon this little number. They're filming a small part of the new Harry Potter film in the dunes on the beach. Apparently its costing £750,000 to make and film on this set. It will be in the film for 5 minutes! (its Dobby’s house, who’s dead apparently). Heres a bit more about it
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Charity Cycle

25 April 2009
Here are some snaps from the charity cycle ride i did last week. Top one: First day, hammering it down, this was taken on dual carriage way coming into Crosshands. Middle: We were sponsored and supported (food etc) by the Co-op. They raised a great deal of money for us. Bottom pic: The end! Taken in Kendig Hill RFC.
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John Wayne - 160 miles through Wales

23 April 2009
i've just come back from a 190 mile 3 day epic bike ride from Kilgetty to Porthcawl via Brecon and Cardiff. Currently walking like John Wayne. Snaps of the event to follow.

Freshwater West, Newgale and a day of sunshine

13 April 2009
I surfed 4ft Fresh, 2ft Newgale. Snapped this little gem whilst on the snoop for some waves.
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Alistair McClymont

06 April 2009
I've got a crazy mate who's half flash developer half sculptor. In his day job he works for Julian Oppie, in his spare time he makes tornados!
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Invaders Must Die

06 April 2009
The Prodigy - CIA - Immense
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Red Riding Hood animation

30 March 2009



Awesome animation of the little red riding hood tale, done in the info-graphic style. Its a parody of the Röyksopp - Remind me video. Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

St Justinians

29 March 2009
With the faint throb of a hangover still upon me, a walk from Whitesands to St Justinians was all I could manage.
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Billy in Brechfa

21 March 2009
Everyone hit Brechfa's Raven Run (Black) pretty hard today, but the biggest achiever was Billy Ridge (a seasoned lycra wearing road biker) for just getting round! Pictured here rolling down some single track.
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Welsh space invaders

10 March 2009
They swore it wasn’t because I’m from west Wales, but here’s a illo of yours truly carrying a sheep being used in a viral space invaders game we've made in work.
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Win my old local!

10 March 2009
Its not very often you get the chance to win a frickin pub! Well hello to this little beauty. You can win The Plash Inn (my old local) for the measly sum of £20. Entries are not open yet, but as soon as they are, smash you credentials into the site, answer a few questions and are in for a shot.
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Stack Rock Fort

22 February 2009
Stack Rock fort on the Cleddau estuary blows my mind! Its insanely spooky and it still has cannons in! I've been out there a couple of times and wandered round, apparently it was sold recently for about £150,000. Anyhoo, this guy has also been looking round inside and taken some photos.
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Whitesands to Abereiddy

22 February 2009
We took to the Pembrokeshire Coastal path yesterday to make the most of the winter sun. We walked from Whitesands to Abereiddy and cycled back (after dropping the bikes off behind a hedge beforehand). We passed this little fella and his mates on the way!
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Freshwater West

15 February 2009
We had three great days of surfing from friday to sunday. Manorbier, Newgale and Freshwater west all had a visit. This is a snap taken today in Fw.
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Pembrokeshire Ski

08 February 2009
No comment.
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New board

08 February 2009

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Preseli Ski run

08 February 2009
I'm not sure life gets much better than this.
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Pembrokeshire gets the snow!

03 February 2009
Just got this snap in of a snow covered Foel Drygarn!
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Monday blues

02 February 2009
Whilst struggling through my monday in work i got this photo through from Timmy G who's just got out at Freshwater West. He said he was the only surfer there!
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Saturday - North Pembs

01 February 2009
Some big swell rolled in on Saturday and it seemed the swell direction was slightly more westerly as this break in North Pembs was firing!
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the big freeze

01 February 2009
Temperatures hit sub-zero last nigt. At least the sun was out today, picture here is a snap from Narberth looking towards Cwm Cerwyn and the Preselis
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Surfing in Newgale - small sunday

01 February 2009

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After the big swell of yesterday, Sunday offered up a nice 2ft in Newgale with some fairly sympathetic offshore breezes.

Manorbier surfer gul

20 January 2009
Recently spotted in Manorbier eyeing up the locals in the line-up.
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Sunday session

19 January 2009
The swell which was showing up on the charts mid-week finally arrived on our shores on Sunday. There were breaks working up Cardiganshire and in South Pembrokeshire. This is a snap taken from a semi-secret by BBC surf chat regular Robert Thomas.
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Canaston at night

07 January 2009
I meant to take a series of these pictures but my camera battery died on me :( I'll let you work out what's going on, i'll try and get some better ones over the next few weeks.
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A year in 40 seconds video.

