This time last week I was on my way to catch a train to Abergavenny, all set for a women’s trail running weekend that had come very close to not happening. After a few weeks of planning and research last autumn, I had finally booked myself and a friend onto a guided mountain weekend in the Black Mountains organised by Element Active. And then the next day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the following months, through all the appointments, operations and treatment that followed, I had that date fixed in my mind, sometimes as a goal, sometimes as a hope, and more than once as a pipe dream that seemed unlikely to come true. To say I was excited to actually be fit and well enough to go is a significant understatement.
Having been picked up with two other attendees at Abergavenny train station, we arrived at Longtown Outdoor Learning Centre at the far eastern edge of the Black Mountains. I had a flutter of nervousness at this point, surrounded by strangers and with a couple of hours to go until my friend arrived. But I needn’t have worried; I was very clearly going to be surrounded by women of a roughly similar age, with a similar desire to get into the hills and away from everything else for a couple of days. Many had been on these weekends before, some multiple times, and our leader, Ruth Pickvance, expertly ensured that everyone was welcomed and included from the moment we stepped inside.
Longtown, as the name suggests, is a long, thin village that winds its way up a low ridge at the foot of the Black Mountains. We had the chance to explore it before dinner, with a walk to the old chapel, the ruins of a Norman motte and bailey castle, and along the river bank through the wild garlic and the last of the bluebells. It was a stunningly beautiful evening, the first swifts of the year darting above us, which promised well for the coming days. As did the delicious evening meal.
Saturday morning dawned bright and early, with instructions to be gathered in the den by 8 am, breakfasted and ready to go. This was going to be a long day out on the hill, with options to run or walk in both the morning and afternoon as we were all gathering together for lunch. The sensible part of me, given my fitness level, had planned to run in the morning and then walk later on. But then we were given the route, up the Cat’s Back ridge onto the Black Hill, lunch at a sheep fold at the head of the Olchon Valley, then on to Offa’s Dyke path and along that ridge before heading back down to the valley. Roughly 10k for each section, and with a clear plan to take it gently, there was no way I was going to miss the chance at a good descent, so it looked like I was running both sections.
The first part of the run was glorious, along the river then across fields to reach the foot of the Cat’s Back. I’d walked the ridge last year so had some idea what to expect, and knew that once we started the ascent this would be the perfect opportunity to try out my new running poles. I have Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ poles, which were light in my pack, quick and easy to set up, and made a huge difference on the pull up to the summit ridge. One of the joys of the Black Mountains is the long ridges, so once you’re up you can run for miles on gently undulating terrain. The ridge up to the Black Hill trig point was an absolute joy, a proper rocky ridge that gently gave way to peat and heather, with views right across to the Malverns and beyond. As we gathered back together at the trig point, there was an option to go on to Hay Bluff before doubling back to the lunch spot, but I knew I was flagging and needed a break, so I went with the other group to find the old sheep fold and have a good long rest.
As we sat and ate our lunch in the sunshine the rest of the runners and the walking group all joined us, ready to refuel and regroup. The next stretch would see all of us starting out together, heading across country to hit Offa’s Dyke on the next ridge, then running south for a few miles before we hit our descent path. This section was far busier than the morning as it turned out we were there on the day of the Longtown Mountain Rescue challenge, so the path was fairly full of runners and walkers on the various challenge routes. Fortunately, that section of Offa’s Dyke is so well trodden that the path is wide, easy, and flagged in places, with plenty of space for all.
This section was hard work by the end, I could well and truly feel that I was significantly pushing my distance and my energy levels were starting to flag. Looking around me at the others, I don’t think I was the only one, all of us a little sapped by the heat and the miles. We’d become quite strung out along the path, so when the time came to head down we all gathered together again before starting the descent. This, for me, was the highlight of a wonderful weekend, a long, steep, diagonal path coming off the ridge all the way down to the valley floor. It is a long time since I had the opportunity to do a long descent, and I really didn’t know how it would go given my lack of practice, but it was superb. My body knew what to do, how to relax into it, how to balance, and my mind knew not to think, to work by instinct and by trusting myself. I felt as if I was flying down it, back in my element in a moment of pure joy.
I suspect I was running on fumes after that, but the adrenaline was enough to get me back to the centre for some much needed tea and cake. Multiple cups of tea, in fact, and fairly continuous grazing, until we all gathered back together to head down to the local pub for dinner. It had been an incredible day, wonderful running in a stunning landscape, and all with some great company.
Sunday was a gentler day, a slightly later start and a shorter session, with lunch back at the centre. This time, the challenge was a navigational one, as we were given maps marked with checkpoints, and 3.5 hours in which to reach as many as we could. We were on our own for this one, or in groups if we wanted, and I was very relieved that the friend I’d come with was as happy as I was to just walk, using the checkpoints as a way to explore that other side of the valley, away from the hills. We were joined by a third walker for what turned into a 7 mile hike through fields, over a small hill, into woodland, and finally past the shop (it sold ice creams!) back to the centre. Where the previous day had been about gently pushing myself and enjoying the mountain environment, this day was about team work, choosing our route and navigating our way around it. Given the miles we managed to cover, it was such a relaxed morning, chatting most of the way as we walked with the wonderful camaraderie that spending time together in the outdoors brings.
And then we were nearly done. A last gathering of us all to swap stories as we ate, then it was time to gather our things and say goodbye. I’ve come away from it feeling fitter, healthier, more relaxed, and more confident. And full of admiration for Ruth and her team for laying on such a brilliantly empowering weekend.
I Run Free 