Yes i do like Kathoolas.... they are ok over very short sections of soft ground, as they will empty out as soon as you hit hard ground.
I often use them on the canal towpaths round here to good effect.
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Yes i do like Kathoolas.... they are ok over very short sections of soft ground, as they will empty out as soon as you hit hard ground.
I often use them on the canal towpaths round here to good effect.
9.72 miles, 2,874 feet, 2 hours 55 minutes: Loughrigg trails. Glorious sunshine, no wind to speak of. Terrain varied between mud, crusty/crunchy, frozen solid, and patches of ice. Snow line about 1,400 feet, so I was well below that. Microspikes again did an excellent job. Lots on the fell, some in groups of a dozen or so.
I think some of the most frequent 'lethal' moments I've had have been in conditions when black ice has covered metalled surfaces or tarmacadam, such as lanes and pavements, or when there's been vergals on the rockier fells. When conditions are perhaps not sufficiently pervasive to call for mircrospikes, but enough to snap your collar-bone, wrist or whatever should you take a tumble.
A few years ago I invested in a pair of Inov-8 OROCs and they're still going strong, as they're only used for a couple of months a year usually.
I see the latest version now have manganese spikes to replace the older tungsten ones. Each summer, they're usually selling OROCs off with the previous year's colours at near half-price if you can afford to wait.
I recall last winter, in the Llani Tinsel Run, being followed on a tarmac section, by someone wearing a pair of OROCs. I thought that there was some sort of farm machinery about to run me over!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossdog
I was chatting to the wearer afterwards and he thought that they were fantastic. He raved about them so much that I planned to get some this summer as they are a bit pricey. However, with one thing and another going on I forgot.
So thanks for the reminder Mossdog. I have just written in 2021 Diary 1st May OROCs!
I have an old pair of Jalas orienteering shoes with I believe tungsten spikes - they are/were brilliant but unfortunately my feet have widened with age and they are no longer comfortable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossdog
I see the Orocs only go up to a 3 width - I doubt they are wide enough for me. Under normal circumstances I would try on a pair - but that will not be happening for some time.
You could always try this :-Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/d...inter-running/ :D
12.28 miles, 3,409 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Fairfield c/w. Sunshine throughout; cold wind on top. Snow, patchy at first, from about 1,500 feet; six to nine inches deep on top where not trodden down or blown about. Terrain frozen from the valley up unless in full sunlight. Wore microspikes from home - took them off at Nook Farm at the 11 mile mark - again they were brilliant. Lots on the fell; town is heaving.
Very slow trog through the mud, over Buck Hill and Beacon Hill. Snow line on Beacon Hill about 600-700 feet.
Thanks Mike. I'll check them out. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Total snow run today, along the Teesdale/Weardale 'border' ridge, and part of the Teesdale Watershed route. Dropped off at Swinhope Head, to Fendrith trig, Harthope Moor, (ok, I had to cross the gritted road here so no snow for a yard), High Field Trig, Scaud Hill, Burnhope Trig, Yadmoss road and lift home 9.98 miles, 1191 ft, 2hrs 7 mins.
The terrain was pretty dull (covered blanket bog), but the views, especially in the pristine snow, were spectacular. Constant sunshine. Freezing wind (car registered temp -2.5 C at Yadmoss) Views across to the Crossfell, Little Dun fell and Great Dun Fell ridge completely blanketed in snow, for multiple miles - very artic-like. A few skiers and a kite skier spotted on route.
Have to say that the snow underfoot, while light and powdery, did rather lose its charm a bit after the first hour or so of trudging and sliding :cool:
Coniston, Levers Water, Swirl How, Grey Friar, a terrible line to the traverse to Brim Fell, Goats Hawse, Goats Water, Walna Scar, Coniston. Loads on the fells, Old Man top looked rammed from a distance, a couple of guys runnning at Swirl How and one runner passed at Brim Fell. Ordered a cheap set of micro spikes last night which the postman shoved in my hand as I left the house, I put them on at the top of Swirl How and took them off again at the cove, they performed surprisingly well worth every penny of the 6 quid I paid for them :D, one link missing when I got back to the van, think I’ll treat myself to a decent set
12.35 miles, 3,386 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Fairfield, c/w. Fresh snow overnight, 1-2 inches in town, 3-5 inches on the tops. Sunshine above 2,000 feet; cloud in places below that. No wind. Microspikes used almost from door to door. Fewer about than yesterday, but more than I expected given we are now in tier 4.
