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11.67 miles, 3,556 feet, 3 hours 53 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Roundhill farm - Ambleside. Lots of sunshine, and high fluffy clouds mainly above the high tops. A moderately strong cold wind from the north. No rain. Terrain dry/damp apart from the drainage areas, which were saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about, though there was a group of about 10 at the top of Red Screes; 2 runners seen.
12.37 miles, 3,422 feet, 4 hours 14 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside, going over the tops on the ascent, staying on the race/east side of the wall on the descent, and going down the rock step. Initially there were banks of cloud at multiple levels - very picturesque - together with intermittent drizzle; later the rain stopped, the low clouds melted away, and it became quite sunny. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming and very slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 10 runners seen, including a group of 5 going over Hart Crag.
Even the normally good path below the rock step was very slippery.
10.18 miles, 2,810 feet, 3 hours 15 minutes: Wansfell Pike twice from the Troutbeck side, including along the ridge to the true top, and down the race route to the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. A few patches of blue sky. No rain. A moderate breeze from the east. Terrain anything from dry to wet/saturated/streaming and slippery in places. Lots of walkers on the fell - it is half term holidays of course; no runners seen.
12.02 miles, 3,215 feet, 4 hours: A variation on the Loughrigg Silver How race route, going out via Clappersgate, Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag and Lily Tarn, and ascending to Loughrigg top the second time via the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A moderate breeze from the east. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery. Quite a few walkers on Loughrigg, but I was by myself on Silver How. 1 runner seen.
12.04 miles, 3,572 feet, 4 hours 8 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Dove Crag - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Overcast, with cloud banks at multiple levels - I was in one from Low Pike until descending from Red Screes. A moderate breeze from the north. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.
I took the Hodgson Relay trod south west of Dove Crag to the pile of stones, then came back over Dove Crag before descending to Scandale.
10.4 miles, 3,015 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up the race route steps from the kissing gate, and back along the ridge from the true top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet. Virtually constant drizzle/light rain. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. A moderate breeze from the north east. Quite a few walkers on the fell, despite the conditions; 2 runners seen, 1 in the valley, another I saw twice on/near the ridge.
12.41 miles, 3,470 feet, 4 hours 11 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from Ambleside. Initially overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet, and misty below that. Later, some of the clouds lifted and there were some brief episodes of sunshine. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate breeze from the east. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers on the fells; 1 other runner seen.
I went over the tops on the ascent, kept to the race/east side of the wall on the descent, and went down the rock step. I took what I regard as the race line on the descent - lots of wet steep slippery grass - but the rockier alternative closer to the wall is just as slippery.
10.45 miles, 3,033 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up the race route steps from the kissing gate, and along the ridge to the true top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,600 feet; some banks of cloud below that. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate breeze from the south east. Terrain saturated and slippery. Quite a few walkers on the Pike; 3 runners seen, 2 in the valley and 1 on the fell.
I again did some run/rest up some of the hills - it has helped me to run all the way up a couple hills where I used to run/walk.
12.02 miles, 3,093 feet, 3 hours 56 minutes: Loughrigg trails, going out and back via Clappersgate and Fishgarths Wood, taking the race route from the top to the road at High Close, and re-ascending via the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 1,000 feet, later it was probably twice that, and there was some weak sunshine. No rain, no significant wind, the terrain was wet/saturated and slippery. Lots of walkers about, more than I have seen for some time. 7 runners seen.
Lots of cyclists on the roads, which made me suspect there is an event on.
14 miles, 3,918 feet, 4 hours 20 minutes: Ambleside to Sour Howes/Sallows and back, going out via Skelghyll Lane, and coming back over Wansfell Pike. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A strong cold wind from the north east. Intermittent inconsequential drizzle. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Lots of walkers about; no runners seen.
Last time i was over that way, i descended direct from Sour Howes to Dubbs Road, which was a bit rough and tussocky, and ended with an awkward climb over a wall/fence, as i couldn't find a stile anywhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
On looking at the updated Wainwright guide, there is apparently a clear path down that flank to the Dubbs Road, but i'd clearly missed it and was a bit too far to the south.
