Todays permitted exercise!

14.62 miles, 3,505 feet, 4 hours 39 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise from/to Rothay Bridge. I went up the rock step, and stayed on the race side of the wall until the trod south west of Dove Crag; I also took the trod to the west of Great Rigg, and went down to Alcock Tarn from the top of Heron Pike, then along the Coffin Trail and Under Loughrigg Road. Overcast, with the clouds above the high tops. Misty in the distance. No rain. A moderate breeze from the south. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers on the fells; 8 runners seen.

One cuckoo heard.

11.05 miles, 2,879 feet, 3 hours 22 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down from Loughrigg top via the race route and Deerbolts Woods, and back up again. Overcast with the cloud base at about 800 feet, and misty below that. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain damp/wet, but grip was good apart from the rocks. Lots of walkers on the fell, including several large groups. One of the AAC stars ran past me on the steps going up from Grasmere - oh to be young and fit. There were lots of parkrunners walking away from Rothay Park as I set off.

10.48 miles, 3,016 feet, 3 hours 26 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top. Another cloudy/misty day; the cloud base was at about 1,000 feet. No rain, though I slowly got a bit damp in the cloud. No wind to speak of. Terrain damp/wet/slippery. Not many walkers about; no runners seen. Another cuckoo heard, and I heard one yesterday as well.

10.76 miles, 3,000 feet, 3 hours 32 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, left along the road, and back up to the top via the steps overlooking Loughrigg Tarn. Mainly overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. No rain. A moderate breeze from the the north. Terrain dry/damp with good grip. Lots of walkers on the fell. I saw 6-8 runners - one pair I may have seen twice.

Another cuckoo heard.

13.32 miles, 3,485 feet, 4 hours 16 minutes: Rothay Bridge to Swinescar Pike and back, taking in Loughrigg top both ways, and Lang How and Silver How on the way back. Sunshine and high clouds, a moderate breeze from the south, no rain. Terrain dry/damp with mainly good grip. Quite a few walkers about; 14 runners seen; 4 cuckoos heard.

13 of the runners were the AAC Tuesday/Friday group - they had taken the bus from Ambleside to NDG and were running back over the tops. I might have joined them except that my partner has Covid, and although I have no symptoms, as I could have it and spread it, I did not think I should be on a bus. My partner got it car sharing with someone who started to develop symptoms during the journey.

11.43 miles, 3,130 feet, 3 hours 52 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet, and misty below that. A few minutes of very weak sunshine. No rain. A moderate breeze from the south. Terrain mainly wet, though some of the rocks were dry; grip variable. I saw perhaps a dozen walkers on the fell, and 1 runner; 1 cuckoo heard.

11.03 miles, 2,858 feet, 3 hours 36 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending via Fox Ghyll, going from the top down the race route to High Close and back up again, and descending past the old golf club. Sunshine and high clouds, some of the latter catching a few of the high tops. No rain, no significant wind, terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers about, though I was staying away from the main paths as much as possible. 2 runners seen.

12.36 miles, 3,367 feet, 3 hours 59 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside. Lots of thin high clouds letting through some pleasant sunshine. No rain. A lovely breeze from the south. Terrain mainly dry with excellent grip. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.

Above Nab Scar I took the trods to the west around the first 2 tops, but went over Great Rigg. I then went down the race side of the wall, and down the rock step. The descent mainly on grass away from the wall is in excellent condition for the race.

13.09 miles, 3,448 feet, 4 hours 10 minutes: Ambleside - Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise, ascending via the rock step and the race side of the wall, descending over Great Rigg and down the Nab Scar steps, and returning to Ambleside through Rydal Park. Widespread thin high clouds resulting in attenuated sunshine. A lovely breeze from the south east. No rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers on the fells.

The race leaders were coming over Great Rigg as I got there, and going through Rydal Park the finishers were coming towards me - none were walking despite the heat.

10.82 miles, 3,009 feet, 3 hours 42 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route from the top to the road at High Close and back up again. Overcast, with more or less uniform high cloud cover, no rain, a gentle breeze from the south. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers on the fell; I saw 7 runners, and heard 3 cuckoos.

As I was finishing some of the FW cyclists were coming towards me when they had 5 miles or so to go - they were certainly moving.

10.32 miles, 3,016 feet, 3 hours 34 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top. Overcast, with thin very high clouds, and fluffy clouds below them - the cloud base was at about 2,500 feet. Some brief episodes of sunshine. No rain. A moderate wind from the south. Terrain anything from dry to wet/saturated; slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fell; 1 runner seen - in the valley.

10.35 miles, 2,607 feet, 3 hours 3 minutes: Loughrigg trails. Overcast with the main cloud base at about 2,000 feet; banks of cloud/mist below that. Constant drizzle/light rain. No significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming and slippery. Very few walkers about; 2 runners seen.

10.68 miles, 3,010 feet, 3 hours 43 minutes: Wansfell Pike twice, the first ascent being via High Skelghyll Farm, the second from the upper part of Hundreds Road via the true top and the ridge. Overcast - a mixture of clouds above the tops. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate wind from the south east. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places. Not many walkers about; 3 runners seen; 3 cuckoos heard.

I was going to do a drill and speed session in Borrans Park but there were so many dogs around I did hill reps on the fell side instead - 30 seconds effort, 30 seconds rest covering 750 feet of ascent.

11.06 miles, 2,780 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending via Fox Ghyll, going down the race route from the top to the road at High Close, through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, back up again via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere, then descending past the old golf club. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching some of the high tops. No significant wind. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain damp with good grip. Not many walkers on the fell; no runners seen. 2 cuckoos heard today.

The bracken is almost waist high in places. It will be blocking some paths soon.

10.63 miles, 2,360 feet, 3 hours 43 minutes: drills and speed work in Borrans Park, then Wansfell Pike. Very overcast; I did not take note of the cloud base level. A moderate breeze from the north east. No rain. Terrain dry/damp with excellent grip. Very few walkers on the fell, though there were lots in the valley. No runners seen.

I did 0.63 miles worth of various drills, then 30 second efforts/30 seconds rest x 36 = 2.07 miles.

I wore a new pair of X-Talon Ultra 260 V2s today, as the studs on my old pair are looking a bit sad - at least the shoes are still intact.

10.56 miles, 3,348 feet, 3 hours 23 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. A mixture of sunshine and high clouds. A refreshing breeze from the north. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. I saw 3 runners, 2 in the valley and 1 on the fell. There were literally hundreds of walkers ascending from Rydal park towards and beyond Dove Crag - they were wearing numbers so clearly there was an event on - they were ascending the race side of the wall so I went up the other side.

12.39 miles, 3,173 feet, 3 hours 53 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside. Lots of sunshine, some high fluffy clouds. A lovely refreshing breeze from the east. No rain. Terrain mainly dry and soft with excellent grip. Lots of walkers on the fells - some must have set out very early. 1 runner seen.

I took the trods to the left/west of the 1st, 2nd and 4th tops after Nab Scar, to the south west of Dove Crag, and descended the non race side of the wall, going down the rock step.

10.25 miles, 3,094 feet, 3 hours 31 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending from Clappersgate, descending past the old golf club, and going down the race route from the top to the road at High Close and back up again. Sunshine and high clouds, the latter just obscuring some of the high tops. It became more overcast as the day progressed. No rain. A lovely breeze from the south. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers on the fell; no runners seen. Only 1 cuckoo heard today.

The bracken is now chest high in places, and is starting to block some of my favourite trods.

12.32 miles, 3,182 feet, 3 hours 49 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside. Mainly overcast, with a variety of high clouds. A few drops of rain. A lovely breeze from the east. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Very few walkers about, but I did start very early. No runners seen.

I went to the left/west of the 1st, 2nd and 4th tops after Nab Scar, to the south west of Dove Crag, and down the non race side of the wall. The AAC runners were going to get the bus to Dunmail and return to Ambleside via Fairfield, and I thought they might catch me, but they didn't.

8.36 miles, 2,667 feet, 2 hours 58 minutes: Wansfell Pike, ascending via the race route from the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. Constant drizzle/light rain. A moderate wind from the north. Terrain wet and slippery in places. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.

10.75 miles, 3,101 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down from the top to Grasmere shore and back up again. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet; a few minutes of drizzle, a few more minutes of sunshine/blue sky. Terrain wet; the rocks were slippery, but otherwise grip was good - the length of the grass helps. Not many walkers about, though I came across a couple of large school groups. 4 runners seen.

Tall wet bracken added to the enjoyment!

10.09 miles, 3,148 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including up the race route from the kissing gate. Overcast - I was in cloud/mist above 1,250 feet. No sunshine. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. A moderate breeze from the south. Very few walkers on the fell; no runners seen.

14.22 miles, 3,920 feet, 4 hours 20 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise from/to Ambleside. Sunshine and high clouds, no significant wind, no rain. Terrain dry/damp and slippery in places. Quite a few walkers on the fells, and Alcock Tarn, White Moss and the caves were very busy. 4 runners seen.

I went up the rock step, and up the non race side of the wall. Descending, I took the 4 trods to the right/west around the tops, except that on the 4th I went directly down to Alcock Tarn from half way along it. To avoid the crowds near Rydal I went up from the caves over the shoulder of Loughrigg and down past the old golf club.

10.74 miles, 1,089 feet, 2 hours 6 minutes: Drunken Duck loop from Rothay Bridge, going via Bog Lane and Skelwith Fold/Bridge, and adding 5 out and back sections to increase the distance. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. No wind at this level, no sunshine nor blue sky. Constant drizzle/light rain. All on bitumen, so grip not an issue. I saw a few walkers and cyclists, and 4 runners.

A typical wet day in the Lakes - as long as you have the right kit, you can still have an adventure.

A walk over Beacon Hill, Copt Oak, Timberwood Hill and Ives Head; about 14-15 miles, including some fairly rough ground, in 4h19m. Tried in vain to minimise contact with nettles; nearly an hour after returning, my legs are still tingling. But worth it for this glorious countryside, so close to my home, with the highlight being the paths through Charnwood Lodge nature reserve (which includes Timberwood Hill); and great views over Derbyshire and Notts from the high points on the walk.

12.44 miles, 3,420 feet, 3 hours 56 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside, going to the left/west of Great Rigg, the south west of Dove Crag, down the non race side of the wall, and around and back up and under the rock step. Initially overcast and drizzly, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet, later it cleared up considerably and there was some lovely sunshine/blue sky. A moderately strong wind from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated; the rocks in particular were slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fells. 3 runners seen, 1 in the valley.

A poor lady asked me the way to Rydal Hall - she was approaching the rock step. She said she had been told she could get there this way. Oh dear. At least her young son seemed to be enjoying the route.

11.6 miles, 3,134 feet, 3 hours 31 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - down the race route to the road at High Close - Deerbolts Woods - Grasmere shore - Loughrigg Terrace - up the steps overlooking Grasmere to the top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at 600 - 800 feet. Almost constant drizzle/light rain. No significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery. Very few walkers about - I saw the AAC Tuesday/Friday group in the distance - there must have been about 10 of them; no other runners seen.

10.44 miles, 2,929 feet, 3 hours 34 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Overcast - I was in cloud/mist from 2,200 feet on the way up until 1,700 feet on the way down. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.

10.19 miles, 2,655 feet, 3 hours 15 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 via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Sunshine and high clouds, no rain, a moderate breeze from the north. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. A lot of walkers about, but of course it is half term holidays. No runners seen.

My 3 "zip repaired" items of kit have been returned from Alpkit - it looks like they have done a decent job, but it was not cheap at a total of £85. The total cost of the kit when new was about £350 so I think it is worth it.

14.29 miles, 3,678 feet, 4 hours 10 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - Skelghyll Lane - Troutbeck - Garburn Pass - Sallows - Sour Howes - Troutbeck - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Sunshine and high clouds, slightly misty, no rain, a refreshing breeze from the north. Terrain anything from dry to saturated - slippery in places. Quite a few walkers about; only 1 runner seen, though we did cross paths 3 times.

There is a tempting grassy path going south east from the top of Sallows - I went along it for 1/4 mile or so - I must go further next time.

10.81 miles, 3,091 feet, 3 hours 33 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down to the upper part of Nanny lane, and back up to the Pike. Sunshine, blue sky, high fluffy clouds, no rain, a nice breeze from the north. Still rather misty in the distance. Terrain mainly dry/damp; some of the rocks were wet and slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 2 runners seen; 2 cuckoos heard.

17.88 miles, 5,138 feet, 6 hours 9 minutes: Ambleside to Sergeant Man and back, taking in Loughrigg top, Silver How, and Blea Rigg both ways, and Lang How and Swinescar Pike on the return. Sunshine and high clouds, no rain, a lovely breeze from the north east. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Quite a few walkers about, and lots of runners, most of them clutching maps, so presumably in an event.

10.04 miles, 2,711 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Under Loughrigg - Fox Ghyll - down to the caves - Loughrigg top - race descent to High Close - Deerbolts Woods - Grasmere shore - Loughrigg Terrace - up the steps overlooking Grasmere - Loughrigg top - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the clouds just catching some of the highest tops. No rain. That refreshing breeze from the north is still there. Terrain dry with good grip. Quite a few walkers about, mainly on the Grasmere side of the fell. 1 runner seen.

10.18 miles, 3,056 feet, 3 hours 11 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, and back up to the Pike. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet. Constant drizzle/light rain. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Apart from 1 large school group, there were very few people about. No runners seen.

10.41 miles, 2,994 feet, 3 hours 15 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Rydal Park, Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Mainly overcast, with the clouds above the high tops. Misty in the distance. Intermittent sunshine - most welcome given the surprisingly cold strong wind from the south west. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain damp/wet - the grip was good apart from the wet rocks. Very few walkers about; 2 runners seen.

11.07 miles, 3,022 feet, 3 hours 31 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route from the top to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Mainly overcast - the clouds were above the high tops; some brief periods of sunshine/blue sky. A cold moderately strong wind from the north west. A few minutes of drizzle. Terrain dry/damp with good grip. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 2 runners seen.

There were lots of jets about today, presumably commemorating D Day.

The bracken is now blocking some trods, and making others rather unpleasant. In places it is over 6 foot tall.

13.18 miles, 4,024 feet, 3 hours 59 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Robin Lane - Troutbeck - the first section of the Garburn Pass - Sour Howes - Sallows - Sour Howes - Troutbeck - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Initially a nice mixture of high clouds and sunshine - it gradually became more overcast and drizzly and the cloud base came down to about 1,200 feet. That cold wind from the south west persists. Terrain damp/wet though grip was surprisingly good except on wet rocks. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.

The race descent from the Pike is not yet significantly affected by the bracken.

To think a few years ago I could run all the way up the Garburn Pass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike T

13.18 miles, 4,024 feet, 3 hours 59 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Robin Lane - Troutbeck - the first section of the Garburn Pass - Sour Howes - Sallows - Sour Howes - Troutbeck - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Initially a nice mixture of high clouds and sunshine - it gradually became more overcast and drizzly and the cloud base came down to about 1,200 feet. That cold wind from the south west persists. Terrain damp/wet though grip was surprisingly good except on wet rocks. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.

The race descent from the Pike is not yet significantly affected by the bracken.

To think a few years ago I could run all the way up the Garburn Pass.

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I think the Gatescarth Pass from the Mardale side would be a tough one to run up.

Nowhere monumentally steep, but it goes on and on, and there's some real loose stuff which would be tough to keep going on... all those zigzags make it seem a lot longer than it is on paper.

Bonus points if you can keep running all the way up Harter Fell as well!

10.54 miles, 2,713 feet, 3 hours 14 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending via Fishgarths Wood, going down the race route from the top to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Mainly overcast, though there were patches of blue sky - the cloud base was above the high tops. A few seconds of drizzle. The cold wind is now from the north west. Terrain damp/wet and occasionally slippery. Quite a few walkers about. From the different flags/signs there are at least 2 events going on locally so there were lots of runners about.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Travs

I think the Gatescarth Pass from the Mardale side would be a tough one to run up.

Nowhere monumentally steep, but it goes on and on, and there's some real loose stuff which would be tough to keep going on... all those zigzags make it seem a lot longer than it is on paper.

Bonus points if you can keep running all the way up Harter Fell as well!

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I have only done that once - it was unpleasant to even walk up.