A re-re-re-re-BG on 13th Sept

[alwaysinjured]

Ah, I'm with you. There's not much slack in the line between Clough Head and Great Dodd and I was curious as to what this could be ... for what it's worth, I did the Helvellyn & Dodds race a few weeks back and on the return from Great Dodd was contemplating a few alternate lines. I wasn't brave enough and stuck to the main trod

I have reccied the "direct" line from clough head to great dodd a few times, losing a couple of hundred feet but a lot shorter. Useful on a hot day to get water if you don't want to carry much. It is no faster or slower, the times very similar within a minute. But I am guessing that the climb up steep grass uses more energy, which may all add up to knackeredness on a long day.

I did find an interesting ACW trick on an out and back leg 2 last week: which is back track from Raise south west around 100 m ( would have to check exact bearing) and from there it is a really good grassy run down to sticks pass on good grass.. Much faster than the direct route. Saved 2-3 minutes on the ACW schedule. No use to you now of course!!

[geronimo]

I fly to Turkey on the afternoon of the 14th so could do leg 2 again Stolly
I would try the other route before you commit as I know someone who tried both routes and prefered the one you took in the past. I dont think the descent off dollywagon will be as fast as you wont be going so far to the right and its a bit of a scramble over Cofa pike and think you lose a lot more height. I am not an expert on this but just my observations. dont do anything new oon the actual attempt that you have not been and reccied as you dont want to risk losing another half hour on that dreaded leg 2.
if you do want me on the attempt I am happy to go and recce Clough head and the dodds (ie the bits in the dark) beforehand.

[Stolly]

I fly to Turkey on the afternoon of the 14th so could do leg 2 again Stolly
I would try the other route before you commit as I know someone who tried both routes and prefered the one you took in the past. I dont think the descent off dollywagon will be as fast as you wont be going so far to the right and its a bit of a scramble over Cofa pike and think you lose a lot more height. I am not an expert on this but just my observations. dont do anything new oon the actual attempt that you have not been and reccied as you dont want to risk losing another half hour on that dreaded leg 2.
if you do want me on the attempt I am happy to go and recce Clough head and the dodds (ie the bits in the dark) beforehand.

Haha, thanks Adrian. Please do join in for leg 2 but try and restrict your jokes to good ones (if indeed you know any good ones ). Thankfully things have moved on since last year's debacle to end all debacles in the hill fog and a) I know the route (and leg 2 especially) much much better and b) I have my own access to a gps track which I didn't have last year. The Cofa Pike route only loses 20 meters or so in extra height but on the other hand seems more direct. The descent off of Dollywaggon is less steep too and the climb up Fairfield not so bad either. Mind you I'd only go for it if IDP is coming along. Have a look - the blue track is Cofa Pike and the red arrows the 'usual' way round the tarn:

[Cliveybaby]

Haha, thanks Adrian. Please do join in for leg 2 but try and restrict your jokes to good ones (if indeed you know any good ones ). Thankfully things have moved on since last year's debacle to end all debacles in the hill fog and a) I know the route (and leg 2 especially) much much better and b) I have my own access to a gps track which I didn't have last year. The Cofa Pike route only loses 20 meters or so in extra height but on the other hand seems more direct. The descent off of Dollywaggon is less steep too and the climb up Fairfield not so bad either. Mind you I'd only go for it if IDP is coming along. Have a look - the blue track is Cofa Pike and the red arrows the 'usual' way round the tarn:

I have done the Cofa Pyke route twice once on a BG recce and once on a BG. It is a steep climb which brings you out not far from the Fairfield Plateau and does not take as long as the route round the tarn or the route via the stepping stones and right to the haus (a couple of minutes if that). However the climb is very steep and the contender might find that it takes too much out of them.

Having navigated quite a few leg 2's over the last 10 years there has only been one attempt where we went up via cofa pike. When we re visited a couple of years later the same contender wanted to go around the tarn.

I think the contender should try both routes and then see which suites.

Clive

[alwaysinjured]

I have done the Cofa Pyke route twice once on a BG recce and once on a BG. It is a steep climb which brings you out not far from the Fairfield Plateau and does not take as long as the route round the tarn or the route via the stepping stones and right to the haus (a couple of minutes if that). However the climb is very steep and the contender might find that it takes too much out of them.

Having navigated quite a few leg 2's over the last 10 years there has only been one attempt where we went up via cofa pike. When we re visited a couple of years later the same contender wanted to go around the tarn.

I think the contender should try both routes and then see which suites.

Clive

There are other routes worth recceing, not just two. Eg If you follow the trod in the direction of cofa for a short distance from grisedale tarn - at around the 600m contour there is a reentrant up ahead bounded on the right side by a crag - see the satellite images to see what I mean. Follow up the reentrant straight more or less south for 100m of climb ( not much trod to speak of ) and you hit the main path high up from the seat sandal col , which is then followed to the top. Having done all the routes one time or another (there are other variants) my best times have been done up that. But it is not the nicest under foot, it has the benefit that the Rhs crag and reentrant are a good nav handrail in bad visibility,

[protodoc]

Had a think about this Stolly, might be best if I do leg 1 if I'm needed as I can then get a lift back to my car and get back home for the retirement do, hope that would be OK?

[Stolly]

Had a think about this Stolly, might be best if I do leg 1 if I'm needed as I can then get a lift back to my car and get back home for the retirement do, hope that would be OK?

No probs Mark. I have to say that with the LL100 now only 27 hours away I'm not quite in the full BG zone but will be on it like a bonnet next week...... hopefully

[Stolly]

Just a quick post to say that my toe of doooooom is speedily recovering from its battering on the LL100 and I'm now back in the BG zone. I'll go through this thread, related pm's and half a dozen emails and look to create some order from the chaos. It will however be a 23 hour clockwise attempt starting at 6pm on 13th September, of that I am sure.

I'll post something more structured this evening hopefully

[Stolly]

Right I've gone through the possible volunteer list and the following members of the forum have thrown their hats, or potential hats, into the ring:

Leg 1

Protodoc
Martyn P
Amex

Leg 2

Geronimo
Clivebaby (maybe?)
IanDarkpeak (maybe?)

Leg 3

????

Leg 4

Peter M
Merrylegs (maybe?)
Tahr (possibly maybe?)

Leg 5

????

Leg not specified

Beany (if recovered from injury)
Jansolo (any leg?)
Alwaysinjured (definite maybe)
Stef
Derby Tup
Vespa (but maybe doing his own BG sometime in September?)

Road support

Biara (maybe?)
Harry and Hester (deffos)

I also have a couple of non-forumites that might be able to run support too.

Anyway just to confirm its a clockwise round starting at 6pm on Friday 13th September with very rough timings as follows:

Moot Hall -> 6:00 pm
Threlkeld -> 9:50 pm
Dunmail -> 2:30 am
Wasdale -> 8:50 am
Honister -> 2:00 pm
Moot Hall -> 5:00 pm

First things first can everyone confirm whether they can help or not and, if they haven't expressed a preference, what leg they would like to run. I'm hoping for at least 2 support runners for each leg. Leg 5 won't be a problem I'm sure so the only big question mark at the minute is for leg 3 support. Leg 3 starting at potentially 2:30 am will make it a tad inconvenient for sure . Once you've confirmed can you email me me at [email protected] with your name and mobile number.

I'll copy everyone in with the full schedule a bit nearer the time along with navigation, carrying and peak logging responsibilities. I have the navigation nailed by the way

[biara]

Email sent