Day 245 Mile 245: ‘Best Place in the World When the Sun Comes Out’

Day 245 Mile 245: ‘Best Place in the World When the Sun Comes Out’. Having been severly lacking in motivation yesterday evening, the day dawned with spectacular, crisp, autumn sunlight. North Wales is one of those places which rewards patience and consistency. Many days the weather can be dull, or depressing and sometimes it can be positively hostile; but, every so often, the atmospheric conditions, in combination with the landscape throw up something heart-stoppingly beautiful 🙂

I made my way to do the Conwy Parkrun, and having a few minutes ahead of time to do something that purports to being a warm up, I went up the hill to the remains of Deganwy Castle and managed to take a photo which seems to capture the entire course.

On the photo above the 5km route starts towards the far left of the estuary water. It then tracks along the closer shore before breaking across the horizontal line of the bridge, almost reaching the castle on the far (upper) side. It then U turns back across the bridge to join the closer bank and comes level with the marina in the bottom right of the photo. From there it is a simple run directly back along the foreground shore to the start.

Conwy parkrun start — Milling around at the start

Today was a great mix of people celebrating a 70th birthday with a family run, a chance to (almost literally) bump into friends, and charge about in the sunshine. There was very little wind, and that which there was had a slight chill to it which helped to keep everyone from overheating in the bright sunlight. Along the estuary the tide was already high, the few small islands in the centre were populated by the sea birds so beloved by the visitors to the RSPB nature reserve. There was a plethora of small birds, possibly plovers although it was hard to tell at such a distance. Between them stood a small group of ostercatchers, who always seem like puffins who have chosen to smarten themselves up and get jobs, although they still retain some of their rakish wit. Wandering between these was a white egret, along with, much to everyone’a mirth, a shag! (yes it’s a real member of the class Aves).

All in all it was great fun, and I’m so glad I got over my apathy of last night and set the alarm to get up for it 🙂

I’m running a mile each day everyday for 2017. If you feel you can sponsor me please do, as all the money raised will go to the Cleft Lip & Palate Association (CLAPA) who provide services all across the UK to support people affected by it.