Stolly's Running Adventures

13th December 2008 - Bolton Bridge, Bolton Abbey, the Strid, Howgill Lane, Simon's Seat and back - 13.25 miles and 1,300 feet up/down

OS Explore Route

Feeling like crap from a 7 hour Christmas 'lunch' on Friday and having to catch the train to Skipton to collect my car, I decided to run away my hangover and the vaguely worrying flashbacks of the day before by zipping over to Bolton Abbey. This circuit is one of my best and most run routes from when I used to live over that way. The car parks weren't yet open at Bolton Abbey which probably saved me a huge wad of cash and instead I parked at Bolton Bridge by the cricket ground, which had the added advantage of making my planned run maybe a mile longer.

The route pretty much follows the river Wharfe for the first six or seven miles with a lot of that being through Strid Woods. After the woods its a long (and yesterday waterlogged) loop up river, crossing Barden Bridge, past the Howgill camp site then steeply up to Simon's Seat, a fast descent back into the Valley of Desolation with some more river side running to finish. Absolutely brilliant.

Five or six times the riverside 'path' became a bit wet - knee deep wet in fact!

http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/6025/pc130565is7.jpg

The view towards Appletreewick just before it went all claggy on the way up to Simon's Seat:

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/3540/pc130567zm6.jpg

This is more of what I'm used to - running up a boggy rocky path into icey cloud with no mamby pamby trees and rivers in sight:

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/2105/pc130568ip5.jpg

The waterfall in the Valley of Desolation was switched full on yesterday:

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/4121/pc130571im0.jpg

A slowish 2 hours 13 but fantastic all the same and it completely de-fugged my head.

Ran along the side of the river on Saturday from Addingham to Bolton Abbey and wet it was, I bet the waterfall looked and sounded good, again nice pics Stolly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Big Compass

Ran along the side of the river on Saturday from Addingham to Bolton Abbey and wet it was, I bet the waterfall looked and sounded good, again nice pics Stolly.

---

Were you wearing Mudclaw 330s Big Compass? Followed your SMNOTS yesterday if you were! ;):D

14th December 2008 - Settle Loop towards Malham and back - 12 miles and 1500 feet up/down

OS Explore Route

I very nearly couldn't be arsed to post this run but, given that my year of keeping this frigging running diary is almost over and that it was another beautiful snow run, I thought it best to in the end. So Sunday morning and straight out my front door I hack up the Pennine Bridleway towards High Hill and the Stockdale Valley beyond:

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/5941/pc140573dh9.jpg

Once off of the main drag and heading up onto the moor it suddenly dawned on me that there had been fresh snow up here on Saturday night. Here seen after about 40 minutes of running looking back down the Stockdale Valley towards Settle. High Hill is now the distant green snow stained hill in the top right of the picture:

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/1203/pc140576gj8.jpg

And the same view but from a bit further up now with plenty of proper snow cover all round. Rye Loaf Hill to the left:

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6353/pc140581uo4.jpg

And finally the sun rising over Kirkby Fell:

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4749/pc140580xj2.jpg

Once up top it was a case of breezing down to the main track that heads back towards Langcliffe, with distant views of a misty Malham Tarn, before hacking back in a wide loop, down through Attermire Scar and then down the steep drop off into Settle and home. Fantastic to have run in snow now for the past 4 weekends on the trot. 2 hours and 3 minutes.

Oh wow, just discovered this running diary by following the link in your signature... lovely pics! :)

You going to do a 2009 diary Stolly?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Derby Tup

You going to do a 2009 diary Stolly?

---

Like fcuk am I :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stolly

Like fcuk am I :D

---

Like fcuk you are pal! :D

WOW that was a real good read, and LOVED the photos, i really think you need to publish this, whether its in a newsletter or your own magazine, if its only for the family and friends...

Xcellent!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NirvanaBliss

.. if its only for the family and friends...

Xcellent!

---

Hehe, the last people on earth I would like to know were reading this would be my family and (non-running) friends.