A reminder for anyone interested in all things Alpine that on Saturday week we are hosting Jim & Paul’s talk about The Geology & Flowers of the Alps. These two leading authorities will give a fascinating & enthusiastic insight to their collective knowledge. As authors of the recently published ‘The Alps – A Natural Companion’ there will also be the opportunity to buy signed copies of the book. Full details as ever are on the Events page of our web-site,

A quick final reminder that Saturday 8th February sees the return of Banda Bacana to the Café for their now traditional February gig. Full details are on our events page, dancing shoes obligatory! Hope you can make it for a lively night out in Capel Curig.

As some of you may know I’ve got a place in this year’s London Marathon which I am very excited about so turning into the New Year I sat down on my arse in front of the computer to start my training. A little odd you might think but after a lot of Clicks training was going well, Winter Trail Wales Half Marathon – entered (thanks Alwyn for giving me your place), Nick Beer 10K – entered, Oulton Park Half Marathon – entered, Anglesey Half Marathon – entered, Ras Yr Arran – entered, Goldrush (is that too close to London)

I am delighted to announce that Joe Brown’s North Wales Shops have increased the discount voucher to 20% for those who join Paul Tierney on his jog around Capel this Saturday evening so an even better excuse to join us & test inov-8’s latest Graphite soles. For full details click on our Events page.

A final reminder & more news about Paul Tierney’s film ‘Running the Wainwright’s’ showing at the Café this coming Saturday. Firstly – Joe Brown shops are issuing a 15% discount voucher to all runners who join Paul on the run around Capel Curig which starts from the Café at 5:00 pm. inov-8 will provide test shoes for you to try out, simply make sure you bring a head torch. Secondly – Having recently read Paul’s article in the Fellrunner about his record breaking run & that he used it to raise £32,000 for the mental health charity Mind the Café

The night before the race was spent in a large lodge at Gorak Shep & was in sharp contrast to the tent ‘ideal’ Dorina & I had been used to over the previous two weeks. Tomac who had crossed our path frequently despite being in the other team asked me to pair with him in a bunk. I was flattered but would soon learn why whilst Marcus seemed to think I’d be lodging with him. I’m a man of my word & so stuck with the Tomac option. It was not a good nights sleep (where was my tent when

inov-8 have just confirmed that on top of providing test shoes for the 5:00 pm pre-film run that they will also be providing a £100 inov-8 voucher for a prize draw, simply turn up & give your e-mail address for your chance to win it!

The hard days plan was almost undone the moment we awoke in a very cold Lobuche, the additional 1,600′ sleeping position had taken it’s toll on Dorina, clearly Angels live in clouds that sit below 16,000 feet for good reason. Her symptoms were quite a bad headache & a somewhat swollen left side of the face, they were a clear sign of early altitude sickness this form being called Cerebral Endima. Today was always going to be our last day together in the higher regions of the trek, we had both been looking forward to it & all of a

Day 10 of our journey dawned with my plan still firmly fixed in my mind. For many it would be a day of rest lolling around camp ‘acclimatising’ but a few of us had other ideas mostly based on a trek up the valley to Gokyo. Gokyo stands at 4,790 & was seen by the team leaders & our 4 doctors as a reasonable next step for those with a more expansive mind or lungs. However my plan which it’s fair to say did not meet their general approval was to walk up to Gokyo with Dorina & then leave

Well the story has been a long time in coming largely to both Dorina & I taking a long time to settle back into the ‘real’ world but I think we are there now so time to write about our little excursion to Nepal. It didn’t start well. I am a bad flier & not just because I get thoroughly disgusted at how Airports treat us (their customers) as cattle but mainly because I can’t sleep on a plane no matter what the length of the journeys are. Don’t ask me why I chose a Jeffrey Archer novel to while

We are delighted to announce that the Café has been chosen as the North Wales Venue to host the premiere of the film ‘Running the Wainwright’s’. The film charts Paul Tierney’s record breaking traverse of the 214 Wainwright’s in under 7 days in summer 2019. Inov 8 will also be present & will help us put on a jog around Capel in the company of Paul Tierney prior to the film & will provide a variety of test shoes for you to run in. For more details go to our Events page, all ticket proceeds go to ‘our’ Paul’s 2020

We were delighted to hear over the Christmas period that we won The Great Outdoor Magazine’s award for Best Outdoor Café for last year, our second year running after being runners up in the three years prior to that.  Of course this doesn’t mean we are the best out there, indeed we are about to review points for improvement for 2020. However it does mean that we are appreciated by many & that means an awful lot so can we simply thank all of you who voted for us, very much appreciated!

