Queens of the Castle: A weekend at Kings
30 people attending
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Join us on this hostel weekend near Dolgellau, with access to the mountains right from the front door. The main plan for the weekend will be to walk up Cadair Idris. At 893m she falls just short of being a "Welsh 3000", but she's a "proper mountain" nevertheless, with lakes, cliffs and views aplenty. This is a tough(ish) walk, but at this time of year the weather ought to be kind, with plenty of daylight to enable us to take it slowly. It's a non-technical walk, and certainly within the capability of most regular hill walkers. Of course, if other leaders attend and wish to offer alternative walks, they'd be welcome, but hopefully you'll all choose to join us on this Eryri classic!
Our accommodation for the weekend will be the well-loved Kings hostel, which is set in its own wooded ravine. Alongside the dormitories, there is a lounge, dining room and showers, as you'd expect.
Simon will be co-leading this hostel as part of our Hostel Leader assessment process. If you'd like to consider becoming a leader yourself, speak to your Regional Coordinator, or apply here.
Rough plan for the weekend (subject to change):
Friday:
Arrive from 5pm. Get settled in and meet your fellow hostelers, either reconnecting with friends or getting to know new ones.
We'll have the usual OutdoorLads buffet, so please bring along some food to add to the buffet (enough for 1-2 people and please don't just bring pizza/quiche/sausage rolls!). Please bring your own refreshments.
During the evening we'll run through the arrangements for the weekend, and talk through options for Saturday's activities.
Saturday:
A hearty breakfast to set the day off.
There will be a walk up Cadair Idris, plus potentially other walk options dependant on leaders.
We'll be providing an evening meal, so please ensure any dietary information is up to date on your profile.
Sunday:
Another provided breakfast. We need to be out of the hostel by 10am, but there may be the option of a local walk into Barmouth or to the Cregennan Lakes.
Parking: There is free parking at the hostel. However, this is limited, so please car share where possible.
Dogs: Unfortunately this event is not suitable for dogs, except registered assistance dogs. Please contact support@outdoorlads.com when booking to notify us if an assistance dog will be joining.
Image credits: Main: Cadair Idris - Ben Alliston, Unsplash, Others: Snowdown National Park - Michael Molyneux, Unsplash and ODL members.
What to bring
Bedding is provided, but you will need to bring your own towel, and some people like to bring their own pillow.
If you intend to join the walks, please see the kit list below. For any other activities arranged nearer the time, separate details will follow:
Water: bring at least two litres
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Day rucksack: typically 20-30 litres, they are comfortable to wear and allow you to use your arms freely
Boots: waterproof and breathable and designed for hiking, trainers are OK if the ground is dry and there’s little chance of rain
Gaiters: recommended for wet weather or boggy conditions
Socks: proper walking socks will keep your feet dry and help prevent blisters
Layered clothing: lets you quickly adapt to changes in the weather and body temperature. Go for a base layer (vest or t-shirt) and a mid layer (a micro fleece or shirt) and in cooler weather add an outer layer (a windproof jacket or thick fleece)
Trousers: ideally no jeans as they become heavy and cold in the rain, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry and on warm days shorts are OK
Waterproof jacket: essential when hiking in all but the calmest of weather, breathable fabrics are more comfortable and dry
Gloves: windproof, or better still, waterproof gloves are the best choice, bring a spare pair if expecting rain
Hat or cap: stay warm in winter and shaded in summer
Sunglasses: for any sunny day, even in winter
Sun cream: can be useful even on cloudy and winter days
Snacks: bring biscuits, energy bars, gels, bananas, chocolate or dried fruit for example and put them somewhere easy to get hold of
Lunch: bring a packed lunch for Saturday and Sunday
Food & drink
Included in the event cost is breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, dinner on Saturday, plus tea and coffee throughout the event.
For Friday's dinner we will have the usual OutdoorLads buffet. Please bring a small amount as a contribution to share.
You will need to bring your own packed lunch for Saturday and Sunday, although there is a Co-op in Dolgellau, which is a 10 minute drive away from the hostel.
Please bring any drinks that you would like for the weekend.
As with all our hostel events, members are asked to muck in and help with the various chores which enables things to run smoothly. We will arrange the evening diners, but we will be calling for volunteers to assist.