Getting all nostalgic here for the old routes :( are you a turbo convert now Ian ?
Walk with doggies this morning..tempo run this afternoon
run in Pentlands tomorrow
take delivery of SS mountain bike on monday :D:D
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wouldn't go so far as to say convert just mixing up the training a bit
Went over Kinder to day. the Plan was a half dozen but holidays and yesterdays run really had me struggling.
ended up doing 12 miles 3,500ft over rough ground. Wettest i've seen kinder In August
20ish miles over to Stoodley Pike, two climbs up to it then back home, sneaked a pint of Guinness in on the way back, like you do:D
Greenbooth - Top of Pike - Top of Leach - Cowpe Lowe - Whittle Pike - Higher Hill - Knowl Hill - Greenbooth....going good to soft.....13ish miles ..not too far but well knackered when I got back :)
From home on the edge of Sheff up the Porter Valley across to and along Redmires res then up over to to the Burbageroad just above Ringinglow and straight down to the Spar shop. A good outing comprimised when a few hundred yards from the shop I tripped on what I took to be a perfectly flat piece of tarmac and sprained my ankle. Bugger!
After scrapping reccying the Langdale Horseshoe on wednesday because of the horrendous weather forcast we moved it to saturday and a group of 6 headed up.
It was brilliant weather in preston for once but as we got closer to the lakes it went dull and was chucking it down by the time we got to car park.
We set off anyway and after climbing the odd pad-locked gate we found the steps that lead you up to Stickle Tarn past the ghyll.
The amount of water coming down the ghyll was unreal and the noise made it impossible to hear. And to complete the package the visability was pretty shocking.
When we got to the top of the climb there was about 30 walkers all sat on the wall by the tarn eating their butties as if they where waiting for a bus.
After a quick breather to wait for everyone and a few strange looks we crossed the ghyll and headed into the cloud.
We found the 1st Checkpoint ok once we sussed out where the tarn was because at times we could hardly see anything.
We had a bit of 'where the hell are we feeling' trying to find Thuncar and everyone was sure we'd long past Pavey Ark but i was sure it was still the great big rocky thing that kept apearing on our left and sure it was.
We sort of accidently came across Thunacar and then for the first time in my life i went to try and follow a bearing....god and i thought it was difficult.
So off we went running on a 280 bearing as the map says, splashing through the waterlogged tussocks and following 280 not really knowing where we were going.
Not supprisingly i fell over...LOADS! and i was totally soaked to the skin, but i was loving being able to actually navigate. Martcrag Moor is certainly a moor.:rolleyes:
Since we couldnt see more than 40ft infront of us we couldnt make out any small lumps in the ground to help point us on our way.
We where running round for ages trying to find anything that would give us a clue where Angle Tarn was.
We where starting to get cold because of the wind and rain and we'd been out for a few hours now and not even covered half the route. We came to a near vertigal drop into an unknown valley because by now we'd lost all idea of where the hell we where.
We decided to backtrack where we'd passed some walkers earlier near another drop into a big valley before. I was sure it would lead us down to Mickledon.
People where suggesting we jack it in and head down and so we did.
It wasnt a pleasant way down since it was flippin steep and full of horrible rocks but as we lost height we got out of the cloud and it was alot warmer and we eventually made it down to what was Mickledon and then plodded along the track back to the pub to re-hydrate.
Once we'd got down we really kicked ourself because we could only have been a few hundred meters away from angle tarn but we didnt know it.
I think looking on the map, we may have come down 'Little Gill'.
Although it was a failure i really enjoyed it and it was a massive boost to me to prove i can navigate.
Oh and we came up with a word for a failed reccy...a feccy!
looks like a good run Al
Re no lumps to follow. you said there was 6 of you!. 5-6 compasses?
send one runner off in front but keep in sight and tell them if they are to far left or right, can be done at night as well with head torches.
You need to work on you average pace as well as this will give you a better understanding of how far you've gone.
If you are on any slope take the bearing down the fall line and compare that to where you think you on the map.
That last tip is brilliant.
Out of 6 of us there, only 2 had done any navigating before and then me. But as you said we should have done that. I did run ahead a few times to the top of any lumps that apeared to see what was at the other side but when i got there i'd either not be able to see anything or they just be more lumps beyond it.
But i'll keep that one in mind until next time.;)