A weekly blog episode featuring the first week of 2025 – my New Year tradition, a wild hike in Wales, and my 2025 bingo card.
Happy New Year! Can you believe we’ve already had the first week of 2025?! Time didn’t slow down as the clock ticked from one year to the next, did it?!
My week-long Christmas break from work was much needed. It felt like I crashed into Christmas in some ways, as December didn’t let up in the slightest. But while I can’t say that Christmas was relaxing, it was a well-timed pause in normal proceedings, filled with family time, thoughtful gifts, copious amounts of food, and an endless supply of tea
Of course, I’m back at work now (straight back to it on 2 January). The early morning alarm clock and the daily commute aren’t exactly my favourite parts of the day, but I’m grateful to enjoy the work I do. My job plays a significant role in shaping the life I lead, and for that, I have no complaints. It’s all about finding that delicate balance to make the most of the time that is mine to play with.
And while that time may be limited, and seems to be flying by, I’m determined to savour each day, finding as much balance between seizing the moment and embracing the present as I can.
Wow, that all got a bit deep a bit quick. I guess what I’m trying to say is – here’s to a year full of both adventure and relaxation!
My New Year Tradition
It has become my personal tradition, especially since moving somewhere with a close-by hill with big views, to get out for sunset on New Year’s Eve, and out again for sunrise on New Year’s Day. It just seems like such an appropriate thing to do – to see the last light of one year, and the first light of the next. Much better than staying awake to watch midnight fireworks on the television, although I did that too.
The sunset on 31 December 2024 was a little better than I thought it might be given the weather that day. I met a few friends for a walk to watch the light fade, and while it wasn’t the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen (by any stretch!), we did get a tiny break in the cloud which provided a soft orange glow. It was cold, and blowing a hoolie, but I was glad I made the effort to get out.
No Sunrise on New Year’s Day
But when it came to New Year’s Day, there was no way I was leaving my house first thing that morning! The weather was vile; thick cloud cover, strong howling winds, and heavy (sideways) rain. Yuk, yuk and yuk. There was no sunrise to speak of anyway, and to be honest, it didn’t feel like the sun rose all day.
I was a bit sad about it because I felt the weather ruined my silly tradition. Instead of enjoying my first cup of tea of 2025 with a big view followed by a long meandering walk in the morning light, I spent the day decluttering the spare room and doing chores. Never mind!
Don’t worry, though, I’m very happy to say that I made up for said New Year’s Day rubbishness with an absolute stunner of a sunrise on Cleeve Hill on Friday morning. Only two days late, but who actually cares?! All traditions are just made-up activities there’s no harm in breaking anyway. And I mean, just look at it.
A Hike to The Chartist Cave
With warnings of snow and ice looming, but with a good weather window lasting a few hours before that, I finally hiked to The Chartist Cave this weekend. This is the hike I had to postpone a handful of times in 2024 thanks to named storms hitting us time after time.
Originally known as Tylles Fawr (The Great Hole), the cave was used by Chartist rebels in 1839 to prepare and stockpile weapons such as pikes for their attack and seizure of Newport. This event – the Newport Rising – was one of the most significant Chartist protests in their fight for democracy and workers’ rights. The cave therefore serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in the quest for political reform.
My circular hike on Mynydd Llangynidr also included Llangynidr Reservoir, a stretch of the Cambrian Way and a trig pillar. I really do love a properly wild and rugged landscape, and this gave me that in spades. It was so open and exposed. The cold weather added to the barren nature of the scene, with the ground being covered in a layer of white frost, the filled Shake Holes being frozen over, and the cold wind howling through the heather.
Hiking in Wild Wales
It was a great hike, and the cave was a super interesting landmark to visit. But, this is definitely a location for a clear and dry day. I’m glad I waited for such an occasion before attempting it rather than playing games with any of the storms last year – the high cloud base and good visibility was vital.
We were also fortunate that the bog (this hilltop is basically one massive bog), was pretty well frozen over, making things much less squelchy than they might normally be. Hiking over frozen bog is much easier than hiking over thawed bog! But even then, the terrain was unkind at times with Shake Holes and marshland galore, and the path was not easily discernible on the ground at times. I know mountain leaders do navigation training in this area, and I can see why.
I’d downloaded (and printed) a route on OS Maps curated by Trail Magazine, but I suspect this is one of those routes the creator had not actually walked as it was incredibly inaccurate. At least not recently. Still, it gave us a rough guide, and we were able to use it along with our map reading abilities to enjoy a great day out in the Welsh wilderness. It felt like a real adventure hike!!
(And before you get concerned, I wasn’t alone, we had head torches with us, and we didn’t go far into the cave, I promise! And we were off the hill and back home well before the poor weather came in.)
My 2025 Bingo Card
Have you heard about the 2025 Bingo Card trend? Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, or vision boards, some people are creating bingo cards to set and track their goals for the year. Each of the 25 squares represents a different goal, and as you achieve each one, you get to mark it off, just like in a game of bingo.
Given that having a bucket list is part of my personality at this point, I’ve been served a few of these bingo cards on Instagram, and I have been influenced. The idea struck me a fun way to tackle my bucket list for this year. I had fun on New Year’s Day writing down 25 things I want to do, and hope it will help me make the most of that time I have to play with I mentioned above.
In the main, my bingo card includes activities I’d like to do, or projects I want to finish, rather than daily habits or numbers-based goals. There are a few specific hikes on the list, along with activities such as paddle in the sea, go on a city break, see a play, and go camping. I’ve also included some homey things, such a paint the front door, declutter the loft and garage, and finish the crochet project my friend bought me AGES ago that I’ve barely started.
Whether I share the whole bingo card with anyone remains to be seen. But I can tell you that in the first week of 2025 I have already ticked one thing off – hiking to The Chartist Cave – so I’m off to a decent start. Thinking about it in terms of time, I need to complete one square every couple of weeks… I’d better get on with the next one.
A Less Regular Weekly Blog Series
This is the first Weekly Blog episode I’ve written since early October. While I love this format and style because it feels like real blogging in many ways, I simply can’t write something like this every week any more. And I’ve decided to stop trying to force it.
But rather than giving up and cancelling the series entirely, or starting a new series with a different set of parameters, I shall continue with my weekly blogs, just not quite weekly. Articles on the outdoors, hiking and adventure travel will remain my focus, and being less strict on the ‘weekly’ element of these musings will give me more time for those. For example, I’ve got a couple of day hikes to tell you about – the WAS Way and The Chartist Cave – which I want to write next.
Blogging is my creative outlet, and I love sharing the life and times of me and my outdoor (and indoor) adventures here on Splodz Blogz. It just needs to be a bit less regularly in 2025.
See You Next Time…
With that, I’ll leave this weekly blog about the first week of 2025 there. I hope the year has started well for you, that you’ve been able to get outside when the weather has allowed it, and that you are looking forward to some fun times in the coming weeks.
Oh, and if you think a 2025 Bingo Card is something you want to join in with this year, let me know what’s on it…
See you next time.
What do you think? Comment below...