8.43 miles, 3,478 feet, 2 hours 57 minutes: Wansfell Pike. Lots of ice on the paths, particularly on the Wansfell steps - many of the rocks/slabs are encased in ice. Very variable terrain, dependent on sunshine and traffic: anything from mud to crusty to frozen solid to ice. Snow line roughly 1,400 feet, though now very patchy at this height. Very cold wind high up; bright sunshine. Not many about. Microspikes door to door - sheet ice on some of the roads/pavements in the town.
6.44 miles, 3,878 feet, 2 hours 39 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including 3 times up the steps and down the race route to the kissing gate. Mainly sunny, the odd cloud, some brief snow flurries, and I could see snow showers in the distance. Very cold wind, but only at the top of the Pike, as is often the case. Frozen terrain from the valley up, still lots of ice on the steps. Saw about ten others, four of whom were struggling up the steps with inadequate grip. Microspikes door to door.
10.86 miles, 3,540 feet, 3 hours 25 minutes: Nab Scar - Alcock Tarn - Loughrigg - Fishgarths Wood. It was far too windy to do Fairfield - the idea of that cold wind being in my face for over an hour did not appeal. Some of the tops were in cloud - sunshine elsewhere. Terrain still mainly frozen. Lots about. Microspikes from home until the last mile or so.
I was somewhat surprised by a bitter northerly headwind on the canal for the second hour of my run this morning... so i can imagine up on the Fairfield ridge it would be rather challenging!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Going out to the north-east on my bike ride this afternoon, I really noticed the cold wind in my face.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
9.04 miles, 4,078 feet, 3 hours 19 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including twice up/down the race route from the kissing gate. That cold wind is still there, though not quite as strong. The steps remain very icy, and the terrain is widely frozen. An inch or so of new snow overnight above about 1,300 feet. About a dozen on the fell. Microspikes door to door.
9.71 miles, 3,215 feet, 2 hours 59 minutes: Wansfell Ridge. Sunshine and clouds - some persistent dense looking banks of cloud on the higher fells. The odd snow flake. That NE wind persists. Terrain still mainly frozen, with patchy snow above 1,300 feet. Saw ten others on the fell. Microspikes but for the first and last half miles
10.88 miles, 3,379 feet, 3 hours 14 minutes: Wansfell Ridge - Kirkstone Inn - Red Screes - Roundhill Farm. Lovely sunshine apart from the very top of Red Screes which was in mist. Virtually no wind. Snow/ice persist, though mainly above 1,500 feet; terrain widely frozen. Only six others seen on the fell. Microspikes used apart from some sections on tarmac; ascending the steps from The Kirkstone Inn would have been very dodgy without them.
6 mile run both on and off road. Nothing remarkable, except the first time for a couple of winters that i've needed to wear mikro-spikes.
8.71 miles, 3,556 feet, 2 hours 57 minutes: Wansfell Pike several times from different directions. Overcast, very light snow at times. No wind to speak of. Ground frozen solid, like concrete. Still lots of snow and ice on the steps - would be just manageable going up without spikes, but coming down would be full of risk. Microspikes worn virtually door to door. A dozen others on the fell.
An hour and a half running round Otley Chevin with the headtorch and one friend, Out of the cold rain and up in to lovely soft snow that was laying well. Some of the mud was frozen, but not all, Three other runners met.
7.18 miles, 3,307 feet, 2 hours 41 minutes: Wansfell Pike. Several inches of fresh snow on the top - enough to completely bury the steps in places - down/up/down the race route took rather longer than normal. This morning's HIIT session with about 100 Burpees did not help. Strong cold wind from the north. Sunny at times. Where not covered in snow the ground is not as hard as yesterday. Microspikes almost door to door. About a dozen others on the fell - one couple were looking at a map whilst quite low down so presumably not local.
I'm going to class my local area as the West Riding, which is an older boundary that is much bigger than West Yorkshire. This means I can still run my speed endurance loop from Fewston tomorrow. If I get read the riot act by someone I'll report back.
9.94 miles, 4,459 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Wansfell Pike and along the ridge, including twice down/up the race descent to the kissing gate. A centimetre or so of fresh snow fell overnight in town - I thought there would be rather more on the Pike, but there wasn't - I could still easily see my footprints from yesterday. A cold breeze on top, but nothing too troublesome. Mainly overcast with the odd spell of sunshine; in cloud on the ridge. Quite a few about, including several groups who did not know the way, so presumably not locals. Microspikes worn virtually door to door - they were not brilliant today - the snow was a bit too wet and tended to accumulate underneath them - annoying.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Whilst you would imagine this is the case, i've come across many locals (in a variety of UK upland areas) who appear to have barely any local knowledge of the hills...
