Breidden Hills - 28/09/2010

I knocked off work early tonight and went for a recce of the Breidden Hills route with some route notes kindly provided by The Great Wanderer from the FRA Forum. Started off ok with the run round to Bulthy and ascent of Middletown Hill.

Moel y Golfa from Middletown Hill

Rodney's Pillar and the route just run (through the field on the right) from Middletown Hill

From there I got down to the road at the col with Moel y Golfa, but didn't go high enough in the first field and ended up double backing and losing some time up MyG.

Top of the ascent from the field onto the ridge of Moel y Golfa

There are nice views of virtually the whole route from the summit.

Summit of Moel y Golfa and Rodney's Pillar

I missed the right turn on the descent but double backed (again) and picked up a right (but don't know if it's the right one!). Down on the road, I gave the farm track leading towards "New Pieces" a miss as I wasn't sure it's a right of way (covered the map with red pen where I thought the route is and couldn't see!). Instead I carried on up the road back to the Middletown - y Golfa col, and then headed across the valley to New Pieces, picking up tracks uphill into the forest. Somewhere along here I dropped the map and route notes. It was very boggy on the ascent of New Pieces.

I reached the main landrover track up from Criggion as it started to rain, and darkness was starting to come too, so I stuck to ground I knew and ran up to the Pillar via the Rodney's Pillar race route, and then back by descending straight down for 200m and then a sloping traverse down and right to get back on the main track. From here it was a speedy descent, concentrating on my running form, mostly on relaxing shoulders and picking up my feet.

9.25 miles and 2050' today in a little under 2 hours running time.