Ystylafera 13 July 2024
And relax....
Now that is exactly what I needed !
I'm still down in Wales and I'll probably be down here for the rest of the month, sorting out things for dad, making sure everything is in place for mum's funeral on the 24th and shamelessly plugging my begging people to donate towards the MS Rehab centre in Swansea(John Richards is fundraising for The South Wales Ms Therapy Centre (justgiving.com) )
Unlike last week, there was no doubt that I was going to do a parkrun. The only question was where. After quite a slow start to getting into parkrun, they are popping up thick and fast in Wales. Today was my 506th parkrun and the 49th different venue, having ran Gnoll, Ponty, Brynbach, Porthcawl and Swansea in Wales, I looked at the 5K app and found that Ystalyfera and Maesteg were the two nearest NENDYs to my dad's house.
I looked at Ysty on Youtube and was immediately sold. What a stunning looking place and also a rare flat one. It is an out and back but it is so beautiful, (see the waterfall picture around 3/4 of a mile in) you really don't notice and it gives you time to properly concentrate on your pace.
Firstly though, getting there. Best thing to do is use the postcode of the Junction Cafe (SA9 2HA - What Three Words, Orders Presumes Juggles) which is where everywhere meets (or use the big Asda just across the road)
Now, I didn't have What Three Words and the stupid Sat Nav took me through Seven Sisters and ended up dumping me around 100 yards up the road by down a No Entry Street) If you get lost, stop and ask for directions as all the locals know where the Big Asda or the Junction Cafe are
When you do (hopefully) arrive, there's plenty of space by the cafe, where you will see a parking marshal. The way to the start is very clearly marked, taking you over the bridge (where it is legally required that you must stop and take a picture) and then its just a short walk to the start, if you can get there in time without taking more pictures.
As it is an out and back course, there's plenty of places to leave your stuff and there are always people there to keep an eye on them.
Now the course itself. It's flat, probably with a slight slope on the way down. My splits were 7.28, 7.36 and 7.32, so it's a course where you can get your pace on and split it up into various sections...The waterfall, the photographer, where the fast runners come back, (Chris Tones flew past me just before the half way point and finished well clear in 17.03 for a new PB) , other runners on way back etc.
You can also race (obviously theoretically as parkrun is most definitely a run not a race) the person in front of you. I managed to do just that on that way back using the two lads in front of me to pace and trying to pull them in which I just did before the end)
For such a young parkrun (today was it's 12th) it's incredible to see how well the team has everything done to a tee. This is by far and away the youngest parkrun I've done since I've been doing my reports and you'd see no difference between this and one of it's oldest cousins, Bramhall. (Brucie Bonus that this is the first 12th parkun I've done)
I also feel that I am repeating myself but this, too, is fighting for the medal for one of my favourites. It's nice and fast like Swansea, Stretford or Alexandra but there is something about the 'newness' and stunning location (saying that Swansea Bay is hard to beat) which I really loved.
Finished the run, got my time, handed in token...yakkaty yak....now for the serious part. We've had the parkrun, what about the coffee ?
Its is well documented from previous run reports that the food is top notch, and I concur (had the medium breakfast, sausage and bacon was some of the nicest I've ever had)...what about the coffee ? Well, the scurrilous rumours from previous penners of this report did not appear to be quite as first seemed.
I am a coffee snob, I don't spend my money on many posh things but I have bought a really nice coffee machine so it was much chagrin, alarm and a slight degree of discombobulation (no idea what that word means it sounds 'shouty' enough to work) that I ventured into the Junction to check out the brews. Now, it is fair to say that it was not a bean machine with the dizzying sounds of beans being ground up and served with a delicious aroma of coffee goodness but it was also not a sachet. They had one of those machines that you put a packet it. Not top class, but not like it had been reported.
My biggest takeaway though was the food, it was absolutely lovely. I was only surprised that there were not more people in there, hopefully it got a bit fuller later on after I left. Really important to support our parkrun cafes.
Cycle Route 43 is a very odd name for Ystalyfera parkrun but I can see why. There is a 'challenge' that some folk like to do in that they try to collect parkruns with the names starting with every letter of the alphabet. Ys are rare so if they did have a parkrun starting with Y, this lovely village would be packed with people trying to 'collect it' It's a gorgeous place and the 133 runners today was just about perfect. So I can well understand why this was done.
As ever, I loved this run, a lungs bursting, full speed parkrun is antidote to loss. I cannot over emphasis enough the power of getting out in a beautiful place and getting away from it all. Running as fast as you can, looking at waterfalls, stunning views and then sitting down for a lovely breakfast.
Route 43....thank you x
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