Stolly's Running Adventures

23rd September 2008 - High Hill, Attermire and Warrendale Knotts Circuit - circa 6 miles with 1350 feet of ascent

OS Explore Route

I didn't get home from work tonight until 6:15 but I was determined to go out for a run, choosing an 'out of the back door' run to make best use of the declining light. It was also the first outing for my spiffing new Walshes so I thought I'd give them a good 'un to cut their teeth on. First off I set off over the fields, crossed Watery Lane before heading up steeply to the Pennine Bridleway and along that to High Hill Lane, the Settle to Kirkby Malham Road.

High Hill as viewed from the fields near my house:

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2723/p9180350be3.jpg

I then crossed the road and ran through the field heading left (west) into the adjacent field before hacking up the sheer side of High Hill (the slope that the Settle Hills fell race comes tumbling down). Although 'High Hill' doesn't exactly break the Trade Descriptions Act, other names for this hill like 'fcuking steep hill' or 'cough a lung up hill' would probably suit it better! Anyway I made it to the top okay before hacking down through the tussocks in the direction of Attermire, running parallel with the wall to my right. Just before the bottom of this field things got decidedly muddy and my new Walshes finally lost their virginity......

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7008/p9180357lp4.jpg

Then it was up a steep but small incline and onto the little plateau with Attermire Scar ahead and to my right. After 300 or 400 yards I then hacked left following a trod around the back of (what I suppose to be) Warrendale Knotts..... whatever they are exactly (rock formations or weird tit shaped hillocks maybe?). This path meanders a little but eventually leads to a carn and a trig point with grand views of Attermire to the east, High Hill to the south with the lights of Settle now glinting to the south west. Attermire as viewed from the cairn:

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6611/p9180358bs6.jpg

Then all that was then left to do was to carefully climb and scramble down (easier said than done) to the main footpath back to Settle clearly visible running left to right below me and then follow that, culminating in a super fast descent down all the way to Settle Market Square. Then a quick trot on the roads back to my starting point. Altogether a great run with two solid climbs and one gut buster. It took me 1 hour 12 minutes all told although I was fannying around taking pictures for some of that. It was getting dark by the finish and pretty soon I'll be having to dust off the old headtorch I think :D

23rd September?:confused:

'ow dus tha get piccies that big ont'forum?

Spellcheck..."Attermire"...accordin t' map...mebee map's wrong?

I wer gunna organise a low key training (race) run (Grifter-type jobby)...named "Tour o' Stockdale"...this autumn but the field that the farmer was gunna let me use fo' parkin is too wet...wot a surprise:rolleyes:

T'only other way is to start from Settle...mebee Greenfoot car park...I think it's free parkin after 6pm?

Too late now tav an evenin run and finish before dark...could mek it an 'eadtorch job?

Interested anybody?

Thanks for the spelling lesson Wharfego - I've made that mistake before. For some reason it always comes out Attamire! For your evening run, assuming you did the southerly ridge first, would you go down Stockdale lane before branching up to the Rye Loaf and Kirkby Fell or would you go further along Black Gill Lane and go up from the highland cattle field by the tv/radio mast thingy? I've always wanted to run that ridge line. As for how the hell your tour of Stockdale would go along the other side of the valley god only knows so I'll be interested in coming along.

I'm on good terms wi' t'farmers up yon and I know that land like back o' mi 'and...used to do a lot o' shootin 'n playin 'round up Stockdale. I still control moles up that valley...Mole'ill...wotch owt!:D

Main thing is knowin where all t'gates are...I don't want anyone climbin walls.

I'll concoct a route int' next week or so...then we can av a recce.

I'll let thee know.

By t'way...it's wharfeego wi' 2 eeee's!:p

21st September 2008 - Whernside and Great Coum from Dent - 12.75 miles and 3000 ft of ascent

OS Explore Route

This morning I met up with Ady (from Accy) in Dent for a run around the race route of next weekend’s Whernside fell race. It was fabulously sunny with barely a wiff of wind and Dent and the whole of Dentdale was looking absolutely glorious. And without any delay we set off up the lane heading towards Whernside, which we could see side on making up most of the the skyline to the east. I guess we followed the lane for about a mile or so before finally starting our climb up the north end of the Whernside ridge…. and it started steeply too although it was definitely runnable all the way, even for me. The path heads fairly straight east for most of the initial steeper climb before eventually hooking south and heading straight in line with the direction of the ridgeline itself.

