Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

10.24 miles, 2,359 feet, 3 hours 2 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route and through Deerbolts Woods from the top to Grasmere shore and back up again, and taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, and Lily Tarn. Overcast, with mist and banks of cloud at multiple levels, including as low as the valley floor in places. No Wind. More or less constant drizzle. Terrain saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about, though I came across 3 large groups, including a group of school children on Loughrigg Terrace - the teachers were very good at moving them to one side so I could get past. 2 runners seen.

[Mike T]

11.42 miles, 3,354 feet, 3 hours 49 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, going up to the Pike the first time from Kelsick Scar, then down to the upper sections of Hundreds Road and Nanny Lane, up to the true top and Baystones, along the ridge to the Pike, finally down via Blue Hill Woods, Blue Hill Lane, and Stock Ghyll Lane. Overcast, with the cloud base skimming the high tops. Intermittent sunshine/blue sky/drizzle. A moderately strong wind from the north west. Terrain saturated and slippery. Lots of walkers on the fells; 6 runners seen.

It is the Xmas lights weekend in Ambleside - always very busy.

[Mike T]

10.46 miles, 2,772 feet, 3 hours 23 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, with the cloud base just above most of the high tops; misty below that. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the north. Terrain damp/wet/slippery. Not many walkers on the fell; 6 runners seen.

There is a sprinkling of snow on Fairfield and Hart Crag.

[mr brightside]

My 50m bike ride today was 40m of rain that wasn't in the forecast. My libations at the craven Arms were 3 pints that were forecast correctly.

[Mike T]

12.63 miles, 3,664 feet, 4 hours 21 minutes: Wansfell Pike 3 times, ascending initially from High Skelghyll, then doing the loop to the true top, down to the upper section of Nanny Lane and back up to the Pike twice. Initially sunny and cold, with thin high streaky clouds; the ground was frozen hard, and there was ice on many puddles and some sheets of ice. The clouds slowly thickened and joined up, though they remained above the high tops; the ground soon softened and much of the ice melted. No wind, no precipitation. When not frozen the terrain was damp/wet/slippery. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen - a couple I have got to known through Strava.

There is streaky snow on the tops above about 2,200 feet.

[Mike T]

10.46 miles, 2,760 feet, 3 hours 23 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including the usual desert from the top to Grasmere shore and back up again. Sunshine, blue sky, thin streaky high clouds, and a cold breeze from the north east. No precipitation; there does not seem to have been any snow overnight. Terrain firm in many places above about 500 feet; wet and slippery below that. Where firm the grip was surprisingly good. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.

Another double sock double glove day.

[mr brightside]

Tonight I got reacquainted with how tiresome and unnecessarily risky headtorch running is. Roots, logs, monsters...all waiting to strike a fatal blow. I taped my left kneecap to get it where it should be and did about 6m at 9mmp.

[Travs]

I did a night fell race this time last year.

I'm fairly happy running at night on the fells when necessary.... but this was ridiculous...

Was so cloudy i couldn't see my feet on the floor on the way up, never mind the marked course. And on the way down just followed some headtorches in front, straight down god knows what.

[Mike T]

10.74 miles, 2,940 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - Champion Tree Trail - High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll - Wansfell Pike - Blue Hill Wood - Blue Hill Lane - Stock Ghyll Lane - Ambleside. An almost cloud free blue sky - just a few clouds low down on the south west horizon. No precipitation, a cold breeze from the north. Terrain mainly frozen hard and somewhat uncomfortable - it was lovely where it had softened a bit from being in the sun. Grip mainly good. Not many walkers about, though there was a mothers and babies group on the Pike - one of the babies was crying incessantly and was probably cold. No runners seen.

[Mike T]

I did a night fell race this time last year.

I'm fairly happy running at night on the fells when necessary.... but this was ridiculous...

Was so cloudy i couldn't see my feet on the floor on the way up, never mind the marked course. And on the way down just followed some headtorches in front, straight down god knows what.

A chap was running on the local fells one winter evening some years ago when his head torch gave out suddenly. He was in complete darkness - could not see a thing - he was on rocky steps at the time and had to feel his way down each step on his backside - so feel with hands, feet down, bottom down - repeat repeat repeat - took him ages to get down.