It’s a PB for Fiona

On Saturday 18th June at 10am I set off from Capel Curig in Snowdonia to attempt the Paddy Buckley Round.  The route is a circuit of approximately 62 miles long taking in some 47 summits amassing approximately 29000 foot of climb.  The route takes in the well-known high mountain ranges of Snowdon, the Glyderau and the Carneddau as well as the slightly less visited ranges of Moel Siabod, the Moelwynion, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge.  Unlike its cousins the Bob Graham Round or the Ramsey Round there is no time stipulation to complete, rather that it is completed in one go.

The weather gods were smiling all day as we set off.  There are 5 legs or stages to complete and I had a navigator and support runners to carry supplies on each leg.

Name check for my fellow Calder Valley club mates, Stuart Russell navigated the Capel Curig leg and Helen Buchan navigated the Snowdon leg with expertise!  I enjoyed the first three stages without experiencing many issues and was happily ticking off each top.  On the final two legs, during night and early morning, I experienced some tummy issues which made eating and drinking difficult.  However I was still able to make progress. 

Fiona well equipped for all conditions and she needed to be

Visibility was poor and winds were really high which added to the adventure and also slowed me down.  However we were rewarded by clear views as we made our way to the final two tops and dropped down into the valley and along the road to finish in a time of 26 hours 31 minutes.  It was an amazing weekend on the mountains with my favourite people. Lots of brilliant memories were made, and made all the training and weekends of recces and travel definitely worth it.

A very happy Fiona at the finish in Capel Curig

report in fiona’s own word