07 January 2009


One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

Commenting

05 January 2009
I've now fixed the commenting on the site. Abuse away!

A clasic Sunday in Pembrokeshire

04 January 2009
It's back to work tomorrow after a great Christmas holiday. We managed to say farewell to the holidays in style today with a great surf in Newgale this morning and a gentle stroll on Foel Drygarn in the Preselis this afternoon. I suppose 2009 had to start at some point.
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Freshwater West in the sun part 2

03 January 2009
Yours truly looking for some shade from the winter sun. Happy days.
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Freshwater West in the sun part 1

03 January 2009
Heres Timmy G on a right hander. Trying a cross step? Three days in a row in the surf, hope the Pembs buoy can do us one more day.
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Solva to St Nons

21 December 2008
Instead of a Brechfa trip we decided to bike from Solva to St.Nons by bike today. It was good to be amougst the elements. Gale force 8 south westerly, rain and some weird sea foam.
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Big swell hits Pembrokeshire

14 December 2008
Pembrokeshire took a big hit of swell over the weekend. We surfed a spot on the West coast south of Newgale. Waves were in the 4-6ft region. The 9/10s period was creating some nice sets!
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'Tubos fumos' repair job

14 December 2008
With 700 euros excess on the hire car we took it upon ourselves to do some repairs. Here we're executing the classic jack-on-stone-to-bend-back-exhaust manoeuvre.
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West coast surf exploration

14 December 2008
We'd been told that the Westcoast of Fuerte had some good breaks... heres a picture of us not finding one!
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Knee Boarder

14 December 2008
I didn't get many good snaps of us surfing but here's one I took of a knee boarder in action. He was on a bodyboard, which he popped up on, pretty good even if it was a sponger.
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Holidays are over

09 December 2008
I got back from my surf trip to Fuerteventura on Sunday. We had an amazing time out there, being educated by the heavy reef breaks. I havent gone through all my snaps yet, but this one i took of Andy by the El Cotillo lighthouse is my favourite so far.
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Brechfa Raven

20 November 2008
A group of us cycled round the Black run in Brechfa on Sunday (well the bits that are open). James took this snap of a headcase from Cardiff. He missed the end of the jump by at least 6 foot and stacked it big time. James took this by chance of him just before he crashed.
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Tenby South Beach Wander

11 November 2008
Emma and me took a wander along Tenby South beach t'other day. It was howling wind, but sunny bright. Pretty refreshing way to blow off a monster hangover!
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Size Snap

09 November 2008
Here's a snap showing the size of the swell rolling in. It got a little bigger later in the session.
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Super Size Swell - North Pembs

09 November 2008
The buoy showed a peak swell of 17ft and 8s today, here is a snap of a lesser known spot up North.
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El Capitan - The nose

15 October 2008
A new record has been set for climbing El Capitan’s Nose route. It took 2 hours 37 minutes and 5 seconds. The first ever climb of this route took a team of 6 45 days! Check the story here Also here's a pitch guide I look at when im in work. It makes me feel happy to be sitting in a seat and not on the face.

Whitesands surf

14 October 2008
Whitesands beach was a mellow 3-4ft on Sunday. Light offshores and sunshine... could almost have been summer.
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Stennis head arete

03 October 2008
We took on the Stennis Head Arete last weekend, its a 140ft traverse and an 80ft climb. It was a great climb.
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Surfs up!

01 October 2008
I found these Genius range of images on ffffound today. Now i know whats down there!
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Cornwall

20 September 2008
Spent the weekend in Cornwall, stayed near Gwithian sands. Stunning area.
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St Govs Cliff Hopping

09 September 2008
Three of us hit St Govans for some cliff hopping on Sunday. Two of us got out of the sea without needing to be rescued. Enough of that, heres one Em took. See if you can spot me!
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MarReg trail 08'

01 September 2008
Yesterday 3 of us took on the mighty MarReg trail. The MarReg trail is a mountain bike route that hits the 9 highest peaks in Pembrokeshire. It starts in Crymych, the first peak is Foel Drygarn, the final peak is Carn Llidi by Whitesands beach, St.Davids. It was very hard! It was clocked originally at 55 miles with 50% of it being off-road on the Preseli hills. This is a snap of the view towards Whitesands and RamRamsey Island.
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A rare day of sun...