I was ‘comfortably’ running this all the way although Ady (bless him) had to keep stopping to walk from time to time………….. to wait for me to catch up! Eventually we topped out most of the worst of the climb alongside Whernside Tarns with a nice easy run to the trig point from there on, making the summit in something like 62 minutes. Ady managed to capture a great shot of my sticky out ears silhoutted by a low sun and Ingleborough behind:

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/6248/p9210367rh3.jpg

Then it was a brilliant descent from the Whernside trig into Kingsdale; fast all the way, mainly on a fairly gradual slope over tusocky grass, not too rocky, although pretty boggy in places, and before we knew it we were standing in the lane at the foot of the valley. Ady (the small white blob in the distance) descending with Great Coum rearing its head to the left of the picture and the feint green line of Dentdale in the distance ahead:

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/599/p9210369bq7.jpg

Going up Great Coum was initially easy going, following a bridleway but, having referred to our race route map two or three times, we just couldn't see what path if any went from that up to the top ridge. Eventually we realised that we had probably missed a turn somewhere and just climbed the wall and took a direct line through boggy cotton grass up to the ridge - not easy going with a few sudden sinkages and stumbles along the way. Me and Ady posing for a self portrait picture at the top of Great Coum, a picture that I only managed to get right at the fourth attempt :rolleyes:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5943/p9210373nt2.jpg

Do you think Ady has a fake tan?

The descent of Great Coum was 'interesting' to say the least and will be even more interesting in the race if there's low cloud. We really couldn't find a path of any shape or size to begin with and our route down was all boggy grass, cotton grass and drainage ditches. We also started off too far left such that our line gradually curved back to the right (the right direction) in a big elongated C. Further down we did find a sheep trod and this finally met a better path, but we were almost through the field by then. This descent was quite dodgy with me plunging into thigh high, sucking bog twice en route.

Once at the bottom of this very large field though we knew we were home and dry and managed to sort of figure out the fiddly finish of the race route down to the playing field in Dent - we suspected they'd purposely routed this through fields rather than a much more obvious path so that spectators in the field below would have a good view of runners coming home from a mile out. Either that or the race organiser had just plainly lost the plot!

Anyway a cracking run with great company - 2 hours and 18 minutes including fannying about time.

You ought to try the new DOM-MAP mapping service! OS Maps, GPS uploads and loads of features, if I ever get beyond one test page!!

Here's todays DOM-MAP route,

http://www.northernboyslovegravy.co.uk/map/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

Do you think Ady has a fake tan?

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not sure 'bout the tan but Ady's stance looks a bit iffy:D

26th September 2008 - Snowdon, Watkin path up and Welsh sounding opposite ridge back down - 8.2 miles and about 3,900 ft of climb

OS Explore Route

So this morning I had a client meeting for work in Llandudno along with Dave, a work colleague and coincidentally a (better than me) runner - yes such an athlete does so exist! The meeting finished at 12 and, on such a beautiful day, it seemed a shame not to run up Snowdon while we were in the vicinity. A quick hack in the car via Capel Curig and before we knew it we were at the car park at the foot of the Watkin Path up Snowdon.... and ready to run baby! I've previously been up here three times but, each time, it had been pissing with rain with crap to zero visibility - no such problems today though and once we'd climbed up through the woods and onto a mini plateau a fabulous view of Snowdon appeared before us:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3047/p9260374io0.jpg

This run isn't a major distance or anything but it is a pretty tough and relentless climb all the way to the top. The sun was beating on our backs too all the way up so there was plenty of grit and sweat needed to get up there. Here's me 3/4's of the way up trying to smile between gasps of desperately needed air!

