Ruthin parkrun

'Race': Ruthin parkrun

Time/Position: 18.36 (2nd from 141)

I took a few seconds off my own V55 course record here. The performance felt much of a piece with recent form, still not doing much running with the heel issues at present but recording slightly faster 5k times with some tempo training at short distances. In fact this was my quickest time of 2026, although still a minute down on my best V55 times last summer, never mind the times I was running in my early 50s. Perhaps my fifth running of the Ruthin event, in good conditions, followed by a delightful breakfast.

Cwm Clogwyn horseshoe

Peaks: Snowdon

Area: Yr Wyddfa, Eryri

You rarely hear this circuit described as the Cwm Clogwyn horseshoe, even though it has always seemed the best description to me. A few years ago I did this clockwise, up Snowdon Ranger and down Rhyd Ddu. This time I did the reverse, parking for free in the village and then going for a sustainable but relatively quick ascent. The weather was worse than forecast, low cloud and few signs of imminent clearance. All the paths on this side of the mountain weave around a bit, but Rhyd Ddu stays engaging and is more interesting than the Ranger, albeit perhaps a little more demanding from a running perspective. Into the mist and wind below Llechog, where the ground drops away to the left and the route becomes interesting, giving way to a narrow but level path that leads to the little col below Clawdd Coch on the south ridge. Steep wet rock then leads direct to the cafe, always a strange contrast especially on a day of howling wind with rain starting to fall. An empty summit and then it was the familiar jog down from the top before taking the Snowdon Ranger path which is nicely runnable at first, bringing back memories of my three Pedol Peris races. It gets awkward lower down, and it was very wet now, a real soaking. At the base of Moel Cynghorion I branched off for the obscure little path past Llyn Ffynnon y Gwas to Cwm Treweunydd and an awkward route through the derelict quarries and over the railway to the road just north of Rhyd Ddu: 1.59 for the loop, slower than the clockwise version, back just before midday.

Raven 7

Race: Raven 7 fell race (12k/580m)

Time/Position: 65.07 (9th from 29)

Although a predictably slow and plodding performance, I really enjoyed this new course, a much longer extension of the old King John's Castle fell race. I have done that race three times, finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th! So this was a marked decline, but having hardly raced recently (my last two races were the short Ponderosa, and the Castles relay back in June), or run much at all, it was inevitable. The hills above Llanarmon yn Ial are perhaps the nicest in the Clwydians, and the race started on the familiar haul up towards Moel Gyw, which we then climbed via the tiny heather trod. I was in 6th place at this point, quite blustery and cloudy, and then really enjoyed the fact and familiar descent towards Moel y Plas. I knew I would struggle on the brutally steep climb up the front of this, and I did, losing two or three places. I felt reasonably good on the new section, contouring round to the mast and back along the main OD path, then down to the finish at the pub itself.

PitP parkrun

'Race': Park in the Past parkrun

Time/Position: 18.43 (1st from 169)

After all the long but slow mountain travel over the last few days, it was good to increase the pace here at the local parkrun. Given that I have hardly run for a couple of weeks, and my mileage generally is very low as I struggle with the heel injury, I was fairly pleased to be able to sustain a respectable pace in rather wet conditions underfoot (albeit nowhere near as bad as it got last winter). This was my third 'win' at the PitP 'timed run'.

Besseggen Ridge

Peaks: Bandet, Besseggen, Vestfjellet (1743m)

