The Mobile/Holiday Park at Neum Crag was the first ever place i stayed on a holiday to the Lake District, think it must've been 1998
The Mobile/Holiday Park at Neum Crag was the first ever place i stayed on a holiday to the Lake District, think it must've been 1998
Lots of nice places to go nearby, starting with Chester's Cafe just down the hill - before Covid I used to go there a couple of times a week for post run nosh. Luckily my partner enjoys cooking so now the fruit scones and flapjacks I have are home made - with less sugar and fresh rather than dried fruit.
8.51 miles, 2,577 feet, 2 hours 48 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including down the other side to Nanny Lane and back up again, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Overcast, with multiple banks of cloud at varying levels rather than a distinct cloud base. Continuous precipitation - anything from drizzle to moderate rain. Terrain saturated/streaming - puddles and rivulets everywhere. No significant wind, just a mild breeze from the east on the top. I saw about 30 walkers - including a large group of about 20; no other runners seen.
The large group was about two thirds youngsters, some of them about 10 years old, the rest were adults. I came across them several times, including on top of the Pike. Given the conditions they were coping really well - none were making a fuss. Well done them.
About 1 in 10 of the local blackberries are now ready to be picked.
9.49 miles, 3,281 feet, 3 hours 20 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 3 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Sunshine and fluffy clouds; most of the high tops were cloud free. No rain, no significant wind. Terrain very variable - anything from dry to saturated/streaming - slippery in places. Quite a few walkers on the fell - on my third visit to the top of the Pike there must have been 30 people there. No other runners seen.
9.55 miles, 3,344 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 3 sides - an almost identical route to yesterday. Initially there was an inversion in some of the valleys, but this melted away very quickly leaving a lovely blue sky, with a few high fluffy clouds, and some streaky clouds in the east. No rain; a gentle breeze from the north west. Terrain very variable, not as wet as yesterday, slippery in places. Very few walkers about, but I was out very early; no other runners seen.
9.73 miles, 3,052 feet, 3 hours 20 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Lily Tarn, down the race route to the road at High Close, and up the steps opposite Grasmere. Overcast, with some patches of blue sky, the cloud base was at about 2,000 feet. No rain, a moderate breeze from the east. Terrain dry/damp with mainly good grip. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 2 other runners seen.
12.64 miles, 3,266 feet, 3 hours 38 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from Ambleside. Overcast, with almost confluent clouds just catching some of the highest tops. A few minutes of sunshine; a few minutes of drizzle. There was a moderately strong wind from the south east. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Very few walkers on the fells; 3 other runners seen.
I took the 1st, 2nd and 4th trods to the left on the way up, the trod to the north on the Fairfield plateau, bypassed Dove Crag to the south west, kept on the non race side of the wall on the descent, and went down the rock step.
Two of the runners and I kept overtaking each other - what fun - it was interesting to see which trods away from the main route were particularly advantageous: the first and fourth trods on the ascent, the trod to the north on the plateau, and especially being on the non race side of the wall.
10.01 miles, 3,339 feet, 3 hours 3 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down to the top of Nanny lane and back up again, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet, and misty below that. Some transient patches of sunshine on the landscape. A strong wind from the south east; intermittent drizzle/light rain. Terrain anything from dry to saturated; slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fell; 3 other runners seen.
An unpleasant incident with a dog - barking and growling and getting very close - it ignored its owners calls, and even when he put himself between me and the dog it just went around him.
10.79 feet, 3,429 feet, 3 hours 48 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 3 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, and up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,600 feet. Intermittent drizzle. Occasional brief sunny episodes. That wind from the south east was less strong today. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. Not many walkers about; 5 other runners seen.