WOW!!!

Hello again and welcome to another installment of my increasingly taxing training regime in preparation for a half-marathon. There are only three weeks between now and the day itself and I've yet to breach the 8-mile mark.

However I'm in South West Wales right now and have been making the most of the ridiculously beautiful coastline down here.

Last week I just ran up the road from my hotel to the top of the hill and round and back for between 3 and 5 miles of tarmaca-be-damned!

I learned the hard and frequently painful way that in order to ascend so rapidly one must warm up and stretch thoroughly before making headway into the clouds. I've got the hang of that now let me tell you!

I'm staying just shy of a lovely little bay in the town of Aberporth which is one town along from Cardigan (of Cardigan Bay fame) and sitting right on the Cardigan Coastal Path.

Last week I ventured out (on a colleagues recommendation) to the next bay over along the path.

The path itself has been upgraded to allow wheelchair access and as such is hard underfoot. Only a mile and a half to Tresaith bay with a demon of a descent (and subsequent return ascent) to the bay itself.

I duly found myself hitting this section twice last week. The view out to the Atlantic is fantastic and you can see dolphins about half a kilometre off-shore doing whatever it is that dolphins do.

This week, on the same colleague's recommendation I decided to venture to the next bay over from Tresaith.

You can see the long, untouched beach of Penbryn, from the bay at Aberporth, nestled between two large cliff faces. A not undaunting looking hill standing in the way of you and the golden sands that lie in plain sight just over 2 miles away (as the crow flies I hasten to add!).

It is this hill which is quite the taskmaster. With it's barely kept singletrack path overgrown by gorse and bramble, and wooden steps on the parts that only mountain goats would dare ascend without firm footing, the path winds across and up the hill before contouring around the seaward side just shy of the peak.

Up here you can see a great deal more yet only grazing cattle have the luxury of this view for the majority of the year.

Another killer, woodland descent down muddy paths that would surely get you down a whole lot faster when wet, though not on your feet, and you arrive at a long, secluded stretch of beach. A couple of caves at one end that beckon invitingly at low tide and only the sound of the crashing waves is equalled in magnificence by the vision of the burning sun sinking behind the cliffs to your left.

With a dusky orange glow guiding me Westward back to my little piece of Wales I turn around and set off once more back up the hill which nearly took its pound of flesh coming down.

Six or so miles in all. As the crow flies. But over a hundred metres to climb and not much space to do it in. A very satisfying pint was had over dinner I can tell you.

Maybe I can recommend to my colleague the NEXT bay on from Penbryn. See how he likes that.

If you're ever in this part of the world I wholeheartedly recommend getting your boots on and dusting off your hiking poles for some amazing views and exhausting climbs. You needn't run as I did. In fact you'd be mad to.

Till next time.

Mwahahahahahahahaha.