PyG as in Pen y Ghent in Yorkshire?Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay
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PyG as in Pen y Ghent in Yorkshire?Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay
PyG Track as in one of the two main paths from Pen-Y-Pass up to Snowdon.Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
Which incidentally i'll be trying to ascend at speed on saturday in the above-mentioned Welsh 1000 Metres, and can confirm it can be as mentally tough with so many people, as it is physical.
While Anthony is on his European tour, if he wants a congested, slow ascent, then he should pop down to Bologna and the "Torri Asinelli"..... over 400 narrow, steep, wooden steps to the top of the tower, with no room for overtaking....
In fact i had the misfortune to be stuck behind a rather large woman trying to descend the staircase in high heels last time (although given my ability at descending on the fell, it probably didn't actually slow me down that much)
9.54 miles, 3,156 feet, 3 hours 48 minutes: Travellers Rest - Butharlyp How - Easedale Tarn - Tarn Crag - Mere Beck - Calf Crag - Green Burn Bottom - Travellers Rest. Sunshine and clouds, with, for the first couple of hours, continuous drizzle/light rain. The cloud base was initially at about 2,500 feet; higher later. A strong blustery wind from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery. Very few walkers about; no other runners seen.
From Green Burn Bottom, instead of crossing the stepping stones near the sheep fold, I stayed on the south side of the stream to avoid some rocky sections on the usual track. It soon became a very narrow path traversing a very steep slope and, whilst I am glad I tried it, I won't go that way again.
12.05 miles, 2,252 feet, 3 hours 31 minutes: drills and strides - 2 miles worth - in Borrans Park, then Loughrigg Trails, taking in Todd and Ivy Crags, Lily Tarn, and Loughrigg top. Sunshine and clouds, mainly the latter; the cloud base was above the high tops. Several times it looked like it was about to rain, but it never did. A moderate wind from the north west. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of walkers about; no other runners seen.
There was an OMM kite with a dibber attached to the trig point on Loughrigg, and there is a large marquee in the events field in Grasmere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mr brightside
I have always been under the impression that the "Pyg" track on Snowdon is a reference to Pen y Gwryd.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
It has also struck me as rather odd that one of Yorkshire's most prominent hills should have a name that looks half Welsh and half Flemish.
I'd imagine it was in reference to the Pen y Gwryd... but some people also claim "Pyg" as in the mining reference.Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonykay
I'm with AK regarding the origins of Pyg as in Pyg Track.
The mines around Llyn Llydaw and the Pyg Track were mainly copper. The English word "pig" refers to a "pig of lead", the pig being an ingot of smelted lead.
I think the fact that on OS maps the Pyg Track is shown to have mines(disused)close to it has caused some confusion. The Welsh word for Pig, the curly tailed variety, is Moch as in Nant y Moch.
13.03 miles, 3,817 feet, 4 hours 56 minutes: Travellers Rest - Far Easedale - Tarn Crag - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Far Easedale - Calf Crag - Green Burn Bottom - Travellers Rest. Sunshine and clouds, with the cloud base above the high tops. A pleasantly cool wind from the north. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Quite a few walkers about. No other runners seen on the fells, though there were several low down in the valleys.
There were some arrows and dibber kites near Easedale Tarn for the OMM events. They have been lucky with the weather.
12.25 miles, 4,555 feet, 4 hours 59 minutes: NDG - Harrison Stickle - Thunacar Knott - Martcrag Moor - Stake Pass - Langstrath - Greenup - High Raise - Sergeant Man - Stickle Tarn - NDG. Sunshine and high clouds, and a refreshing cool breeze from the north. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of walkers in the valleys, not so many high up. I saw seven fellow runners, two of them doing the OMM marathon. Again, perfect weather for it.
This was my first visit to the lower part of Langstrath - lovely.
10.83 miles, 2,886 feet, 3 hours 51 minutes: Travellers Rest - Butharlyp How - Easedale Tarn - Blea Rigg - Codale Tarn - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Far Easedale - Travellers Rest. Sunshine and clouds, the latter just obscuring some of the high tops. No significant wind; a few minutes of drizzle/light rain in the last couple of miles. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of walkers low down, very few higher up. No other runners seen.
10.1 miles, 2,563 feet, 2 hours 24 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Golden Rule - High Sweden Bridge -Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; some brief episodes of drizzle/light rain, no significant wind. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers about.
