Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, 9

Another stunning day in the National Park! After last year's 3 Nuttalls, I missed out on a fourth one in the area, so I came back for Allt Lwyd (654 m) today. The start of today's trail was a little tricky as I missed a turn off, resulting in some meandering through Talybont Forest. Soon enough, the open moors were in sight and the trail led up toward the destination. In trying to avoid a steep ascent, the 'short-cut' ended up being much more challenging than anticipated. This was compensated for with stunning views, glorious heather in bloom, wild ponies and overhead paragliders. Worryingly, from Allt Lwyd, there was evidence of up to 7 wildfires on the horizon! Only 9 Nuttalls to go now...

Total kilometers hiked: 9.3 km
Total elevation gain: 453 m
Total Nuttalls bagged: 1

Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, 8

After a year and half, today I managed to bag some more Nutalls, including Waun Rydd (769 m), Bwlch Ddwyallt, aka Gwaun Cerrig (754 m) and Fan Y Big (719 m). I accessed them from the Upper Blaen-Y-Glyn car park in the Talybont Forest, situated above the Talybont Reservoir. From here it was an arduous and steep ascent followed by a 12.8 km hike on relatively flat terrain, with the nearby Pen Y Fan always in sight. Stunning views!

Total kilometers hiked: 12.8 km
Total elevation gain: 503 m
Total Nuttalls bagged: 3

Brussels Half Marathon 2024

Again, not a huge amount of training and prep... so I was in two minds whether I should participate or not. I eventually made a decision and didn't regret it! The Brussels Half Marathon did not disappoint.
Some key experiences of the even was to run through the National Stadium and in the shadow of the Atomium; the parks were great and the crowds very encouraging.
I also changed tactics a little bit by pushing myself on the downhills rather than using them for recovery... and I think that paid off: I was able to maintain a steady running pace for the whole distance and crossed the line at 01:57:11 - good for my second fastest HM! Looking forward to the next event already...

AJ Bell Bristol Half Marathon 2024

I managed to do very little training during the lead up to this year's Bristol HM but decided to go for it anyway. The first 18km went relatively smooth despite the hot weather, I was feeling good and maintained a consistent pace. Due to the lack of training however, I suddenly hit a wall and needed to alternate running and walking until the finish line - which couldn't come soon enough!! Still, all things considered, I managed a reasonable time of 2hrs 8min and 47sec... 

Gloucestershire Way - Section 11

We did it! On Sunday we completed the last Section of the Gloucestershire Way (Dixton Hill to Tewkesbury Abbey, 15.3km) 🌿 The landscape changed considerably, from descending the Cotswold escarpments to the agricultural flats of the Severn Vale. Plenty of wild flowers and rewarding views of Tewkesbury Abbey, followed by a well deserved pizza at the local Italian! Until the next trail…
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