Posted on June 17, 2012 by Chris Baynham-Hughes
If I was searching for the perfect trail then I found it yesterday. During my odyssey into long distance trail running and long distance mountain running I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer the long distance trails. This is because I just love running and with some of the more challenging mountain courses one simply has to walk too much (unless you are Kilian!) This was confirmed yesterday as I met up with Caz (Carwyn Phillips) for a run in Pembrokeshire. Local knowledge is always a bonus, but the path Caz took me on was nothing short of trail pornography!
Starting out at Pwll Deri we ran just over 11 miles South on the Coastal trail to Porthgain. As we arrived Caz made me close my eyes and not look at the coast line until he had parked at the right angle to make the most of the view. As I opened my eyes I was blown away despite spending half a week down here already. The Prehistoric coastline stretched around with several outcrops separated from the main coastline like little islands. Beautiful green fields full of cows and sheep run right up to the coastal edge and an undulating pencil mark of a trail snakes around hugging the cliffs. With superb weather and a variety of shades in the sky I was already beaming from ear to ear!
The trail winds around the coastline and heads down to beaches with smooth pebble banks and then back up along the cliff edges. Every last millimetre was runable and every view sensational. Add to that fantastic company and bonkers weather – ranging from stunning sun right the way through to torrential rain which soaked us to the skin. At points we could see horrendous rain out to sea whilst seeing every shade of blue from sea to sky. The water clarity is stunning and it is without reservation that I say it is up with the most beautiful places I have seen on this earth!
The trail itself is pretty well worn and has only a few technical sections. In many respects underfoot it is like the trails I have near to my house, but open your eyes and you can’t help but stop to take it in. Just over 11 miles later and I was disappointed to finish. If we’d have put in another 20 or so I would still not have been satisfied. One mile was too many and a thousand would never be enough!
Time to start on the logistics for running the Pembrokeshire coastal path end to end. It’s only just shy of 190 miles… what a few days that would be… any takers?
UltraCBH 