26 August 2008
Emma and me took on a strip of the Penbrokeshire Coastal path on Sunday. We walked the Broadhaven North to Stackrocks section, which is near St Martins Haven.
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Olympics 2008

11 August 2008
Some more truly amazing snaps of the opening ceremony here.
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Raven Run - Brechfa

10 August 2008
We hit the new Raven run in Brechfa again today. The weather was pretty crap, but the all weather trails seem to hold up pretty well. Griff took a heavy hit into a jump though after loosing his front wheel. Heres a snap of yours truly on the final tabletop.
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Broadhaven South - Peak summer

29 July 2008
This was the scene last Sunday walking down to the beach at Broadhaven South. The beach was packed and rumours were that you simple couldnt get to Barafundle because of traffic going down to Stackpole Quay. Though it was very busy there were good vibes all round.
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Musselwick to Westdale - Jasons view

20 July 2008
Top: A mellow paddle past Marloes after the near death experiences.

Middle: Jaime tows my boat through the boil after I capsized for the third time, I swam and tacked on the cliff face to get round eventually.

Boat: Me getting back in the boat, that’s nervous laughter.
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Musselwick to Westdale

20 July 2008
Yesterday Horse, Jase and me took on the kayak paddle between Musselwick bay and Westdale. A nice paddle... apart from the fact you have to paddle through Jack sounds. We managed to hit the sound at its most insane. I capsized 4 times. More photos coming soon. Enjoy this one of Dale, it took a hell of a lot of energy to get there to take it!
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Brechfa Enduro

15 July 2008
The JNT team took on the 36k (there was also a 72k for loons) Brechfa Enduro last Sunday. Not that out of the ordinary i hear you say, but what was weird, we won! JNT Team1 came in first followed by JNT TeamA in second. Here’s a little snap from the official Brechfa paps. Loads more here.
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Jump building in Canaston

12 July 2008
Jase and me decided that it was a good idea to make some new jumps in Canaston woods. Perhaps not the best idea the day before the Brechfa Enduro, but its better that staying in!
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Swiss Dam climbing route

08 July 2008
The Luzzone Dam in Switzerland is has a 225m multi-pitch route. Its the longest artificial route in the world. Its bloody high!
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Mid Wales biking - Nant yr Arian

07 July 2008
A few of us hit the Nant yr Arian centre in mid Wales yesterday, we wanted to complete the Syfrydrin \ Continental trail as a training\preparation blast for next weeks Brechfa Enduro. The trail is awesome, which leads through some seriously remote and exposed parts of the mid Wales hillside. The weather turned out pretty good for us. This is a snap of the drive back…
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Toadboy

05 July 2008
Let me introduce you all to Toadboy. He's been living in my back yard for a few months. I have a pretty overwhelming fear of Toads so i just can’t get myself to pick him up and put him back in the garden. I saw him on my bike tire this morning, so i thought I’d get a (long range) snap of him, but by the time id got my camera he'd moved, you can still see the tyre in the background. So against all natural instincts i bent down and snapped this one. It’s the closest I’m ever going to get to him.
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Flower

04 July 2008
Whilst waiting for tim and yvonne, i was wandering round my dads yard and took a couple of shots. heres a crop of one.
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Freshwater West

04 July 2008
Yvonne, Timmy G and me took a jaunt down to a 'private beach' near Freshwater west today. The surf wasn't great, but with a beach all to yourself and as alternative to being in work it was really good. Hers a snap Yvonne took of me and timmy on the same wave. (Tim, maybe we should swap sides in the future, we're both backside!)
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Solva to Porthclais pt 2

29 June 2008
Another snap on the path today. This one near Caerfai bay.
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Solva to Porthclais

29 June 2008
Nigel and me took on a small part (12 miles) of the Pembrokeshire coastal path today. We cycled (not permitted) from Solva to Porthclais. Its a stretch of path with few gates and good technical bouldery sections.
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Brechfa Forest - Green and Blue run

23 June 2008
We took on the Blue and Green run in Brechfa forest on Sunday. Its a great run which gives you access to bits of the new Black 'Raven' run too. We're doing an enduro race there next month so we need to get some training done. Heres a picture of Nigel, being shamed on the internet because of his appauling choice of clothing. The all-in-one lycra.
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...another Milford Haven photo...

