Todays permitted exercise!

15.01 miles, 3,921 feet, 4 hours 36 minutes: Ambleside to Sallows/Sour Howes and back, returning via Nanny Lane and Wansfell Pike, and descending via the race route. Sunshine and high clouds, no rain, no significant wind. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers on the fells; 2 runners seen.

I ran all the way up Nanny Lane until the turnoff towards the Pike, but not in one go. It is 3/4 of a mile and just over 500 feet of up. The gradient does ease higher up.

The path to the east then south from Sallows - I went down it a bit - looks much better than the path from Sour Howes heading in a similar direction. It looks like it joins the high road from Ings to Kentmere.

Thinking about how to add this descent from Sallows into a run - to get back to Troutbeck it is either go south, then west, then north, but it is a long way - the alternative is to head north on the high track to Kentmere and then go back over the Garburn Pass - this latter route makes more sense.

10.78 miles, 4,552 feet, 3 hours 41 minutes: Wansfell Pike 3 times, including twice up the race route steps from the kissing gate, along the ridge from the true top, and down the race route. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; misty below that. Intermittent drizzle, a very strong blustery wind from the north east. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few walkers about; 5 runners seen.

Some of that height gain will be artifactual from the wind.

The race route descent is now partially blocked by fallen bracken, though it is still viable.

11.38 miles, 2,359 feet, 3 hours 15 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including Fiasgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, along the track around Loughrigg Tarn, Derrbolts Woods, White Moss, and to the top of Loughrigg via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast - initially the cloud base was as low as 400 feet; it was 2-3 times higher later. Intermittent drizzle/light rain. No significant wind. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers on the fell; 4 runners seen.

12.42 miles, 3,247 feet, 4 hours 18 minutes: the route I would take doing the Rydal Round, except 1) from/to Ambleside, 2) anti-clockwise, and 3) going past rather than into the sports field. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. No rain. A moderately strong wind from the north. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers about; 8 runners seen - 2 in the valley, 6 on the fells.

I went up the rock step and the race side of the wall, south west of Dove Crag, and to the right/west of Great Rigg and the 2 tops of Heron Crag.

I know from previous outings that it takes me 30 minutes to ascend Nab Scar from the kissing gate to the wall - descending today took me 27 minutes - no fun at all.

Although I have mainly been complaining about brambles (and recently I have gone equipped with secateurs and gardening gloves on most of my walks), there are also a few places around here where bracken is a problem. On today's run over Buck Hill and the Outwoods (one of my standard routes), I was reduced to a walk by bracken in two places. Climbing Buck Hill, the steep section up to the false summit was fine, but on the gentler climb from there to the main summit the bracken was encroaching on the path. Then on the path looping back to the Outwoods, the bracken reduced me to a walk on one section. Back in the Outwoods, there are a few places where I still need to go with my secateurs.

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Originally Posted by anthonykay

Although I have mainly been complaining about brambles (and recently I have gone equipped with secateurs and gardening gloves on most of my walks), there are also a few places around here where bracken is a problem. On today's run over Buck Hill and the Outwoods (one of my standard routes), I was reduced to a walk by bracken in two places. Climbing Buck Hill, the steep section up to the false summit was fine, but on the gentler climb from there to the main summit the bracken was encroaching on the path. Then on the path looping back to the Outwoods, the bracken reduced me to a walk on one section. Back in the Outwoods, there are a few places where I still need to go with my secateurs.

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My pet hate (well, one of the many) trying to run/walk/barge through chest high bracken, when it's damp and with sheep/deer ticks around - yuck!

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Originally Posted by Mossdog

My pet hate (well, one of the many) trying to run/walk/barge through chest high bracken, when it's damp and with sheep/deer ticks around - yuck!

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This is one of the reasons I wear ankle length tights and long sleeved tops year round.

A friend I was running with some time ago admitted he found it amusing when he saw me going through bracken with my arms as high as I could get them. He was less amused when he got home and found a tick on one of his arms.

12.33 miles, 3,818 feet, 4 hours 15 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - up and down the rock step - High Sweden Bridge - back up to and around the rock step - Low/High Pikes - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Lots of high fluffy clouds, some patches of blue sky, no rain, no significant wind. Some of the terrain was dry, but it was mainly damp/wet/saturated; slippery in many places. Very few walkers on the fells; 1 runner seen in the valley.

I had been hoping to up the Scandale track, but it was blocked by Highland cattle in a narrow spot just above High Sweden Bridge - I would have had to pass within inches of their horns - no thanks.

11.1 miles, 2,967 feet, 3 hours 34 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending via Fox Ghyll, going across and down to the caves, ascending to the top, then down to Grasmere shore, along to White Moss, back up to the top, and down past the old golf club. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. Intermittent refreshing drizzle. No significant wind. The wetness of the terrain was very variable, anything from dry to saturated - slippery in places. Lots of walkers on the fell, and there were also lots of runners - there are several Lakeland Trail events on, based in Rothay park.

14.48 miles, 3,734 feet, 4 hours 21 minutes: Ambleside - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Skleghyll Lane - Fell Lane - Robin Lane - Troutbeck - Garburn Pass - Sour Howes - Sallows - Sour Howes - Limefitt Park - Mortal Man Pub - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Initially vey overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,200 feet; it cleared up somewhat later, with banks of cloud/mist at multiple levels, but no sunshine/blue sky. Intermittent refreshing drizzle, no wind, terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Very few walkers about; 5 runners seen.

Again I ran all the way up Nanny Lane, I think with fewer rests than last time.