TNH in the back garden

I was glad to see that the meeting point for the next Thursday Hill session was Blas Lon Las, the café/farm shop of Moel y Ci farm. That is biking distance! And I didn't mind that that probably meant we wouldn't do as many vertical meters as normal. It's a bit away from the main mountain ridges. That was ok with me. I thought we had been overdoing it a bit this season, with crazy slogs up and down Elidir Fawr and the ridge with Foel Gron on. 

I biked to the start. I made sure I had my bike lights with me. It is that kind of season again! And we started our route on the Pentir Fun Run course. Then we headed along Moel y Ci (the hill itself) to the outskirts of Mynydd Llandegai. And headed for the gorge of Afon Galedffrwd. And then via yr Ocar to the pretty path that is a bog most of the year. Getting there I hit a bramble pretty hard, and ran the rest of the route with bleeding legs. And then we headed back to Moel y Ci, summiting this time. And then around, back to the cafe. 

All of this is basically within my normal stomping ground. Except the normally boggy bit. But that’s ok! It was nice to run it with this lot. 

Early on

A glorious night

From the top of Moel y Ci 

It took us 2:15 hrs! For only 12 km, and 475m uphill. I hadn’t felt quite in the zone the entire run, and maybe I wasn’t the only one, given how long it took us. But it had been nice. I didn’t want to linger, though. I got onto my bike and left. 

I completed another mission on the way home. On Monday, I had left my bag at the entrance of the underground venue we had visited. It wouldn't be a big detour for me to now go and retrieve it, so I did. A bit more trudging through potentially hostile vegetation followed, but my mission was successful, and it didn't delay me all too much. But now it was time to get home, get showered, and get to bed!