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Thread: Bob Graham Route Choices

  1. #101
    Master Bob's Avatar
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Quote Originally Posted by NotOnUrHelly View Post
    I went from Sergeant Man - Calf Crag - Steel Fell and Back.

    I was fine between Sergeant Man and Calf Crag on the way out and calf crag - steel fell was fine, but could not for the life of me find a path or sheep trod on the way back between Calf Crag and Sergeant Man and completely blew the schedule.


    So my question is on a clockwise round is there a decent path or trod from Calf crag up to Sergeant man. I just seemed to be on tough going grass all the way.
    On my round, Ali and his support were gaining on me from Steel Fell, they went Calf Crag - High Raise - Sergeant Crag whereas I went Calf Crag - Sergeant Crag - High Raise and gained time on them - we passed about a minute from the summit of High Raise. This way has the advantage of being on good paths all the way which could be a help if it is misty.

  2. #102
    Senior Member Ali's Avatar
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob View Post
    On my round, Ali and his support were gaining on me from Steel Fell, they went Calf Crag - High Raise - Sergeant Crag whereas I went Calf Crag - Sergeant Crag - High Raise and gained time on them - we passed about a minute from the summit of High Raise. This way has the advantage of being on good paths all the way which could be a help if it is misty.
    I would agree with Bob.

    Did High Raise first on mine but did Sergeant Man first on Yiannis' 60@60.

    This felt easier, being on trods and short grass the whole way.

    I know Yiannis researched all lines extremely thoroughly before his 60@60 so think this must have been the quickest way.

    Having said that, if, like GeoffB, you're happy with t'other way, and your navigator is too, then why not?

    Cheers, Ali

  3. #103
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    reckon sergeant man first is definitely better going clockwise. you're on good tracks wheras the tusscks are trying going up high raise the other way.

    anticlockwise I would also do sergeant man first as its a better descent on grass from high raise.

  4. #104
    alwaysinjured
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Fascinating!

    I have now had chance to reccie just about every variant possible from Great Calva in the last 3 months.

    (a) First the "accepted" route down the fence line, a thrutch along the river
    bank a climb then along the small trod across mungrisdale eventually in a high traverse across the scree to the summit.

    (b) My original preferred route: to the sheepfold , down a grass rake to the caldew crossing at the narrowest point more or less on the shortest line.

    (c) Following the nose S then swinging SSE and crossing the caldew at the junction of streams, using the pipe and fence to avoid wet feet around 200 m west of (b)

    Both (b) and (c) take a gradual ascent on the W flank of mungrisdale
    using the last stream W of blencathra as a handrail for the
    final climb to ensure reaching the summit even in clag,

    (another advantage there is water just before the final ascent at an old ruined building. )

    Of these despite the long heather which is not pleasant and reduces you to
    a walk in the lower slopes , crossing the caldew to start to rise takes 16 mins for on either route (a) and (c), but onnly 15 mins for (b) which takes the easiest line on the valley floor

    (c) was a minute quicker at 65 mins against 66 for (b) and 70 for (a) simply,
    I think because the line to blencathra on (b) and (c) is better and with less tussocks shorter grass and easier going after the first bit of climb. (b) is probably better , because (c) is a thrutch on the valley flloor


    But are these FASTEST? NO !
    READ THIS!!!

    And I am gobsmacked at the answer. After Celias BG on sat,

    I went back on Mon and took the good path down SW towards skiddaw house, up past skiddaw house, down the path until it bends, and deadreckoned blencathra from there.

    AND THAT IS FASTEST BY A LOT!!!! - Why? It is easy running! 9.5 mins from the top , to the bridge proves I was only jogging the mile down to achieve this! , and could have got down minutes quiicker with little more effort.
    - 5 mins walk/jog up to skiddaw house - I dont have a
    split to the bend, but it was only around 3 min.
    Then 45 min to the summit! TOTAL 60 dead!

    I can provide more details of the line to anyone interested, but it is not far of
    straight allowing for traversing into the stream gullies on the W flank of mungrisdale.

    Why is this so? One answer is that it retains height better than any caldew crossing, despite a small climb. But mainly it is easily runnable till the climb, which no other line offers


    Food for thought

    I suggest every contender tries it. If like me, you prefer carlside to get to
    skiddaw because it is either run or walk, no question, then you will like this
    too!

    PS - also tried an ascent and descent of middle tongue in place of halls fell.
    It may be a good line for anyone capable of 60@60 with feet like a mountain goat but not for ordinary mortals. Whilst I got down in 29 min it was thoroughly unpleasant!

