Gisborough, Gibside or .......... the Clwydian Hills? Tied-in with a trip to see my brother in Manchester, I opted for the short journey over the border on Sunday morning for the Clwydian Hills fell race (10m, 3100ft ascent). The poor little village of Cilcain, under the shadow of Moel Famau (pronounced 'mole vam-i', the final summit and high point in the race at 550m), was besieged by over 150 fell runners, more than double the usual turn out. This was the last race in the 2010 WFRA Open series and North Wales series and resulted in a record field. The weather was gorgeous however things were quite different under foot with a lot of recent rainfall and I knew my worn out old Mudroc's would struggle. A steady pace and a few drop-outs had me slowly picking my way through the field. I met a nice chap called Tim in a local Clwydian Range Runners vest who told me he used to go to university in Newcastle. Fortunately I was running at about the same pace as Tim for most of the race (well, until the last two miles, after which he tore away) - the fortunate thing being that this was actually Tim Higginbottom, an expert navigator with local knowledge. So I benefitted from my own personal pathfinder for most of the race. I finished quite strongly too to come home in 6th place in 76 minutes, behind the winner in 72.5 and Tim in 74.5 (and 3rd place). Very enjoyable, beautiful surroundings. Recommended. Results, report, and if you can be bothered, photos at www.wfra.org.uk

Will Horsley