Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

10.6 miles, 2,995 feet, 4 hours 11 minutes: Elterwater Common to Sergeant Man and back, taking in Swinescar Pike and Blea Rigg both ways, adding in Lang How and Silver How on the way back. Initially overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet - I was in cloud from this level on the way out until 1,500 feet on the way back, after which it cleared up considerably, leaving some picturesque cloud banks. No wind nor rain. Terrain firm to hard above 1,000 feet, with some ice on drainage areas and puddles. Grip was good as long as ice was avoided and care was taken with rocks. I saw nobody on the way out, and only started to see people on the way back after I got to Blea Rigg. In total I saw 19 walkers: 5 on their own and a group of 14. No runners seen.

[mr brightside]

Yes uphill only.... basically from the main road up the main path to the summit.

Oh dear that's not for me.

[mr brightside]

Got my start time for crag fell, i might have had my pants pulled down here. The times are spread over 42mins and I'm going on 33, 9mins in front of callum tinnion. This is basically a wansfell by another name so I'm just going to get my arse handed to me here. I need to see Andrew B and hope he will allow me to plead my case. This is starting to look like my ill-fated trip to jarretts jaunt where I came last.

[Mike T]

10.18 miles, 3,814 feet, 5 hours: ODG - The Band - Crinkle Crags - Red Tarn - Pike o'Blisco - Side Pike - ODG. Overcast, with bands of cloud/mist at multiple levels. No sunshine/blue sky. A few minutes of drizzle. No wind. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery, especially the rocks. There were some icy patches above 1,000 feet. I saw 8 walkers and no runners on the fells. There were also 2 people repairing the footpath just below the top of the Crinkles on the way around the Bad Step.

I wore my microspikes from the top of the Crinkles until the camping ground - because of the slippery greasy rocks rather than the ice.

[Mike T]

10.33 miles, 3,377 feet, 3 hours 39 minutes: Travellers Rest - Helm Crag - zig-zags to Greenburn - Steel Fell - Calf Crag - Helm Crag - zig-zags to Greenburn - Travellers Rest. Mainly overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; occasional sunshine/blue sky. No rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain soft/damp/wet and slippery in places, though the rocks were nowhere near as bad as yesterday. No ice at this level. Not many walkers on the fells, though town and the car parks are very busy. 1 runner seen - he was quite close behind me initially going from Steel Fell to Calf Crag, but in the middle section where there is route choice he disappears, and when he reappeared he was about a quarter of a mile behind.

I got to the long lay-by just south of the Travellers Rest at 9 am and it was already full, though of course you can park before and after it on the same side of the road.

[Mike T]

12.59 miles, 3,189 feet, 3 hours 50 minutes: Wansfell Pike, ascending from High Skelghyll after a couple of Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood loops; descending via the race route. Overcast, with no distinct cloud base - misty with height and distance. Intermittent drizzle, a moderately strong wind from the west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places; I did not come across any ice, but the ground was surprisingly firm in places above 1,000 feet. Very few walkers about; 3 runners seen.

[Mike T]

10.66 miles, 2,838 feet, 3 hours 33 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - race descent to the road at High Close - Deerbolts Woods - Grasmere shore - White Moss - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderately strong wind from the north west. Terrain saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.

[Mike T]

10.56 miles, 2,353 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Under Loughrigg Road - Rydal Water - up behind the caves to Loughrigg top - race descent to the road at High Close - Grasmere lakeside - Loughrigg Terrace - Loughrigg top - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet. Intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the north. Terrain saturated and slippery. Very few walkers on the fell; 4 runners seen.

Like yesterday, I found the conditions much better than expected from the forecast, though of course I did not go particularly high.

[Mike T]

11.98 miles, 3,018 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Road - Old Lake Road - Salutation Hotel - Wansfell Race ascent to the Pike - race descent to the Force Cafe - Ambleside - Rothay Park - Rothay Bridge - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Holbeck Lane - Low Wood - High Skelghyll - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching some of the high tops. Intermittent sunshine; intermittent drizzle. A moderate breeze from the west - it was only strong at the very top of the Pike. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about; 2 runners seen.

So the Wansfell Pike race route was included in this run.

[Mike T]

15.23 miles, 3,239 feet, 4 hours: Rothay Bridge in Ambleside to Lingmoor Fell top and back again. I had to go via the road past Blea Tarn carpark as a tractor was blocking the track to Dale End; I ascended the ridge above Bleatarn House. Sunshine, blue sky, some high fluffy clouds. There is a very sparse sprinkling of new snow above about 2,500 feet. No rain; a strong cold wind from the west. Terrain wet/saturated and slippery in places. There was ice underfoot above 1,200 feet. Not many walkers about; 3 runners seen.