Getting in Gear the Wild Way

WILD set off to cycle the Taff Trail on Wednesday in the glorious sunshine. The trail was lots of fun and full of interesting points along the way.

Read the full write up here on the WILD website.

Photograph Day

Today marked issue two feedback and...photograph day.

It was like being back at school, except we were older and inifinitely uglier.

But we all gathered under the sun's winter glare, a stern wind buffeting our brows, as the photographer told us to be WILD.

Several members dissapeared into the undergrowth.

"No," said the photographer, exasperated and already sounding motherly. Back they crawled.

First attempt was making the word WILD out of our bodies. Unfortunately, we were about as flexible as reinforced concrete, so we ended up looking like a rabble of arthritic pensioners rolled out for the day.

Abandoning that, we attempting a rush to the middle and a jump. Girls lined up one side and boys the other (never let it be said that WILD does not embrace equality).

1...2...3... we all rushed in and jumped. It didn't go to plan. First aiders were called and treatment dispensed.

"Shall we just get together in front of the trees?" offered dep.ed Dan WILD, struggling to hide his dissapointment that the rush and jump had failed. Jess WILD agreed and assembled the ponderous crew into place better than a sheep dog on countryfile.

So we lined up, and made WILD signs with our fingers. It was beautiful. Will WILD shed a tear.
Stay tuned, stay aware, and stay away from combatative photographic scenarios. Jade WILD is still nursing the bruises.

Wild Issue Two

WILD issue two has recently been completed and you can see plenty of the features on the website. It also features plenty of reviews and gear reviews. The site is still a work in progress so please ignore any small glitches. The news section will be updated daily so keep checking back for all the WILD happenings

In other news Harry, our Online Editor, has been busy filming some of our wild activities. From Sea Kayaking, Mountain Boarding and Camping in the Gower, Harry filmed it all...enjoy

A new direction

On the weekend of February 17-18 I did a Bronze National Navigation course at the visitors centre in the Brecon Beacons.

The scenery was simply stunning. I was gawping out the car window at purple mountains and wide sweeping valleys long before reaching the park.I was really excited to start classes, as I’m a keen walker but have a very poor sense of direction, and had always relied on other to do the map reading. Now I would finally be able to explore on my own steam.

The course didn't disappoint. I learned loads of useful skills, like reading a compass and how to correct myself and re-discover the route if I went wrong.

On the final day we had to do a sort of orienteering route, hitting exact points and recording markings to show we’d been these. I was slow, but I did it!

For those with £50 to spare, I can heartily recommend the course. Otherwise, just read 'How to Navigate' in Issue 2 of WILD- coming soon! NG

Walks of a Guided Variety

Last Sunday found Wildmen Will Dean and Jon Severs in a car park in Clytha, near Raglan.

No, we weren't doing anything untoward. It was the meeting place for the Brecon Beacons Park Society's Guided Walk. This is where a guide does all the map reading, worrying, and route finding for you. The trail of 20 or so people behind them are free to admire views, chat away, and lurch into the bushes for something called a "comfort break" - I think they meant a wee.

It was a very rewarding experience and the 12 miles left us feeling rather smug. So smug in fact that we rewarded ourselves with a pint.

For the full story, check out WILD issue 2.

The wonder of Wild waterfalls...

I am the first one to admit that I need to get out and about more. So coming up with the idea of going on a waterfall walk seemed like a relatively 'passive' activity that would allow me to grab some fresh Welsh air.

This impression was somewhat a distorted one. I forgot that it rains in Wales. A lot.

But despite the dreary weather, my venture into the woodlands in the Brecons to walk along the River Mellte was an enchanting experience. I felt like an extra on Lord of the Rings, trekking through the countryside, battling over small tributary streams, clamouring over rocks and bracing the natural elements.

However, I only managed to see one waterfall on the day (the Sgwd Clyn-Gwyn). It flows over two ledges and this is the ideal time of year to catch a glimpse thanks to the high discharge of the river. Frothy and white, the water was relentless - a mesmorising sight.

The only mishap of the day was becoming separated from my walking buddy, Tom - I somehow ended up on the opposite side of the river to him. Waving my arms to catch his attention and calling his name was futile; the water was brashly plunging over the bedrock at this point and drowning out my voice...back tracking was the only option.

And another few things I learned - which I really should have known since I have a background in geography:

• Take a proper map with actual grid references, contours and paths marked on it *blushes at the thought of the hand drawn one downloaded from the internet*
• Wear proper footwear *realises now that the boots worn were in fact NOT waterproof*
• Take an umbrella (seriously - I was walking through the woods with my brolly - it came in handy when Tom needed to shelter his camera on its tripod)

And finally - if you can, go and have a look for yourself! More information about the walk is in our next issue of Wild magazine.

Mountain Boarding

Yesterday morning three WILD members followed a bright yellow bus to a secret location north of Cardiff. We were going mountain boarding for Issue 2, and didn't really know what to expect.

On arrival we got padded up and had a quick chat about the board and what we would be doing. It's basically a small snowboard on wheels. There were 5 pros with us, all from the BUCrew. They were welcoming, full of advice and a really good laugh.

To find out what happened next keep an eye on WILD magazine and WILD online.

Wildlife Walk

Our trip was originally postponed due to the snow, but this week WILD finally made it up into the Brecon Beacons to do the national park’s Wildlife Walks.

We met up with the park’s biodiversity project officer Gareth Ellis, whose job is to coordinate an action plan for conserving the park’s rarest wildlife. Gareth took us on a tour of the woods around the small town of Talgarth, which feature in two of the 12 Wildlife Walks detailed in a booklet published by the park. He advised us on the plants and animals to look out for along the way – find out what Gareth had to say in the March issue of WILD, out soon.

WILD returned home along the winding country roads, covered in pink sandstone mud, invigorated by the breezy fresh air and buzzing with enthusiasm for the spectacular scenery and thriving wildlife of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Green Gym

Last week, one member of the WILD team spent the day with Cardiff's Green Gym, helping to turn a tract of wasteland into a lovely flower meadow.

Green Gyms are run by the BTCV and aim to get people active through outdoor work. Check out this month's edition of WILD for the full article...

This WILD member can now confirm that digging holes in stony ground is every bit as gruelling as a session with the weights. And as the site was on a particularly steep hill, extra calories were burnt by repeatedly traipsing up and down.

But working out in the fresh air and sunshine was heartening for both body and soul, and infinitely preferrably to gasping away on the treadmill while a real keeno whizzes along next to you...

A Wild Week

It’s been a busy time gearing up for the first issue of WILD, with the inside of Welsh trains becoming all too familiar.

Luckily, the outside of Wales is worth the effort. Last Monday WILD went foraging with bush-craft expert Andrew Price in the Gower.

Did you know that you can not only cook the new shoots of a cat tail rush in the same way as asparagus, but that you can dig up the roots to make crisps and if you beat the heads you get a high-energy snack? Thought not.

WILD also went sit-on-top kayaking in Porthcawl on Wednesday the same week. We had great fun, with loads of laughs, a few man-overboard crises and playing on the sand. Lucky it wasn’t a day later though- even we draw the line at kayaking in the snow!