Catch up Blog !

Dad above Honnister in the Lakes 

Crikey no posts since January that must be the longest I have left it from beginning of blogging history for me. Well its not been due to nothing happening quite the opposite its been a very busy time since then and a good start to the year. I also had a brief trip back to the UK in February. A nice trip back to Cumbria to see Mum and Dad and a brief foray to the Highlands. Certainly a remainder of what cold weather wind and rain felt like. It was a turbulent time in terms of weather with some wild fronts passing through. Dad and I

Mum and Dad at home 

managed to get me onto the snow above Honister and a reminder of thawing winter conditions are. The Lakes seemed a far cry from the bustle of East Africa with gardens and houses all laid out neatly and you could drive in and out of town without fear of a bribe or crashing. But you cant beat Mums cooking which was nice to have again and cheese which tasted of cheese. I also had a brief foray up to Oban and saw the Spinks who where in a wind lashed Highlands. We had a good catch up and day at the ice factor. The weather precluded anything outside even walking to the car was a chilly experience. Back to Cumbria for a few more days before picking up a flight back to Kenya which almost went array. I for the first time in years fell asleep on a flight which stopped in Bujumbura, Burundi. I awoke to see people getting off the plane and panicked and grabbed my things and bailed off the plane as I hit the tarmac I had a feeling this was not Kenya. It seemed very hot and steamy and there was no evidence of a terminal and no lighting I hovered around scanning the area for a moment before one of the Belgium air hostesses chipped in. ‘sir I zink you are going to Nairobi yes you should retake ze seat’ I headed back up the stairs to reagin my seat ‘and where the hell is Bujumbura’ ! 

We landed back in Kenya after only a couple of hours and to the taxi to get me back up to Nanyuki. 

I was keen to be back to the hustle and bustle and suspect cheese. It wasn't time to be thinking of the white cliffs just yet I was enjoying East Africa to much for that. And I can spend far less on warm clothes here. That said we are amidst the wet season which is fairly chilly although not by Oban standards.

Since then and up to our now April break we have been very busy with Schools and Adventure Training courses coming through the camps. We have also had a couple more UK staff come and go. Mark and Sam. Mark I can only say was like having a modern day Burton through. He shall be back for some more as we hit a busier part of the year later on. 

We have been fast developing the courses in our Forest Camp which the groups we have had in has had a great feel to it. The clients having good days out in the forest and returning to what has felt like a homely feeling and people enjoying that. We are on going over the break with building work to expand the facilities and keep giving it that more personal feel to us. We have added a few things like a couple of Tyroleans in the Canyon and also down below our camp. The next focus is on a bike course within the camp, in its current state its a tad technical but with some more work should offer a great decent with some good teaching opportunities along the way. 

We are now on our breaks. 

Joe looking out for crags near Impala reserve 

I have been in Nairobi and also up here in Nanyuki and around the mountain doing some biking and exploring the area. The original plan had been to hit the coast but I had a few warnings and about hopping the buses down to the coast, perhaps I am getting older but I decided this time to heed them. Here is a quick bouldering clip from a trip out near the Loldiga hills. There are some very attractive areas of rock around Nanyuki but there are often access issues and of course some are in wild areas which would have animals. Joe who I was having a look around some of the areas recounted his concern at coming across an Elephant who dummie charged him and sent him running into the bushes while bouldering somewhere. One boulder we came across we scoped out and it wasn't long before armed people came out the bushes which can be unnerving, but there needs to be high vigilance at the moment for poachers in these areas. 

Some interesting rock features scattered around out beyond Ol Jogi 

Laikipian Bouldering from Dan Goodwin on Vimeo.