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/701/p9260376cy9.jpg

The Watkin path up (to the left) as viewed from the final rubblely scramble across the front of the top bit of Snowdon with the ridge that we ran back down to the immediate right.:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/4802/p9260377jt5.jpg

Once at the top, after 1 hour and 22 minutes, the views were immense; here's the view looking east from the very top:

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7950/p9260379sx7.jpg

By the way the new cafe, which isn't quite open for business yet, (although the idea of a summit cafe and train route up such a wonderous mountain horrify me really) looks very classy and well built; much better than the previous clapped out building for sure. That said there was no time for pratting about on the top and we then set off smartish on the tricky but fast descent back down the ridge to the west of the Watkin path. Technically this descent was well dodgy with loads of slippy, rocky slate and a not to be sniffed at gradient all the way down. The descent was no walk in the park and this was confirmed by the time it took us to get back down - a further 47 minutes - all to do, as the crow flies, a mere 8 mile horseshoe. It took 2 hours 9 minutes all told come the finish but was..... well just awsome.

WOW Stolly, Looks fab. Haven't ever run/around/near there.......yet :D

Hi Stolly nice to meet you at Whernside, and DO like the photo's, top class, brill.

Race #12

27th September 2008 - Whernside Fell Race from Dent - 12.5 miles and 3000 ft of ascent

OS Explore Route

Getting my excuses in early I ran this race having run up and down Snowdon the day before so my "racing speed" was a smidge handicapped. It was also my comeback race, the first after Fairfield in May and the first after recovering from my 'knee of doom' injury. Quite a few forumites were in attendance - Ady, Emmi, Darth, Big Compass and Manhar that I saw. In fact Emmi and I managed a quick photo shoot before the off:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6...e200801ie5.jpg

Emmi also managed to take a picture of me nervously milling about just before the starting hooter, with Big Compass in the foreground (seeing no ships :)) and Manhar partially obscured behind him:

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/2...e200801dv3.jpg

The race then started and we all whizzed out of the field and up the first long grassy slope towards Whernside on the horizon. I held my own on the lane that we followed for about a mile after that but, once we commenced the long but annoyingly all runnable slog up Whernside, it seemed like the whole field passed me by, with Manhar first and then later Big Compass almost skipping past and leaving me for toast. I called up the engine room and screamed at Scotty to increase the warp factor........... but the best he could come up with was warp factor 'slow loris'. After 62 minutes I reached the trig on Whernside (exactly the same time I had last weekend recceing with Ady :() before the fabulous descent into Kingsdale.

I finally had to walk in the energy leeching spongy grass on the final climb onto the ridge at Great Coum but, even here, it was surprising just how much was runnable, even though I was seemingly running on the spot for much of the time. Then it was a brilliant descent through a large trackless boggy field with racers taking all sorts of lines to begin with before picking up a quad bike track half way down, then down a farm track and finally dropping down steeply through a series of fields to the finish in Dent. I finished quite strongly, managing to overtake 3 or 4 runners all in the last mile and finished with a time of 2 hours 13. All in all I was pleased with that and especially pleased to be racing again.

Ady by the way was desperate for a post race pint and decided to sprint all the way round, finishing with a time of 1:50!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6...e200801ie5.jpg

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lemmee know which race you're goin to next...........................Emm!;)

Bit smitten, Wharfeego? Thighs tay die foor?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wheezing donkey

Bit smitten, Wharfeego? Thighs tay die foor?

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Thighs? Nay WD...I wer lookin at that lovely rear-end...I'd love a ride in that...th'Astra of course:p

Wharfeego, I'm reassured that you don't want to run with me (and prefer Emmi instead). I'm probably being a little bit unfair but, just guessing that you might be from the backwoods ;), do you look anything like this:

http://www.halifaxslasher.com/hs/lis...ance_banjo.jpg

If so you can't have a ride in my Astra either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

Wharfeego, I'm reassured that you don't want to run with me (and prefer Emmi instead). I'm probably being a little bit unfair but, just guessing that you might be from the backwoods ;), do you look anything like this...

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Aye Stolly...I used to look like that but I've lost a bit o' weight lately...'ardly recognise meesen these days:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wharfeego

Aye Stolly...I used to look like that but I've lost a bit o' weight lately...'ardly recognise meesen these days:D

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You'll have to come on one of my recce's wharf, th'ars cake'll fattun ya oop!

nice meeting ya stolley, hope to see ya at a few more in the future.:D

Nice car stolly, bet that shifts a bit! (It is your astra isnt it haha)

4th October 2008 - Sharp Haw, Rough Haw and Bardon Moor Loop - 10.5 miles and about 1,850 ft of ascent

This is one of those runs where I've previously run much of the route but never put it all together into one circuit before. The Grassington road north out of Skipton is over looked by Sharp Haw and Rough Haw to the west and Bardon Moor and Embsay Crag to the east. Starting from Embsay Resevoir just below Embsay Crag my route skirts through farmland, crosses the road to go up and along the west ridge line before dropping down and climbing the ridge to the east and following that back to my starting point. What could be easier then?

Before the off I plotted my intended route but, given my willingness to take on the most stupid of short cuts as they present themselves, the route I ended up running was this one

The weather today was cold, windy and wet....... perfect fell running conditions then! And starting from Embsay Resevoir I followed the lane back towards Embsay village before taking the footpath across the fields to None-Go-Bye farm. Nice and easy going through fields in the main and, although the cows there pretty much left me alone, I did have a brief run in with three sheep that started chasing me, probably thinking I was the farmer with some sheepysnacks or something.

After reaching None-Go-Bye, I followed the road for 200 yards back in the direction of Skipton before scooting up Bog Lane towards the track up Sharp haw. Bog Lane er... wasn't boggy at all (it was tarmac) but the trek up to the top of Sharp Haw was, although you wouldn't know it from this picture - Sharp Haw in front to the left and Rough Haw to the right:

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/1087/pa040382kz7.jpg

Once on top of Sharp Haw I dipped down into the little valley before climbing to the cairn on top of Rough Haw. The main path here passes by Rough Haw going on towards Flasby with nothing much more than a goat track going up Rough Haw but, as every regular runner up Sharp Haw knows, you have to run up Rough Haw too - its obligatory!

Mind you it didn't do me any favours. Once on top I spied a quad bike track heading plum in the direction of the Grassington Road down in the valley below me. Unfortunately there was no path down to it but, hey ho, I hacked through bracken, swamps, tussocks and boulder fields to get down only to find that this quad bike trail led me to.... more bracken, tussocks and swamps. All the same I took as best as I could guess an 'as the crow flies' line through it all and finally came through to the road - I did get a couple of nasty cuts to my lower left shin mind from what were tussocks of razor sharp grass (sedge grass?); in fact it was bleeding quite impressively, if I say so myself.

This part of the short cut so far though wasn't the problem, the road I now found myself on was. I was about a mile south of my path up to Barden Moor and the road here isn't that wide, has no paths alongside it but does have a shed load of traffic whizzing past in both directions at 60 plus miles per hour! My planned route would have been far, far more sensible than this 'short' cut. Fortunately I wasn't run over running up here and made it to the track that climbs up to Bardon Moor below Rylstone Cross:

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/1485/pa040386hn3.jpg

Incidentally there were three cows in this field; a mummy cow, a calf and what may have been a bull (the bigger brown smudge in the middle of the picture). None of them batted an eye though as I ran past.

Once up on the ridge its a gloriously boggy and rocky run all the way back to Embsay Resevoir, all on a path I know well with nothing off piste and no more cows. The view of SH and RH and my route down from them (pretty much disecting the picture down the middle) taken from the Bardon Moor ridge:

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/7826/pa040387nr4.jpg

A really enjoyable run all told with lots of exciting adventures and long short cuts thrown in :). 1 hour and 53 minutes start to finish.

nice wun Stolly...that route would mek a good night run...could avoid all the tarmac by cuttin across the fields...farmers can't see thi at night;)

