Weekend in Snowdonia

We’ve had a busy weekend but not really a camera one. It was another trip down to Dinorwig to Dada’s. I worked a few days on the dining table and it made me very grateful for my home office. 

The key even was Rosemary’s ultra-marathon, the Ultra Trail Snowdonia, a beautiful but savage 105km in the mountains with over 6500m of ascent. She started at 4am on Saturday morning. 

Rather than watching her GPS tracker, I decided to do the Holy Island swim-run on Anglesey. It’s my fave race ever, with 6 runs totalling just over 20km and 6 swims totalling about 3km. It’s just a stunning location and a friendly event, with pizza afterwards. It was my 1st race since lockdown and I wasn’t close to race fitness and was exhausted when I finished. A kind Scottish lady competitor fed me banana and water as I lay in a heap. As soon as I could move, I moved to the pizza queue.

On Sunday morning, Dada & I headed to Betws-Y-Coed to the UTS finish for Rosemary. She completed the distance in just under 32 hours, with singing feet and quite exhausted. The completion rate was 57%. I don’t mind a challenge, but I wouldn’t be daft enough to start. The good bit was that I was hobbling with sore quads as badly as many of the Ultra competitors. I got knowing looks from some these competitors to suggest I was tough as nails like them. The rest of the day was spent sleeping, eating or watching TV.

Monday was quiet too. I was working, with a few meetings and marking of MSc. projects. The only walking was up to the cafe in Dinorwig. My legs were really sore but Rosemary’s blisters made her walking slower.

I had a meeting this morning that I didn’t want to miss, and then I went a walk in the Quarries before it was time to get the train. I had an accident, when a gate (that I shouldn’t have been climbing over) swung round horizontally, as its hinges weren’t attached. I found myself pitched up in the air upside down. Fortunately, the height was sufficient to give me time to get my camera safe before I crashed into the slated surface. I am now proud owner of a big bruise.