Ogwen Cottage
Encyclopedia
Ogwen Cottage Outdoor Pursuits Centre is part of Birmingham City Council
's Outdoor Learning Service. It provides outdoor education
and has links to the climbing community.
. This mammoth project started in 1815 and it was 1836 by the time the first mail coach crossed the Menai Strait
s via Telford’s innovative bridge. Telford designed the distinctive milestones and the hexagonal toll houses every five miles. Toll houses survive in Capel Curig
and Bethesda, Wales
whilst in the middle stands Ogwen.
, the centre is informally referred to as “The Cott” and has been used as a base for climbers since the nineteenth century. During the 1890s climbers stayed at Ogwen or the Pen-y-Gwryd
and early accounts make mention of Mrs Jones of Ogwen Cottage; “ Mrs Jones at Ogwen Cottage always most good naturedly received and fed us if we turned up, no matter at what hour.”
In 1895 Archer Thompson ascended The Devil’s Kitchen, climbing the ice with an unusual tool; “According to tradition Thor was armed with a hammer for his battle with the Frost Giants, and with such a weapon, we too, were luckily provided in the form of a hatchet, surreptitiously removed from Mrs Jones’ coal cellar at Ogwen.”
The 1894 Climbers’ Club Journal contained an advert for The Cott citing it as “the chief centre for climbers visiting Snowdonia….the cottage is on the high road and conveyances meet visitors at Bethesda Station if so desired.”
Geoffrey Winthrop Young
, a noted alpinist with many first ascents to his credit, stayed at Ogwen in between visits to the Alps in the early 1900s.
Mountaineering School
1956 saw Ron James
, Trevor Jones and Tony Mason-Hornby purchasing The Cott from Mrs Williams and opening it as a dedicated mountaineering school. By this stage Ogwen was a well known climbing base and Mrs Williams gave the new owners some advice on mounting rescues; ”Fire a red flare in the car park – get the climbers together and put the one with the cleanest boots in charge.”
With increasing leisure time and improved transport links, Ogwen grew as a climbing mecca and The Cott's instructors regularly became involved in rescuing climbers in trouble and gradually a specialist mountain rescue team evolved into what is now the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue
Organisation.
Over the next 45 years thousands of Brummies were introduced to all that Ogwen could offer. Until the 1980s courses were for a fortnight but economic considerations and the need to take more students meant a reduction to six days.
The early years saw a very traditional mountain centre. Students lit coal fires for warmth and icy water was taken from the stream in harsh winters when pipes froze. The staff room was full off the instructors smoking pipes, their dogs curled up at their feet.
Nowadays everything is ruled by stringent health and safety considerations, so no smoking or dogs. The Adventurous Activities Licensing Service (AALLS) pays regular visits and while the activities may not be as extreme as they once were, Ogwen is probably the only centre in the UK to regularly programme multi pitch climbing for secondary school students.
Although the activities may appear daunting to the students, all the challenges are designed to be achievable and students leave with a new belief in themselves.
Much emphasis is placed on the residential experience and educating the whole student as a stark contrast to the exam driven, results centred ethos of today’s schools.
Students look after themselves, help serve meals, wash and tidy up. This team work and an emphasis that with rights come responsibilities helps prepare students for the real world outside of school. Such core values tie in with national Every Child Matters and SEAL Agendas and mean that the Ogwen experience is as relevant now as it was in the 1950s.
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
's Outdoor Learning Service. It provides outdoor education
Outdoor education
Outdoor education usually refers to organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges in the form of outdoor activities such as hiking,...
and has links to the climbing community.
 |
Thomas Telford
Located on the London to Holyhead A5 road (Great Britain), Ogwen developed as a stage coach inn and the present stores building was once stabling for horses. The nearby Tin Can Alley was a source of honing stones used to sharpen tools during the construction of the A5 by Thomas TelfordThomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
. This mammoth project started in 1815 and it was 1836 by the time the first mail coach crossed the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
s via Telford’s innovative bridge. Telford designed the distinctive milestones and the hexagonal toll houses every five miles. Toll houses survive in Capel Curig
Capel Curig
Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226...
and Bethesda, Wales
Bethesda, Wales
Bethesda is a town lying on the River Ogwen and the A5 road on the edge of Snowdonia, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, colloquially called Pesda by the locals.- History :...
whilst in the middle stands Ogwen.
Climbers
Situated beside Llyn OgwenLlyn Ogwen
Llyn Ogwen is a lake in north-west Wales. It lies alongside the A5 road between two mountain ranges of Snowdonia, the Carneddau and the Glyderau...
, the centre is informally referred to as “The Cott” and has been used as a base for climbers since the nineteenth century. During the 1890s climbers stayed at Ogwen or the Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers in Gwynedd, North Wales and a quarter of a mile from the boundary with Conwy in northern Snowdonia, close to the foot of Snowdon...
and early accounts make mention of Mrs Jones of Ogwen Cottage; “ Mrs Jones at Ogwen Cottage always most good naturedly received and fed us if we turned up, no matter at what hour.”
In 1895 Archer Thompson ascended The Devil’s Kitchen, climbing the ice with an unusual tool; “According to tradition Thor was armed with a hammer for his battle with the Frost Giants, and with such a weapon, we too, were luckily provided in the form of a hatchet, surreptitiously removed from Mrs Jones’ coal cellar at Ogwen.”
The 1894 Climbers’ Club Journal contained an advert for The Cott citing it as “the chief centre for climbers visiting Snowdonia….the cottage is on the high road and conveyances meet visitors at Bethesda Station if so desired.”
Geoffrey Winthrop Young
Geoffrey Winthrop Young
Geoffrey Winthrop Young D.Litt. was a British climber, poet and educator, and author of several notable books on mountaineering.-Mountaineering:...
, a noted alpinist with many first ascents to his credit, stayed at Ogwen in between visits to the Alps in the early 1900s.
Mountaineering School
1956 saw Ron James
Ron James
Ron James MBE is a mountaineer, rock climber, writer and co-founder of the Ogwen Cottage Mountain School in Snowdonia, North Wales, UK.He was an accomplished rock climber with over 40 first ascents in North Wales many of which have become classics such as Grey Arete, Glyder Fawr, Meshach and the...
, Trevor Jones and Tony Mason-Hornby purchasing The Cott from Mrs Williams and opening it as a dedicated mountaineering school. By this stage Ogwen was a well known climbing base and Mrs Williams gave the new owners some advice on mounting rescues; ”Fire a red flare in the car park – get the climbers together and put the one with the cleanest boots in charge.”
With increasing leisure time and improved transport links, Ogwen grew as a climbing mecca and The Cott's instructors regularly became involved in rescuing climbers in trouble and gradually a specialist mountain rescue team evolved into what is now the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
Organisation.
Birmingham City Council
Ron James remained chief instructor for another 5 years after Birmingham City Council purchased The Cott in 1964.Over the next 45 years thousands of Brummies were introduced to all that Ogwen could offer. Until the 1980s courses were for a fortnight but economic considerations and the need to take more students meant a reduction to six days.
The early years saw a very traditional mountain centre. Students lit coal fires for warmth and icy water was taken from the stream in harsh winters when pipes froze. The staff room was full off the instructors smoking pipes, their dogs curled up at their feet.
Nowadays everything is ruled by stringent health and safety considerations, so no smoking or dogs. The Adventurous Activities Licensing Service (AALLS) pays regular visits and while the activities may not be as extreme as they once were, Ogwen is probably the only centre in the UK to regularly programme multi pitch climbing for secondary school students.
Activities
The traditional core of mountaineering activities remains with an emphasis on mountain walking and climbing but the programme has expanded to include kayaking, gorge walking, canoeing, ski trips, orienteering, expeditions. The centre has developed to make the most of its unique location and where possible local venues are used. So a student might ascend Hope on the Idwal Slabs as their first ever climb, before descending Suicide Wall by abseil. An evening of orienteering and then the next day might see a kayak descent of the Afon Llugwy or a walk up Tryfan.Although the activities may appear daunting to the students, all the challenges are designed to be achievable and students leave with a new belief in themselves.
Residential experience
The Cott is open all the year and as with many centres it is seeking to diversify to survive the post-2008 financial climate. It now offers self catering bunkhouse style accommodation and runs National Governing Body Awards and adventure courses for adults.Much emphasis is placed on the residential experience and educating the whole student as a stark contrast to the exam driven, results centred ethos of today’s schools.
Students look after themselves, help serve meals, wash and tidy up. This team work and an emphasis that with rights come responsibilities helps prepare students for the real world outside of school. Such core values tie in with national Every Child Matters and SEAL Agendas and mean that the Ogwen experience is as relevant now as it was in the 1950s.