23 June 2008

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Pembrokeshire Fish week

21 June 2008
Took a wander down in Milford Haven last night. There were some tall ships in the marina, they are there to mark the start of Pembrokeshire Fish week. There are loads of fish events around the county this week.
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Pembrokeshire Summer

19 June 2008
Driving to work this morning i came across this on my road. If its not cows, tractors or stuck school buses, its trees! Welcome to Pembrokeshire summertime.
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Lampeter Velfrey church

17 June 2008
I havent been out taking pictures, for the sake of taking pictures for a long time. A little bored when i got home this evening i went for a spin on my bike and snapped a few of the area. This was one of the better ones of Lampter Velfrey Church. The colours are nice, but the framing is crap!
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Floating cities

13 June 2008
This looks like something out of a computer game, but it could be a reality. These massive floating cities hold up to 50,000 people and could be a solution for 'climate refugees'. People whos homes have been flooded due to melting polar ice. more info here
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Pheasant day for a stroll

13 June 2008
Spotted this cheeky little chap on the way to work this morning. He was living the dream on that bridge wall. Just driven to work in Swansea... wish i was sitting on the wall with him.
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Summer Days

11 June 2008
Surfed in Newgale last night after work. Drove straight down from Swansea after work. The waves were sweet, 3ft and super clean. Its such an amazing feeling sitting in the water as the sun sets. Took this snap on my way home by hanging my phone out of the window.
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Welsh poo paper

02 June 2008
In a changing world were sustainability is becoming so important, some clever bods in Snowdonia are making paper out of sheep poo! There also a reindeer poo paper available! Well done indeed. Check out their website.
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GPS Artist Erik Nordenankar

27 May 2008
Artist Erik Nordenankar plotted a series of destinations for a briefcase with a GPs recorder. The image above is a plot of the journey that the case made.
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10X Turbine

23 May 2008
The amazing invention allows much more power to be generated from one turbine. Its powered by a string of fans, one end of which is held up by a balloon. More info here.
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Cardboard Surfboard - The Shredder!

23 May 2008
Check out this amazing board. Made from laticed cardboard and clear res. Check out this link for more info.
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1-2-3 @ Brechfa

22 May 2008
Ali shows its easy as 1-2-3... to fall off the 'Log of Infinite Doom' in Brechfa
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Michael Moore the Hutt

20 May 2008
Theres something about michael moore i dont like. A while ago i did this crappy illo of him as Jabba the Hutt.
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Brechfa

19 May 2008
A buddy from London hit the singletrack with me on the weekend. Here's a snap of Ali breaking in his new Cannondale Prophet 2 in Brechfas Abergolech (red) trail on Sunday. We did the Cwm Cerwyn to Gwaun Velly run on Saturday.
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Newport Bike Race

13 May 2008
Got the snaps back from Jaime which he took last week in the Newport Spring Festival mountain bike race. Here we are at the start... I started 3rd, i only wish I could say I finished 3rd.
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Dirty thunderstorm

12 May 2008
This is a picture of the recent volcanic eruptions in Chile. The particles of dust being spewed out contain charges of electricity and produce this insane looking picture. More info can be found here.
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Hodge gets wed!

12 May 2008
I spent Saturday and Sunday with the Hodgeon family. The big fella got married in the amazing Picton castle and had a reception at the family home. The weather, the food, the booze and the entire occasion was amazing. Thanks for the day and good luck to the new Mr and Mrs in their new life together.
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Cookie

09 May 2008
A buddy of mine, Simon Cook has just started is epic walk along the continental divide trail. Whats that you say? Well, its only a 3000 miles walk through the USA from Mexico to Canada!

You can track his day to day progress on his blog and see where he is in the world here.
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Manchester Tart - Snowdrop Bakery

08 May 2008
This is a Manchester tart. These can be bought from Snowdrop Bakery, on snowdrop lane in Haverfordwest. This little beauty is the finest cake known to man and is the ultimate post surf snack. It houses everything that’s good in a cake, coconut, custard, jam, sugar and pastry. Whenever i go into the bakery they only ever have two for sale. There are usually three of us.
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FW again!

08 May 2008
Twice in two days! hit FW again last night. It was a bit smaller than Tuesday, about 3ft and still super clean. Took this snap after getting out, watched the sun disappear over the headland out back then caught one in.
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Fresh West

07 May 2008
We got our first taste of summer this weekend and the surf was pretty bloody good too! I took this last night after having a beating down at fresh.
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Fame at last!

