Peloritani run

Peaks: Pizzo Chiapparo, Castello d'Orlando, Monte Mustia

Area: Peloritani, Sicily

Novara di Sicilia is enveloped by hills. The most impressive by far is yesterday's peak, Rocca Salvatesta, but for my last morning in Sicily, I ran up towards the ridge line that rises to the east. I'd reccied a small path beyond the dry river bed that marks the edge of the village. This started quite well, climbing quickly along an ancient trail, but soon became overgrown. Higher up, it fizzled out completely and led to barbed wire fences, goat trails, shepherds huts and general unpleasantness. The final climb to the summit was up steep, bouldery limestone and maquis, followed by a high fence. The top was just a long ridge with higher ground to the east. Tricky nav with no map, so I picked my way down to a little gorge to finally gain kinder terrain in the form of a meadow which led to a minor road. I took this up towards the notable wooded peak of Castello d'Orlando. It curved round to a pass, and I continued up a track which was blocked by the farmer just below the top of the hill. A glorious descent to Novara ensued, down minor roads and tracks, curving round via Monte Mustia with the Ionian islands in front. On the way back to Catania, I stopped at the Portella Mandrazzi and took in the 1200m (unamed?) peak to the west: more thorns and impenetrable vegetation.

Rocca Salvatesta

Peaks: Rocca Leone (1220m), Rocca di Novara (1340m)

Area: Peloritani, Sicily

By far the most eye-catching peak of the Peloritani Mountains in north-east Sicily, Rocca Novara is perhaps the most notable mountain in Sicily outside Etna. It is a spire of limestone which dominates the lovely village of Novara di Sicilia, where I stayed for my last night in Sicily. It is, inevitably, known as the Sicilian Matterhorn, and also (more commonly) Rocca Salvatesta. After breakfast in the Citelli Hut, I drove around to Piana Provenzana for my last few minutes on Etna, wandering happily around and taken pictures of the regenerated vegetation and spectacular early morning views over Calabria. A long drive ensued along twisting roads through typical Sicilian scenery - nice limestone peaks, prickly pears and yellow meadows. After cresting the high Portella Mandrazzi, Rocca Novara came into view, and I parked at the road junction a little lower down. From here, it looked a simple matter to get onto the peak, but after an easy track it became obvious that it was complex and not the standard route (which, I soon found, approaches from the opposite side!). Here, a series of loose limestone spurs made for very awkward progress but eventually gained a flat meadow. There was no obvious route up, so I contoured round and then move across to the northern side of the mountain overlooking the village (and, distantly, the Ionian Islands). This wasn't much better, with small herds of boar and goats and a loose, untravelled feel. I picked my way up a central couloir, which had evidence of traffic, but became unfeasible quite quickly, around grade III technically. I wasn't far from the summit, but it didn't seem wise to continue up steep rock solo (particularly after a goat knocked a rock down) so I retreated and ploughed through ferns to take in the side peak of Rocca Leone and consider my options. This was worthwhile, and the summit gave wonderful views over Etna and Rocca Novara, perhaps its best side. I could see an obvious path rising up the hillside below, and an infuriating descent through ferns led to it. By now, it was midday and absolutely roasting - perhaps the hottest I had been on Sicily, pushing 35 or 36C, with limited water given the brevity of the outing. I jogged up the path and finally spotted the normal route up the far side of the peak. This gave a steep but fun ascent, with some scrambling up short walls and chimneys. The summit is surprisingly capacious, a green lawn suspended above the limestone walls. Wonderful views of smoking Etna, the Ionian islands, and the rest of the Peloritani. I scampered down to complete the full traverse of the mountain. This was fine until a totally unexpected sting in the tail which saw me traversing a very steep storm channel along tiny goat tracks through powdery shale. I retired to Novara for a late lunch of Messina beer and a panini made with local prosciutto and the village's very own Maoirchino cheese.

