DimExcuses

It looks like we have a difficult time ahead, and it isn’t going to end soon. So while I have some time on my hands I am going to give the blog the attention it has long needed.

If you are looking to get your outside fix in these lockdown times maybe have a look down the rabbit hole of the adventures of my girlfriend Sharon and I as we post stuff and nonsense from Wild West Wales with our…

The first gallery can be found here. 

The second gallery can be found here.

The main Darth Mannion X page can be found here.

Click on a thumbnail to open the images.

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The first gallery can be found here. 

The main Darth Mannion X page can be found here.

Click on a thumbnail to open the images.

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 16%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

The main Darth Mannion X page can be found here.

Click on a thumbnail to open the images.

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 16%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

  A little later in the year, and a little later in the day, Gower’s favorite beach and swamp challenge, the Darth Mannion returns for its tenth year. Also returning was a bit of Gower sun for the brave long distance, river running, sea submerging athletes who dare to enter it. A welcome return from the snow of last year.

Photos from previous years can be found here:

Darth Mannion 9, 2018.

Dart…

It is the tenth anniversary of the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk. An epic tradition that includes over 15 miles of the South Gower Coast. Starting on the first bus out of Swansea, we commence the walk at the breathtaking Rhossili Bay.

It is then a straight line forced march up and down the limestone slades and cliffs of the South Gower Coast.

The aim of this first part is to get to Port Eynon by 11am for a full breakfast in the Captain’s Table Cafe. The weather this year was perfect, unlike last year when we nearly drowned.

From Port Eynon we took the Wales Coast Path to Oxwich Bay for a well deserved pint of Gower Gold. You can see my Strava track of the whole route here. I also made a relive video you can see here.

Not only did we have perfect weather this year, we also had a perfect low tide that made our walk on the beach to Three Cliffs Bay and Pobbles a breeze.

Our next stop was in the Southgate Club, for another Gower Gold. We always get a great welcome from the Landlady, amazed at our epic ten year tradition. We changed the route this year to make the walk more accessible.  Instead of heading on to Pwll Du Bay and then finishing in the Joiners Arms, we this year headed out to Pennard Castle.

The reason for the route change was that we could then finish in the Gower Inn. This would then enable everyone to get the bus back to where we started. This worked out much better for everyone. So a perfect end to a perfect summer. A full gallery of the walk can be seen below (just click on a thumbnail). You should join us next year, DimExcuses.

Just like last year, Swansea Bay 10k was a total washout in 2018. The downward stretch wasn’t too bad, you can see gallery 1 here, but by the return it was hammering it down.

But Swansea Bay runners are a hardy lot and thousands charged through despite the rain. The only tougher bunch was us spectators who didn’t get to run to keep warm.

No matter what the weather though it is still one of the best 10k races in the UK.

Here is the full gallery 2 showing the runners in their rain washed glory, and don’t worry I will see you all next year, no matter what the weather is throws at me, DimExcuses.

Firstly apologies that it has taken me a couple of weeks to put these pictures up, I have been really busy. This year’s 10k was a total wash out, with runners and spectators getting totally soaked.  Very similar to last year then.

Here is a gallery of the runners heading down to Mumbles on the first 5k. The rain held off for this bit, it was on the way back that it poured down. I was is my usual spot at Blackpill.

So here is the first gallery in all its glory, click on the thumbnails to open any picture, DimExcuses.

Hunting the Fence Orchid. Kenfig, June 2018.

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It all started with the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk, a yearly walk in September, 19 miles in 9 hours taking in the best of the South Gower Coast. Then there was the DimExcuses Mid Winter Walk, a 10K on the rest of the South Gower coast racing the sunset from Pwll Du Bay to Mumbles.

Now we are aiming to do four DimExcuses walks every year, with each one on the equinox of each season. So this was the first DimExcuses Start of Spring Walk. Starting at Gowerton Station we took the train to Pembrey and Bury Port Station and then basically walked a half marathon back along the Wales Coast Path.

I tracked the walk in two legs, before and after lunch. You can see the Strava data for the first leg here, and also a Relive video of the first part here.

We had the DimExcues Dogs Oakley and Molly with us, but Molly only did the first walk because she is a bit small for a walk of that length.

Oakley is big enough to do the whole lot and take it in his stride.

You can see the Strava for the second leg here, and another Relive video of the second part here.

It was a great walk, and we were lucky with the weather. The only issue was that the whole 14 miles were on tarmac, so that took a hard toll on knees, hips and backs. We are used to the grass and sand of the DimExcuses End of Summer Walk.

It was a cracking day and we did it all in about six hours including lunch. A full gallery of all photos is below, just click on a thumbnail to see the larger photos. So we are now thinking about a DimExcuses Mid Summer Walk, you should come on that one, DimExcuses.

This is the forth gallery from the Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Run Challenge 2018. You can find an index of all four galleries here. Click on any of the thumbnails below to open and view the gallery, DimExcuses.

This is the third gallery from the Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Run Challenge 2018. You can find an index of all four galleries here. Click on any of the thumbnails below to open and view the gallery, DimExcuses.

This is the second gallery from the Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Run Challenge 2018. You can find an index of all four galleries here. Click on any of the thumbnails below to open and view the gallery, DimExcuses.

This is the first gallery from the Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Run Challenge 2018. You can find an index of all four galleries here. Click on any of the thumbnails below to open and view the gallery, DimExcuses.

The Beast from the East meets the Gower Monster. Darth Mannion 2018.

The Darth Mannion Beach and Swamp Challenge, the Gower cross county half marathon is tough at the best of times. You can see how tough it was in previous years here: 2015 Darth Mannion 2016 Darth Mannion 2017 Darth Mannion  This year the weather forecast was really bad.  The Beast from the East weather system that brought the country to a stand still a week ago was making its return with bitter…

There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Three Cliffs, Pobbles, Winter 2017.

Winter is upon us.  Temperatures are barely above zero and snow is hitting the UK with a vengeance.  Gower may have eascaped the worst of the snow but it is bitter cold with biting winds.  Yet as Ranulph Fiennes is so famously quoted as saying “there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”. I am permanently wearing a baselayer, I have some cracking Skins thermal ones and I have broken out…

Gower Winter Walks 2. Pennard Castle and Three Cliffs Bay circular route. http://wp.me/p1REpi-1Y

UPDATE FOR 2018: This has proved to be the most popular walk that I have done. It is also the go to walk for exercising my dog Molly at weekends. I have edited it so that it is all still relevant. You can now see a 3D aerial video of this route here, so that you can plan walking it yourself. The original post is below. With some brighter weather this January I was able to get out on a much more…