Grizedale Horseshoe Race

[Mark L]

I have never found the scree. I've recced the race twice by doing it; perhaps I should recce it by recceing it!

Right now I'm staring at my Garmin trace onto the 1:25000 map and also Google Earth, trying to figure out where this famous scree portal is of St Sunday Crag and how close to it I might have been. Any clues? Like a really nice grid reference? On both 2009/10 I've turned left to descend Blind Cove around 373140. I'm guessing I could have turned left a lot earlier.

Dougie

I went out and reccied the route on Thursday following in the footsteps of Dark Peak's Will Kitchen via the gpx track on their website. That took me bang on to the scree portal. It's a pleasant surprise to find it at this point in the race. I hope I'll be able to find it again on the day.

[djnisbet]

I went out and reccied the route on Thursday following in the footsteps of Dark Peak's Will Kitchen via the gpx track on their website. That took me bang on to the scree portal. It's a pleasant surprise to find it at this point in the race. I hope I'll be able to find it again on the day.

Thanks for the pointer. I found the GPS track here: http://www.dpfr.org.uk/googlemaps/track/174 - assume that's the one you mean.

It's fascinating watching someone else's race route. Educational! I don't think I've overshot by too much in the last couple of years so I don't feel too bad. However, I have taking some pretty bad lines along the top from Helvellyn; perhaps due to over cautiousness about descending inadvertently to Wythburn. I've tended to hug the East side of the Helvellyn ridge more than I need to. And I'm sure I could take a more direct-line descent down to Grisedale Tarn.

There's an interesting wobble on that GPS trail at the top of St Sunday. Looks like the runner continued North-East after the checkpoint towards the spur at Gavel Pike before turning sharp-left. Wonder if they overshot.

[MarkL]

There's an interesting wobble on that GPS trail at the top of St Sunday. Looks like the runner continued North-East after the checkpoint towards the spur at Gavel Pike before turning sharp-left. Wonder if they overshot.

I'm guessing here, but I reckon the wobble is to get to the checkpoint which is on/near Gavel Pike. I reckon that's where the checkpoint is rather than on the top of St Sundays. I'm also guessing that they put the checkpoint there so that no one will take a direct line from the checkpoint across craggy and potentially very dangerous ground.

Overall the track seems to be inch perfect - whoever recorded it seems to know the route very well.

[hopey]

I've done the race a couple of times and I've not been on the scree yet

[DinoF]

I've seen a couple of GPS traces for this race, one with a detour up Grisedale Valley and back after descending St Sunday Crag (the DPFR one) and one where the runner went straight across the valley (seems the better way).

Was this a one-off for one year, or is it just a case of route choice?

[hopey]

I've seen a couple of GPS traces for this race, one with a detour up Grisedale Valley and back after descending St Sunday Crag (the DPFR one) and one where the runner went straight across the valley (seems the better way).

Was this a one-off for one year, or is it just a case of route choice?

We headed back up the valley last year, but I've been told we should be straight across the valley this year.

[DinoF]

We headed back up the valley last year, but I've been told we should be straight across the valley this year.

Great. I'll follow you Adrian.

[djnisbet]

We headed back up the valley last year, but I've been told we should be straight across the valley this year.

That's good. The detour added a bit on last year. I measured it as 12.12miles last year.

Dougie

[djnisbet]

I'm guessing here, but I reckon the wobble is to get to the checkpoint which is on/near Gavel Pike. I reckon that's where the checkpoint is rather than on the top of St Sundays.

I'm pretty sure that it's bang on St Sunday. Here's my GPX trail from last year and it looks like it's right where it should be. Then again, it was a bit tough and I might have false-memory syndrome! Perhaps I missed it altogether and the organisers were too kind to tell me!

Dougie

PS: Looking soggy tomorrow.

[DinoF]

I'm pretty sure that it's bang on St Sunday. Here's my GPX trail from last year and it looks like it's right where it should be. Then again, it was a bit tough and I might have false-memory syndrome! Perhaps I missed it altogether and the organisers were too kind to tell me!

Dougie

PS: Looking soggy tomorrow.

Love all the photos you took in 2009 Dougie, although by the look of the forecast, visual navigation is not going to be much of an option this year.