Glyder Fawr max

Peaks: Glyder Fawr

Area: Glyderau, Eryri

One way of maximising a mountain! After a light breakfast I set off running from Pant y Fron, with the vague intention of breaking 30 minutes to Pen y Pass. The last time I ran this way was probably the Snowdonia Marathon almost 20 years ago. I would be surprised if I did it more quickly then, as I felt quite good this morning. It is pretty steep in places, but conditions were good, dank and misty and empty of traffic at this hour in December. My companions got the bus from Nant Peris and we met at PyP (precisely 28 minutes from the hut) where I changed into my mountain clothes and put my road shoes in the sac they had brought up for me! A novel start, and then it was into the slog from PyP. This is boggy and quite unpleasant, most familiar to me from the descent on Pedol Peris (and the 1000s). It led to a rather icy summit with some old snow - very cold feet as I only had my fell running shoes on. A spectacular clearance over Nant Francon as we descended to Llyn y Cwn, then Emma, Peter and I dropped down direct to the Pass. This path is easy at first, then surprisingly awkward and steep - I had only taken it once before.

Pedol Marchlyn

Peaks: Carnedd y Filiast, Mynydd Perfedd, Elidir Fawr

Area: Glyderau, Eryri

The little horseshoe works perfectly as a pre-hut night outing, so I deployed it again today as I only had a few hours of daylight left on arrival in Deiniolen. I usually start from the village but this time drove up the Marchlyn road and started higher. From here, it is quick progress up the unsightly tarmac road towards the lakes. At the end, a steep curving climb gains the pass overlooking Ogwen. Then it was into the clag for the awkward rocky haul to Carnedd y Filiast, just over 40 minutes from the car. Then the flat jog across to Perfedd before taking the direct shortcut to Elidir. I lost enough height here to emerge from the cloudbase temporarily. From the summit I dropped down in a fairly direct line through the scree to gain the grassy lower slopes, which are very runnable and enjoyable. Around 1.20 for the circuit, and then another convivial evening at the hut.

Dash in the Dark

Race: Dash in the Dark, race 2

Time/Position: 28.25 (7th from 68)

As my fallow year comes to an end, I have eased off the races and sessions even more, but this little race always represents a decent lung-buster to jolt me out of my torpor. I have done many variations of these nighttime races over many years, since they started in fact, and today was different again. I would never be able to recreate any of them, such is the complexity of the Llandegla forest with all its twists, turns and micropaths. I started conservatively but did pick up quite a few places during the race, which is always a positive sign. And I enjoyed it, which is another. Excellent beer and chip butties at the Rose and Crown, as Storm Darragh began to gather force outside.