Race #13

5th October 2008 - Bronte Way Fell Race - 8.5 miles and absolutely no idea how much ascent - 1200 ft at a guess

And I was really glad I turned up to this - a lovely race, really well organised with no stupid hills (but lots of undulations), mud up to the gunwhales and a complimentary bottle of Landlord at the finish. Logistically though it was a bit of a nightmare with me having to drive to Haworth, find somewhere to park, select and put on everything for the race and then track down the "luxury" coaches laid on to take us all to the start in Wycoller Country Park. I managed okay only forgetting one (crucial) thing - to apply some vaseline to my delicate and sensitive nipples! I'm not 100% as to the actual route we followed but this is my best guess.

Because of the ferrying of runners to the start, we all got there with over an hour to spare so I was able have a little to chat with Derby Tup, Disco Stan, Justin from Skipton AC, Mudlugger and Tussockface before the off. Tussockface had a vague stab at guessing his finishing time, coming up with 77 minutes and 23 seconds, but I didn't see him at the end to see just how accurate that prediction turned out to be. Mudlugger managed to pb by 3 seconds last year and was hoping for another 3 seconds this year but, again, I have no idea how well he did either.

Once we got started I was relieved that I felt relatively comfortable whizzing down the Bronte Way and holding my position not too badly in the herd. Unfortunately, after a stubbon and gutsy struggle, I was unable to keep up with the pony tailed blond in the short sleeved Helly Hanson and had to instead put up with Justin in a Skipton AC vest instead (who'd popped over from Hull for the race). As it was he'd annoyed me by overtaking early doors but I soon began to reign him in (helped by the many stiles that the route crosses in the first three or four miles) and finally got past him just past the first resevoir. After that I didn't change position much for the rest of the race although I was fortunate for another lady runner to mistake me for someone else and give me an almost carressing pinch in the small of the back to get a move on. She too overtook me though and hurried away.... as fast as she could!

And before I knew it I was dropping down into Haworth for the final little climb up the cobbled street to the finish. I didn't set my watch properly but my unofficial time was something like 1 hour 14. Some pictures selected from the race:

Stan streaking ahead for his 62 minute finish:

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2005/stanek6.jpg

Me passing the same spot some time later:

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2...ontewayrc6.jpg

Derby Tup not far behind:

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/6898/derbytupyn6.jpg

A helicopter ferrying out a chap with a suspected broken leg (possibly over kill you have to say given that there was a road nearby and there seems to be a 100 air ambulance chaps in attendance):

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3...pcopterqg3.jpg

A fabulous race though and a great way to spend a couple of spare hours on a Sunday morning. Only my sore nipples would disagree given a somewhat painful shower when I got home!

11th October 2008 - the 3 Peaks - 24.8 miles and 5200 ft of Climb

OS Explore Route

Continuing my masochistic whipping myself back into shape fitness regime, this weekend, rather than run something solo on Saturday followed by a fell race on Sunday, I decided to knock my plans to run Windgather on the head and “blitz” the 3 peaks instead. I’d run a couple of 5 milers in the week, had been suffering from a sore toe, had a small hangover from Friday night and it felt like I’d put one of my contact lenses in back to front…… but apart from that I felt fine and dandy and ready to go.

Getting to the top of Pen y Ghent felt was a doddle with me reaching the trig after 38 minutes and the descent to Hull Pot was, as usual, brilliant. Lots of water and mud mind but it wouldn’t be Pen y Ghent without them. Hull Pot beck was in full flow:

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/5934/pa110392uu8.jpg

Then I followed the bog fest that is the Miner’s Path to Long Mires where I picked up the main 3 peakers track going towards High Birkwith from where the terrain becomes fields rather than bogs. Park Fell on the horizon with er…. some mud in the foreground:

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/2463/pa110393tn1.jpg

Another extremely dangerous wildlife encounter for the intrepid stolly – this time black, furry teddy bear cows!

