When you have spent 10 years of your life focused on completing the genome of your chosen species a trip to a cold welsh hillside for those last samples doesn’t seem far to go!! So Stephen (Short) and myself set out this crisp and chilly February morning to track down just a hand-full of words from the welsh hillside which had been the source and Morgan, Jane and my original sampling from which the genome had been derived.

The welsh mountains a beautiful and today they did not disappoint – birds of prey hung motionless on air current feet from the road as we wound our way from Rhayader to Cwmystwth. On arrive the level of un-melted ice did not make us hopefull of finding the desired specimens but the worm gods smile on us and we had the samples we needed within a very cold hour of works.

So after bracing the winds and in acknowledgement of John who had not been able to make the trip with us we just had to stop by Ty Morgan Cafe in Rhayader to refuel the mind and body with a all day breakfast.