Steam Bunny Bluff

[Wheeze]

Steam Bunny Promotions in association with Clwb Rhedwyr Brycheiniog are pleased to present a proposed new long race for South Wales.
Steam Bunny Bluff AL 22miles/5980 feet (35k/1800m)
Date to be confirmed (but looking at Aug 9th)
Start/Finish. Hay on Wye County Primary School.
Route: http://connect.garmin.com/course/5365659

CP1 Hay Bluff
CP2 LHK
CP3 Capel y ffin
CP4 Grwyne Valley road crossing
CP5 Pen y Gadair Fawr
CP6 Waun Fach
CP7 North end of Grwyne Resevoir
CP8 Tywyn talycefn
CP9 Rhos Dirion
CP10 LHK
CP11 Hay Bluff.

Marshalled safety refuges: Gospel Pass, Capel Y Ffin, Grywne Valley road crossing.
There will be no official summit marshals.

Raced under Steam Bunny Rules,

You MUST only start the race with a supplied tracker.
You MUST visit the checkpoints in order and dib in.
You MUST hand in your tracker at the finish or to a marshal on retirement.
You MUST NOT litter.

There are no other rules. All requirements of EFRA/WFRA/SHR are advisory and suggested as the minimum standard for competitors. But competitors take FULL responsibility for their safety, navigation, nutrition and so forth.
There will be no legal recourse to the race organiser in the event of mishap. Do not plan to enter race if you do not accept this.

Full details will follow as the course is tested this spring.

All are welcome and encouraged to recce the course and feedback their thoughts via this thread. This is a collaborative venture for those who want simple, cheap, low impact fell racing.

[Derby Tup]

My only comment is the very best of luck Wheeze!

[Running-Fish]

looking like it will only be a couple of weeks after the lakeland 100, so i'll be a wreck, but i'll be there even if i have to crawl round as your approach personifies everything that first attracted me to fell running and therefore needs to be encouraged and perpetuated for those still to come.

[Boy Wonder]

It's late at night, I've just completed my tax return (why am I paying off the National Debt single-handedly?!) and my defences are down, so go on then, put me down (subject to usual fitness and holiday criteria)

Coincidentally I'm off for a weekend in Hay this coming weekend with the Significant Other.... we'll be out on the hills (weather permitting!) so may get a sneaky peek at some of the route...

[Wheeze]

Brilliant OBW.
The bits I'm most concerned about are the first run out from Hay on Offas Dyke path (may have to use the lanes if there are a lot of stiles) and the run down from the ridge into Capel Y Ffin and back up towards Chwarel Y Fan. Everything else is wide open wilderness!

[mr brightside]

I thought is was Steam Bunny's Knob? Any updates on the CRB vests?

[mr brightside]

...and the run down from the ridge into Capel Y Ffin and back up towards Chwarel Y Fan.

You could put a dibber at 'The Grange'. This makes the simplest route a SW line to the fell wall and picking up the footpath to Chapel Farm; followed by a short road run up to the The Grange, from where the bridle track up to Blacksmith's Anvil is the obvious route back to access land. The issue would be how people get over the wall- you don't want any gates left open.

[Wheeze]

Yes, the Grange is a good spot. We used that as change over point on our Top to Bottom epic last year.
I'll check with Toffer about the wall.

[Grubby]

Excellent news !
Can I use my ASBO tracker, or do I have to use the one supplied ?

[Boy Wonder]

Okay, recce update from a submerged Hay-on-Wye!

Friday - Ceri and I walked from Gospel Pass onto Hay Bluff, and then followed the path south along the ridge and dropped down behind The Vision into Capel-y-Ffin. I'd suggest you seriously consider this as the race route, rather than over LHK - the running along the ridge is really good, lots of sections on large slabs through the bogs so folks aren't trashed too soon, and then a seriously steep challenging (well, it was in walking boots with a deluge of water flowing down!) descent to The Vision. Then for the race I'd suggest over the road, up past Maes-y-ffin, and then either pioneer a straight line onto the ridge or contour right on the edge of the access land and pick up the path from The Grange?

Saturday - we ran in a monsoon out of Hay along ODP to Hay Bluff (and then east to Cefn Hill and back over Cefn Hill and through the woods - a good outing, major mud at the bottom of Cusop Dingle!). Good start/finish field at the bottom of ODP next to the car park and swimming pool (changing and showers?) - first two fields are big, so runners will already have started to space out before stiles. Then various stiles in the first few miles, but not too many... think the start of Llanbedr/Blaenavon. Once you're up above Upper Danyforest you're onto a good bridle way, just one gate and then you're out on the common and the rest is simples..,..

Signed.... your man (temporarily) on the spot!