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/8184/pa110394yg1.jpg

I now started to catch up with some 3P walkers and some bright spark had planted an empty lucozade bottle in a fresh cowpat, which, despite the dripping cow shit, I of course picked up to carry with me. I ran past a few walkers with my pooey bottle in hand (but just 'glared' rather than made accusations) only to then see yet another empty bottle planted similarly in another cowpat! I picked that up too and, now kind of angry, turned into the duel wielding pooey plastic bottle litter avenger – the next group of walkers got what for (four lads as it happens) although, when I say what for, I just pointed the bottles in the face of the nearest chap and asked him in a wild fashion whether he’d dropped them. Before he could answer I was off, running, bottles in hand, like some scary eco-friendly lone ranger, here one moment and off the next. When I got to Ingman Lodge I deposited them in a bin and returned, like the hulk when he’s calmed down, to 'normality' again!

Then it was the road for a mile to Ribblehead, just in time to catch a train going over the viaduct, with a cloudy Whernside behind.

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/1074/pa110396an2.jpg

Going up Whernside I followed the runnable all the way walkers route to the top, still feeling in good shape and hit the trig after 2 hours and 46 minutes. The low cloud was now lifting but, unfortunately, not quite quick enough for me to be able to see much from on the top ridge.

End of part one!

Part Deux

I then whizzed off of Whernside heading towards Chapel le Dale in the valley and Ingleborough beyond, as seen here on my way down (just before the fast runner’s trod goes off to the right avoiding all the rocks and boulders on the main path).

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1381/pa110397az6.jpg

I was still running comfortably and managed to run most of the way up the slabbed bog crossing before getting to the steep wall climb up Ingleborough. It was here that my dodgy contact lens decided to flick out in the wind but, miraculously, I managed to a) keep hold of it and b) insert it back into my eye and restore normal vision. Just as well too as it was my bad eye!

I than clambered all the way to the top, hitting the summit after 3 hours and 50 minutes. A couple of 3P walkers asked me how long it had taken me to get here and I think they disbelieved me when I said 3:50; they’d walked up from Horton and had taken 2 hours to get to the summit of Ingleborough and were weighing up whether to just do Whernside next and blow out the rest – they’d started too late really and I suspect they may have blown out Whernside too!

Still in fine fettle I then commenced my descent towards Horton, taking care over the rock strewn path. Another wild life encounter ensued……… this time with hairy big horns!

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2421/pa110399cn2.jpg

Now it was all a matter of trudging to the finish but I was feeling okay, not running ‘too’ slowly and almost enjoyed it. Pen y Ghent looming across the valley with Horton (in the valley) hidden from view:

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/5044/pa110402rx8.jpg

Would you believe it but on the limestony bit, just before you drop down into the fields around Horton, my friggin contact lens popped out again…. and I caught it again and managed to put it back in place again – how skilful is that?

I finished after 4 hours 45 minutes and 59 seconds (4:45 then) but, to be fair, I did stop the clock when taking pictures and dealing with contact lenses. The fourth time I’ve run around the 3 peaks this year and quite possibly the most enjoyable. A self portrait of me at the end with somewhat ‘taught’ thighs and calves!

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/6351/stollyij5.jpg

WOW - well done Stolly, fab piccies LOVE the one of the waterfall.

sorry you won't be at Wingathererer I'll try to keep the piccie taking flag flying for you :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

Race #13

5th October 2008 - Bronte Way Fell Race - 8.5 miles and absolutely no idea how much ascent - 1200 ft at a guess

Tussockface had a vague stab at guessing his finishing time, coming up with 77 minutes and 23 seconds, but I didn't see him at the end to see just how accurate that prediction turned out to be.

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84 seconds out, most disappointing. I must have underestimated the wet conditions...

Stolly I was up round the back of PYG on saturday with the wife, kid and my mum. went to a Littondale, I remembered it from when i used to go there in my younger days. It was absolutly breathtaking, Hoping to stay there for Christmas so watch out you may get a call nearer the day ;)

Also planning to take the bike round from Malham oooo does any one fancy a a forum meet to do this?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stolly

...some bright spark had planted an empty lucozade bottle in a fresh cowpat...only to then see yet another empty bottle planted similarly in another cowpat!...group of walkers got what for (four lads as it happens)...

