I live on the very south-eastern edge of the Beacons. It’s where I first explored as a kid, on foot and on bike, and the moors above Brynmawr hold a lot of personal significance for me. This is my usual goto area to explore, seeking out unusual nooks and crannies in the landscape.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cjU9d5jXjZBjkpE29 is my Google Photo album called the Joy of Running, where I keep the photos I’m most proud of during the years since 2017 where I started running in earnest,

https://www.plotaroute.com/routes/all/latest/1?MappedBy=209955 is my Plotaroute directory of running routes. I use PAR as it integrates well with my Garmin (Enduro 3) and I use Garmin’s Up Ahead facility to break routes down into areas of special exploration.

In summer the area is beautiful. Typically I have a few different start areas, where I can park the car and explore. Abergavenny, Llangynidr and Crickhowell for the eastern edge, and Cyfarthfa Park, Dare Valley and Parc Penallta for more western explores.

Typically I aim for 80k in distance and about 1400-2000m climb per week. I have completed several ultras of 50K and upwards – with a personal best for distance of 103K in 2024 with the Buff Joust 24. In 2025 I aim to increase this to 100 miles.

But I don’t have to go far to see scenery. The valley I live in is beautiful – scarred by its post industrial past, but still with an underlying wildness that cannot be tamed. Red kites and other birds of prey call these areas home, as well as other fauna like deer reclaiming the area from man.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/16062679369 is a prime example of my weekend runs. This year, I explored more of the western Black Mountains than I had done in the past, and in doing so found more and more interesting areas to seek out. Grwyne Valley is fascinating, and linked closely to the south Wales valleys industrial past than I realised, with a reservoir constructed in a single year to gravity feed water to the thirsty mining population of Gwent.