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There should be some more drone footage in my next series of vids of my Lands End - John O'Groats trip. Coming soon(ish)!

If you ever need bike stuff in the Bala area I recommend them... R.H.Roberts Cycles.. I think they've been established there pretty much since the invention of the bicycle! Also E-bikes Eryri if you want to hire.

There aren't many things that completely stop me in my tracks but that wheel did. Kind of what I set myself up for by taking a £30 bike without thorough checking!

My knees seem to be already shot! My main mtb is a steel framed On One Inbred 26er.

Glad you liked it.

I know, old bikes can be amazing value. I couldn't resist buying two others at the same sale £10 each! Mind you there is no way they would have made it across Wales!!!

It is a bugger of a climb and you need the gears for it. That descent has got to be one of the best in the land though. I recommend going back in good weather!

Yeah it's a pretty busy spot, and with a lot of novice / first time boaters you have to take extra care.

Glad you liked the video. I'll have to try to get back up there in 2025 to look at the new track and maybe try the Barrow parkrun too.

Glad you liked the video. It was an awesome trip. We'll have to get round to doing another one, maybe the Loch Morar/Loch Nevis circuit.

Yes I was lucky with the weather and Wales is beautiful. Just two nights wild camping.

Glad you liked the video. I recommend the route, lots of interest with the aqueducts and tunnels. I'm hoping to undertake another trip north from Grindley Locks and maybe another from Market Drayton to Chester.

Glad you liked the vid. It really is an enjoyable route.

Glad you liked the views. We do have some great tracks and I never take them for granted.

I'm glad you liked the video and thank you for your kind words. Yes, we were really lucky with the weather. I've had a bit of a break from UA-cam but have got some footage I'm currently editing for a few more cycling videos. So watch this space for those. If you have any ideas for other trips I can do please let me know. I was thinking of a Loch Morar - Loch Nevis circuit at some point, but a Source to Sea on the Severn is also calling and that's much more local for me!

I just had someone at the start who did a little bit of filming. After that I was on my own until the pickup and Grindley Brook. The kayak has hatches front and back and you can get a load of stuff in there. The only thing that didn't fit in was the frame for the trolley/wheels, you can seen that strapped on the back. I think that I could take all I need for several weeks camping, as long as I could resupply with food and water every few days or so.

@@robinmager okay cool, I thought it would stored. I'm going kayaking along there in June but just for a day. Our plan is to go from Pontcysyllte to Chirk and then back to Pontcysyllte. Any tips or things to know? Thanks

@@Morts81 My advice would be take care of the narrow boats, they are not all manned by experienced crews! I would wait to follow a narrow boat across the aqueducts and through the tunnels. You really don't want to meet one coming the other way! Have a good headtorch for the tunnels. If you can start at the Trevor Basin and make it to the Poachers pub you'd get two tunnels and two aqueducts and they're the most exciting parts of the whole journey. I believe food is available at both the Telford Inn and the Poachers. In theory you should have a licence to paddle on the canal. I joined the BCU to get what I needed. Hope that helps.

@@robinmager Yeah I have a paddle license for the canal. Thanks for the advice 🙂

I've found there's more I can do with my phone camera now. It doesn't come anywhere close to Heather's fancy pants camera, but gives me some more scope for experimenting. It makes editing much harder though!

Undoubtedly, also any appropriate 'acoustic' bike would have worked a lot better. I've done the route many times and this was by far the hardest. My next attempt may well be on a cargo bike, that might make for interesting viewing!

Many things are pointless, including many social media comments!

Hi, Glad you liked the videos. It's a wonderful trip but I guess there'll be more midges in June! I'm happy for you to email me with any questions - you can use robinmager451@gmail.com

Glad you liked the aqueduct footage. It's still early days with the DJI mini, so hopefully I'll be able to include more drone footage in future videos.

Glad you liked the video and the footage of the graveyard on Eilean Fhianain. I'm hoping for another canoe trip in Scotland this year.

Sounds like a good idea... you need to wake up to what the world is doing!

@@robinmager so you actually want to contact the council everytime you want to venture out of the area & get a permit?

@@neogirl37 that is not what 15 minute cities are about. Of course you can believe what you like, though why you have to comment about 15 minute cities on a video about flooding is a mystery.

I'm glad you liked the vid and it's given you some ideas. Top tips for easy access refreshments/supplies are the Poachers just south of Chirk, and Tesco Superstore at Ellesmere both right by the water.