My navigational woes continued as i took a wrong turn in the middle of Windermere (aiming for Bowness) and added on an extra mile of road.
I went up the Garburn Pass a short way, crossed over Dubbs Rd, then approached Sour Howes on an obvious path from the south west - I came back the same way. Between Sour Howes and the Garburn Pass using this path involves 4 stiles and, at times, quite steep grass. I have tried the sector between south east and south west of Sour Howes but I found it a boggy unpleasant pathless mess.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Yes,the first part of that run started in Staveley and ascended Sour Howes from the south-east side.... it wasn't particularly pleasant, and although i found some sheep trods, it was generally completely untrodden and rough.
Then after Sour Howes, took some country lanes to Orrest Head for my first visit there, before my detour through Windermere... the main winding path up Orrest Head from the main road would make a decent hill rep, assuming you could find a time when it was quiet.
11.56 miles, 3,069 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, down the race route to the road at High Close, and back up the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet, and misty below that. Some drizzle; a moderate breeze from the east. Terrain saturated and very slippery. Lots of walkers about; 5 runners seen.
One of the runners and I started up a short incline together - 0.25 miles/300 feet - I was initially well ahead of them, but as soon as it levelled out they left me for dead.
10.27 miles, 3,622 feet, 3 hours 35 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including the Roman Ruins, Borrans Park, Stagshaw Gardens, the Champion Tree Trail, Blue Hill Woods/Lane, along the ridge to the true top, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; intermittent sunshine, intermittent light to moderate rain. A strong wind from the south. Terrain saturated/streaming and very slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell, some with young children; 3 runners seen in the valley.
I wore a new pair of X-Talon Ultra 260 V2s today and their grip was excellent. For once my old pair did not split - the studs had become very worn and I had had a few minor slips.
10.38 miles, 3,250 feet, 3 hours 22 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including up the steps overlooking Loughrigg Tarn, down the race route to the road at High Close, and back up to the top via the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. Intermittent drizzle. A moderately strong wind from the east. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell. 3 runners seen, 2 in the valley and 1 on the fell.
Given the forecast the wind was quite tame, and it was not at all cold - despite the drizzle I did not use my waterproof top.
Really pleased with the grip provided by my new shoes.
12.06 miles, 3,561 feet, 4 hours 2 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - around the rock step - Low/High Pikes - Hodgson Relay route south west of Dove Crag - back over Dove Crag - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Sunshine and high clouds, the cloud base was just below 3,000 feet. No rain. A moderate breeze from the north west. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers on the fells, though town is quite busy. No runners seen.
11.08 miles, 3,254 feet, 3 hours 50 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Silver How and back, going to the top of Loughrigg both ways, going down the race route to the road at High Close on the way out, and ascending the steps overlooking Grasmere on the way back. Overcast, with thin very high clouds, and fluffy clouds below that just catching some of the highest tops. No rain. A moderate breeze from the east. Terrain damp/wet/saturated/slippery. Lots of walkers on Loughrigg, some in large groups; 3 runners seen in the valley.
11.81 miles, 3,190 feet, 4 hours 25 minutes: Elterwater Common to High Raise and back, taking in Swinescar Pike, Blea Rigg and Sergeant Man both ways, and Lang How and Silver How on the way back. Sunny, with a variety of high clouds - some wispy, some disc shaped, some fluffy. No rain. A cold breeze from the north. Terrain dry/damp/wet and slippery in places. I set off early and saw very few walkers on the fells; I did see about a dozen runners in 2 groups, no doubt from AAC on one of their Sunday runs.
10.54 miles, 3,544 feet, 3 hours 39 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 down to the northern end of Hundreds Road and back up to the Pike. Overcast, with clouds at multiple levels. A few minutes of sunshine/rainbows. A moderate breeze from the south. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery.Virtually continuous drizzle/light rain. Given the conditions I was surprised how many walkers were about. No runners see.
