Todays permitted exercise!

10.62 miles, 2,818 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Mainly overcast, with cloud banks at multiple levels; there was some sunshine/blue sky. No rain. A moderate breeze from the north west. The terrain above 2,400 feet was firm with some ice on puddles/tarns - below that it was saturated/streaming - grip was variable. I saw only 4 walkers on the fells; there was 1 runner in the valley.

Ascending Red Screes from the top of Scandale I kept the wall on my left for most of the way - it was mainly lumpy grass, and a nice change from the rocks/mud on the other side.

12.66 miles, 3,692 feet, 4 hours 18 minutes: Ambleside to Swinescar Pike and back, going over Silver How and Loughrigg top both ways, and Lang How on the return. Overcast, with the cloud base mainly above the high tops. No rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fells; I passed the AAC Tuesday/Friday group - there were about 10 of them.

No ice today. Some small patches of snow were visible on Helvellyn.

10.02 miles, 2,694 feet, 3 hours 1 minute: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, along the ridge to the true top, down to Nanny Lane and back up to the Pike. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 500 feet; double that later. Intermittent drizzle. A moderately strong wind from the south. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fell. There were 2 runners descending the Wansfell steps, and I saw another 2 in the valley, as well as the tail enders doing the local parkrun.

I started out with my waterproof top on, but despite the drizzle it soon came off as it was so warm.

12.03 miles, 3,349 feet, 3 hours 47 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and then back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,800 feet; misty below that. Intermittent drizzle; a very strong wind from the south west that increased dramatically with height. Terrain saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about, though there was one large group of about 15. 7 runners seen.

10.57 miles, 2,645 feet, 3 hours 22 minutes: Ambleside - Sweden Bridge Lane - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 700 feet. Constant drizzle/light rain. A strong wind from the south. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery - puddles and rivulets everywhere. I saw 2 walkers and no runners on the fell. The walkers were just leaving the road to start up the south ridge - I was tempted to advise them against ascending but decided not to - they would soon have learnt whether or not these conditions were for them.

It took me a while to work out where to cross Scandale Beck without getting water over the top of my ankle length waterproof socks - but I eventually succeeded - my feet were still dry when I got home.

10.08 miles, 3,318 feet, 3 hours 8 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, along the ridge to the true top, and back up to the Pike from the upper section of Nanny Lane. Sunshine and high clouds - most of the high tops were cloud free. No rain. A moderate wind from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery, though some of the rocks were dry. Not many walkers on the fell. I came across the AAC Tuesday/Friday group - there must have been 20 of them, but then free cake was on offer after the run. There were 2 other runners.

Another trip out of Teesdale today, and headed for Tebay to run the fell race route.

8.3 miles, 2,989 feet, 2hrs 16 mins.

It has been a while since I came this way, and all the way around today I had the dread of that final climb from the beck up to Blease fell on my mind. As it was, while causing the usual amount of huff and pain (of the good sort!), I seemed to reach the summit quicker than I remembered. Nothing to do with my speed, obviously (!), but perhaps when we magnify issues in our mind, the reality then appears so much..erm...'softer'. The run from Blease fell back to Tebay, is of course blissful, once my legs had got over the physical shock for the previous climb and remembered how to shake themselves into a running gait again.

It's a shame that for the most part of the route the roar of traffic on the M6 spoils what would otherwise be a pleasant outing. At least midway, around Black Force (the pretty part of the route) the wind was sufficiently strong as to temporary obscure traffic noise.

A friend of mine has just moved to Tebay, and we discovered that amongst its many charm it also has 5G - who'd have thought! Tebay, so well connected on all front :)

11.24 miles, 3,669 feet, 3 hours 35 minutes: Loughrigg trails, taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, the race descent route to the road at High Close, Deerbolts Woods, Loughrigg Terrace, and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast/misty - no distinct cloud base, but the outline of the fells just became increasingly vague with height/distance before disappearing altogether between 1,500 and 2,000 feet. Constant drizzle. A strong wind from the north west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers on the fell; no runners seen.

10.04 miles, 3,835 feet, 3 hours 26 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including Borrans Park, Stagshaw Gardens, the Champion Tree Trail, Kelsick Scar, High Skelghyll, and the race descent to the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; some small transient patches of blue sky. A few minutes of drizzle. The main feature of the day was the extremely strong wind from the west - on the Pike I had to use my hands to cross the small plateau to go through the black metal gate, and then I was clutching the wire fence until starting the descent next to the steps. Terrain anything from damp to wet/saturated/streaming; slippery in places. I saw 3 runners and perhaps half a dozen walkers on the fell.

10.37 miles, 4,008 feet, 3 hours 18 minutes: Ambleside - Blue Hill Road/Lane - Wansfell Pike, via the race route both ways - Ambleside - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A few minutes of sunshine. Intermittent drizzle. Like yesterday, the main feature of the day was the very strong wind from the north west. Unlike yesterday, when it caused chaos with the rubbish bins and recycling bags/boxes, today it was benign in the valley. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. I saw about a dozen walkers on the fells, and 2 runners on Wansfell.

Some of that height gain, like yesterday's, will be artifactual from the wind.