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Seems like u ad a brush wi' the phantom lucozade bottle dropper o' t'Dales:rolleyes:...
I've never managed to spy it yet but I've seen its leftovers scattered 'round t'Dales:mad:...especially on Settle Tops which I try 'n keep clean 'n tidy:D

Tuesday 14th October 2008 - Pen y Ghent, Plover Hill, Foxup, Beckermonds and back to Horton - about 16.5 miles and 3,250 ft of ascent

OS Explore Route and Ady's Map

Route profle:

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/2...profilerd2.png]

Well a fabulous run with Ady today, following a route that he’d dreamt up out of Horton, over Pen y Ghent and Plover Hill, down into Foxup at the top of Littondale before hacking over the next ridge (Eller Carr?) northwards into Langstrothdale and following the lane and then track through a huge conifer forest and eventually hitting the Pennine Way back into Ribblesdale and Horton.

I immediately struggled climbing Pen y Ghent, what with having run the 3 peaks on Saturday, but apart from that slight hickup at the start the whole run was really enjoyable, albeit run more at my steady trot rather than Ady’s natural pace.

Once on top of PyG, the path across to Plover Hill was its usual mud up to the gun ‘oles self but then things became easier going, dropping off the far side of Plover into Foxup Moor........... where Ady had to forget getting a sun tan and put his top on to keep the rain off:

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/896/pa140406rr6.jpg

We then ran down into the small hamlet of Foxup itself with Ady's suggested route now taking us up on a diagonal ‘short cut’ to the top of the next ridge, the climb all steepish and off path, and finally, after many false dawns, we crested at the stile on the top with Langstrothsdale and the conifer forest before us. Ady and me as seen through a mud splattered camera:

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/2320/pa140408vc7.jpg

This descent into Beckermonds, like Foxup another very isolated one horse hamlet, was terrific and we were soon down, had waded the stream at the bottom and were following the track that strikes straight through the middle of a narrow band of fields, themselves surrounded by the conifer plantations. This was now easy going although you wouldn’t have necessarily known it from my ‘speed’. The lane here eventually became a wooded track and, once the woods ended, it was the Pennine Way all the way back and Robert’s your father’s brother we were back in Horton. Stolly with the final cart track descent down into Horton behind:

http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/281/pa140410wt8.jpg

A great run Ady and thanks very much for your patience in waiting for me to catch up from time to time! Approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes start to finish. Next time Ady try and stay on your feet FFS – you had three solid crashes today!

19th October 2008 - Pen y Ghent and Plover Hill from Horton - 8.5 miles and 1800 ft of climb

OS Explore Route

For all sorts of really naff reasons I didn't have enough time to join in Emmilou's Tour of Pendle recce this morning. I did want to still have a run though so, despite a serious danger of some trouble and strife on my return, I decided to zip up to Horton for (hopefully) a speedy whiz round this now regularly run route.

I felt that I shold now easily beat my best post knee injury time of 1 hour and 33.22 minutes for this run, what with my ever improving fitness and whatnot. And at the start I went up PyG pretty well all things considered. After that though I got extremely 'bogged down' in the never ending morass of mud that is the ridge line from the PyG trig to the top of Plover and I hit the stile there probably a minute behind the split needed to match my previous pb :eek:

Mind you the mud up there has to be seen to be believed - this is me in the fairly non-muddy bit (honestly) soon after dropping off the PyG trig with all the serious gunge yet to come!

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4776/pa190414qv3.jpg

I dropped down to Foxup Moor from Plover pretty swiftly though and then turned back along the base of the ridge back in the direction of Hull Pot and Horton beyond. Here though, for the best part of 4 miles at a guess, I was running straight into a relatively strong head wind and, despite my best efforts, I couldn't pb, finishing in 1:33:38 :(.

All the same the conditions made it a fabulous run with the ground being supremely wet and muddy for at least 50% of the time. Fantastic... but disappointing at the same time.