Area: Jotunheimen, Norway

Almost certainly Norway's most famous mountain day, this attracts large numbers of tourists from all over the world. As such, it is the kind of thing I would usually studiously avoid, but there was obvious potential to do it on my own ahead of the crowds - partly because, not to put too fine a point on it, most of those doing it take a very long time! The usual time given is 6-8 (or even more) hours, so I thought I'd trot along and set a not-too-terrible geriatric time for it, with sub-3 an obvious basic target to aim for. It worked a treat. I got the first ferry from Gjendesheim across the lake to Memurubu, which was lovely and something I wanted to do anyway. Then it was back up the steep climb I'd done yesterday (and descended two days ago) despatching it in 28 minutes (for the 2k/440m climb to the tourists 'warning sign'). Then came the ridge, which was sheer delight. I was completely alone, miles ahead of the tourists from the very beginning, so could just enjoy it without prejudice. It is undeniably stunning, albeit so much lower than Besshoe that I would have found it very frustrating and unsatisfactory to have done it without first doing that dominant peak. The lake of Bjonblitjonne is the first feature, and the ridge begins to cohere here, just above it - whilst on the right, the stunning shimmering Gjende. The walls above the latter begin to steepen at this point. A broad rocky ridge then leads down to the most famous section, a little narrow neck of land between Gjende and then Bessvatnet on the left (the lake I had walked alongside yesterday). This is a really stunning spot, and it is entirely understandable that thousands of people want to see it. The cliffs plunge down to Gjende on the right, with Friday's peak Knutshoe far below. Bessvatnet is closer and higher on the left, with Besseggen looming as an impressive black peak, reminiscent of Skye, directly above. Then comes the scramble, up excellent rock, and for a short while this recalls Crib Goch. Very enjoyable, albeit a little short. At a platform, the steepness eases and the ridge loses some of its coherence. At a subpeak, the mist came down and I trotted across the now much broader plateau to Vestfjellet, the main summit in a light snow flurry (2c!). I got here in just under two hours, which didn't seem too bad. The descent from here is a bit trickier than I'd expected and still superb, albeit less spectacular that what had preceded it. It hugs the walls above Gjende with views down to Gjendesheim, which now becomes visible still far below (essentially the reverse of the view from the hut's lounge, which looks up to this point). A few little rock walls are surprisingly steep and there are a few chains at this point. A quick traverse gains the main path down to Gjendesheim which I was already familiar with. I ended up with a time of 2.45 for the 14k/1150m traverse, which I was quite satisfied with given that the pace was fairly relaxed and the terrain entirely rock underfoot. I was back well before midday, giving plenty of time to relax at Gjendesheim drinking coffee looking back at the ridge before my bus to Oslo at 3pm. It got very cold in a bitter wind later on.

Besshøe

Peaks: Besshøe (2258m)

Area: Jotunheimen, Norway

Besshoe is the giant peak that I had spent the last few days circumnavigating, in fact my route had been a kind of 'Tour du Besshoe'. So whereas logic demanded that I do the famous Besseggen Ridge this morning, as the weather was perfect and I was already in position at the start in Memurubu, my brain went for an alternative option. This was partly because I pride myself on that kind of flexible thinking, and (related) because I wanted to get up another of the Norwegian 2000ers after Glittertind. Besshoe actually dominates the landscape here, despite the fact that almost all of the global tourists have eyes only for the much lower Besseggen Ridge. Anyway, after breakfast surrounded by schoolkids, it was back up the zig-zag climb I'd descended from the final pass yesterday. This is also the start of Besseggen and there are dire warnings about timing all the way up (ie, if you've taken longer than two hours to reach this spot, turn back). The weather was superb, by far the best of the trip, and this was another reason why my plans started to change, because the high peaks were clear for the first time. At this point I still hadn't decided what to do with the day, but when I reached the 'three hour warning' sign for Besseggen in around 45 minutes my mind was made up. I would have been down from the Besseggen Ridge too early, it would have been a waste of a day, so I decided to plot my way up Besshoe, which was looming attractively to my left. Behind me, the even more impressive Surtningssue, a crystal clear glaciated peak against a deep blue background. At the top of the first rise, I took a lumpy moraine ridge heading towards what seemed to me to be the most obvious route up from this side, the SW ridge. There was no path, and this was really satisfying. It was over boulders but they were fairly solid and eventually I spied a cairn or two a little further right, so somebody had been this way before! I picked my way up and the ridge, although broad, was nicely defined. I still hadn't fully decided on my plans, as I originally intended to bag the peak then return to do Besseggen. It eventually dawned on me that this was a pointless scheme, and also a potentially problematic one given the complexity of the route and nature of the bouldery ridge. Once I gained the summit plateau (Besshoe is a giant dome of a peak, steep and well-defended on all sides but with a shallow, rounded summit) my plans had changed decisively - I was definitely traversing the peak then coming back to do Besseggen tomorrow morning. I checked I could book the boat from Gjendesheim (I was committed to spending the night there as I had booked), had a bite to eat on the atmospheric summit and took in the magnificently huge view. This stretched for miles in the perfectly clear morning air. The plunging western cliffs of Besshoe lent definition to the valleys I had recently traversed, and then Glittertind, Galdhoppigen and a galaxy of peaks further west across wild upland scenery. I think I could see Hurrungane and other rockier peaks in the distance, as well as mountains like Eggen across Lake Gjende. A superb and memorable few minutes, after which I found the normal route which I planned to descend - this takes a broad and fairly shallow ridge between cliffs on one side and a glacier (rapidly receding) on the other, the Bessbraen. It was a very nice way down, again fairly complex, with Besseggen to the right and the beautifully clear lake of Bessvatnet directly below. With the glacier on the left, it became a classic moraine with dusty boulderfields and gravel, until it eventually gave way to a sun-dappled green meadow, complete with babbling stream, below the black bleakness of the moraines. I had lunch here, absolutely delightful, revelling in the situation (I had the entire mountain to myself and saw nobody). Then came a long but easy walk out along the shores of Bessvatnet to a lonely hut and then the bridge at the outflow that I'd crossed on the walk to Glitterheim. I hadn't seen any of this terrain on day one as it was so misty, so it was an enjoyable trot up to the pass and down the final descent to Gjendesheim (18k/1300m/4.40) where we dined on local pork and sauerkraut. I spent the night in the old dorm hut right next to the river.