You're welcome Louise

Glad you liked it. It's a great way to travel; no pack to carry, no hills to climb and all the while seeing the world from a new angle.

Glad you liked it Helen. Probably a bike vid next, but I have more canoe/kayaking plans... watch this space!

Becoming an annual event now, houses and businesses flooded and lots of nasty stuff in the water too 🤢

It wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. I think most people in the areas at risk are pretty well prepared now. I doubt their insurance still covers them for flood damage though! It must be pretty devastating to have all that dirty water invading your property or business.

Glad you liked it. Good luck with off loading the kids!

I think you stand a good chance of dodging the midges in April, keep an eye out for ticks though! It is an absolutely fantastic area and hopefully you'll have good weather to enjoy it in. Good Luck.

Thanks, I know ticks are pretty much a year-round phenomenon unfortunately so I will take all the precautions i can. Can’t wait! 😁

On that particular day it wasn't too bad going against the current. It's more of an issue if you're in a open boat / Canadian canoe or if the water levels are up. I was probably going half the speed compared to coming back with the flow. I've done quite a bit of the Severn at different times, but not upstream of Melverley or down past Stourport. I'm hoping to do the whole thing as one big multiday adventure next year.

@@robinmager Thanks for the info. We generally use inflatables which are not the fastest but they are either partially or full drop stitch construction so they are generally not really noticeably slower than Sit on Top hard shell kayaks. The only section of the Severn I've done to date is Holt Fleet to Worcester. It seems more sedate and predictable than the Wye so far, presumably due to the weirs which result in the water being more steadily flowing, giving the river a slightly 'canalised' feel to it. Doing the entire river would be a great multi day adventure

@@TheKayakCrew down by Worcester you're well into the 'canalised' section of the river (for which you should have a licence). Upstream of Stourport it is much more natural with the only weir I can think of being the one at Shrewsbury. The Jackfield Rapids are the most 'interesting' bit of water, but up towards Welshpool there can be hazards like fallen trees, etc. I hope you get to paddle the length of the Severn. When I get round to it next year I'll post a vid on UA-cam. I'm just in the process of trying to edit a video of a 2 day trip along the Llangollen Canal from the Horseshoe Falls right across Shropshire to the Cheshire border.

@@robinmager thanks for the info about the Severn. It sounds like the nature of river changes the further you go upstream . Look forward to your videos of the Llangollen canal. Only part of it I know is the stretch around the aqueduct near to Llangollen.

Not quite the ending I had planned, but it all worked out well. I don't think I'd change much if I was doing it again.

Glad you liked it. Hope you have good weather next month - it'll make all the difference!

Hi Mark, Thanks for the compliments. Yeah getting music can be a bit of a challenge. We've got a few instruments here so home brewed backing tracks could be a possibility to investigate?!

@@robinmager I honestly wouldn't be surprised either!!! Be good to catch up when you're next over.

Glad you liked this series of vids and really glad you've subscribed. More videos coming soon.

The west coast of Scotland (and the Hebrides) are truly amazing places. Yes I'm using a Mini 2. The drone is great but I'm thinking of switching to Litchi for the software.

@@robinmager Totally, we were shocked just how nice it is. Beautiful desolation. We took 10 days to do the NC500 to soak it all in. Litchi is good and will be stable on the 2. What's the Fly app not delivering for you??

The Fly/DJI apps occasionally require a log in, which can be a real pain/showstopper. Also no follow mode and no option for survey missions.

@@robinmager good call then yeah.

Thanks, It was amazing!

Wait till you see the next episode! Smirisary Beach in good weather... beautiful !!

@@robinmager sounds lovely! Can't wait.

Glad you liked it Maria. I'm still learning the art of filming, so the drone is a new addition and I keep missing great bits to film because I'm to busy dealing with the situation, admiring the view or eating the food! I absolutely recommend this kind of trip. Wild camping is legit on Scotland so you can relax and set up camp early without fear of irate landowners. The canoe takes all the weight of the kit and food for a week so it's pretty easy going unless you hit a brisk headwind or tide. It's persuaded me that it's worth taking on the midges for the experience of wild Scotland.

@@robinmager Brilliant planning, of course, I hadn't thought of it - the canoe takes the weight and no angry landowners. Look forward to your next video.