A Welsh Adventure - Croeso 2012

Holidays are about having a change. A change of scene, a change of weather, a change of activity and even a good rest. Croeso 2012 taking place in mid Wales centred on Aberystwyth certainly ticked many of these boxes. The scenery was spectacular, the weather was amazing with a whole week of sun. 6 days of Orienteering could hardly be described as a rest, but it's safe to say that everyone who took part had a great week both in terms of personal achievement and social atmosphere.

Aberystwyth is surrounded by green, quite steep rolling farmland and a patchwork of farms and villages with the ground rising inland to the ridges of the Cambrian mountains. North Wales has serious peaks and crags, whilst mid Wales is a magical area of high rolling grassy uplands,where in good weather the dapple light of clouds and sun flit across the mountains. From the summits views to the north and west seem to go on forever out across the blue Irish sea and to the major peaks of Snowdonia.

We both love the high hills and so for us the days in the mountains were the highlights of the week. Day 1 had an impressive open assembly area in the shadow of Cader Idris.

Cader Idris

Days 4/5 Teifi assembly

On days 4 and 5 even the track to the car park was steep enough to test driving skills. Three of the mountain days included some fairly hefty climbs to the starts, then it was mountain 'O' at its best The terrain contained few if any paths,almost no trees, being an undulating mountain area with lines of crags,scattered boulders and a good number of marshes. Once started you were on your own! The compass had to be used almost continuously and you needed to be able to rapidly interpret the superbly detailed maps. If you could do this then there was plenty of information to help you get between control sites, but if you 'lost it' then fury and frustration accompanied attempts to re-locate in a very unforgiving area. Following could lead to disaster because most other people aren't on your course, but be aware of them because they might just be of help!. Very technical terrain suits us because it slows down the fast runners and we enjoy the challenge to be accurate. A tortoise and hare approach! Parts of the areas were pretty physical with climbs of up to 400m on the longest courses and it was not unknown to see an orienteer crawling on hands and knees up a precipitous slope to a reach a control.

The climb to the Start on Day 5 Teifi

If you can 'crack' the navigation the feeling of elation as you run down the finish lane, cheered by other WIMs is a great experience.

Sitting in the sun on a mountain top at the day 4  'Red' start with group of fellow WIMs admiring a 30mile view spread out below was a memorable time at a memorable event.

Day 3 was a 'Middle Distance' day in tough, steep coniferous forest at Hafod near Devils Bridge. It was a severe challenge in terms of the rough steep terrain.

The Ystwyth at picturesque Hafod

Day 6 was a complete contrast, being a largely urban race within the hilly campus of Aberystwyth University. The runners had a field day whilst we enjoyed some relatively rapid sight seeing on courses that climbed round the complex campus layout.

Croeso 2012 broke all records for a Welsh multi day event. There were 2055 competitors, almost 800 foreign entries from 24 different countries including 113 from Switzerland.

There were some outstanding WIM performances with both Nikki and Keith winning their overall classes, but the abiding memory is of a holiday full of glorious scenery, wonderful weather  and good company. The WIM group formed a great team with the banner always being the focus for a lively camp full of young and old club members swapping experiences as they recovered from their runs. A social highlight of the week was a meal organised by Kirsty in a hotel looking out over the sea on a gloriously sunny evening in Aberystwyth. A multi-day event is a really great experience and if you go you are likely to come home tired but elated and looking forward to the next one.

See you at Moray 2013!!

John and Barbara Warren