Like with most of my uni friends, how I met Angharad is hazy (not because of alcohol, just because meeting a lot of people at once makes it hard to pinpoint exact interactions). I studied Biology alongside her for three years. The experience was like floating in the side wake of a steady, sure cargo ship. Unwavering in direction and unflappable against any stress. Our friendship continued in this calm, nourishing space after finishing university. Like an explosion in a quarry, unearthing something that was always there, this year I increasingly saw the wilder side of Angharad.
If you also know Angharad, you will be forgiven for assuming she’s all serene and sweet. That the glint in her eye is purely one of intelligence and charm. But in reality, it is a glint of utter wickedness and adventure. This is the part of Angharad I had the pleasure of enjoying this year. Please see below for some of these wild memories.
The 2024 Adventures of Angharad, with Meg in tow
- On a truly perfect trip to Faro, Portugal, we visited a vineyard for wine tasting. We got a bus to the nearest town and then an uber to the vineyard. On the way back, I floated the idea of trying to hitchhike back to the town. I was aware that most of my friends were disapproving (or at least dubious) of my love of hitchhiking, so assumed Angharad would prefer not to. Without hesitation, she voiced her support for the idea. She looked at me with her doe-like eyes, full of that adventurous glint, and also trust. We both smirked and ran down to the road, sticking our thumbs out and plastering our faces with our most approachable, but not too approachable, smiles. We were picked up by one of the waitresses from the vineyard and easily made it back to the town.
- On the same Portuguese mini-break, a man slipped Angharad his phone number on a receipt as he left the restaurant we were all eating in. Neither of us saw his face. But of course Angharad was game to not only message this mysterious man, but also meet him and a friend on the jetty to stargaze and drink sangria the following evening.
- Beyond these larger adventure moves, Faro was filled with so many moments of wildness. We sunbathed topless, we danced in the square, we cycled around hunting for flamingos. It made me realise that whilst travelling alone means you experience a place more deeply, travelling with a friend means you experience them more deeply.
- Staying on the travelling theme, we hired a car for a day on our summer trip to Sicily. We got the car for 24 hours, which meant we still had it the next morning, until 9am. I spoke out loud in the evening, with the idea of getting up and driving to somewhere to watch the sunrise. It was summer, so that would mean getting up disgustingly early. Of course Angharad was entirely enthusiastic about the idea, and cemented the plan. We got up in the early hours and drove in the dark to a spot on the cliffs. We hiked up to a little castle and sat quietly with the birds. The sun came up out of the sea and we both exhaled a silently held breath. Magical. And then we decided to also visit the volcano in the middle of the island, and try out the pistachio croissant from McDonalds.
- I saw Angharad dance more this year than ever before. Mostly salsa, with us attending classes and salsa nights across the city, watching her twirl and laugh with whichever lucky person she was partnered with. But also line dancing at cowboy nights (more on this below), and a more unique style of dance called Contact Improvisation. In the latter class, Angharad was initially reserved as we moved around the room playing with our centre of gravity, but by the time we were learning how to roll across the room like trees she was as committed as the die hard hippies. That’s another quality of Angharad I really saw about this year, not just that she’s open to try anything, but when trying it she will fully commit to it. Even if afterwards she’ll kindly say that Contact Improvisation was probably a one time thing for her.
- Angharad and I share a love of country music, which means we very much enjoy the Buck n’Bull cowboy nights at a weird faux western town in the Isle of Dogs. Angharad is an excellent line dancer it turns out, especially in her cowboy boots, and also a bucking bull rider! I was a bit nervous of going on the bucking bull, of falling off in an embarrassing manner with everyone circled around watching. Angharad showed no such concern, she was the first of us to jump on and she also managed to remain on for over 45 seconds, which was only just shy of the record. It definitely gave me the confidence to also give it a go, although I was not quite so accomplished…
- Lots of my friends have shown interest in joining me for a wild camping trip. Only Angharad has followed through, and not once by twice! Which is especially notably seeing as on our first trip both of her shoes disintegrated and we were saved by the duct tape provided by a group of southern hemisphere fishermen. But she made sure we got back out there this year, with a beautiful two day hike across Oxfordshire. We wild camped on a rather exposed hill and when I suggested it, noting the potential concern that it might be a late night meet up spot for local ruffians, I forgot all I had learnt about Angharad this year and thought she might prefer the safety of a campsite. How wrong I was! Out came the tent poles and we were pitched in no time. Again, her eyes overflowing with excitement and trust.
This year was filled with many more memories of adventure, and also cosiness, with Angharad. Because that’s a space she also holds strongly, one of rest and vulnerability. It’s unusual for one person to hold both that space, and one of adventure. I feel desperately lucky to have Angharad as a friend, to have her to adventure with and rest with. To have earnt her trust and to continue to watch her become more confident and more accomplished by the minute!