Oh Granty your post is music to my ears! I thought I'd take a different route up and out of the valley this evening and ended ankles deep in mud. I laughed and huffed up the hill, there was no chance of running on the mud slide. It's heart warming to hear that not everybody has legs of iron and infinite lung power.

I love maps and still have my trusty compass; I shall do as you suggest and take myself off to the hills. Pen y Fan is near and a nice walk, maybe I'll just run down for my first trip out

Many thanks for your advice!