Save Our Reservoirs Walk Saturday

Juliet Sidney
Sep 3, 2011
2 min read

The Three Who Climbed a Hill and Came Down a Mountain

This was a really early start, too early for a Saturday. Up at 6 for breakfast and to pick up Sarah at just after 7 for our registration in Pontcanna Scout hut for 7.30.

We set off keen of what the day would hold. The route looked really good and we were all looking forward to it but would the weather hold off.

We first made our way over the Llanishen reservoir via Roath park and then on to Cefn Park where we made our way onto the Ridgeway Valley walk. By this time we were at our 3rd checkpoint so at least we had navigated to the right spot. Time for a well earned bar we thought.

From here we headed off to Caerphilly Mountain via the Ridgeway Valley walk. Before reaching the top we decided a quick stop at the Mountain Cafe was in order for coffee and a bacon roll. 20 mins later we set off again for the short walk to the top and our third check. From here we made our way to the Garth Mountain via Craig Yr Allt, 2 decent climbs. When we got to the top of the Garth we realised we had come down the wrong side of Craig Yr Allt but still we were still on track, well more or less. Time for a quick breather and another sarnie and a bar!.

We came off the back of the Garth and headed over to Taff Trail via Pughes Garden Centre. Once we got to the Taff trial we were on familiar territory and hence could dispense with the Maps, GPS and route description given to us by the organisers.

At this point we were all flagging, the route we knew well but mostly on 2 wheels, so the thought of a slow and painful walk to the finish was a little hard.

We finally got in having been out for almost 9 and half hours. Tea and biscuits were the order of the day. Sarah and I thought that the sections of route would be worth revisiting as shorter walks or as part of bigger bike rides. The good news was the weather held off until the last few miles. So we didn't get too wet after all.

We were all shattered but a couple of days later were able to reflect on what we had achieved and on the whole what a great day we had. I did use my GPS tracker on my phone to track our route. Unfortunately it ran out of juice for the last few miles, despite me fully charging my phone the night before.