08 April 2008
I've just returned from a cycling trip to Italy. It was amazing and surreal. The trip was arranged in order to raise money for Prostate Cancer. The donations are still being counted, so we dont know the total yet, but we hope it to be in the region of 4000 pounds. If you would like to donate some money we have a justgiving account get up here. More photos to follow.
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For Sale

14 March 2008
Currently for sale in Fiji is an Island. It's about £3,000,000 and is sitting next to one of the finest and most consistent breaks in Fiji. Check out the surf and island information.
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Pembrokeshire Buoy

11 March 2008
The Pembs buoy peaked at 24 foot and 11 seconds yesterday. Basically it was massive, should the wind have been suitable for surfing, there wouldnt have been many breaks capeable of holding such a swell. Would have been good to have a go though!
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Brechfa

10 March 2008
I finally took my camera out with us on a trip to Brechfa forest on Sunday. Heres a snap Jaime took of me, coming to the end of the Blue section.
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Stratacut

04 March 2008
Stratacut is a form of stop frame animation that uses a series of paper sheets with cutouts. Its mind blowingly time consuming, but looks cool...Stratacut animation
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Death Road

29 February 2008
Theres a little known road in Bolivia called "Death Road". "Narrowing to only five or six feet in certain areas with a total elevation drop of 3000m in only 80km, Death Road has certainly earned its reputation. Fatalities can exceed over 100 annually."

Oddle enough its also an awesome mountain biking in the area too. Check it out
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Chinster

24 February 2008
We cycled round Llys Y fran today (Gary, Jase, Jaime, Me, Chinser). John Chin made his second outing in twenty years on his new bike. The big guy did good, with his Pulse watch recording bpms of over 180 at times. Didnt manage to get any shots, so here is one of some snopdrops instead.
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Springs in the post!

11 February 2008

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Pentre Ifan

11 February 2008
I visited Ty Canol this weekend also, the Bronze-Age burial chamber of Pentre Ifan, can you believe these stones have been here for over 6,000 years! Thats mental! more info on Pentre Ifan here
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Ty Canol Woods

11 February 2008
After surfing in the morning, i took to the hills with Emma. We walked round Ty Canol woods and came across some friendly horses.
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Super Sunday

11 February 2008
With some hefty swell and light Easteries, the surf looked promosing. Newgale was pretty much maxed out, the paddle out was very hard (20 minutes worth!), once out back i was met with some overhead faces.
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SouthWest T Shirt designs

09 February 2008
I've wanted to design some t-shirts for ages. Tonight seemed like a good time to have a crack as I’m knackered from last nights beers and surfing today. I came up with the 'brand' SouthWest as well, that’s the part of Wales i live in. I drew the font myself using doctored curved boxes. The designs above are to reflect the sports I like to get involved in, top one is biking, 2nd is surfing and the bottom one is a more abstract design of a abseil rope setup, the texture is meant to reflect the ropes weave.
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Shedlife

04 February 2008
Here is the current scene in my dads shed. Three boards are under the knife, being repaired after months of neglect. The one on the big white bag is Yvonnes, it has 11 dings in it after a nasty car crash last year.
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Map of Pembrokeshire

01 February 2008
Fair do's to the Ordinance Survey folks, they do an awesome job but the one thing they don’t produce is a map of Pembrokeshire. They do an explorer map (25,000:1) which covers Pembs in two maps (North and South), but they dont do all Pembs in one map. I have figured a way of producing one. Using the Memory-Map software i an produce a large bitmapped image of Pembrokeshire which large scale printers can print on four foot wide paper. Hey presto, a map of Pembs for my wall. Ideal for bike, surf and pub crawl planning!
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Skyline - "a good day out"

29 January 2008
A few of us hit the Afan Argoed mountain bike centre on Sunday. We decided the only trail to do, to really test the place out was the Skyline . 28 miles of Single-track, Fire-trail and especially made descents. Epic and Awesome! Here’s a snap of us in action, I’m the one looking mad for it, bike aloft.
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Hope GB

