Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

9.29 miles, 3,021 feet, 2 hours 53 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 3 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, and up and down the race route ascent from the kissing gate. Sunshine and high clouds, mainly the latter. No wind nor rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of walkers about; 1 fellow runner seen.

I descended on/next to the steps rather than using the race descent - the latter is unpleasantly blocked by bracken. The descent on/next to the steps is not as bad as I thought - lots of it is on runnable grass.

[Mike T]

11.8 miles, 1,240 feet, 2 hours 26 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Wray Castle - south along the lake - Coffin Trail - Wray Castle - Rothay Bridge. Sunshine with a few high clouds; no significant wind, no rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers about.

This was an AAC club run based at Wray Castle - I ran with the slower group - just the right pace, and excellent company.

[Mike T]

7.51 miles, 2,148 feet, 2 hours 19 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, and descending next to the steps to the kissing gate. Wall to wall sunshine, no wind nor rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers about, both on the fell and lower down. No other runners seen.

[Mike T]

12.12 miles, 3,318 feet, 3 hours 50 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - around the rock step - Low/High Pikes - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Blue sky - no clouds/rain/wind. Terrain dry with good grip. I only saw 10 others on the fells - 6 walkers and 4 runners.

That cold shower, followed by that cold drink ....

[Mike T]

10.19 miles, 3,204 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Ambleside - Blue Hill Road - Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - Kirkstone Inn - Red Screes - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Not a cloud in the sky, no wind nor rain, a slight haze on the horizon. Terrain dry with good grip. Not many walkers about; only 1 fellow runner seen.

For the first time ever I felt so knackered - going up the Red Scree steps - that I had to sit down a couple of times. It is hot. I do not envy anybody racing over the weekend.

[Travs]

Did you continue north from Wansfell top to Kirkstone?

I went that way a couple of weeks ago and it was interesting going north from Wansfell onto new ground... although when i reached the A592 i climbed through the bracken and tussock up onto St Ravens Edge before dropping to Kirkstone (which i would not recommend)

[Mike T]

Did you continue north from Wansfell top to Kirkstone?

I went that way a couple of weeks ago and it was interesting going north from Wansfell onto new ground... although when i reached the A592 i climbed through the bracken and tussock up onto St Ravens Edge before dropping to Kirkstone (which i would not recommend)

Yes, I carried on from Wansfell true top to the road, then left along it for a mile to the Inn. I have tried crossing the road and going up towards St Raven's Edge several times but have never found a satisfactory path.

[Mike T]

9.29 miles, 2,824 feet, 3 hours: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Blue Hill Road - up the steps - 2 loops of Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - top of Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike; - down next to/on the steps - Ambleside. Blue sky with some thin high clouds, and a most welcome breeze from the south east. No rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Lots of walkers on the steps; 3 fellow runners seen.

The loop that I did twice: Pike - true top - top of Nanny Lane - Pike; is about 2.25 miles and 700 feet of ascent.

Third pair of new 260s worn for the first time - my second pair were starting to split between the upper and the sole.

[Mike T]

10.64 miles, 2,016 feet, 2 hours 58 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Champion Tree Trail - Stagshaw Gardens - back across through Clappersgate to Fishgarths Wood - Loughrigg top, descending to Miller Bridge past the old golf club - Rothay Bridge. Sunshine, with thin high clouds. No wind nor rain. Terrain dry with good grip. Not many walkers about; 1 fellow runner seen.

Looking forward to that rain!

[Mike T]

9.87 miles, 2,731 feet, 3 hours 3 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Blue Hill Road - up the steps - Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - Hundreds Road - top of Robin Lane - Wansfell Pike - race descent - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base above the high tops. Hazy/misty in the distance.A few minutes of drizzle. No wind. Terrain damp/dry; grip good apart from some rocks. Quite a few walkers on the steps up to the Pike; no other runners seen.

I had planned to do the top half of the race descent, then cross over to/near the steps, but I could not find a suitable route, so I stayed on the race route. Head high bracken in places, but still doable - just.

The bins in Borrans Park were overflowing with rubbish from picnics - lots of disposable BBQs - the scars from their use are all over the grass.