Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

14.06 miles, 2,383 feet, 3 hours 57 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Bog Lane - Skelwith Fold - Skelwith Bridge - along the river to Elterwater - up through the quarries to Lingmoor Fell top - Dale End - Stang End - High Park - Low Park - Skelwith Bridge - Skelwith Fold - Bog Lane - Clappersgate - Rothay Bridge. Initially overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet - it became quite sunny later. No wind nor rain. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. Not many walkers about; 3 runners seen.

[Mike T]

12.04 miles, 3,011 feet, 3 hours 25 minutes: Wansfell Pike, ascending via Nanny Lane, descending via the race route, and taking in Stagshaw Gardens, the Champion Tree Trail, Skelghyll and Holbeck Lanes, and the ascent from Low Wood to Low Skelghyll. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet; misty below that. A few minutes of light drizzle. No wind. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few walkers about; 3 runners seen.

The more I do the grassy route between Low Wood and Low Skelghyll the more I like it. I ran all of it today, with brief standing rests.

[Mike T]

11.43 miles, 2,961 feet, 3 hours 20 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up the steps overlooking Ambleside, along the ridge to the true top and Baystones, down to the upper section of Nanny Lane, back up to the Pike, and down the race route. Overcast and misty, like yesterday, though the cloud base was rather higher at about 1,600 feet. No rain, no wind, no sunshine, no blue sky. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers on the fell; 3 runners seen, 2 of them AAC members.

I was on my backside 3 times on the descent from the Pike, but stupidly I was not wearing my newest pair of Mudtalons.

[mr brightside]

I was on my backside 3 times on the descent from the Pike, but stupidly I was not wearing my newest pair of Mudtalons.

You need Walshes.

[Mike T]

12.36 miles, 3,315 feet, 4 hours 9 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside, going to the left/west of Great Rigg, to the south west of Dove Crag, down the non race side of the wall, and down the rock step. The "anti-cyclonic gloom" - as labelled by the BBC weather forecast - persists; I was in cloud/mist above 1,800 feet on the way up until 2,000 feet on the way down. No sunshine, no blue sky, no rain; a moderate breeze from the south east. Terrain damp/wet/slippery. I only saw 6 walkers on the fells, and 3 runners - in the valley.

[Mike T]

You need Walshes.

I can remember when I bought my first pair of fell shoes - I was in a shop that sold Walshes but not Inov8s - the salesman said "If I was you ...." and he gave me directions to the nearest Inov8 shop.

Walshes have a reputation for being narrow, and for losing their soles suddenly and unexpectedly on the fell - neither of which appeals.

[anthonykay]

I can remember when I bought my first pair of fell shoes - I was in a shop that sold Walshes but not Inov8s - the salesman said "If I was you ...." and he gave me directions to the nearest Inov8 shop.

Walshes have a reputation for being narrow, and for losing their soles suddenly and unexpectedly on the fell - neither of which appeals.

I have recently experienced the Walshes' soles suddenly coming off (although I have been using them since the 1980's, and they never used to be like that). But are Inov8's any better? I think Travs was wearing Inov8's when they fell apart in the middle of the Ennerdale race.

[Mike T]

I have recently experienced the Walshes' soles suddenly coming off (although I have been using them since the 1980's, and they never used to be like that). But are Inov8's any better? I think Travs was wearing Inov8's when they fell apart in the middle of the Ennerdale race.

I cannot remember which model it was, but I had at least 2 pairs of the same type of Inov8 de-sole themselves mid-fell, but at least they gave you plenty of warning - you could see the split between sole and upper developing for several runs before the final catastrophe.

[Mike T]

11.31 miles, 3,090 feet, 3 hours 54 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, then back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Initially foggy down to the valley floor in many places, later it cleared slightly, with banks of cloud/mist at multiple levels. No sunshine, no blue sky, no wind, no rain. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery, particularly the rocks. Not many walkers about, though there was a large group of about a dozen. 1 runner seen.

Several more of my favourite paths are now more or less bracken free, including the trod east of the Grasmere steps between 830 and 960 feet.

[Mike T]

10.86 miles, 2,897 feet, 3 hours 40 minutes: Wansfell Pike from High Skelghyll, doing the High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll loop beforehand. Overcast with cloud/mist from the valley floor up - I never got above it, though there was a band of relative clarity at about 1,000 feet. Intermittent light drizzle. No wind. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers about; 1 runner seen.