Ending the year on a high note.

Just a few days of 2017 left but still chance for me to get a few more kilometres completed, and increase the elevation gained figure from the year total of 15,798 metres.  With good sunny weather Saturday was a perfect day for me to have a scamper in Delamere Forest, I've not been there for a while so it was great to get away from the misty lowlands and out into the sun.

Here's the view from Old Pale in the early morning sun, great to know that the days are getting longer know - hooray.  Then it was back home for a warm shower and a sleep, note the long hair, my 'Ewok' look!

Wags and woofs,

Dexter.

The year has flown! 2017 pictures.

Enjoying a rest - summit of Y Llethr  August 2017

This year has gone really quickly, my last post was in March so now it's time to bring you up to date with some of the things I've done in 2017 before the end of the year. Most of the year has been spent in Wales although I did get out to Yorkshire to run on the Pennine Way in the Grassington area.  I've had some great runs and walks in the hills and mountains.  As always I've managed to get out on the water for sailing, rowing and kayaking.  Being a lover of water I've improved my swimming so I'm happy to leap in and retrieve sticks that my humans throw in for me.

I covered over 800 kilometers walking and running with distances ranging from 6 to 16 kilometres and some ascents in excess of 800 metres on the higher hills.  It has been a great year for a terrier and the best way to explain it is to show you the photographs of my adventures. In July I walked to the summit of Cadair Idris (Penygadair) from Dolgellau then along the ridge eastwards over Myndd Moel and descending via Gau Craig and Bwlch Goch into Dolgellau. Over 19 km but apart from the slog up the north face of Cadair (and 
the lack of a view from the summit) it was a great day out.

A steep climb followed by nothing to see at the top but the weather improved as I moved east along the ridge. 

(right) Mynedd Moel and clouds in the background, this is Gau Craig just before the descent.

The top day of this year was a proper fell run to the summits of Diffwys and Y Llethr, the weather was perfect, clear and sunny but not too hot, the ground was brilliant to run on and my human took plenty of water for me. My human was a bit slow towards the end of the run but I kept encouraging him by running ahead and waiting.  The views were spectacular, south-west over the Mawddach, north along the Rhinog range and over to Penygadair to the south.

The start of a perfect day.

Diffwys summit.

Penygadair - the ridge.

It wasn't all running this year, sometimes I just chilled out on the lake or beach, or did some sightseeing. Some little humans came to stay with me in the summer and I had so much fun with them, they are even more bouncy than me.  They wake up a bit too early for me so I try to get some extra snooze time when they have breakfast.

Llyn Tegid - my favourite place.

Playtime in the sea.

Anyone got a match ?

I got to know some new areas of the Berwyn Hills, south of Corwen and also above Cwm Pennant.   It's quite tough running in some places with very few paths and a lot of boggy stuff.

On the Cynwyd to Corwen and back to Cynwyd circuit, some fast running down off the hill into Corwen!

Tough going from Cwm Pennant and over the hill back to Llandrynog.

 

On a train. 

And one or two strange things happened during the year that were puzzling for a small terrier and for my humans too...

I met Darth Vader and R2D2...

...and in December coconuts washed up on the beach at Llyn Tegid!

Lots of wags and woofs,

Dexter .