10 peaks brecon beacons 2014

Any one having a go at this ?

advice and any info regards route, food , training greatly welcomed.

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Comments

  • Hi Roy,

    I can't comment on route as don't know the beacons, but I did The lakes event last month.

    Food/drink on offer on the way around includes clif bars, gels, bananas, water, energy drinks, may have been sandwiches, crisps (can't completely recall on the savoury offering), other sweet stuff. If you like clif bars/gels (various flavours) then its a pretty good offering, if your not so keen its worth having a stash of your own likes. I didn't use the clif bars (usually find them too "chewy" at a hard effort pace), but snaffled a small mars bar from one station. And clif gels from a couple of others (a 'mocha' one which was nice if you like a coffee and chocolate taste and a 'citrus' one which was a refreshing alternative to cereal bars/flapjacks at one stage.

    Training, if anything like the lakes event get out on hills that make you walk as well as more runnable terrain. try to match the terrain you train on to the race day stuff as much as possible.

  • Drunken,

      thanks for the info, all advice is welcome.

    24 miles yesterday over the western route, mist came down mid afternoon, properly ran in a circle for 2 of those miles. image

  • No problem Roy, sounds a good run out on Saturday.

    Nearly forgot, I don't know, but assuming you get one indoor CP on route. The one at lakes10 - at Honister - was well stocked with a hot food, cold offering - pasta, sandwiches, etc.... - as well as more variety of drinks (inc. cans of cola - don't drink when not running, but great during a long run for some reason).

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    roy silver - you doing the long course?  I'll be running it again this year.  I remember last year's outing being a very arduous event, but most of it was in wonderful sunny conditions. It got bad after dark - setting off from the Storey Arms at 2230 in appalling conditions to do Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn, Fan y Big and Waun Rydd finally arriving at the finish about 0300 was one of the edgiest things I've ever done.

    Superb event, this year starting at 0500 instead of 0400.

    I can probably fill you in with any details.  I recommend doing recces if you can. Although the map is useful there are often no paths, or the paths are hard to find, and you need to be good at nav.

  • T Rex,

    Great result last year finishing well within the allotted time, what are you aiming for this year ?

    What distances are you getting up to in training for this event ?

    Yes, long course it is.

    3 recces done and dusted in progressive distances, couple more to do.    I am staying away from the eastern area as the last few weekends its been like the M4 motorway over Pen-y-fan !!

     

  • wait for a wet day and penyfan will be quieter.image

    sounds like a great challenge

     

  • Seren,

     cant wait for it to rain so western area this weekend am afraid. Will try and stick in 6 hours + of work over the hills see what  sort of pace it comes out at.

    Looks like a hot one this w/e image

     

  • After yesterday need to reassess our times for this race !!, very hot, little wind and not enough to drink made a very demanding day,  just under 20 miles with Pen-y-fan, Cribyn, and Fan-y- big taking the last bits of energy out of you at the end of the day.

    Still another day, another training session .

     

  • Hi Roy, good run in conditions like that. If its consolation then on the day you have regular aid stations with water and food so you will have more options to refill bottles and can travel with marginally less weight in pack if happy to use provided food. Also, got to think that chances of it being as hot or hotter are low, more likely to be the other way.

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Last year I recced the whole course but not sure I'm going to be able to this.  My plan is actually to do a few extra peaks so I'm going to need to see how they fit in.

    Good bits to look at are:

    • choosing the best line from Fan Fawr to Fan Llia
    • finding the path down to the Storey Arms from Fan Frynych - there is only one and it is quite hard to find especially after dark.  Once you're on it it's OK - a great trail.
    • the self clip CP on Fan y Big last year was not on the summit but a little to the south attached to a stone shelter - make sure you can find this if, like last year, it is midnight, raining, and thick cloud with about 3m visibility.
    • the section between Carn Pica and Bwlch y Ddwyallt which is practically pathless and full of peat hags and bogs.  Tricky after dark on the way down, but at least on the way up with a later 0500 start it should be daylight by then.
    • the section between the two roads ending at CP4 is pathless and worth reccing a good line.

