If anyone would like to have a go at a slightly different type of long-distance Lakeland challenge, here's a good one for you...
Over the weekend I completed the 'Pikes of the Lakes', a route Beth (my wife) and I devised last year whilst poring over maps looking for inspiration. It starts in Kentmere, at the church, and goes to the summit of all Lakeland fells with 'Pike' in the name that are over 700m - plus a few extra's that would be a shame to miss out. It finishes over Stickle Pike and down to the Blacksmith's Arms in Broughton Mills. This total's just over 100 miles, 12,000m of climb and we put in place a slightly arbitrary time-limit of 36 hours.
The weather was perfect over the weekend, so I set off from Kentmere at 07:42 Friday morning. Running solo, supported by Beth at various road crossings, who kept me fuelled on coffee and pasta, and vital moral support.
Our rough schedule was a bit out - the first half was much faster than planned, getting to Braithwaite about 5 hours ahead of schedule. The night section through to Wasdale then on to Langdale soon sorted this out, and ended up finishing Saturday afternoon for a total time of 32:28 and the best tasting pint ever in the sun outside the Blacksmith's!
GPS trace here: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1954142576
And a few pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...c_location=ufi
If anyone else ever fancies a go, I'd love to hear about it, and will certainly join you for a celebratory drink at the finish.