Glitterheim hut-Memurubu hut

Peaks: Sjurgurdtinden (1305m)

Area: Jotunheimen, Norway

This was a wonderful route through magnificent terrain. The scenery evolved constantly and every step was enjoyable, in weather that gradually improved throughout the day. From Glitterheim I had to retrace steps back up to the Hesterlaegerhoe pass, but this was no bad thing as the high plateau is such a magnetic, atmospheric place. The cloudbase was gradually lifting as I crested the pass and moved quite quickly over the boulder fields eventually branching off decisively down Blatjonn for Memurubu, with Russvatnet shimmering below. Ahead, Besshoe with its gigantic western rock ramparts still draped in mist. A superb fast flowing river (the Blatjonn I assume) was crossed by a bridge, and then the path gradually descends to the lake shore and follows this inexorably towards a superbly alluring narrowing of the valley which is blocked by the foot of Gloptinden, a low but impressive pyramidal peak that I had mild designs on. A burst of sunshine lit the narrow valley opening as I approached it near the isolated hut of Blackwellbue (named after an English climber I think), a huge waterfall coming down from Surtingsue on the right. This gave access to Nedre Russglopet, the narrow valley, although there was no obvious way up Gloptinden from here sadly. After a drink, the route climbs to a high col, the climax of the route, and then sudden spectacular views down to Lake Gjende. At that point the sun came out, alongside a light shower, creating an incredible play of light. I was looking down at the ridge that forms a continuation of Besseggen to the end of the lake at Gjendebu. I wondered about taking in another peak up here, but eventually decided to descend to Memurubu, which nestles in a stunning location on green meadows half way along Gjende. Good job I did, as another massive school party was taking up all the rooms again, the same as Glitterheim last night! I did eventually get a bed in one of the original (C19?) wooden buildings well away from the main hut, which was perfect and hugely atmospheric, with views over the lake and up to the peak of Eggen and a giant waterfall coming down from a hanging valley. The weather was now decisively clearing for the first time so I made my way up to the obvious mini-peak of Sjurgurdtinden which towers above, and is highly reminiscent of the Lake District. I was up it in no time, a lovely extension of the day, and spent a memorable half hour on the summit enjoying a genuinely stunning panorama across the lake, up to Besseggen and Besshoe, and down to the Memurudalen valley.