Etna North

Peaks: Pizzi Deneri (2845m), Cratere di NE (3327m), Monte Frumento delle Concazze (2151m), Monte Sartorious (1768m)

Area: Etna, Sicily

This was the big day on Etna that the Sicilian extension was centred around. As such a dominant feature, it seemed to warrant a comprehensive approach, and after visiting the south side last week and running around the eastern craters yesterday, I really wanted to get to the summit craters from Rifugio Citelli. After a nice breakfast, I set off in more glorious weather, not too hot at this altitude, through lovely birch woods and intermittent ancient lava flows. I reached a path junction early, but after being bitten on Monte Rinatu yesterday didn't risk what I felt might be a tenuous direct ascent. Instead, the path twists and loses altitude infuriatingly as it contours Serra di Concazze quite low down. After 30 minutes of more, I grew too frustrated as I was moving in the opposite direction to Pizzi Deneri which towers 1300 metres above - I needed to start climbing! So I chose a side valley and ploughed upwards up untravelled terrain. Predictably, this became vegetated quite quickly and things looked bad - but by crossing into a parallel valley I reached excellent smooth lava which facilitated rapid progress upwards. This was full on nav across untravelled terrain but it was obvious that I would hit the ridge eventually. I did, and continued left to gain the main ridge and a stunning view over the immense Valle di Bove, stunning in the morning light. Above, black slopes lead up to the South East Crater, very active again with plumes of smoke and intermittent deep explosions. The ridge to Deneri was steep and arduous, powdery ash in places, and led over several forepeaks. However, I was expecting a tough climb given its altitude and vertical interval from the hut. I tried contouring the forepeaks but it was far too loose - the crest was much easier going, and the views and landscape got better throughout. Finally, I felt I was really up on Etna with its black and orange slopes and unique ambience. The top of Deneri looks straight across at the pyramidal North East crater, and I headed down from the summit to the next stage of the day, which I remained unsure about. A completely featureless plateau of black ash made a striking foreground to the deep blue morning sky. I then picked up a track which helpfully contours the summit craters around the whole of the north side of Etna, curling over to the west. Views opened out to the Madonie hills of last week, and the Peloritani (including Rocca Novara, which I hoped to do tomorrow, a pyramid of limestone thousands of feet lower). Baked valleys stretched endlessly to the south, and the toe of Calabria remained a constant presence behind. The track contoured for a long time, before I detected paths heading upwards through the lava. Above, a ridge and a pyramid which I presumed represented the 'top' of the North East crater. The higher I got, the more remarkable and alien the landscape. Fumaroles and vents along the ridge had vertical spouts of steam and two deep explosions came from the bowels of the Earth, along with minor ground shake. After a final steep climb on jagged lava I reached the ridge crest to find myself peering straight in to the North East crater: an absolutely stunning and memorable moment. It is vast in every way, plunging walls down hundreds of feet and describes a perfect circle. Although it isn't active, there are clouds of steam, and everything about it says: 'you don't belong here'. It felt very odd - I have 32 years of experience assessing mountain conditions, but there was nothing normal about this. As I'm not a vulcanologist I had no idea about the actual (as opposed to perceived) risks but I'd seen three other people moving around distantly which reassured me and encouraged me to continue. I looked across the crater to the Bocca Nuove and the active South East crater, but my instinct was telling me to descend immediately! The whole summit crater area was remarkable, and steam vents combined with the occasional noises to emphasise the alien nature of the landscape. I should have spent longer up here (in retrospect) but actually scampered quickly back down to the contouring track. From here, I went back to the black lava field and headed down the 'Leone' path towards Provenzana to complete a satisfying loop. Mist had rolled in, so the effects were spectacular as I plunged down the ash. The landscape changes as you descend, particularly when moving quickly, and low vegetation now dotted the ground. I crossed to a series of side valleys as I decided to take in the obvious sub-peak of Monte Concazze delle Frumento, an obvious pyramid when seen from the hut. Yellow flowers and even some sheep were the first signs of life, and I plunged down the summit ridge to finally reach the first trees - low birch woods - which led to Monte Sartorious, a well-known and much visited series of craters which are actually lower than Rifugio Citelli. I traversed all the craters, then headed up to the hut where I was just in time for the gelato man who arrived with his van in the car park and served me my ice cream Sicilian style, stuffed into a brioche, while the quirky music played from the speakers. Nearly 1900m of ascent, 23.1km.

