And now for something completely different, perfect for those into running and railways, based in the pretty Cardigan Bay town of Tywyn.
Saturday August 19 sees the Talyllyn Railway stage its 38th annual Race the Train event, wherein competitors vie, as the name suggests, to beat a train across a set distance.
Five races will be staged on the day with varying distances and age requirements.
The Rotary Challenge is 14 miles, has a minimum age of 17 years and sets off from Tywyn Wharf Station, with one mile through town, then on to Abergynolwyn Station where runners and train turn around for the return leg.
Both runners and train set off to the train’s whistle!
The train usually takes around one hour 47 minutes to complete the course, with the fastest runners home after around one hour 20 minutes.
Note well, the second leg is much harder than the first so those hoping to eclipse the engine need to be well ahead of an estimated half-way time.
The Quarry Challenge begins at Quarry Siding, a mile from Abergynolwyn, with runners (15 years minimum) setting off as the train approaches, for a total of 6.2 miles (10k) back to Tywyn.
Three shorter events do not race the train but use the same finish line as the two which do.
The Dolgoch Challenge, minimum age 10 years, is 5.5 miles from Dolgoch Station to Tywyn Wharf.
The Tynilwyn Hen Challenge has a minimum age of 9 years over 3.3 miles.
For the youngest competitors, the Toddlers Trot is around a field near Wharf Station. This has a maximum age of 9 years, with babies able to be carried by a parent or guardian. This race normally has almost 250 entrants!
Tywyn town centre is only around one kilometre from the beach, making a weekend away a very attractive prospect – almost as attractive as the wonderful medal available to runners…