24 January 2008
I bought some Hope lights at the start of the winter to allow me to bike at night. They’re amazingly good lights and last for just under 3 hours on one charge so are ideal for winter outings. I recently wrecked them on the ‘bank of destiny’ in Canaston woods, they got smashed from the frame when my handlebar spun round 360 (with me still on the bike). They looked pretty screwed. I sent them off thinking this is going to cost big - here’s the return note I had from Hope. Legends.
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Snowdon Summit - Build blog

22 January 2008
I have mixed feelings about the building work which is going on at the summit of Snowdon, I’m not sure there should be a building there at all. You climb the highest point in Wales with the most amazing scenery and your met with the smell of burgers and coca-cola signs which is in stark contrast to the nature of the environment. However… its not a bad view for your coffee break! Blog link here
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Rappers using Excel

18 January 2008
This website is genius... what happens when rappers use excel.
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New Years Snaps

17 January 2008
...are filtering through, heres one of Emma dress as a Bobby, looking posessed.
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Pope hit by meteorite

17 January 2008
...is just one of the installations of the crazy artist Maurizio Cattelan, showing is warez in a gallery is Austria. More info and snaps here
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Floating Hotel

16 January 2008
This may the most mellow hotel on earth, its still a concept but it looks amazing. More infor here.
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Booger Badness

15 January 2008
The surfer and the booger rarely see eye to eye, but in the instance of these headers from Cornwall i have nothing but respect. More details here.
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Monkey Tea

15 January 2008
Im a huge fan of Monkeys and Tea, so when i spotted this amazing product i nearly wet myself. Read more here...
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Radiohead promo video

14 January 2008
Adam Buxton, of Adam & Joe fame, directed Radioheads but also put together this great promo video for their new box-set.
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Sunnier times

13 January 2008
In contrast with the previous entry, heres a snap of us in at Freshwater West last summer. Blue skies, blue seas and warm water...
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New breaks

13 January 2008
Having been on every beach in Pembrokeshire many times, its not very often that you discover a new break, but on patrol in North Pembs today i discovered that this beach actually holds a wave in bigger swell. Good news!
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Meanwhile in Devon...

08 January 2008
The 3ft we scored on Sunday seems a little small compared with the 8ft Devon was having. Snap from croyde-surf-cam.com/
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Canaston Chaos

03 January 2008
As i am suffering from the mother of all colds, i cant cycle. I followed Jaime into the woods earlier in the week and took some snaps of some of piste jumping.
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Winter solstice

24 December 2007
Thank good for that, we're summer bound. The Winter solstice was on the 22nd of December. We'll be living the summer dream before we know it! Heres a snap of from my parents farm in Narberth last summer. Click here for more info on why we have sesons and such like.
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Rear view camera for bikes

24 December 2007
I’ convinced this may be the stupidest bike gadget I’ve ever seen. What’s wrong with mirrors! Anyhoo, more info here
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Trees

18 December 2007
Trees are complicated. The top images is from the web, I took the bottom photo in the summer.
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Swell Swell

18 December 2007
There has been plenty of swell around recently. Some off-the-beaten-track breaks have been working. Some of these are only surfable once or twice a year. Heres one such break in south Pembs.
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...up a creek

13 December 2007
Well, last nights outing down the Cynin valley...was a nightmare! Pictured here is the map... the Red bit is where we actually went (GPS plotted) and the turquoise is where we should have been. The Last two miles were 'cycled' through a bog!
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Surfboard rack... for a bike"

12 December 2007
Im into anything surfy or bikey... so imagine my delight when i spotted this little gem. A bike with a surfboard rack! Come on! More info here
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Super Sunday

10 December 2007
Well it came!. The swell peaked out at 27ft and 11seconds. That’s the biggest swell I’ve ever seen. For those not sure what these figures mean (and if you care!)... take a look here .

The swell was so big, lines could be seen rolling into Saundersfoot and towards Pendine. There were breaks all along from Tenby North Beach towards Amroth and beyond. The biggest holdback for us Surfers was the wind, but there were sheltered spots to be found!

This snap was sent to me by a mate, I think it piked it off a climbing site.
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Big Sunday Cometh

07 December 2007
Big Sunday is coming!!!
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Breath

07 December 2007
Spotted this graphic online. It didn’t have an author to credit. I like the sentiment.
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Sounds of the street (bikes)

04 December 2007
These dudes in Queens, New York, have taken to pimping their bikes with huge sound systems. some of them have extra support from stablisers. Some of their systems put out 5000 watts at 150 decibels.

More snaps of their bikes here
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Ireland gets nasty!

