I’m running the Brecon Beacons Trail Marathon in November with my friend James. He shares my love of adventure and the somewhat strange joy in pushing oneself to ones physical and mental limits. With that in mind we organised a trip to South Wales to do some training.
We have both been to the Brecon Beacons several times and the terrain is a fantastic challenge. Trails are technical and it’s easy to stack up a seriously testing amount of elevation. The trail marathon is 42.2km with the first 27km consisting of 1500 metres elevation. That’s going to cause some serious leg pain for two guys who grew up in the flatter than flat county of Suffolk!
Plotting a route
The Brecon Beacons trail marathon will include an ascent of the highest mountain in South Wales – Pen y Fan. This is a mountain we have been up a few times. Therefore, we decided to plot a route that wouldn’t include Pen y Fan, and instead set a route to explore areas we had yet covered.
Driving from Surrey to South Wales early Saturday morning, we arrived around 11am. We would be wild camping and had a remote area in mind to set up camp. We drove as close as we could to our desired camping spot and hiked with our gear along a river for 1-2km. Finding a spot we liked, we stashed our gear in the undergrowth.
We returned to the car and drove 6km back to a small village called Pontsticill to park. We could have parked closer to our campsite, but we decided that it would be sensible to leave the car overnight in a populated area. It would also give us 6km of hiking with our gear to enjoy the next day!
Time to run uphill
After our obligatory faffing around with running equipment we set off running just before 1pm. Our route took us immediately uphill to the east of Pontsticill reservoir. It is rare to visit the Brecon Beacons and get anything close to clear skies. However, on this occasion we were in for a treat. We were at least 10km as the crow flies from Pen-Y-Fan but could see it in the distance in all its glory. The two peaks either side of Pen y Fan – Corn Du to the left and Cribyn to the right – offer a distinct and beautiful landscape.
Tough going and a word of warning!
The first few kilometres although beautiful, were tough going for me. James was coping well but I was having one of those experiences where it was hurting a little more than it should. That feeling passed after about an hour and I relaxed into my running. The aim of the day wasn’t to push to our limits. We wanted a bit of a challenge but wanted to take in our surroundings and enjoy the mountains.
After about 10km we met another runner on the trails near Talybont reservoir. She was local and asked where we were headed. Showing her our route she reassured us that we had chosen some beautiful routes. However, she did use the word ‘steep’ about five times when describing a section of our route. Our Suffolk legs started to tremble at the thought.
Refuelling before climbing
Dropping down to the northern edge of the Talybont reservoir we stopped for ten minutes to rest and refuel. The ‘steep’ section was up next.
We headed directly west straight uphill to where we would eventually reach a flat section. Our runner friend was accurate in her description and it took some time to reach the plateau. I broke this ascent into 200 metre sections. I power walked for 200 metres and then took 30 seconds rest. After about eight rounds I reached the top.
We ran across the plateau at a far from impressive speed and then reached a dauntingly steep section once more. I set off with my 200-metre interval tactic in mind, having to drop that to 100 metres as I closed in on the top and the terrain got even steeper.
I sat with satisfaction and rewarded myself with a peanut butter and jam bagel. James arrived and was thankful for a sit down as much as I was. We had covered about 17km by this point and the steep ascent had taken its toll on James. He began to suffer from some cramping and stomach problems. James is very susceptible to dehydration and it can come out of nowhere for him. Despite carrying plenty of water he would admit that he often doesn’t drink enough – something we are working on correcting!
The beauty of the mountains
We trotted further west and along a stunning horseshoe shaped ridge and then ascended to the summit of Fan y Big. We were treated to a spectacular view. Pen y Fan and Cribyn were close now and the clear conditions were showing the landscape in all its beauty. We sat in silence for a while enjoying the peace and our surroundings. Those are the moments that make trekking and running in the mountains so special.
We descended quickly down Fan y Big and joined up with a popular footpath and headed south to join up with the Taff trail which would take us close to our camp.
We were relieved to find our gear still in the undergrowth and set up camp for the night. After a good feed and a refreshing wash in the river we retired to our tents as the sun went down. The midges were becoming slightly unbearable, so the sanctuary of tent life was very much welcomed!
A night in a tent and then home
After a broken night of sleep due to waking up to turn over multiple times (I wish I could sleep on my back) we had breakfast and packed away our camp. The early morning hike back to the car took just over an hour and we set off back to Surrey just after 9am.
We had spent just under 24 hours in the Brecon Beacons, but it was a trip full of activity and great preparation for the Brecon Beacons Trail Marathon. Running mountain terrain is perhaps not rooted in our DNA but these Suffolk boys are determined to conquer the mountains!
If you have any questions or suggestions for future adventures please comment below or don’t hesitate to contact me.
