Arenig direct

Peaks: Arenig Fawr

Area: Arenig, Eryri

An unconventional parkrun warmdown, after a quick Bala breakfast. Above Llidiart, a short jog down towards the quarry, then up the zigzags through the quarries. Above, the crags of Pen Tyrau. I had vague memories of the wet gullies up here, but it must be 25-30 years since I came up this way. I opted for the central one with old fenceposts. This was aquatic, really quite unpleasant unless you're a frog, and becomes very steep at the top. Strangely satisfying though. At the top, I should have followed the fence line to Pen Tyrau top but instead cut the corner to the cairned top of the northern spur - nice views despite cloudy skies. It was cold for the easy crossing to the main summit, after which I jogged back to the car in around 37 minutes from summit to road.

Bala parkrun

'Race': Pont y Bala parkrun

Time/Position: 17.45 (1st from 81)

This is potentially a very fast course, and the weather was favourable this morning - cool with light winds (I'm guessing a strong westerly would whip across Llyn Tegid and adversely affect times!). As a result, I broke the V50 course record (and my parkrun pb, although both very narrowly) but was left feeling that, had I been fresher, I might have taken 15-20 seconds off this time. Tarmac the whole way, flat running alongside the Dee, although three tight turns probably take 10 seconds off. I was in front after around 1k and then extended that to well over a minute: 85.16% age-graded, very nice event.

Chester parkrun

'Race': Chester parkrun

Time/Position: 18.47 (5th from 361)

A desultory trot by way of overcoming jet lag and beginning the process of regaining some speed. I did some running in Indonesia but it was limited for obvious reasons. Tired this morning, so I deliberately held back and plodded round a little slower than my average time for the parkrun I have done most often. Fifth overall but first age-graded.

Campuhan ridge

Only the vaguest of non-mountainous 'ridges' but a delightful runnable outing from my hotel in Ubud. Along the Monkey Forest road initially, then a detour until I found the bridge and temple that marks the start of the much-trodden path over the Campuhan ridge, not too many tourists initially. Above a little settlement, the scenery gets even better. Indeed the further I got north of the ridge, the better the scenery - beautiful rice fields, forests and temples, all the Balinese cliches but undeniably delightful. I jogged back to the settlement, where I had pisang goreng (fried bananas) in front of a superb view. Around 14k by the time I got back to the hotel for a refreshing dip.

Ijen

Peaks: Gunung Ijen, west top (2726m)

Area: Merapi, East Java, Indonesia

The 12.15am start was pretty brutal, particularly after a night on the train on Friday, but a £20 tour was the only realistic way for me to get up into the ring of volcanoes that forms the Merapi caldera in the Far East of Java. There are numerous reasons for the early start: cooler weather, a view of the sunrise, but mainly the chance of seeing the 'blue flame' at the bottom of the sulphur crater. I wasn't overly bothered about this but as it happened it was showing particularly well at present, a fact that also brought hundreds of extra Indonesian tourists up to the start point. This was highly atmospheric, and very cold as we gathered in the Alpine style hut for coffee at the start (after a steep drive up from Banyuwangi Kota train station, where I was staying at Nitha's homestay). At 2000m+, even in the tropics it is cold at 1.30am: luckily I had plenty of warm mountaineering clothes carried specifically for this. Hundreds of tourists made life difficult for the climb up to the lip of the crater, but to my pleasant surprise the pace was actually not unbearably slow. Above, a stunning display of stars in supremely clear air. As the steepness gave way to a traversing path, I resolved just to enjoy the novel experience of being with hundreds of other people on a volcano, little lights everywhere - almost like a very busy route in the Alps. At the lip of the crater, we started the surprisingly lengthy descent down to the acidic lake and sulphur crater - this was timed to perfection despite the crowds. From time to time, clouds of choking sulphur washed over: I didn't find this as disorientating as I had been led to believe, but it was still unpleasant. I had a gas mask, which helped a little. Despite the crowds, it was pretty memorable - and at the bottom the blue flame roared, in and out of view as the steam rose in giant plumes. It was far more impressive than I had expected, and apparently unusually impressive at present - one of only two places on Earth that the phenomenon occurs. It is ignited sulphur gas, that escapes through cracks at 600C. Molten sulphur is then mined by a group of workers, who carry huge sacks of it back down to sell, fewer (I suspect) than there used to be, as some now act as guides instead. After a while, the fumes get a bit intense so after good views of the flame I climbed back up out of the crater (500m+) and then slipped the leash after a bit of coughing, eyes still stinging. The highest peak was unfeasible so I scampered west up an obvious sandy ridge. This was brilliant, and led to a marked 2726m peak. Lower down, a spur led to sheer drops directly above the acid lake, turquoise in the pre-dawn light. It was all quite stunning, as was the view from the lip of the crater alongside the crowds as I rejoined the group. A simple descent back down to fried bananas in the hut, back to my homestay around 9am. Then it was straight into a taxi to Ketopang, then the Bali ferry to Gillimanuk. Then the bus to Mengwi on the edge of Denpasar, then a taxi to Ubud. 

Wigan 10k

Race: Wigan 10k

Time/Position: 36.50 (24th from 1629)

This was my rather nice prize for finishing 1st V50 at the Wigan half marathon in March: free entry. But whereas that was a very varied and hilly course, a grand tour of Wigan, this was flat, potentially fast, but rather boring as an out-and-back via the Latics football ground. I started off well, probably a bit too quick, and faded on the return from the ground. The minor false flat back to Mesnes Park finished me off. Big event, with lots of runners and a nice atmosphere at Mesnes Park.