Quote Originally Posted by Mike T View Post
It finally dawned on me what the strange grey/white powder is on the top of Helvellyn - scattered ashes.
Yes I wish folk would use a little discretion when scattering the ashes of loved ones and try and avoid paths/well frequented areas, as I for one am not happy running/ walking through the remains of the dead, nor am I happy when wild swimming and find myself swimming through a film of ash it takes an age to convince myself that I have been able to clean and rid my body of every last particle of the deceased. None to clever if you get downwind when people scatter the ashes either.
Last edited by JohnK; 31-08-2021 at 02:35 PM.
11.66 miles, 3,814 feet, 4 hours 3 minutes: Patterdale Cricket Club to Ambleside via Arnison Crag - Birks - St Sunday Crag - Cofa Pike - Fairfield - then the rest of the horseshoe clockwise. Overcast, the cloud base was initially just below the high tops, though it later rose to leave them visible. A strong cold wind at times, particularly on the top of Fairfield. No rain, terrain dry and firm. Not many about.
14.41 miles, 6,412 feet, 5 hours 52 minutes: Traveller's Rest - Little Tongue - Grisedale Tarn - St Sunday Crag - Elmhow zig-zags - Birkhouse Moor - Red Tarn - Catstycam - Swirral Edge - Helvellyn - Grisedale Tarn - Seat Sandal - Traveller's Rest. Initially overcast and mizzly, with the cloud base at about 1,200 feet, but it soon cleared up and became sunny. A cold wind at times. Terrain initially damp and slippery, though it dried up somewhat later. Lots on Helvellyn, very few elsewhere - car parks and town busy.
12.44 miles, 3,615 feet, 3 hours 45 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - Low/High Pike - Dove Crag - Scandale - Middle Dodd - Red Screes - Roundhill Farm - Ambleside. Sunny and warm, no wind nor rain, terrain dry and firm. Very few about on the fells; town still busy.
Ascending to Dove Crag I kept the wall on my left and stayed as close to it as I could - quite scrambly in places. From Dove Crag to Scandale I followed the fence posts for a change - a nice mainly grassy route. The slanting route from Scandale to Middle Dodd was rather dull, but I had not done it before.
Last edited by Mike T; 02-09-2021 at 08:24 PM.
Having been a bit off colour over the last few days and not run since last Friday, tonight's RATRun was a welcome change. Only 5 of us this evening set off from The New Inn at Flash and steeply down to Hawks Nest and then up the Dane Valley Way to Three Shire Heads and on to Danebower Quarries. Still on the DVW we followed the gassy path that traverses the other side of the valley to Orchard Farm where we left the DVW and climbed gently up to Cheeks Hill, the highest and most northerly point in Staffordshire. A short section of moorland trod took us, into a beautiful sunset to Axe Edge End, Oliver Hill and back to the New Inn.
After change of ownership and a period of refurbishment, basically a good clean, the New Inn reopened 10 days ago. As they were not serving food they allowed us to take our own sandwiches in. The real ale on offer was Desert Storm from the local Storm Brewery but after 2 pints it ran out and the new barrel had only just been tapped so would not be ready until tomorrow. The landlady was most apologetic stating that being new she hadn't sussed out how much real ale would be drunk as most of the locals, mainly farmers, usually drank lager!
She also said that if we gave her a ring a couple of days prior to our next visit she would make sure that a real ale would be available.
Our sandwiches were washed down with Guinness, which having not had one for a few years was delicious. A total of 7 and a half miles, 1,098 feet in 1hr 12 min.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
18.53 miles, 5,781 feet, 5 hours 59 minutes: Torver to Ambleside, via The Old Man - Swirl How - Wet Side Edge - Blea Tarn - Lingmoor Fell - Elterwater - Loughrigg top - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, cloud base at about 2,000ft, with visibility down to 50 yards or so. The forecast sun never appeared. A cool breeze on the tops. No rain, terrain dry and firm. Not many about.
12.63 miles, 4,607 feet, 4 hours 30 minutes: Traveller's Rest - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Steel Fell - Steel End - Dunmail Raise - Raise Beck - Dollywaggon Pike - Grisedale Tarn - Little Tongue - Winterseeds - Traveller's Rest. Overcast, the cloud base mainly above the high tops, occasional brief spells of sunshine, a cool breeze at times, no rain. Terrain dry and firm. Not many on the fells, though town and car parks very busy.
I saw six of those at the sharp end of the Grisedale race descending to Grisedale Tarn - they went so fast! So agile, brave and strong. Double the speed = four times the forces that need controlling.
1st race since this Covid shit hit. I did the Skipton trail half Marathon. Not bad, but it should have been for 30 quid. Passed over a lot of ground I had raced over before in Brett's race and others. Only a couple of miles of tarmac and a lot of fell terrain. Excuse for beer and a take away curry.
14.07 miles, 4,301 feet, 4 hours 12 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Rydal - Nab Scar - Alcock Tarn - Stone Arthur - Great Rigg - Fairfield - then the rest of the horseshoe clockwise. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet, and misty/hazy below that. The sun gradually started to come out when I was at Dove Crag. Very little wind, no rain, terrain dry and firm. Not many on the fells, given that it is a Sunday and the forecast is quite good. Town busy.