This was an AAC run - there were about 18 of us. Again my lack of speed showed; power walking up hill I can just about hold my own.
I do like the run up Scandale followed by the descent down Red Screes.... is a favourite pre-race runout if i'm in the area. Can work up some momentum on that descent although there's a few slippy patches!
It is a good route - plenty of hard running if you are fit on the way up, and then a lovely long descent. Assuming the chaps in the club know the quickest way down, it is interesting that I had worked it out for myself, bar one minor detail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
I recall getting from the summit to the Golden Rule in 29mins. Although I did have a race the next day so wasn't going full pelt.... I'd imagine under 25mins is a decent target.
In 2019 I did 25.10 - the winner took 15.55.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
I'll give it a go next time I'm there!
9.44 miles, 2,497 feet, 3 hours 7 minutes: Travellers Rest - Butharlyp How - Easedale Tarn - Codale Head - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Far Easedale - Travellers Rest. Overcast, with the cloud base above the tops. No significant wind, no rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. The valleys are fairly busy with walkers, but the tops are almost deserted. No other runners seen. Town and parking areas busy.
I wanted to clarify where the Easedale path joins that from Blea Rigg to Sergeant Man, as it is not obvious from above.
If you divide the route above the road roughly into thirds, it is the middle third where lots of time can be wasted. The grassy racing line is well to the left of the usual intermittently rocky tourist route.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
10.27 miles, 2,836 feet, 3 hours 37 minutes: Travellers Rest - Far Easedale - Tarn Crag - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Easedale Tarn - Buthalyp How - Travellers Rest. Sunshine and clouds, with the cloud base above the tops. No significant wind; no rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of people at Easedale Tarn - there must have been 50-60; and there were perhaps 100 or so heading up as I was descending. Not many walkers higher up, and there was one fellow runner near Sergeant Man.
Although I have worked out quite a good route from Tarn Crag to Codale Head, that does not mean I can always find it, particularly in ascent.
That whole triangle of land from Tarn Crag to Sergeant Man to the head of Easdale must be one of the most confusing little areas in the Lakes.... and you can probably extend that "Bermuda Triangle" towards Pavey Ark/Thunacar in one direction, and round the head of Wythburn in the other...
10.08 miles, 1,569 feet, 2 hours 52 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park, with drills and strides: 2 miles @ 15 or so strides to the mile - Stagshaw Gardens - Champion Tree Trail - Blue Hill Road - Stockghyll Lane - Ambleside. Overcast with no definite cloud base: some high tops visible, others obscured. Continuous drizzle/light rain. No wind. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery. Lots of walkers low down; four fellow runners seen.
13.54 miles, 4,638 feet, 5 hours 28 minutes: Elterwater - Silver How - Swinescar Pike - Blea Crag - Easedale Tarn - Tarn Crag - Sergeant man - Tarn Crag - Easedale Tarn - Blea Crag - Swinescar Pike - Lang How - Silver How - Elterwater. Sunshine, with a few high clouds. A moderate and very pleasant cooling breeze from the south east. No rain. Terrain anything from dry with good grip to saturated and slippery. Easedale Tarn busy again, very few walkers higher up. Three fellow runners seen, though only one was on the fells.
The route up Tarn Crag directly from the tarn is not obvious from below - the ascent starts almost immediately after the stepping stones, not further around the tarn.
10.37 miles, 2,929 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Travellers Rest - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Easedale Tarn - Far Easedale - Travellers Rest. Initially sunshine through thin high clouds, but the clouds gradually thickened as the day progressed. No rain; a moderate breeze from the south east. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not that many walkers about; two runners seen on the road.
The ascent to Tarn Crag from the stepping stones at the outlet to the tarn can be joined lower down, but it is rather boggy at one point and I suspect it will soon be blocked by bracken.
11.7 miles, 3,396 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Dove Crag - Scandale - Red Screes - The Golden Rule - Miller bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast and misty; the cloud base was above the tops. A moderate breeze from the north. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Very few walkers about; two fellow runners seen on top of Red Screes.
Taking it steadily, but not stopping unnecessarily, it took me 41 minutes from the the top of the Screes to the pub. How it can be done in 15 minutes is beyond me.
