Once Upon a Time in...Holyhead - A Dream of White Horses

Here's a wee video I made called "Once Upon a Time in...Holyhead" featuring my friend Andrew Walker who had a life changing motorbike accident over 12 years ago. This resulted in the loss of his right arm, a load of metalwork in his legs, a long time spent in a wheelchair followed by years of rehabilitation.

Remarkably Andrew returned to his great passion of rock climbing and here he revisits his favorite sea cliff venue, Gogarth near Holyhead in North Wales to attempt one of the great rock climbs in the UK called "A Dream of White Horses". Andrew has a very special relationship and a myriad of memories of Gogarth having climbed literally dozens of routes spanning decades of climbing at the White Cliff.

The video is best viewed in 4K so any constructive feedback welcome and I hope you enjoy the vid!

Happy Climbing

Dave

Dave! Really great to see your art.  As much as anything else that I miss from the Taco, I miss your posts. Yankee cheer & bravado, a pinch of the wry,
 long may your drones fly

Bald Eagle wrote: Here's a wee video I made called "Once Upon a Time in...Holyhead" featuring my friend Andrew Walker who had a life changing motorbike accident over 12 years ago. This resulted in the loss of his right arm, a load of metalwork in his legs, a long time spent in a wheelchair followed by years of rehabilitation.

Remarkably Andrew returned to his great passion of rock climbing and here he revisits his favorite sea cliff venue, Gogarth near Holyhead in North Wales to attempt one of the great rock climbs in the UK called "A Dream of White Horses". Andrew has a very special relationship and a myriad of memories of Gogarth having climbed literally dozens of routes spanning decades of climbing at the White Cliff.

The video is best viewed in 4K so any constructive feedback welcome and I hope you enjoy the vid!

Happy Climbing

Dave

I'd also have to wake the better half to see it on a screen that does justice. I know it is going to be 'only more-so!'                                                                                                                                        It is gobsmacking to me, when I find how immune to the thrill kids are growing from all the CGI/game stuff that has saturated the screen-scape....                                                                       you know me 

Suburban Roadside wrote: Dave! Really great to see your art.  As much as anything else that I miss from the Taco, I miss your posts. Yankee cheer & bravado, a pinch of the wry,
 long may your drones fly

Thanks a million for your kind words Suburban Roadside and it really is a shame that the Taco is no more. What was your user name over there?  I'm scratching my (bald) head trying to identify your most poetic and amusing writing style and if I had to guess it could be Reilly, Gnome, Marlow or Ezra?! Happy Tuesday to you! :-) Cheers Dave

Good job on your video!

Really looking forward to watching this at home tonight!  

Your Skeleton Ridge video kept tugging at our heartstrings till we went & climbed it (a wonderfully unique adventure).

Big fan.

Just watched this a couple of times.  Beautiful short video!  Such a CLASSIC climb! I “dreamed” about this climb from high school in the late sixties, was struck by the famous Leo Dickinson photo, and finally climbed it in 2016 at age 64.  It was everything one could and should expect.  Thanks to Bald Eagle for a chance to relive the experience.  And congratulations to Andrew Walker; you are the man!

Seth Bleazard wrote: Good job on your video!

Many thanks for positive vibes Seth!
Cheers
Dave

rpc wrote: Really looking forward to watching this at home tonight!  

Your Skeleton Ridge video kept tugging at our heartstrings till we went & climbed it (a wonderfully unique adventure).

Big fan.

Hey rpc thanks a million for the kind feedback about my Skelly Ridge video as it is an amazingly unique climb and a route never to be forgotten! Hope you get the chance to check out my Dream vid soon if you haven't already! :-)
Cheers
Dave

RKM wrote: Just watched this a couple of times.  Beautiful short video!  Such a CLASSIC climb! I “dreamed” about this climb from high school in the late sixties, was struck by the famous Leo Dickinson photo, and finally climbed it in 2016 at age 64.  It was everything one could and should expect.  Thanks to Bald Eagle for a chance to relive the experience.  And congratulations to Andrew Walker; you are the man!

Many thanks for taking the time to post your kind feedback RKM and I really appreciate your appreciation. I hope the vid evoked some great memories for you and a great effort on climbing Dream at 64! And indeed Sir Andrew of the Walker is the man... :-)
Cheers
Dave

Great video and a killer tribute! 

Chris Hatzai wrote: Great video and a killer tribute! 

Hey Chris many thanks for taking the time to post your kind words and I'm delighted you enjoyed my wee video! :-) Cheers Dave

Suburban Roadside wrote:

I'd also have to wake the better half to see it on a screen that does justice. I know it is going to be 'only more-so!'                                                                                                                                        It is gobsmacking to me, when I find how immune to the thrill kids are growing from all the CGI/game stuff that has saturated the screen-scape....                                                                       you know me 

And I couldn't agree more about how an increasing percentage of kids are growing "immune to the thrill" what with all the CGI, gaming and social media et al... :-) Cheers Dave  

Did not disappoint - excellent!

Maybe some more Scottish sea stacks for the next project(s)?  :)

Another great one! My only comment would be seeing your climber unclipping and reclipping on that traverse. Sheesh! Hard enough with two hands...

Best, Helen

rpc wrote: Did not disappoint - excellent!

Maybe some more Scottish sea stacks for the next project(s)?  :)

Thanks rpc muchly appreciated! You may be aware that I've already climbed and filmed the Old Man of Stoer + Am Buachaille so a trip to Hoy to complete the Classic 3 is definitely on my list of "things to do". And whilst in Orkney it would be rude not to pay the amazing looking Castle of Yesnaby a visit... :-) Cheers Dave 

Old lady H wrote: Another great one! My only comment would be seeing your climber unclipping and reclipping on that traverse. Sheesh! Hard enough with two hands...

Best, Helen

Thanks a million for taking the time to post your positivity Helen. It does not really come across on the video but the weather took a serious turn for the worse from Pitch 2 onwards with a strong and bitterly cold wind making filming and one armed climbing a huge challenge! I had resigned myself to losing my precious drone in the Irish Sea due to the gale and Andrew's chin was going numb from all his "chin hold" manoeuvres... :-) Cheers Dave 

I´m not crying, just got something in my eye.

Wictor Dahlström wrote:

I´m not crying, just got something in my eye.

I was not crying at the end of filming either! It was just my contact lenses playing up... ;-) Cheers Dave