Good effort, Stolly, hope there wasn't too much trouble and strife on your return;)
Love hurts:rolleyes:

they look like cracking runs via pyg and plover. Nice mud bath mate

Ah, just caught up with this thread and seen the Bronte Way photos....I know who you are now Stolly!! I remember passing you or you passing me or both(!) during the first half of the race. I was the one in the green Newport vest. Ended up stopping to try and help the lad at Bronte Bridge.

I shall say hello next time I see you then....are you at Withins this weekend?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr1470

Ah, just caught up with this thread and seen the Bronte Way photos....I know who you are now Stolly!! I remember passing you or you passing me or both(!) during the first half of the race. I was the one in the green Newport vest. Ended up stopping to try and help the lad at Bronte Bridge.

I shall say hello next time I see you then....are you at Withins this weekend?

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and where were you yesterday young man??? you got a big red cross on the register :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by emmilou

and where were you yesterday young man??? you got a big red cross on the register :rolleyes:

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Sorry miss;) Am I in a lot of trouble?:p

I was to be found in darkest Shropshire, plodding around very slowly, feeling slightly under the weather.

23rd October 2008 - An extended Settle Loop over Rye Loaf Hill and er... other hills - about 12.25 miles and 2,400 ft of ascent

OS Explore Route

I finished work at lunchtime today and, although it was pissing with rain and really windy, I felt the urge for a run. This time I fancied opening up a previously unexplored ridge above Settle, providing a slightly wider arc and more climb onto what would otherwise more or less follow the well trod Settle Loop out towards Malham and back. This ridge makes up the south easterly side of the Stockdale valley and incorporates High Greet and Rye Loaf Hill, from which (on a fine day) you can see for miles and miles. Unfortunately today wasn't a fine day....

Anyway I set off following my normal trudge up to Lodge Farm, up the muddy bridleway and Lambert's Lane until I reached the road where I veered right following the road to Scaleber Force:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/5243/pa230417ii1.jpg

On the opposite side of the road here is open moor side leading up to a radar tower at the top of High Greet. To begin with I had a choice of two tracks but, as is usual, the one I chose soon disappeared into a trackless, waist high cotton grass and tussocky hill side - just the sort of stuff I always end up hacking through when ever I run with Ady from Accy:

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7914/pa230418fs7.jpg

My path actually took me too far to the north but I eventually got to the radar mast after wading through bogs and tussocks and stuff and hopping over a couple of walls. Now with a wall to the left I was on an actual path with Rye Loaf Hill directly in front. I managed to clamber up to the trig here and look back down the Stockdale valley towards High Hill, Attermire and Warrendale Knotts where I hoped to re-emerge towards the end of my looping run.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5378/pa230422qs3.jpg]

My path now decided to run out on me again so, with a bit more tussocky fun and wall hopping, I finally made it down to the Pennine Bridleway and my normal Settle Loop path. The rain was getting stingy and heavier now and the wind really picked up when I started on the return leg, following a seemingly never ending track along the bridleway in a straight line for Langcliffe. Everything looked bleak here and I was totally alone in a huge rain splattered landscape - it kind of reminded me of the opening scene in American Werewolf in London to be honest where the two american tourists are hiking through a moor on their way to the Slaughtered Lamb. Fortunately there were no werewolves today though:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/364/pa230425xb1.jpg

Once at Attermire I decided to add in one more hill and climbed to the trig on Warrendale Knotts before dropping down and zooming down the final descent into Settle. A brilliant run with some new ground added to my ever widening knowledge of the area - 2 hours and 8 minutes.

good stuff Stolly, love the pictures. :) Resigned to a treadmill in the gym today, no where near as motivational :o

Good 'un Stolly!:D. How exactly do you get the pictures on the pages?

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Originally Posted by Al Fowler

Good 'un Stolly!:D. How exactly do you get the pictures on the pages?

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Stolly's secret that'un;)

I've tried but wi'out success...yet:confused:

Nice steady 12.25 miles Stolly, good pics as usual, are you doing Withins and if so will I be skipping passed you again,;) co's knowing you, you will probably will just jog up The Ben on Saturday as a warm up:eek: