This afternoon I took my hill running up a couple of notches and ran up Cadair Berwyn (827m), Cadair Bronwen (780m) and Moel Sych (827m).
Starting from the foot of the Pistyll Rhaedr waterfall I headed back down the road some way to start on the north facing grassy track that ascends steadly up toward Llyn Lluncaws on the east side of the valley. This was a gentle way to start the run off, ascending some 310m altitude in about 1.5 miles up to level of the lake. But there it gets worse! The ascent then continues on the west side of the lake climbing another 200m up to the col in about 1/3 of a mile! It was very tough running up here, so I partly ran/walked/scrambled. Once on the wide col I continued on the very boggy surface up and over the rocks to the trig point of Cadair Berwyn (827m). The wind from the west was very cold indeed and was bringing the overall temperature down to below zero. It certainly felt cold in my shorts and t-shirt anyway ;). I decided that it would be rude not to continue northwards along the ridge and conquer Cadair Bronwen also. What I didn’t factor for was the sharp descent from Cadair Berwyn and then the climb up to Cadair Bronwen - from 827m down to 720m, then back up to 770m.
I paused for a few minutes at Cadair Bronwen to take in the beautiful panoramic view across the Berwyn moors and to Moel Fferna, before realising that hypothermia was not far away(!) and it was time to get back to the warm. During the descent from 770m down to 720m then the long haul up to the 827m of Cadair Berwyn I could hardly feel my hands for the cold. There was no question of stopping up the steep and boggy climb, as this would only cause my situation to worsen through lost body heat and relentless freezing winds.
Over the top of Cadair Berwyn I continued along the ridge southwards up and over Moel Sych (827m). Then it was time to begin the real descent off the mountain, and I continued south losing some 400m height in minutes! The going was very boggy and my feet were soaked, but at least the sun had come out so I could now feel my hands again. As I was passing the top of the waterfall I took a small diversion to check out the view, before climbing back up to the track and rapidly sprinting down the quarry path to the road. Then it was lucozade and banana time, followed by emptying the water from my shoes.
I’d been out on the mountain for 1 hr 35, covered approx. 8 miles and climbed roughly 710m. Overall I hadn’t found the run to be too physically demanding, although next time I definitely need to take some extra clothing (especially thicker gloves) for high altitudes. Once up there in the freezing cold its true to say that different rules apply. Stopping is simply not an option, or else its likely to be a one way ticket to hypothermia. Still, that just adds to all the fun!
