Extra long Saturday run

I like going for a longish run in the weekends, preferably somewhere I haven't been before. This week I had to pop by a climbing shop in Llanberis to buy some bolts, so I figured I'd run around there. There is a lot of terrain there I haven't explored yet! Even though it's quite pretty there. I decided to go up the southwestern slope (the northeastern is too steep, and pretty much either woodland or Dinorwic) and venture a bit further NW than the Llanberis 10k had taken us. So I did!

I parked and started running. After about 100m I would turn left; from the opposite direction, a lady came running towards me, and took the same turn. It looked choreographed! And she looked at me and said "hey, weren't you in that meeting earlier this week?" and then I recognised her. She was in the College of Natural Sciences too! I didn't know what she did, but she told me she had a chair in conservation science. Impressive! And she started telling me how that had happened. The road was very steep, and she had a lot to say, so she requested we walk for the time being. Fine with me!

She explained how her career had gone. Quite an interesting story! And in the meantime we were walking in the sun through a beautiful landscape. Lovely!

I had planned to just follow the derelict road we were on until I would figure I'd run enough, and then turn back. She had a round trip in mind, so she sugegested we turn right at some point, which brought us onto the flank of Cefn-du, from which the view is amazing. On the way back she suggested we take a sneak route through all the mining relics there; she knew I was interested in that. But that was pretty much the end of running, as we were struggling through thigh-high grass and bracken and swampland and whatnot. It was nice though! But we lost height soon., and I wanted to do some actuall running. So we said goodbye, and I turned back, trying to negotiate the swamps in such a way I swould be able to look into some of the pits, and get back on a proper path not too long afterwards.

The hillside littered with little slate mines

I admired some of the pits, and then went back uphill. That was another swampy affair, until I reached an onld incline. From there I was soon back where she had suggested the right turn. I had started running well over an hour ago, and I hadn't brought provisions for a several hour run, but I didn't want to go home after what mainly had been a stroll, so I followed the derelict road a bit further, and then turned around. I had eaten all my food on the incline, and my water was running low, and my shoulders were burnt from the extra long time in the sun, but I was having a good time. 

One of the pits

The incline that saved me from the swamp

I had sandwiches and tea in my car, so I drove to a quiet place nearby (just off Union Rock) and had lunch there. Then I was off home. What was intended as a run had turned intop a lot more! Nice how life has its surprises. And even boring meetings can pay off, in an unexpected way!