There was a couple looking at a map at a junction when barely above the main road; a group of 6(!)who took an arduous path off piste, and a group of 4, one of whom said "Shall we ask this chap?" as I passed at well over 2 metres away. Sure, I cannot prove they were not locals, but the chances are they weren't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
I won't comment further, as i took a wrong turn last time i went up there and ended up in what i presume are Stock Ghyll Woods... around that time i also got "lost" while leading my local town parkrun.
:D
Surely Mike, locals would have addressed you as "gentleman"?:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
12.56 miles, 3,763 feet, 4 hours 3 minutes: Fairfield c/w. In cloud throughout - cloud base at about 400 feet. Visibility down to 30 metres or so at times. Not much wind. Extensive sheets of ice on the lower paths, lots of snow higher up, averaging about six inches deep, but with lots of drifts which made running harder than usual. Saw no-one else on the fell. Took a bad line off Hart Crag, had to retrace my steps. Microspikes from Nab Scar to Nook Farm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Precisely!
In the spirit of staying local, I forgoed the usual Sunday drive out to one of my usual haunts and started my run from home. After a couple of km of dreary residential roads, I finally hit open ground -well frozen solid mud and grass to exact. I then spent the next 1.5 hours exploring a network of footpaths and bridalways which although all within easy reach of home, I had never thought of running along before preferring to opt for more challenging hilly terrain. The run also included a glorious sight of a herd of deer bounding across the fields and a brief history lesson with a visit to the ruins of Halesowen abbey and it's fishponds. A most enjoyable morning's run and I will no doubt be back for more exploration next week. Approximately 15km but a measly 250m ascent.
The rebellion starts - I took a flask :D
14.20 miles 4:25
Canal - Brinscall - Abbey Village - Roddlesworth - back home Tockholes
Tricky underfoot for much of it. Bottle ice in many parts.
The canal looked quite ghostly. It was a milky white colour as the ice covering seemed to be thawing from the top.
Mrs Noel and I did some path finding around Axe edge and Knotbury today. Maybe 6 miles, but took us about an hour and a half with lots of dodgy nav and map checking. Good to be out, then good to be back and in a warm bath. This is what winter runs are all about.
You are in good company Noel. My navigation has found itself in knots around Knotbury too. A tricky mix of footpaths, tracks and farms unless one switches on.
What can also be confusing is that on the 1:25000 map the spot height 549m is marked on the map as Axe Edge but the Trig Point at 551m, known as Axe Edge, and nearly a mile away and with a road between them is unnamed.
However on the 1:50000 map both tops are marked Axe Edge.
There was about 20 minutes difference between my elapsed time and moving times. Other than a couple of comfort breaks, the rest had to be down to map reading stops and nav finding. It's amazing how it adds up and seemingly more so here where a miriad of confusing footpaths, bridalways and farm roads proved far more tricky to navigate than open fell side. Thankfully some of my route followed the Monarchs Way so was signposted for a a while.
I've already planned next weekend's jaunt in a similar vein but may cycle a few km to a different start point and then aim to extend to some of the quieter paths under the Waseley hills and so back on familiar territory.
An Hour and a half out to the north side of Otley. Bloody hell it was tricky through the mix of melting snow, ice and deep mud. Met 4 other runners who I know and didn't fall over. Had to strip off outside the back door to avoid marital disharmony (sp). Good to be out though
The fields near askwith looked rancid from the saddle of my bike.Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPo
Since I now start and finish all my walks and runs from my house I've been spending some time looking at the map the night before, to find footpaths I've not used before, to link together other footpaths I'm familiar with, to try to get a bit of variety in my routes. So today's walk involved quite a lot of new footpaths. Unfortunately, quite a few of these were over farmers' fields. By the time the mud sticking to the soles of my shoes had reached about 6 inches thick, I was beginning to regret my choice of route. But the real regret kicked in as I started walking past the sewage works. I'd seen it marked on the map, but I wasn't expecting it to be that bad! I tried taking a leaf out of Emil Zatopek's training regime, by holding my breath for as long as possible while I walked. With hindsight, that wasn't such a good idea. All that happened is that when I did need to take a breath it was a large gulp of putrid, fetid air, deep into my lungs. Not to be recommended.