A short blog as a thank you to Mick Fowler for giving a thoroughly enjoyable presentation to a packed café on Saturday night. It was undoubtedly a night among the very best for the café & our thanks too to all those who attended. Over 3 turbulent evenings since then I read Mick’s book ‘No Easy Way’ the contents of which his presentation was based on. Each page summed up Mick’s spirit & self-deprecating humour to a tee, I turned the last page with regret that there were no more to read. Even more remarkable was the fact that the

Since coming back from Nepal I have been planning to post three blogs, one about Nepal, one about a ‘little’ Marathon & one about running but my Nepalese hangover (or jet-lag) has left me feeling far away from the real world if I’m honest. However a New Year brings new beginnings so lets start making amends but first that Apology & Statement:- Apology – Our New Year’s Day at the café was not a good start, for reasons un-related to the café & unavoidable Dorina & I were delayed in getting to the café by more than 4 hours which

Whatever you have planned for the festive period we hope we’ll see you in the Café at some point. Below are our restricted/altered Opening Hours, all other days we’ll be open as normal:- Christmas Eve – 09:00 to 16:00 Christmas Day – Closed Boxing Day – 10:00 to 17:00 Saturday 28th (Open MIC Night) – 07:30 to 23:00 New Years Eve – 09:00 to 16:00 New Years Day – 10:00 to 17:00 Saturday 4th January (Mick Fowler Presentation @ 8:00pm, tickets required) – 07:30 to 22:30 Whatever your plans have a great time, Dorina, Gaby, Paul & all at the

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday is the date for our annual Xmas Quiz in aid of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, hosted as ever by Mike Lees. We hope you can make it for a lively & fun night at the Café, full details are on our Events page.

The snow arrived in Capel Curig earlier than expected on Saturday morning & helped me cement a plan I’d already settled on during the drive in, ‘no breakfast please, I’m off for a run’. I was lucky enough to be breaking trail in a light covering of snow & flakes falling all around me as I initially circled West around Capel before heading North East to Llyn Bychan thoroughly enjoying myself. This joy turned to a bit of concern as I turned towards Swallow Falls & into a biting headwind for the first time. Hands soon froze & had to

We are delighted to have been nominated again this year for the above awards. Having won last year & been twice runners up it would be great if we could win it again. It truly gives Dorina, Gaby & all their hardworking team a lift to know that they are appreciated by our customers. To vote for us is easy (must be if I could do it), simply google ‘The Great Outdoors Awards 2019’, click on News & then onto Readers Awards, you’ll find us in the ‘Walkers’ Café or Restaurant of the Year’ category. If you do vote why

Where to start, well not Rugby for sure. Firstly Café events:- Our next Open MIC Night has been moved to Saturday 23rd November. Then a new date for your diary, on 22nd February 2020 we are delighted to be hosting Jim Langley & Paul Gannon who will give a presentation about their forthcoming book about Alpine Flora & Geology. Knowing Jim & Paul this should be a fascinating insight for those Alpine enthusiasts who often gaze in wonder, click our camera’s but are not always sure what we are looking at. Ticket prices & more details should be available in

With our hosting Nicky Spinks’ presentation this Saturday evening we will be closing early for normal trade at 6:00 pm with last hot food orders at 5:30. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. For those with tickets for Nicky’s presentation we will have a limited hot food menu until slightly later with last orders at approx. 6:30 pm subject to demand in order to allow us to re-set the café ready for the evening.