9.12 miles, 2,619 feet, 2 hours 46 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Sunshine, with some high clouds above the tops. A moderate breeze from the south east. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with excellent grip - the longer grass helps. Not many walkers about; two fellow runners seen.
There is a section of the upper part of Nanny Lane - about 1/4 mile in length - that used to be about 50% grass, 40% dirt/stone track, 10% mud - it is now 100% mud as some farm vehicles have been up and down it repeatedly.
11.03 miles, 2,786 feet, 3 hours 13 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Loughrigg trails, taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd and Ivy Crags, Lily Tarn, Loughrigg top and down to the road at High Close. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 1,500 feet, rather higher later. A moderate breeze from the south east. A few minutes of light drizzle. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. Not many about.
I heard two cuckoos yesterday, and one today. They are changing their tune - from cuckoo/cuckoo/cuckoo to cuckoo/cuckoo/cuck. I had not heard this before.
The bracken will soon block some paths - it is already 5 feet high in places.
9.59 miles, 3,937 feet, 4 hours 10 minutes: NDG - Loft Crag - Pike o' Stickle - Thunacar Knott - High Raise - Sergeant's Crag - High Raise - Sergeant Man - Stickle Tarn - NDG. Overcast, with the cloud base mainly above the tops. No rain, though several times it looked like it was about to. A moderate wind from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few about.
I managed to find a path for much of the route between High Raise and Sergeant's Crag and back, though the section nearest High Raise is rather elusive.
6.07 miles, 2,025 feet, 1 hour 40 minutes: Hartsop - Hayeswater - Angle Tarn - Boredale Hause - Hartsop. Sunshine and clouds, the cloud base was above the tops. A strong wind from the north west. No Rain. Terrain anything from dry to wet to saturated, and slippery in places. Quite a few walkers about.
This was an AAC run, though there were only three of us. My descending ability on rough paths was again shown to be dismal.
11.69 miles, 4,567 feet, 4 hours 27 minutes: Travellers Rest - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Far Easedale - Helm Crag - Bracken Hause - zig-zag descent - Travellers Rest. Overcast, with the cloud base above the tops. No rain. A very strong blustery cold wind from the south west. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. No other runners seen. Very few walkers about, apart from on Helm Crag, which was busy, and Sergeant Man, where there were 2 large groups (8+12).
Despite the cold wind I managed in just a thin long sleeved top, though I did have Montane Pertex trousers on over 2XU tights, and, of course, gloves.
9.72 miles, 4,171 feet, 3 hours 52 minutes: NDG - Harrison Stickle - Thunacar Knott - High Raise - Sergeant Man - Tarn Crag - Easedale Tarn - Blea Rigg - Stickle Tarn - NDG. overcast, with the cloud base just catching some of the high tops. That strong cold wind from the south west was still there. A few minutes of drizzle/light rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip, but wet/saturated/slippery in places. Not many walkers about; two fellow runners seen on Thunacar Knott.
Today I put my waterproof top on as it was rather colder than yesterday - and when the rain came it stayed on.
11.67 miles, 4,657 feet, 4 hours 34 minutes: Travellers Rest - Winterseeds - Grisedale Hause - Cofa Pike - Fairfield - Grisedale Hause - Seat Sandal - Dunmail raise - Steel Fell - Calf crag - Pike of Carrs - Green Burn Bottom - Travellers Rest. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching the high tops. A few minutes of light drizzle. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. I saw about a dozen walkers on the fells, and no other runners.
I was again swooped going through Winterseeds - I managed to get a photo and hopefully somebody on FB will be able to identify it.
The club is doing some BG relays in late June in memory of some members who are no longer with us. I find the timings for even the 22.30 schedule tough if not impossible - for example Steel Fell to Calf Crag in 20 minutes - no way - it takes me 26.
PS - it looks like the swooping bird is a buzzard.
10.87 miles, 2,507 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including along the ridge to the true top and back, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. The first 5 miles were around the Roman Ruins, and in Borrans Park, doing drills and 2 miles worth of strides at about 15 to the mile. Sunshine and clouds, with the cloud base above the tops. A gentle breeze from the south. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of dog walkers in Borrans Park; the dogs were all very well behaved - basically they completely ignored me. The Wansfell steps were busy.
One cuckoo heard - still saying cuckoo.
12.99 miles, 4,500 feet, 5 hours 25 minutes: NDG - Sergeant Man - High Raise - Thunacar Knott - Harrison Stickle - Pike o' Stickle - Martcrag Moor - Black Crags - Martcrag Moor - Thunacar Knott - Sergeant Man - NDG. Sunshine and high clouds. No wind nor rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. I saw about 8 other runners; not that many walkers about.
I really enjoyed a drink - cold water from the fridge - when I got home. And a couple of reheated scones.
13.42 miles, 5,288 feet, 6 hours 17 minutes: NDG - Stickle Tarn - North Rake - Thunacar Knott - Martcrag Moor - Black Crags - Rossett Pike - Bowfell - Ore Gap - Angle Tarn - Rossett Pike - Martcrag Moor - Thunacar Knott -Sergeant Man - Stickle Tarn - NDG. Sunshine and high clouds, the latter becoming more widespread as the day progressed. A most welcome breeze from the south. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers about; only one the runner seen - he was going through town.
This was the first time I was reasonably happy with the line I took up Bowfell from the Rossett Pass. It helped that it was a clear day, and I could see the layout of the rocky ramps from the top of Rossett Pike.
Again, that water from the fridge was so good - as was a cold shower.
9.76 miles, 3,797 feet, 4 hours 13 minutes: NDG - Stickle Tarn - Martcrag Moor - Rossett Pike - Bowfell - the Band - NDG. Overcast, with the cloud base initially above the tops, but whilst on Bowfell the clouds thickened/lowered, and there were a few drops of rain. A strong wind from the west. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Very few walkers about; I came across seven other fell runners.
I clarified 4 things today: 1/ the initial ascent in the Langdale Horseshoe 2/ part of the descent in the Dungeon Ghyll race 3/ going over rather than around the ridge to the top of Rossett Pike 4/ staying on the first ramp on the ascent to Bowfell is better than changing ramps.
My mate fell and broke his arm on Bowfell recently whilst out running... luckily he was able to walk down The Band into Langdale relatively easily... was quite fortunate that it happened there.
Poor chap - but yes, I can think of far worse descents with such an injury.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
12.92 miles, 3,311 feet, 3 hours 48 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe c/w from Rothay Bridge, going to the left of the three tops on the ascent, on the Fairfield plateau, and on the descent to Link Hause; and going to the right on Hart and Dove Crags, and to the right of the wall on the descent. I went down the rock step. Sunshine and high clouds, mainly the latter. A lovely cool moderate wind from the south west. It did not rain, though it looked like it was about to a couple of times. Terrain dry with excellent grip. Not that many walkers about, given the good forecast and the fact that it is the weekend. I saw seven other runners, all on the roads.
Today's learning was trying to memorise the layout of the various rocks on the trods around Great Rigg and Dove Crag.
10.79 miles, 4,581 feet, 4 hours 19 minutes: Travellers Rest - Little Tongue - Grisedale Hause - Fairfield - Grisedale Hause - Seat Sandal - Dunmail Raise - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Green Burn Bottom - Travellers Rest. Sunshine and clouds, mainly the latter initially, with the clouds just catching some of the high tops; there was intermittent light drizzle for the first couple of hours. A cold moderately strong wind from the north - I put my waterproof top on from Fairfield to Dunmail. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers about, though a large group was heading up via Green Burn as I came down. No other runners seen on the fells, though I did see a couple on the roads.
Steel Fell to Calf Crag took me 25 minutes today - there is hope for me yet.
15.4 miles, 5,620 feet, 6 hours 50 minutes: NDG - Stickle Tarn - Sergeant Man - Thunacar Knott - Martcrag Moor - Black Crags - Rossett Pike - Bowfell - Ore Gap - trod just to the left of the top of Esk Pike - Esk Hause shelter - Angle Tarn - Martcrag Moor - Thunacar Knott - Sergeant Man - Stickle Tarn - NDG. Sunshine with scattered high clouds. Virtually no wind; no rain. Terrain dry with excellent grip. Very few walkers about; I saw 2 other runners.
Today's lessons were 1/ taking the 4th path up to Stickle Tarn - something I had not done for years 2/ going up and down the Wainwright Stickle Tarn - Sergeant Man route that doesn't go near Blea Rigg 3/ Bowfell from the Rossett Pass - each time I do it I go a different way, usually unintentionally; it is an interesting challenge.