Monte Rinatu

Peaks: Monte Rinatu (1569m)

Area: Etna, Sicily

After dropping the family off at Catania airport, my satnav directed me back through the centre of the city to avoid jams on the motorway. Nerves frayed, it was a relief to eventually get to the turn and begin heading back to Etna. This time, solo, I wanted to leave the tourists behind so headed for the much quieter northern slopes with two nights booked at the Rifugio Citelli. The main motivation was to get to the top without being charged with a criminal offence (!) but I also wanted to complete my exploration of the lower slopes and multiple subsidiary peaks and craters. I headed through Milo via a little shop visit and reached the Citelli at lunchtime. After a quick bite, I checked into the refuge (a cell with a bed, but also an incredible view straight down to our house in Riposto 1700 metres below, and across the tranquil Ionian Sea to Calabria). I knew a big summit day was in store tomorrow, with at least 1700 metres of climbing, so opted for something relatively gentle but meaningful this afternoon, exploring another piece of the larger Etna jigsaw. I drove to the Grotte del neve, the snow cave, and ran south along an abandoned road for at least 3k. This ends at a long abandoned monastery, and leads to paths through birch woods. Then a junction - and I had no real way of knowing which direction to take, a classic dilemma. In the end, I chose badly, heading north through thick woods to an old lava flow before deciding to reverse on a hunch. This worked, eventually, and led to a track up Monte Rinatu - which is one of several old crater cones along the north-eastern side of Etna. I must have missed the standard circular route because my direct path became very tenuous and overgrown, a bit of a nightmare for a while, and eventually led to open ash slopes and a summit overlooking the Valle del Bove - which, as I'd established on Wednesday - is a stunning sight. High above, I could again hear the explosions from the south-east crater. The path was so vague that I had a job even retracing it, but eventually headed back the same way and visited the cave before dining on pasta trapanese and veal at the hut. A beautiful still night looking down at the lights of Riposto and Taormina (and Reggio di Calabria) and up at a full moon.

Etna South

Peaks: Eruption Cone 2003, Crateri Barbagallo (2825m), Cratere Piano del Lago (2672m), Montagnola (2648m), Crateri Silvestri Inferior/Superior (2001m)

Area: Etna, Sicily

From our second base in Sicily, near the coast in Riposto, Etna looked magnificent. It totally dominates the landscape, smouldering away throughout our stay and remaining highly active. It is, in European terms, unique. Indeed, it is so compelling and essential that there was not a word of protest about our family trip - 16km from our flat, straight up a 1700 metre motoring climb to the main tourist base at Rifugio Sapienza on the south side. Explosions were immediately audible, as soon as we left the car, with the smoke billowing from the South East crater which you can't even see from the base. I originally planned to run to the top of the cable car and then join the family, but in the end I swallowed the outrageous cost, just glad to be in the mountains with the family - a rare thing in itself! From the cable car, it is a gradual uphill climb to the tourist highpoint at Torre Filosofo. Eve found it all a bit of a struggle, so I let them have a break half way up while I made a full frontal ascent of the 2003 eruption cone - this was a horrible struggle from this side, and utterly unnecessary as it brings you out opposite the Barbagallo crater where all the tourists go anyway (although, as it happens, it was a segment for which I recorded the 2nd quickest time). This far end of the crater was stained red and gave a stunning view of the SE crater high above, and a great run down powdery ash and lava, before we resumed our upward progress as a family. It steepens a little towards the end, and we had a short rest perched on lava while looking up at fumaroles erupting from vents and black smoke billowing out of the south-east crater. Some mist rolled in at the Torre Filosofo where there were hordes of tourists. I wanted to slip under the rope to run past the guided parties up to the crater, but Kate strongly advised against this - pointing out the criminal offence warnings, as well as the fact I would be back on my own in a few days. Instead, we walked up above the Crateri Barbagallo, where I realised my slog up the lava of the 2003 eruption cone was essentially pointless. The crater was pretty wonderful despite the tourists, with great views down to the baking plains 2700 metres below to the south. More explosions came from the top of Etna, as we completed the loop of the crater and descended powdery ash to make a little circuit - shoes full of ash and gravel. Further down, I extended the day a tad by running up Cratere Piano del Lago, which had superb views back over all the south side of Etna. In addition, the stunning Val del Bove came into view to the east - a huge valley with ancient pyroclastic flow, a deep black field of lava. All the little crater peaks were fascinating, and just extended the time in this unique landscape. The final one, Montagnola, had beautiful symmetry and I had it entirely to myself, remarkably given the hordes making their way up the normal track. We had a lunch of wild boar and caponata at the Rifugio Sapienza, and no coffee, after which I was in no state for a final 20 minute blast around the Silvestri craters, but did it anyway.

Pizzo Catarineci

Peaks: Pizzo Catarineci (1660m)

Area: Madonie, Sicily

This is a typical Madonie peak, characterised by a high limestone plateau and lying on the eastern fringe of the National Park, the most accessible mountain from our Gangi base. It was our last day in the interior, and an early start seemed prudent to properly penetrate the Madonie. Pizzo Catarineci was an excellent choice, a notable presence from the east, with the route up starting from the Portella Ferrone immediately above Petralia Soprana. It was a stunning morning, not too hot, perfectly quiet and still, with crystal clarity all around. I was expecting a major navigational challenge, suspecting that this peak would be very rarely ascended. This may have been the case, but most of it had excellent waymarking which looked recent - a big but welcome surprise. The first section took part of a long distance footpath - initially, along an ancient cobbled donkey track through beautiful woodland with the low sun streaming through the branches. Above, it moves more steeply to finally leave the treeline just below the start of the plateau. Views opened out down to Petralia and across the baked yellow plains to the south. Further east, Etna rose above a series of beautiful blue valleys still filled with morning mist. It was stunning, as was the plateau itself (these are called 'piano' in Italy, even in the Dolomites, and are usually limestone plains raised above the surrounding land). It was enchanting - small copses between sharp limestone outcrops. The navigation became trickier but eventually it was obvious that the true summit was the furthest away, a long and lumpy haul to the far end of the plateau, where I took a scrambling direct line up shallow chimneys to the summit. Stunning views to Etna, many miles distant but with a visible plume of steam. Closer, the higher peaks of the Madonie like Pizzo Carbonara and Pizzo Antenna. A memorable few minutes on top, absolute clarity and peace, and then it was back across the plateau. Where the ground steepened on the descent, I ran down (intent on catching breakfast back in Gagni) and made it to the car in 18 minutes: 1.25 in total. The cappuccino was still warm.

Monte San Calagero

Peaks: Monte San Calagero (987m)

Area: Madonie, Sicily

A slightly longer outing from our wonderful flat at the top of Gangi, where all runs begin with a long, long downhill stretch! I'd seen these low yellow hills from the road up to the Piazza, so took that all the way down its long sweeping turns out along the Nicosia road. Annoyingly, a high barbed wire fence made access to the open hill difficult, and the last thing I wanted was a Sicilian farmer pointing a gun at me whilst I explained the concept of fell running. In the end, I had no choice, jumped the fence and ploughed up the very steep side slope to gain the obvious broad ridge. This had a tiny semblance of a path, and indeed the hill itself had a tiny chapel and cross on top, so I wasn't the first person up here! It was tenuous, though, up barren slopes with a powerful scent of wild fennel, an integral ingredient in the regional cuisine. Wild flowers would carpet this in Spring, no doubt. At the top, great views back over Gangi and the foothills of the Madonie extending east towards Nicosia. I came down the same way along the ridge, then took an intricate route past the church (inadvertently taking a segment crown), then back up the narrow, twisting alleys all the way back to the house. These get narrower and narrower as you rise - wonderfully atmospheric, up empty cobbled streets, echoes of my footsteps all around. After breakfast, we headed to Palermo. 

Monte Spina Puci

Peaks: Monte Spina Puci (1736m)

Area: Madonie, Sicily

Just the tiniest of introductions to the Madonie mountains in the Sicilian interior - on a blisteringly hot afternoon, our first full day. We'd flown in to Catania the day before and made our way up to the wonderful hilltop town of Gangi. This morning, full of excitement, I did a pre-breakfast run through its maze of streets, down and down until I reached the newer flats and apartments at the bottom of the original medieval settlement. The whole place is barely believable, like a Provencal 'village perche' but far more genuine, less gentrified and less touristy (at least it was in dystopian 2020!). A long climb back up Monte Marone along the 'main road' to the Piazza on top of the hill. After breakfast, we took in the equally beautiful Petralia Soprana before heading up to Piano Battiglia, a high plain of barren limestone and pine forests. We had lunch here at an Alpine-style Refugio, and then I was given just a few minutes to get into the hills (literally). A wide path led to steep slopes of rough limestone and views over the barren highest hills of the Madonie - reminiscent of the Cretan White Mountains I enjoyed so much last year, albeit less extensive and a little less wild. I'd love to have done a longer outing up Pizzo Carbonara but it would have been entirely unacceptable.

Virtual Stone 5

Race: Virtual Stone 5 mile

Time/Position: 29.05

Yet another virtual race, hopefully one of the last. They have been useful as speed sessions, although it is very hard to push the pace on your own. To that end, I tried to trick my brain today by using a very familiar circuit - the borders league course from Capenhurst (although the real Stone 5 is, of course, a well-known race in Staffordshire). This worked to a small extent, but the second lap was still rather painful.

Tryfan East Face/Bristly Ridge

Unusually hot and humid for some time now, and this morning in Ogwen was no exception. You could see the moisture in the air - a barely perceptible sheen to the light with the sun already baking at 9am. I made something of a speed attempt on my tried and tested 'quickest way up' Tryfan, although my legs felt heavy, the after-effects of the Llangollen Round. I made decent progress up to the Terrace, but then slowed for the route across to Little Gully. I was slow on the scramble itself, which was surprisingly damp. Touched Adam and Eve 46.09 from the A5. Slow down the south ridge, then a tiring ascent of Bristly, definitely affected by Sunday's outing. Unusually hot and humid throughout - and it got even hotter as I descended to Bwlch Caseg Fraith. Good running down the cwm, pouring water over my head from the stream. Less than 1.50 for the round.

