Some leg press work, 150 monkey squats, and some courtsey squats.
Some leg press work, 150 monkey squats, and some courtsey squats.
Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent
15.16 miles, 4,391 feet, 5 hours 8 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe, or most of it, anti-clockwise, plus Loughrigg. Sunshine, blue sky, thin high streaky clouds, and the occasional fluffy cloud sitting on some of the highest tops. No rain. A cold moderately strong wind from the south east. Terrain anything from dry to icy to frozen hard depending on height and sun exposure. There was a couple of inches of snow on the tops of Hart Crag and Fairfield. Slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fells; 1 runner seen.
I ascended via Rydal Park, the rock step, and the non-race side of the wall; descending I took the four trods to the right/west of the various tops, going down to Alcock Tarn from the fourth trod, then through Penny Rock Woods, along Loughrigg Terrace and up the steps to Loughrigg top before descending to Ambleside.
11.1 miles, 3,303 feet, 3 hours 58 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time from Kelsick Scar, and the second time from the upper part of Nanny Lane, having gone along to Wansfell true top and Baystones. The final descent was via Blue Hill Woods. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A few small and brief patches of blue sky. The reflected sunlight off the sea and the far end of Windermere was impressive. No rain nor wind. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places - no ice nor frozen ground, in fact it was surprisingly warm. Not many walkers on the fell; no runners seen.
10.8 miles, 3,012 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Loughrigg trails, visiting the top three times: the first time from the direction of Todd Crag and Lily Tarn, joining the race route from Rothay Park at the top gate; the second time via the steps overlooking Loughrigg Tarn; the third time via the steps overlooking Grasmere - so I went down the race route to the road at High Close twice. Overcast, with banks of cloud/mist at multiple levels, including down to the valley floor in places. Virtually constant drizzle. No significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Lots of walkers on the fell, including 2 large groups - more than 10 in each. 4 runners seen.
13.69 miles, 3,190 feet, 4 hours 7 minutes: Wansfell Pike from the Troutbeck/Nanny Lane side, having taken in Stagshaw Gardens, High Skelghyll, Skelghyll Lane, Holbeck Lane, Low Wood, Mirk Lane, and Wain Lane. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 900 feet; there were some banks of cloud/mist below that. Constant drizzle/light rain. A moderately strong wind from the south, particularly noticeable on the Pike. Terrain wet/saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about; 7 runners seen.
12.31 miles, 1,448 feet, 2 hours 47 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Brathay - Wray Castle - Coffin Trail - Claife - High Wray - Wray Castle - Brathay - Clappersgate - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. No rain. A cold breeze from the north. This was all on bitumen or trail and grip on the wet surface was not an issue. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.
There are some end on slates on the path next to the road near Brathay - apparently they are placed this way to "grip" gravel, but all the rain has washed the gravel away - they put a huge slice in a bike tyre a few days back.
14.1 miles, 2,697 feet, 3 hours 52 minutes: Rothay Bridge in Ambleside to Little Langdale and Lingmoor Fell top and back. Overcast, with the cloud base above the tops. Some small patches of blue sky with very transient sunshine. No rain; no significant wind. There was a very sparse sprinkling of snow above about 1,000 feet, but the ground was not frozen; it was mainly wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few walkers about; no runners seen.
11.35 miles, 2,875 feet, 3 hours 40 minutes: Loughrigg trails, taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, down to just above the caves, up to the top, down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, visiting the top the second time via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere, before descending past the old golf club. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 400 feet, and visibility down to 150 feet; it started to clear just as I was finishing. No rain; a moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Lots of walkers on the fell, including a group of 14 having their lunch on the top. 1 runner seen.
10.07 miles, 3,258 feet, 3 hours 49 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time via Kelsick Scar, then going along the ridge to the true top and Baystones, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, and back up to the Pike. The final descent was via Blue Hill Woods. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet; misty, with some banks of cloud, below that. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming and very slippery. The local cattle have been let loose on the ridge - their mess added to the hazards. Very few people about - I only came across about half a dozen people all day, none of them runners.
15.05 miles, 4,269 feet, 5 hours 4 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise - or most of it - plus Loughrigg. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; misty below that. A moderate wind from the south west. Intermittent drizzle for the last couple of miles. There were a few patches of ice above 2,200 feet, but it was easy to avoid them. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Very few walkers on the fells; 5 runners seen.
The route was as follows: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - up the race/east side of the wall to Low/High Pikes - south west of Dove Crag - Hart Crag - Fairfield - to the right/west of the 4 tops on the descent - Alcock Tarn - Brackenfell - Banerigg - Penny Rock Woods - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - Ambleside.
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