    The rest is relatively straightforward.

    Be sure to do plenty of hillwork - the climb to the top of Fan Gyhirych is absolutely monstrous.

    I'll be aiming for 24 hours, and to make no navigational errors. Should do the first, probably not the second!

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    It would be good to get some chat going about this one but I suppose it is a bit of a specialist event.

    130 entrants in the long course so far.

    I'm getting all my maps marked up and plan to do three recces of the more tricky bits during the rest of August.

  • I'm doing the west of Sarn Helen at first light Sunday morning, doubt I'll get any other recce's in besides that.

    I'm fairly familiar with the area; the only bit I'm struggling to visualise is the drop down to the Neudd reservoir, I'm assuming that's on the way out?

     

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    sean Oc 4 - yes, on way out.  The loop is done clockwise.  You follow the same direction as the cliff edge 'Graig Fan Las (south west), initially on the Beacons Way and then where the footpath veers off north west at the point 'pile of stones' on the OS map continue straight on over moorland.  I can't remember if there is a pile of stones or not.  A bit of a path emerges following a stream.  Be sure to keep well to the right of the stream - if you go along near the fence you'll get stuck amongst all sorts of gullies and landslips.  (Don't ask me how I know that image.)

    I think there's a stile at the bottom and you go round the back of a building before aiming for the res and crossing the dam wall.

  • T Rex after about 4/500m  you will find a pile of stones the path is quite clear but fades a bit as you get closer to the roman road.

    Last few weeks have been running over the black mountains training for a fell race that was run yesterday 9th August, 23 miles, lots of hills, good weather and felt strong at the end, so well pleased..

    Back up BB's this Saturday on the course from Dan-y-Ogof over to Llyn-y-fan and back, that will be it, might run the BB's roundabout in 2 weeks time.

     

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    I've down the roundabout a couple of times - Mynydd Troed is certainly good hill training!!

  • Cheers, I think that's me sorted with the course except for that trig point between Fan Brycheiniog and Fan Gyhirych.  Visibility was about 5m in todays interesting weather, and so there could have been a well trodden route that I missed.  As it was I had an utter bugger of a climb, traverse and descent picking my own way through the babies heads hoping that lightening wouldn't zap me.

     

     

  • Sounds like you had a fun day Sean, I'm heading up there mid week for a little run about, I can't make the race this year but I thought I might do some of the route anyway with a view to doing next years

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Well done for sticking it out, sean.  I wouldn't have wanted to be up there in that lot.

     

    I understand the North Downs Way 100 had a bad time of it as well!

    I'm not aware there is a trig point between those two peaks?  Picws Du doesn't have a trig point (peak 4) if that's what you mean.  You find your own way down the slope to the bwlch and then up the path for about 500m to an ancient cairn on Picws Du (called 'Bannau Sir Gaer' in the race info).

  • Sean, ditto what T rex saidimage

     

  • No Picws Du was fine, although the path meanders a bit North so I just took a bearing (again limited visibility) from the trig at Fan Brycheiniog and picked up the armoured path down and onto the grassy climb (never been this far West).  

    I'm talking about the climb after the thigh deep river crossing over the Afon Tawe, across the road then up.  The climb just skims south of a trig point at ~SN87102060 dropping down to CP4.  I had to take a bearing up there from the style as there was absolutely no visible path and it was pretty upsetting.

    Is there a well worn route that I missed? It'd be worth a look before spending my beans hiking through the undergrowth.

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Yes, you just nipped into Carmarthenshire of which Picws Du is the highest point.

    It is a very long way back to Talybont, especially by the route now about to be taken!

    Thigh deep crossing?!  There's usually some stepping stones. I think you might have crossed the river in the wrong place - too far north.  You shouldn't have been up there by that Grid Ref.  Still no trig point in that region, on the OS map at any rate.

    There are next to no paths in Fforest Fawr.  The best line crossing that ridge before CP4 is just to the north of the wall marked on some maps, just about clipping the 540m contour, crossing the two enclosed areas (the walls are all derelict) and down to the CP which is on the opposite side of the road to where it says 'sheepfold'. There is some difficulty getting out because all the gates are locked and no obvious stile.

    Fan Gyhirych towers ominously ahead - it's a 1130' climb in 0.7 mile!!  Even the winner in 2013 took 25:30 to do it.  I took 46:58.  Which is 67-minute miling.  Dear oh dear.

  • Strava reckons I took a similarly long time to do it. I think I was in the right place (certainly not far off the suggested route on the Harvey map and there were definitely no exposed stepping stones; the river was absolutely gushing though due to the bad weather so I'm guessing they were submerged.

     

     

    i'm trying to trick myself into thinking it's fairly flat from Storey Arms onwards, and if you discount pen y fan (it's a less torturous route if you take the motorway), and Crybyn, and a little pull up fan y big, then it is....kinda.

     I'm hoping for ~16-17 hour finish as my feet have yet to forgive me for the lakeland. 

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    I went out on a recce in the Fan Brycheiniog area myself yesterday. Great ambience and scenery. Very damp underfoot.

    Sunny to start with but the clag came down while I was finding a 'short cut'. Visibility down to about 50m and in every direction tussocks and bogs.  Good job I had my compass or I might still be out there now!.

    I can report the following that might help, sean. 

    Best place to cross Tawe is about 853204.  It was narrow enough to step over. You then cross the road and go over the stile opposite.  Immediately cross the gully ahead of you and ascend on right side of it.  The going is difficult but there is a bit of a path if you follow a line of ancient fence posts. Once over the top it is every man for himself.  There are a lot of broken down walls and enclosures and I'm not sure what the best line is. By the track at the bottom you go through a gate and there is a ladder stile leading straight to CP4.

    From Storey Arms there is something like 2600' ascent left.

    I will be about 23 hours again, especially since this time my plan is to fit a few more peaks in as part of an own challenge.  Yesterday I went out past Picws Du another mile to Waun Lefrith which is the extra peak in my plan most out on a limb.  I shall only do it if I am well ahead of schedule by that point and the weather is reasonable.

     

     

  • Hi both,

    crossed the road and over the stile the last time I was in that area, seems the best place, also followed the wooden posts up and over then headed for the middle of the wall then straight through down to the right of the sheepfold. 

    Back in that area this Saturday 16th for a bit of a run out, properly mid day start and hoping its dry,

    Sean wish you all the best, 16/17 hours would be good going

  • Plans seldom survive the first contact.

     

  • Went over said route today and all but one post has been knocked down !!!!!

    No more recces.

     

     

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    ?  I didn't knock them down.  Honest!  There were quite a few there on Wednesday last week.

    I wonder if we're talking about the same posts!!

    Too late to worry now. We'll have several places where we have to make instant navigational decisions on the day.

  • T Rex, Grid ref 860203 in the BB's west area.

    As you say, it don't really matter. I think I have the route fairly sorted  anyway.

    I see you will be running Snowdon in Oct ,I will be running that as well if I am recovered from this one.

    Sean how is training going, do you have a plan b c d yetimage 

  • T RexT Rex ✭✭✭

    Hi, Mokshaeight.  Join in the chat on the 'SNOD' thread if you like.  

    I've also got Hereford mara, Where Ravens Dare 26.5 (LDWA) and Abingdon mara in between. There was going to be more but I've scaled down a bit due to medical concerns.

    I'm going out a couple more times to try to discover some good lines which I probably won't be able to remember on the day!  My 'good line' off Picws Du the other day was certainly not as good as on race day last year!

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