Cylch Llangollen Round

Peaks: Eglwyseg Mountain, Cyrn y Brain, Moel y Faen, Moel y Gamelin, Moel Morfydd, Moel Fferna, Vivod Mountain (52.3km/1907m)
Area: Llangollen
My second time solo round this superb circuit, which remains relatively new in its official waymarked format. I came close to breaking six hours this time, although I wasn't trying to record a quick time, just to do it in the enjoyable plodding fashion that made my first running of it so much fun (on a perfect autumn day in late September 2018). The aqueduct in Froncysyllte is by far the most logical starting point, so I jogged off in misty, humid conditions just before 9am. The path weaves around before ducking into Trefor Hall woods - it was rather stifling in here, humid and airless, so I was glad to get to the Panorama road and then the superbly runnable section across Ruabon Moor that follows. This was misty throughout, but I was glad of the protection from the full glare of the sun (it has been very hot recently). The views are all very familiar to me in any case. It is a superb route, though, which always seeks out the most elegant, logical line around the highest hills and stays high wherever possible - there is nothing arbitrary about it. I felt tired initially, perhaps after Friday's 10k - but started to perk up nicely in the cool breeze and kept it going over Cyrn y Brain to reach the Ponderosa in 1:53 from Fron. This is not too bad, although it was packed with bikers and only doing takeaway in these post-Covid times. It was only 11am but I had to queue behind hordes of bikers for my pastie and water. Essential to take on food and water here, though, key to a successful Round. The next section over the familiar hills of Gamelin and Morfydd is quite hard - partly because you're not yet half-way but the gradients are always somewhat draining. It stayed misty and cool, however, which reduced the dehydration issues. Then comes a long section along the base of the valley above the Corwen road, weaving up to take in an overgrown sunken lane crossing the line of hills until a descent to Carrog can be made. A pint of coke and some crisps outside the Grouse Inn (last time I had a ham sandwich inside the pub), and then comes the long haul from Carrog to the top of Moel Fferna. In many ways, this is the crux, but I really enjoyed it today. No heroics, but I kept a decent pace turning over throughout. There are no further water sources, so I delayed my next break until after the long high level run along tracks (nice and dry) that eventually lead to the climb up to the top of Vivod. This is the final climb of note - and I finished the food and water before crashing through the mile-long section of brambles and tangled heather below Y Foel. This is a tough section, which takes a fair bit off the time as it is hard to move quickly. It leads to the open empty roads that make the run-in somewhat tedious. Glyn Ceiriog is to the right, Llangollen to the left, and the views are nice throughout - with the sun finally breaking through the high cloud. Temperatures climbed quickly, but I felt OK and kept religiously to the route of the Cylch throughout (in 2018, I took the lane down and missed a short section at the end). I dropped down into Fron, then to the canal for what I hoped would be a sprint finish, as I was still feeling relatively fresh. By now, however, it was early afternoon in the madness of the post-lockdown summer and there were hundreds of people walking across the aqueduct. It was no easy task to get past them, and by that time sub-6 had ceased to be a possibility! In the end, my moving time was 6:09 precisely: 52.3km, 1907m of climbing.

Run Cheshire Virtual 10k

Race: Run Cheshire Virtual 10k (Blue Bridge-Saltney Ferry-Blue Bridge)

Time/Position: 36.52

My third virtual outing as a V50. It’s really not much fun, but I felt this might be useful to force myself to do a speed session in the hope that a few proper races start soon. I left very early from the blue bridge at Queensferry and ran along the pan-flat cycle path towards Saltney Ferry. This is always psychologically demanding – indeed, I used to use it in marathon training for that reason. I turned at the Ferry bridge (after 5.2k) and headed back. A very slight tailwind helped me maintain a consistent albeit unspectacular pace.

Arenig loop

Peaks: Arenig Fawr, Arenig South, Moel Llyfnant

Area: Arenig, Eryri

Quarantined for two weeks after Spain, yet another new experience in this year of new experiences (all bad). My interpretation was to avoid public spaces, which I did, although I did carry on running well away from anybody else. I parked near the quarry, then ran along the road towards Llidiardau, turning off on the usual track to the bothy and lake. Over the years, the path up Arenig from this side has become much clearer. When I first did it in the 1980s, I can remember it being quite tenuous. I moved fairly quickly today, running in places, and got to the top in 43 minutes from the road. It was misty on top, but this began to break up a bit as I moved across to the south summit, which is always worth appending to the main peak as it gives better views of the surrounding region. The low cloud broke up completely for my loop around the head of the Amnodd valley to the boggy ground below Moel Llyfnant. This gives a steep climb to its little rocky summit. I've not been up here for a while - in fact, I suspect I've only done Moel Llyfnant a handful of times - compared to dozens of ascents of Arenig. It's a fine summit, with great views of Cader, Rhobell and Rhinog. The descent to the cwm is steep and the base of the cwm tussocky and awkward - some explanation for a slowing of the pace, although the track back to the quarry is very fast and I just broke two hours for the round. Needless to say, I saw nobody at all.