Weatherman Walking - Laugharne

This is a 4.5 mile circular historic walk around the town, following in the footsteps of its most famous resident, Dylan Thomas.

Laugharne is a small town situated on the estuary of the River Taf, Carmarthenshire, and was made famous by the poet and playwright, Dylan Thomas who lived there from 1949-1953. The town is thought to have been the inspiration for the fictional town of Llareggub in his play, Under Milk Wood.

You can see the full programme including a 5.5 mile circular walk around the Hafod Estate in the Ystwyth Valley (near Devils Bridge) passing through woodland, gorges and waterfalls.here.

Big Welsh Walking Challenge App

Ramblers Cymru, are headling into the white heat of 21stCentury technology with the launch of a new mobile phone app designed 'to help people to stick to those New Year’s Resolutions and walk their way to health'

Set to be launched today, the free Big Welsh Walking Challenge app can be 'downloaded directly to your mobile phone' and will, it says 'take people from first steps to more heart-raising routes'.

The idea is that every day, the app sets the user a new challenge, and builds up gradually as it progresses. So early in it might challenge you to 'walk briskly for 30 mins', while by the end of the 12-week period, it could throw out something like 'solo an 8,000 metre peak in winter conditions without oxygen'. Or maybe not.

The app is sponsored by Sport Wales and can help people to build up their fitness in preparation for the BIG Welsh Coastal Walk Challenge, which will mark the opening of the Wales Coast Path on 5 May. At that point, Wales will become the first country to have a complete coastal path.

Angela Charlton, Director of Ramblers Cymru, said: "This new mobile phone app is a great way for people to stick to those New Year’s Resolutions and get that little bit healthier. Wales is a great country for walking and we hope that this new app will help even more people to discover why walking is such a good tonic for mind, body and soul."

You can register your interest for the BIG Welsh Coastal walk challenge at www.ramblers.org.uk/wales.

Weatherman Walking - Barry Docks to Rhoose Point

This is an eight mile linear walk along the coast to Porthkerry Country Park and the most southerly point in mainland Wales - Rhoose Point (Trwyn y Rhws in Welsh).

You can see the full programme including a challenging 6 mile linear walk starting from Penmaenmawr on the North Wales coast taking the Huw Tom Trail through the foothills of Snowdonia's Carneddau mountains, including the stunning Sychnant Pass and Conwy Valley to the picturesque village of Rowen above the Conway valley.here.

Weatherman Walking - Pwll Deri

An epic coastal trek starting at the picturesque coastal village of Trefin, passing through Abercastle, finishing up at the hostel in Pwll Deri. A 10.5 mile linear walk along a quieter section of the Pembrokeshire coastal path.

Time the walk right and you can catch the Strumble Shuttle bus service back to the start. The shuttle bus runs from Fishguard to St David's, 7 days a week during the summer and the nearest bus stop to Pwll Deri is at Trefasser Cross, (around 1km away).



You can see the full programme including a 7.5 mile linear walk along the spine of Offa's Dyke to the historic market town of Montgomery and its 13th century castle here.

Philippe Gatta

Last year, Frenchman Philippe Gatta, 8586m Kangchenjunga - not bad for a runner - he raced across the Sahara, climbed hard rock in the Calanques and the Dolomites, visited Lapland, Nice and the Mercantour and even found time to be filmed for the Berghaus TV advert - he's the fella running along the narrow mountain ridge, the footage is in the following video.

Weatherman Walking - Pentyrch

Series 5 of Weatherman Walking began tonight with a 4.5 mile circular walk through Coed-y-Bedw nature reserve and up to the summit of Garth Mountain, on the outskirts of Cardiff.

You can see the full programme including a 5 mile circular walk along a rugged coastal path to Holyhead Mountain via North and South Stack here.

December Weather

In 2010 we experienced the coldest December in more than a century, with heavy snowfalls and prolonged sub-zero temperatures. This year was a totally different story, with conditions being normal for the time of year.

Last year the UK was under a blanket of snow and ice, whereas this year only areas of high ground in Scotland, the Lake District and the Pennines saw any traces of snow.

The main reason for the difference in 2010 was a high pressure system that was sitting over the UK, blocking the normal westerly flow from the Atlantic and allowing easterly winds to bring in cold air from the continent.

This year, the mild westerly has been unimpeded - allowing milder Atlantic air and changeable, often stormy, conditions to take charge.


What a difference a year makes!

December 2010 was the coldest on record for the UK, with temperatures 5°C below the long term average, with -21.3°C being recorded in Altnaharra in Scotland on 2 December. There were also 23 days of frost, 13 more than the average.

Temperatures during December 2011 were notable only for being so average. UK mean temperatures for the first half of the month were spot on the long term average of 6.9°C. The lowest temperature recorded this year was -9.4°C, recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland on 18 December.

However, the challenge of forecasting the variable British weather is something that the Met Office is able to deal with and explains why they are regularly ranked in the top two national weather services in the world.