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Thread: LDMT why not more popular

  1. #101
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fellwalker View Post
    Local knowledge for these type of events is very interesting. I did the short route and looking at Routegadget a few people took the direct descent down to the final control rather than taking the path over Haystacks. As i have never been that way i had a look at the closeness of the contours and rocky ground depicted on the map and decided discretion was the better part of valour and chose to take the path over Haystack and down Scarth gap. I obviously don't know how long it took people to pick their way down the other way but due to the wind and greasy rock the route over Haystacks was no picnic. Maybe i'll be a bit braver about direct routes next time.
    I noticed one route had gone down black beck. Direct yes but would have taken a long time to pick your way down very, steep, slippery ground. Contouring around the ennerdale side of haystacks is quicker than over the top but given the weather, I opted to go down via the path on the south side of warnscale beck and then direct through fields to the last CP. That was still slow going and would probably have been quicker to have stayed on the path down to the road and then done an out and back from the farm. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

  2. #102
    Member mykind's Avatar
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    That was still slow going and would probably have been quicker to have stayed on the path down to the road and then done an out and back from the farm. Hindsight is a wonderful thing![/QUOTE]

    Yep it was slow going particularly when wearing wellies and carrying a stepladder for the crossing point! However when I took the crossing point down on Monday I found a rather nice quad bike track a bit higher up the fell ho hum...
    Mike Hind
    Borrowdale Fell runners

  3. #103
    Member JamesWoodman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dangilbert View Post
    Bet it didn't take you as long as me! Styhead to Kirk Fell was my low point of the day. I intended taking the traversing path round the side of Gable too. I thought I'd found it, then it seemed to disappear. I persevered for a little while until the rocks and loose stones in front of me looked very unappealing. I decided to bail out at this point, dropped towards Wasdale and climbed back up to Beck Head (cursing myself all the way).
    Dan, just seen your route from CP4 to CP5 on routegadget. I missed the climbers path around the back of Great Gable completely but persevered contouring around on the boulder field you mention to get to Gable Beck and back up to Beck Head, by the time I got there I was so ruined I proceeded to get quite disoriented on Kirk Fell and then scare myself scrambling down Boat How crags. Live and learn eh, retrospectively I also think Windy Gap might have been the best option.

  4. #104
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    Quick question...

    If I was to do this as a first-timer next year, bearing in mind I am quite comfortable getting round the long fell races (Peris/Buttermere/10 Peaks/Welsh 1000/etc)....

    Would I be ill advised to go straight for the classic course, or is it really dependent on my navigational ability.

    I think what I am getting at, is the distance and ascent is not a worry, but does the nature of the navigation make it a massive step up from your 'average' big AL fell race?

    I have seen some sample maps from previous classic courses, and whilst very challenging, I think I'd be more than happy to pit myself against them and see what happens.

    (I guess I've answered my own question!)

  5. #105
    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Quick question...

    (I guess I've answered my own question!)
    Yes! And you won't know unless you go for it!

  6. #106
    Quote Originally Posted by Fellwalker View Post
    Local knowledge for these type of events is very interesting. I did the short route and looking at Routegadget a few people took the direct descent down to the final control rather than taking the path over Haystacks. As i have never been that way i had a look at the closeness of the contours and rocky ground depicted on the map and decided discretion was the better part of valour and chose to take the path over Haystack and down Scarth gap. I obviously don't know how long it took people to pick their way down the other way but due to the wind and greasy rock the route over Haystacks was no picnic. Maybe i'll be a bit braver about direct routes next time.

    It's interesting that this thread is called "LDMT why not more popular" but it has stretched to 10 pages. Obviously its not massively popular in numbers but those who do it love it.
    I think local knowledge is often based on knowing the local races. See ba-ba's comment "looking at some of the route people have put up, quite a few on the classic have evidently never done Borrowdale" refers to the trod to west of Allen Crags; I was planning on using the Ennerdale race route of Kirk fell (but never got there on the Classic), the route on the Ennerdale side of Haystacks is an Ennerdale race trod, and I've been through the col behind Great End a number of times on Mountain Trials, so I'm not sure it's a case of being bolder but more a case of doing the local Lakeland fell races.
    Why not more popular - I think this was one of the biggest entries for a few years so maybe this thread and a few times on Nopesport did the trick! I also think there may be a shift in participants from the top local fell runners in the (now getting more distant) past to the large number of people who are racing ultras and non-trad fell races who are getting to hear about it.

  7. #107
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    Quote Originally Posted by gaw View Post
    Yes! And you won't know unless you go for it!
    I'd second that. This was my first year of doing the trial but I have been running the Lakeland classics since 2006. In that sense, Trav, we are quite similar. In my experience at the weekend I would say that you have to treat the trial as a totally separate event. Unless you are a very good navigator/have excellent weather/know exactly where you are going then you won't be running half as hard as you do in a race. You will spend a large amount of the time on your own so there is also the psychological challenge. Someone said on here (I think) that the trial should be seen as a personal challenge. I think that's the key to it for relative novices like me. Your general fitness will get you round but, like me, you will probably need to take your time looking at the map and devising the best route. I made many mistakes at the weekend but hopefully I'll learn from them.

  8. #108
    Quote Originally Posted by PeteS View Post
    I noticed one route had gone down black beck. Direct yes but would have taken a long time to pick your way down very, steep, slippery ground. Contouring around the ennerdale side of haystacks is quicker than over the top but given the weather, I opted to go down via the path on the south side of warnscale beck and then direct through fields to the last CP. That was still slow going and would probably have been quicker to have stayed on the path down to the road and then done an out and back from the farm. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
    It appears that the person who went down Black Beck was Derek Ratcliffe which may explain his competence and speed on steep ground! Interestingly he also chose to go round Hindscarth and up past the copper mines. I'd never really considered that as a route choice.

  9. #109
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    Quote Originally Posted by JamesWoodman View Post
    Dan, just seen your route from CP4 to CP5 on routegadget. I missed the climbers path around the back of Great Gable completely but persevered contouring around on the boulder field you mention to get to Gable Beck and back up to Beck Head, by the time I got there I was so ruined I proceeded to get quite disoriented on Kirk Fell and then scare myself scrambling down Boat How crags. Live and learn eh, retrospectively I also think Windy Gap might have been the best option.
    In retrospect Windy Gap would have been the better option for me too. My original intention from Kirk Fell was to descend to Ennerdale via Black Sail Pass but the time I spent walking back up to Beck Head gave me the time to rethink and opt for the Moses trod route which I'm glad I took.

  10. #110
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mykind View Post

    Yep it was slow going particularly when wearing wellies and carrying a stepladder for the crossing point! However when I took the crossing point down on Monday I found a rather nice quad bike track a bit higher up the fell ho hum...
    Yes I found that track too but all too late - the damage had already been done. I was quite impressed with the step ladders though - very robust!
    Pete Shakespeare - U/A

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