  5. #105

    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    I went back on Mon and took the good path down SW towards skiddaw house, up past skiddaw house, down the path until it bends, and deadreckoned blencathra from there.
    Looks interesting I'll try this out some time.

    It is easy running! 9.5 mins from the top , to the bridge
    Then it must be quicker to go up as well instead of going via the path by the stream when coming from Skiddaw?

    I can provide more details of the line to anyone interested
    ,

    I'm all ears


    also tried an ascent and descent of middle tongue in place of halls fell.
    It may be a good line for anyone capable of 60@60 with feet like a mountain goat but not for ordinary mortals. Whilst I got down in 29 min it was thoroughly unpleasant!
    Why was it unpleasant?

    Bill

  6. #106
    alwaysinjured
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Quote Originally Posted by Baggins View Post
    Then it must be quicker to go up as well instead of going via the path by the stream when coming from Skiddaw?
    I doubt it, because it is on the wrong line for the descent from Skiddaw -
    the stream path is pretty good these days for ascent:but it might be worth trying. Also, whilst the path is good on the way down, the lower part is difficult to see from below. You will see what I mean when you try it.


    Quote Originally Posted by Baggins View Post
    Why was it unpleasant?
    If you get the right line, which is to go almost to the second peak before descending, it is short grass all the way down to the nose, it is steep enough to mean that you cant do much more than walk.

    The descent from the nose (50 feet) is both shaly and slippy, and beware of a sheer drop of 10 feet at the bottom! , so traverse left of the stream! and the valley floor at the bottom is a thrutch. alternating sides of the stream. I also tried a traverse line on the E flank from the nose and it was no better.

    I also think it would be dangerous in the dark!
    (The line down middle tongue is right of the rock outcrop at the top, just before the ascent to the second top of blencathra, left of the next outcrop you see, right of the scree that descends steeply from there, over the first nose, and right of the bottom)

    Quote Originally Posted by Baggins View Post
    I'm all ears

    Bill
    Will drum up some grid refs.

  7. #107
    Master ydt's Avatar
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Although I like rock more than heather, I think the descent from Blencathra via Middle Tongue is the quickest but some of it is very steep. I don't follow Middle Tongue, I cross it and drop to the stream W of the Tongue, then down to Gate Gill.
    ydt

  8. #108
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Please draw your favoured Calva to Blencathra route for us on http://maps.live.com/

  9. #109
    alwaysinjured
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Quote Originally Posted by ydt View Post
    Although I like rock more than heather, I think the descent from Blencathra via Middle Tongue is the quickest but some of it is very steep. I don't follow Middle Tongue, I cross it and drop to the stream W of the Tongue, then down to Gate Gill.
    ydt
    I agree ,
    I am sure for a good descender that it is quickest!

    I tried a traversing descent towards middle tongue last week, but was unhappy about crossing some of the steep shaly scree (grade a wimp!, and is why my next attempt involved starting closer to the second top)
    Agree with the line to the W of the tongue.

    Out of interest if you look at the hill side on gate gill fell there is a traverse path at the height of the final nose (70-80 feet off the valley floor on the side of gategill fell which is worth trying as an alternative to the gill bottom.

    Doesnt alter the fact that IMHO need to concentrate every inch of the way! so didnt enjoy, and in the dark it could be dangerous.

    Have another couple of experiments I want to try.

  10. #110
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    Re: Bob Graham Route Choices

    Quote Originally Posted by alwaysinjured View Post
    I doubt it, because it is on the wrong line for the descent from Skiddaw -
    the stream path is pretty good these days for ascent:but it might be worth trying. Also, whilst the path is good on the way down, the lower part is difficult to see from below. You will see what I mean when you try it.
    Again I think that the route from the track crossing to the ridge is quicker than taking the path by the beck. Jo Stoat did the latter while I went via the ridge and despite him being near the head of the beck when I left the track crossing I was at the summit before him. There is a path from the first bend in the beck that leads to the ridge. It fades away about 100m short of a solitary fence post (something to do with the Cumbria Way apparently) and then you are on the grassy path on the ridge.

    I'd like to see the line you mention going from Great Calva to Blencathra. I have always reckoned on something approximating to your route B to be as efficient as is possible: Head down the S ridge of GC for a couple of hundred metres then drop into a vague reentrant to gain the track then a little bit of heather bashing to get to the river before taking a direct line to the summit of Mungrisedale Common from where a good path leads to the final slopes of Blencathra whence you traverse across the screes to gain the saddle and then the summit. When traced on a map it is very close to the straight line between the two summits. I reckon it is about 10mins quicker than your route A.

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