I started at the nearest route marker to the Maenlywdd Inn, before dropping down into the valley and up over to Rupera Castle and onwards. The weather to start with was exceptional; threatening rain (which later arrived) but for the first hour I had clear blue skies and crisp weather. After a very early navigation error, things settled down and I found my way through to Machen in good time. The ascent up the mountain here was tough; I took the approach of walking before I needed to, to preserve energy and walked any sections that were sufficient flat. Here I began to encounter some tricky conditions underfoot with the recent rains having turned portions of the path into a very slippy mud.
Atop the mountain I tapped in at the trig point and briefly admired the views across the whole valley, noting the ominous grey clous that would soon be upon me. My descent here was smooth and steady and I was focussed and moving well. The path was never quite flat and, although quick, there were some gentle uphill sections demanding my energy! I encountered what can only be described as a troop of cows; dispersed over about 500m of arrow straight path. They were quite loud and some had very large horns, which may have accounted for a slight increase in speed through this section. The promised rain finally arrived. It was high quality Welsh rain; full on and determined and it didn’t let up until I was descending down the valley into Ystrad Mynach. Frustratingly, it affected my navigation somewhat; concerned I’d missed a turn, I struggled to access the GPS on my phone as it wouldn’t unlock. Luckily for me though, the route is generally well signed, and although slightly obscured by dense foliage, I managed to spot the sign I needed.
After a short descent I arrived at the first of my dead drops and collected some water and carb drink to top up my bottles. I did this on the move as I ran the predominately flat and fast (on another day!) section of cycle path, through Hencoed and alongside Penallta Country Path.
Arriving into Nelson, I opted not to collect my second dead drop (subsequently collected, so as to avoid littering) and began the second of the major climbs on the route. This was particularly challenging as although the rain had stopped it had been replaced by an incessant and strong wind. The wind did not let-up for some time and, although I broke the back of the climb, I had a difficult patch on the lesser inclined and mostly flat section of path along the East ridge of Cefn Eglwysilan. This section was comprehensively covered in puddles, some of which were knee deep, all of which were cold. I pushed through, with the cold wind and cold puddles, but was still running well.
Through Eglwysilan, and onto the rather fun climb to the top of Mynydd Meoi, I picked a good line and hiked up, preserving energy for the flat and boggy top of the mountain. Previous times here I’ve found the ground to be very boggy, but my line today was fairly solid and enabled me to maintain a flow. I began the descent into Caerphilly, and had some navigational challenges on the way. The weather had improved considerably though, which was a big positive.
At the roundabout on the A468 my friend was waiting for me with bottles and a very encouraging sign- ‘Nearly There’! Although it could perhaps have been possible to dead drop bottles here, enabling the registration of this attempt as self-supported, it made some difference seeing a friendly face and grabbing bottles rather than retrieving them.
Up until this point I hadn’t checked my pace or timing, and so I was pleased to see I had a very small bit of head room. This was quickly eroded as I entered the final section and with some tough conditions; mud, and lots of it. Nevertheless, I pushed on and made it through my nemeis: Thornhill Golf Club. I did not get lost, and instead ran smoothly through and onto the last bit of trail. Keeing a close eye on the time I pushed as best I could, navigating yet more mud and a number of wayward branches. Around 600m from the start/finish I very nearly took a fall, tripping on a branch. Fortunately I remained upright and emptied what was left in the tank to take me to the same route marker that I started my journey from, ending my first ever FKT attempt. Trials and tribulations aside, this was a really excellent run and one I’d been looking forward to and did thoroughly enjoy.
I opted to follow the official Rhymney Valley Ridgeway route as per OS Maps and the LDWA. I’d like to give some serious kudos to David Lawson who nailed the FKT previously; a summer attempt, with the addition and extra mileage from starting and ending at Caerphilly Trig Point. A very impressive run. Similar to David, my choice of route was inspired by limits and opportunities of lock-down; looking local and finding and exploring some grade-A trails. A lot more to be explored and I’m keen to return to this route, perhaps a bit slower and making some strategic pit-stops at a couple of the nice looking pubs!
Shoes: Hoka Torrent 2
Watch: Garmin 735XT
Fuel: Maurten (Gel CAF 100 & Gel 100)
Drink: aprx 1l carb drink, aprx 1.5l water
Time: Start at 09:20am. Total time 4:32.05
Note: no pictures posted including my face for privacy reasons.