10.92 miles, 3,201 feet, 3 hours 44 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top of Loughrigg via the steps overlooking Grasmere. Sunshine/blue sky, and clouds at multiple levels. A few minutes of drizzle; a moderate breeze from the west. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming and slippery in places. Quite a few walkers on the fell; no runners seen.
A border collie jumped up on me, putting its muddy paws on my gloves and other kit. It wasn't barking/growling. I asked its owner - a young lad - why it was not on a lead. His reply? It only jumps up on people it likes. Clever.
10.3 miles, 3,744 feet, 3 hours 31 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 down to the upper part of Nanny Lane and back up to the Pike. Initially overcast/misty/drizzly, later, the rain stopped, and the clouds - mainly fluffy, some streaky - retreated to above the high tops and it became quite sunny. A strong wind from the west. Terrain saturated/streaming and slippery. I only saw about 15 people on the fell, none of them runners.
The carpet of autumn leaves is probably at its worst from the point of view of disguising the underlying terrain, but I managed - just - to stay on my feet.
Some of that height gain will be an artefact from the strong wind.
10.17 miles, 3,132 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, and back up the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with cloud banks at multiple levels. Intermittent drizzle/light to moderate rain. Some transient patches of blue sky. A moderately strong cold wind from the south. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. I only saw 6 walkers on the fell, though there were a few more lower down; no runners seen.
10.44 miles, 3,015 feet, 3 hours 22 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, one of them twice, along the ridge to the true top, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Blue sky and sunshine; some high fluffy clouds. A smattering of snow on the highest fells, like icing on top of a cake. No rain, no significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. Lots of walkers about; 2 runners seen.
Ah I did wonder about the snow. Sometimes a very heavy frost from a distance can resemble snow. Another great run Mike. Don't know what the term is for beyond 'impressed' but I'd use it if my vocabulary extended that far.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
11.63 miles, 3,536 feet, 3 hours 44 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Hodgson relay route south west of Dove Crag - Pile of Stones - back over Dove Crag - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Wall to wall blue sky and sunshine; a few high fluffy clouds. No rain, a cold breeze from the north. Terrain anything from dry to wet/saturated, slippery in places. Some tiny patches of snow above 2,400 feet on non sun-exposed slopes. Some rocks at this height were icy. Lots of walkers and 4 runners seen on the fells.
The snow visible on the highest tops looks thinner today.
Thanks Mossdog - living where I do makes it easy to get out, especially on days like yesterday and today.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossdog
11.61 miles, 3,366 feet, 3 hours 55 minutes: Ambleside to Silver How and back, taking in Lily Tarn on the way out and going to Loughrigg top both ways. Initially it was quite sunny and frosty, but it soon became overcast, and there was drizzle/light rain for the last half hour. A cold breeze from the south. Some of the terrain was firm/crunchy, elsewhere it was wet/saturated; slippery in places. Snow still visible on the very top of Helvellyn. Lots of walkers on Loughrigg, only 1 on Silver How. I saw a group of 8-9 runners, at least 1 being a Helm Hill member. 3 other runners seen.
7.03 miles, 2,337 feet, 2 hours 4 minutes: Loughrigg trails, going up via Clappersgate, Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag and Lilly Tarn, and descending past the old golf club to Miller Bridge and Rothay Park. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 1,500 feet, lower later. Constant light to moderate rain. A very strong blustery wind from the south west, increasing dramatically with height. Terrain saturated/streaming and very slippery. I did not see anyone else on the fell.
These were the worst conditions I have been in for a long time. I did get to the top of Loughrigg, but quite a bit of that height gain will be artifactual from the wind.
Not sure if others apart from Mike can post in this, but:-
A run up Simon's seat this morning with my son. Started from Barden Bridge and ran down past the Strid, which was impressive with the Wharfe in spate. Up the Valley of Desolation and over to Lords Seat and on to the trig. Steeply down to Howgill with the path a waterfall and back along the Dales Way to the car. Had to divert to the fields a few times as the river had broken its banks, and a bit of thigh deep wading. No one out on the fell, but saw a bunch of Ilkley runners on the road. The Heavy rain stopped as we summitted abd we had views of an autumnal Wharfe Valley.
The Kex Gill road is now open which will please the ex president.
10.28 miles, 3,398 feet, 3 hours 34 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, down the other side to the northern end of Nanny Lane, up to the true top, and back along the ridge to the Pike. Initially overcast and drizzly, later the sun appeared intermittently and the precipitation lessened, leaving large banks of cloud at multiple levels. No significant wind. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. I saw 1 runner and about a dozen walkers on the fell.
Sounds like a good outing. It is good to have some company on this thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by MattPo
I did suggest in the past that it be merged with Today's Training but for some reason it was not felt to be appropriate.
10.84 miles, 3,296 feet, 3 hours 43 minutes: Loughrigg trails, going through Fishgarths Wood both ways, taking in Todd and Ivy Crags and Lilly Tarn, descending the race route to the road at High Close, and going back up the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet; very misty below that. Some brief episodes of sunshine. A moderate breeze from the north west. Terrain saturated/streaming and slippery - puddles and rivulets everywhere. I saw about a dozen walkers and 1 runner on the fell.
The remains of the bracken managed to undo both my shoelaces.
10.29 miles, 3,254 feet, 3 hours 31 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 down to the northern end of Nanny Lane and back up again. Overcast, with banks of cloud at several levels. Intermittent weak sunshine through the clouds. No rain, no significant wind. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 1 runner seen.
There are a couple of big trees that have been recently downed, one in Blue Hill Woods that you have to climb through, another to the side of the race route just above the kissing gate.
11.96 miles, 3,554 feet, 3 hours 58 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Hodgson Relay route south west of Dove Crag - Pile of Stones - back over Dove Crag - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Initially there was an inversion to the south - I was in cloud between 500 feet and 1,000 feet, above that to the south was lovely sunshine/blue sky, but there was a large bank of cloud to the north - I re-entered cloud just above High Pike, and did not leave it until well down the Red Screes' south ridge. No rain, no significant wind. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. I saw perhaps a dozen walkers on the fells, and 6 runners.
10.37 miles, 3,477 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, and along the ridge to the true top. Heavily overcast, with large banks of cloud at several levels, including in the valley floor in places. Constant drizzle; a moderately strong wind from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers on the fell; 1 runner seen.
Despite the constant drizzle and the wind, it wasn't cold, and I did not wear my waterproof top. One of the walkers near the top of the Pike was in shorts and a T shirt.
Town is heaving - after dusk there is a children's parade where they carry home made lights - it is quite fun to watch.
11.09 miles, 3,204 feet, 3 hours 40 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including from the top to the road at High Close via the race route, and back up the steps overlooking Grasmere. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 600 feet. Almost continuous drizzle/light rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell, including a couple of large groups. No runners seen.
One chap on the fell was wearing sandals - I hate to think how cold his feet were.
10.81 miles, 3,141 feet, 3 hours 34 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 3 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, and along the ridge to the true top. Sunshine and clouds; the cloud base was at about 2,500 feet, though there were some cloud banks at lower levels - it became sunnier as the day progressed. A few minutes of drizzle; a moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers on the fell; 3 runners seen.
17.51 miles, 4,883 feet, 6 hours 35 minutes: Ambleside to Sergeant Man and back, going over Loughrigg top, Swinescar Pike, and Blea Rigg both ways, and adding in Lang How and Silver How on the way back. Lots of sunshine, some high fluffy clouds, and even higher streaky clouds. A moderate breeze from the north. No rain. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. Not many people about, but then I did start quite early; no runners seen.
WOW! Chapeau. Don't you ever get physically tired Mike? I can't imagine doing half of your weekly mileage and climbing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T