04 December 2007
Just as we were surfing the 3ft of Amroth, this insane wave was being surfed in Ireland.

Ireland is building a big reputation for big surf with a few Hawaians coming over for a look.

Check out orcasurf.co.uk for more snaps (click on the next arrow at the bottom right).
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Autumn swell at last!

03 December 2007
Well at last some autumn swell has hit! Its taken long enough but the large swells pushing through from the Atlantic allowed some ‘twice a year’ beaches to be surfed. This beach, believe it or not, is Amroth! Skilfully taken by Yvonne, the top snap shows the two Tims in action and the bottom one of Jaime getting swamped in.

We later moved on to a secret spot to surf until it got dark.

Plenty of swell out to sea at the moment, so looks like next weekend could be just as good with 20ft swell predicted for next Saturday.
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Got Broke in the Smoke

27 November 2007
Visited the big smoke this weekend, in the words of Max Boyce - "A long weekend in London aye, without a bit of kip"

Had an awesome time. Met up with some big smoke buddies, Simon Cook and Ali McBeal , good to see you both (Si, im already in the prototype stage for the gingerbread ball kicking machine). Also big thanks to Cow for letting us stay in his pad - send marvo the bill for the stains.

It was great to be back in London (I lived there for a year), I do miss the buzz of the place. Pembs is a good palce to be this weekend , the surf is looking cranking, with predicted 4.5 metre swells pushing through. Hand on to your hats though, cos the wind is gusting up to 40mph. Should be good in the sheltered spots!
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Plane crazy

21 November 2007
Spotted this image on one of the artsy blogs i use. All the planes leaving heathrow in a day.
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Poor Swell, Nice Colours

19 November 2007
Aside from this weekend the Autumn swell this year has been poor, autumn is usually the best time of year for swell. There seems to be far less storms out to sea this year so no lows and no swell.

At least the colours of the trees are just as good as always. Here’s the starting point of our local bike trail at Canaston woods.
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Dawn Patrol

19 November 2007
A few of us took on the lumpy lumps at Fresh on sunday morning. In the water by 7:30. It was a bit of a battle getting out but once out there were some overhead sets to contend with.

We moved over to BHS for our gower exile Andy Begjew to have a crack at the wedgy offerings. Heres a snap I took watching Andy from the weird hut thats been built out of driftwood on the dunes.
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Be strong

16 November 2007
During this time of shit swell (particularly bad for the Autumn), heres a snap of the surf a month ago. Clean and Fresh!
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Irsh surf DVD

16 November 2007
New Irish big surf DVD coming out soon, looks awesome. Reminds me of Fresh about a month ago... well not quite but it was big. Anyhoo... Heres SeaFever
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Legs 11

16 November 2007
Heres a snap of my leg after Wednesdays bike ride. Guess where the top of my boots were.
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Superlightcrazybike

15 November 2007
This crazy bike is made from Kevlar and Carbon fibre. It weighs 2.75lbs. It cost £4000 just for the frame Click here for some video action
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GPS and the art of navigation

15 November 2007
A few people have questioned how we got lost last night when i had a GPS system. Let me explain...

The GPS system I have relies on pre-plotting a series of points on the map which you aim for, once you reach one you go onto the next one. This relies on...

a) There being a pre-arranged route (which there NEVER is on Mongo tours) and ...

2) There being a chance that we'd stick to pre-planned route.

"Im not going uphill again, stick the GPS up your arse" - Griff.
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Night Bike near Templeton

15 November 2007
Another edition of 'Mongo tours' last night as we did our first (and possibly last) ride around a forest near Templeton. We were supposed to do a big loop of the area but we got lost! Here’s a plot from my GPS of the ride.
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Parking

12 November 2007
Good news! We can all stop ignoring the parking machine at Newgale because its no longer in use! We'll have to start ignoring it again on April the 1st next year. How come we dont have to pay in the winter? Less tourists to fleece i guess...
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Tenby to Amroth

12 November 2007
Griffster, Horse and myself took on a small stretch of the Pembs coastal path yesterday. After a heavy night in Carmarthen the night before we didnt fancy an epic. Nice 9 mile loop (bikes are not allowed on the path)
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First Post!

09 November 2007
Mouse and big Gord!
First post! Bang! Just so you know the quality of info you can expect on this site, heres a snap of WOW friend and Pembs excile Mouse having a natter with the big man!
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