7.35 miles, 561 feet, 77 minutes: To Rydal and back, twice. Overcast, continuous light rain, no wind at this level. Some of the fields are starting to flood; the roads are OK so far, but I don't think they will be for long. Saw about a dozen people, lots walking their dogs.
7 miles, 2,562 feet, 2 hours 6 minutes: Wansfell Pike, with twice up/down the race route to the kissing gate. Overcast, cloud base at about 1,500 feet, some patchy mist below that, light rain on and off. No wind, not cold; no snow visible. Terrain is of course saturated and very slippery. Saw about a dozen others, mainly dog walkers at low level.
9.41 miles, 3,071 feet, 2 hours 47 minutes: Loughrigg trails. There is patchy slush from about 800 feet, becoming more confluent with height. Gusty at times, the occasional snow flurry, not particularly cold. Microspikes worn most of the time for both the slush and the mud. Saw about a dozen whilst out.
9.7 miles, 2,943 feet, 2 hours 54 minutes: to Brathay and back, then Wansfell Pike with twice up/down the steps. Overcast, with the odd patch of blue sky, and the occasional light snow flurry. Slush still present from about 1,200 feet, frozen terrain in places, but no ice. Windy on top, but not that cold. 4 other runners on the fell, and several walkers. Microspikes for the middle section.
8.5 miles, 3,953 feet, 3 hours 20 minutes: Wansfell Pike, including 2 ups/3 downs the race route to the kissing gate. A centimetre or two of fresh snow overnight right down to the town. Not slushy: some icy patches and a lot of frozen terrain. Sunshine and clouds with a partial inversion; no wind to speak of at this level. 9 other fell runners and about 20 walkers on the fell. Microspikes once off the road.
9.86 miles, 2,779 feet, 2 hours 57 minutes: Red Screes via Roundhill Farm both ways. Mainly sunny, not much wind, crusty/crunchy snow from about 1,200 feet, ankle deep on top. Saw about a dozen others on the fell. Some black ice on the tarmac stretches - wore microspikes for most of it.
7.77 miles, 4,029 feet, 2 hours 45 minutes: Wansfell Pike, with twice up/down the race route to the kissing gate. Sunshine and clouds, a strong cold wind on top. Snow now very patchy, but terrain still frozen, and some sheets of ice. 9 others on the fell. Microspikes except when on tarmac.
I did 5 miles around the fields and farms this morning, at about 8:40/mile pace. Mikrospikes on..... on some of the worst sections even they struggled to grip on the thick and shiny sheet ice.
Absolutely beautiful morning though, could have done with sunglasses really.
The main limitation I find with Kahtoola microspikes is that they accumulate soft snow and/or vegetation and so lose grip - but I agree there are times when they slip on sheet ice, especially if there is bitumen or flat rock underneath. But they are so helpful 99% of the time - and of course they can be worn on old shoes that have essentially no grip left.Originally Posted by Travs
9.28 miles, 646 feet, 1 hour 36 minutes: minor roads and trails around Brathay and Clappersgate - so all on tarmac or gravel paths. Overcast - cloud/mist base down to about 400 feet at times. All the snow at this level has gone, but there is still the odd patch of black ice. Constant drizzle - no wind. Saw 3 walkers and a runner - Paul Tierney.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote