These two mountains, which guard the easterly edge of the peninsular, offer a tantalising glimpse of what lies beyond. During the intervening years I have probably added in a few wisps of cloud to the image, and deepened the hue of the colours. But the sensation was clear: I knew I had to return and explore the land beyond those hills.

I carried it on all my fledgling cycling adventures over the Sussex Downs and I seem to recall taking it on a family holiday to Cornwall "just in case". I didn’t sleep with it under my pillow, but I did consider it part of my family's essential survival cache should Armageddon hit the South Coast unexpectedly.

Llanberis Path Llanberis is the kick-off point for its namesake path, and the town has many attractions. One of these is the Electric Mountain, which pumps water from the lake up to a reservoir above at night (the off-peak period), then at times of high demand e.g. the end of Coronation Street or an international football match . . .