On the Pilgrims' Way

SATURDAY

It was a chilly 7ºC outside, and still dark at 07:00 am. I had to prise myself out of bed and drive the eight miles to the Greenfield Valley Parkrun at Holywell this morning. 

I finished in 32nd place and 1st in my age category with a time of 28:18. The 28-minute pacer caught up and overtook me 500m short of the finish, and as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t keep up with him on the steep final stretch. 

I had a good chat with a couple of friendly Parkrun tourists (with their dog) who were visiting from the Midlands and were asking about local places to visit. 

Late afternoon, I walked up to Corpus Christi Church in the village, which sits on the North Wales Pilgrims' Way Trail. This 135-mile trail winds from Basingwerk Abbey, near Holywell (which is accidentally on the Greenfield Valley Parkrun course), to Aberdaron and Bardsey Island, tracing ancient routes across farmland, moorland, mountains, and shoreline. 

This week, the BBC Radio Cymru presenter Aled Hughes is walking the route to raise money for Children in Need. I was introduced to Aled and his walking companion when they stopped off at the church, and they were more than happy to chat and pose for a few photos. I also met Duncan, who joined Aled for the final stretch of today’s leg from Tremeirchion to St Asaph Cathedral.  They should just about arrive there in daylight. 

It turned out that Duncan is a keen runner himself and a member of the local "Striders" running group. He’s invited me to join them on their upcoming weekday 5k and Sunday 10k runs—so watch this space!

(Aled is on the right in the photo, together with his walking companion for anyone wondering!)