bgr HOW long??

[RobW]

I'm intrigued to come across assertions that the BG is 72 miles - most recently in Askwith's Feet in the Clouds, and on the BGR club homepage (72 miles, 27,000 ft of ascent). http://www.bobgrahamclub.org.uk/index.php?page=home

Does anyone who has actually measured it, really think it's that long? (OK I know it sometimes feels it).

Last time I looked at this, which was some years ago, I noted the following stats:

Tracing the route on Anquet: 60.9(flat),62.1(hidden)mi; 26,742ft
Chris U using Anq got 60mi, 27,200ft

Paddy Buckley's PBR details gave the following for the BG in comparison:
58.9mi, 25,313ft

Can anyone contribute stats captured on GPS?

Rob

[Bob]

We've had discussions on this before. Memory Map gives 63 miles (approximately) but I don't know if those are "map miles" or miles on the ground, i.e. does the distance take into account slope? (I presume that this is your "hidden" mileage?) Full Moon Addict has been round a couple of times with a GPS unit and reckons it is in the region of 66 miles.

Even if MM gives map miles and all slopes were 45 degrees (they can't be that steep as it happens - do a search on "angle of repose") then you'd only get something like another 5 miles but mostly it will be a lot less than that.

I remember supporting one attempt and they had drawn direct lines between the summits (other than obvious doglegs) and the distance was 60 miles so the intricacies of the route don't seem to add that much.

Using Memory Map, distance and ascent (in metric):

BGR- 101Km 8010m
PBR - 97km 8920m
CRR - 90km 8780m

Of course these figures don't take into account the terrain underfoot.

Bob

[Fellhound]

Miles are for road races really. They mean very little on fells, though they do provide a basis for comparison I suppose. You have to take account of terrain and remoteness though. And then there's, how well-trodden, weather, level of support, navigational difficulty.... These are mountains - there are far more dimensions to them than a simple one dimensional linear measurement like miles

As far as the "big three" rounds go - everyone would surely agree that the order of difficulty (top down) is Ramsey Round, Paddy Buckley Round, Bob Graham round.

[Nee Bother]

[QUOTE=Trundler;133403]Miles are for road races really. They mean very little on fells, though they do provide a basis for comparison I suppose. You have to take account of terrain and remoteness though. And then there's, how well-trodden, weather, level of support, navigational difficulty.... These are mountains - there are far more dimensions to them than a simple one dimensional linear measurement like miles

Totally agree..........but.........if describing it non fell-runners its all the above AND at least 72 miles

[Mark Smith]

I meansured the BGR as 66 miles using a GPS when i went round. I didn;t take any unusual routes along the way and it's usually a pretty darn accurate piece of kit.

[Full Moon Addict]

agree - I've measured it twice with GPS technology I make it 65.6 miles. I believe its now been changed on the Bob Graham Round site so that the spurious figure of 72 miles doesn't get quoted. Ramsay is 60 miles by my reckoning.

[ydt]

Let's say The BG is between 62 and 66 miles long.
I wll be careful with the GPS as it measures all sorts of movements. I was surprised once by my maximum recorded speed until I realised that I was holding the beast in my hand and obviously it was recording the total forward velocity of my hand.
Yiannis

[RobW]

As of this evening the BGR Club homepage still cites 72. I've contacted Morgan.

Regarding the relative difficulty of the Big Three, I agree that the Paddy is harder than the Bob (by about an hour it is often said). I'd say the RR is probably similar to the BG in terms of physical effort and runnability, but harder in terms of potential exposuire to weather, remoteness of support points and length of sections. But these last two are issues for the supporters not the contender, of course.

And I made the RR 56.3 miles with 28,390 feet of ascent, by Anquet.

"Hidden" length - yes I assume that takes into account the slope length, although it only adds about 1 mile in the case of the Ramsay.

Thanks to everyone for the contributions by the way.

[Marvin]

Less than 24 hours if you want to become a member of the BG24HC.

[daz h]

The miles and height dont really come into my mind to be honest. I think more of the route, the summits and the features on the way round. Im not sure its a good thing posting about miles and heights taken with the GPS. The GPS should be just used to record your own passage around this magical route.
Its called the BG route. I think we could be in danger of taking the mystery out of it all.

I wonder how far we are off from technology talking to you through an earpiece with a program thats been pre downloaded from someone who has set up a website called helpyouaroundthebg.com

Even if i do manage to get round i will be left in no doubt how hard it must have been for those early BGers who had basic gear etc etc.