Carneddau traverse

Peaks: Bera Mawr, Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Grach, Carnedd Llewellyn, Carnedd Dafydd
Area: Carneddau, Eryri
A really enjoyable jog over the first half of the 1000m peaks race. I've done the race three times and it has always been one of my favourites. I did the old route (avoiding Glyder Fawr) in 2008 and 2009 (when I came 8th in appalling conditions: it made the BBC news that day!), and the new route (when I had a much better 4:45 run) in 2011, my Welsh Champs year. Simon and Steve invited me along for the reccie alongside Andy and Hayley. It was a great convivial crowd, but sadly I was unable to remember some of the micro route details after we'd run from the coast to the path above Aber Falls into Cwm Afon Goch. I couldn't recall which gully to take, so we went slightly too far up the cwm and headed up the hillside direct to Bera Mawr emerging just above the shallow valley which I recognised from the race. So, no harm done. From here, we crossed between Bera Mawr and Bera Bach into a strong headwind with the mist down. This was good for the reccie, typical conditions and challenging navigation: we ran on a bearing through this famously featureless terrain, just under the new checkpoint at Yr Aryg, skirting Carnedd Gwenllian summit, then picking up the main Carneddau path to the shelter on Foel Grach. After a bite to eat and some extra layers, we ploughed onwards into a strong and cold headwind all the way to the summit of Llewellyn, one of my favourite places. The mist cleared briefly allowing views over Ysgolion Duon and beyond. Very cold for the time of year. Superb running, enjoyed by all the crew, along the ridge to Dafydd, pointing out the 'racing lines' where I could. A steep descent down to Bodesi and our 'second car' in Ogwen completed an enjoyable morning outing. We replenished some calories in the excellent Hen Felin (Aber) cafe before embarking on the second part of the day: climbing at Penmaenbach.