Ah but this fella wins everything, and the secret is how hard you ride.
Ah but this fella wins everything, and the secret is how hard you ride.
Well, I went on my own in the end and paid the price...
Set off from the Ramsey Hairpin @15:00 and climbed up North Barrule... that was a shock. Reminded me of Clough Head with thistles.
I was fine along the next few peaks. The views from Beinn-y-Phott were great and the stillness was beautiful. Then took a comedy, headlong bog surf (face down of course). With a cheery chuckle, I brushed myself down and carried on.
Dropped down into Injebreck in the fullness of time and didn't manage to get to the top of Colden properly.. sort of lost track of where the summit was and thereafter was too far over to the East.
After consulting the map repeatedly, I found I was on a bridleway a couple of miles over to the east of where I ought to be.
By now the light was failing(and so was my wife's sense of humour), so I upped my pace a bit and headed for the Crosby, getting there at sundown...
Thankfully, the beer was superb and I think I know where I went wrong. I plan to recce from Brandywell to the end when over next ( around Christmas time). It certainly was pretty, but one heather clad hill looks much like another and after trotting around in circles for knocking six hours, a sense of urgency at the gathering gloom made me press on. It was encouraging to still feel in reasonable spirits and on the day of the race hopefully there will be people in sight / course markers / marshalls around. Any navigation tips / local knowledge would be appreciated.
But I'll still practice the navigation.
Been over for Christmas and managed to get out early on Boxing Day to recce the Southern end from Greeba Bridge. You can't really get lost on the old railway line can you, but I think we entered the plantation at Slieau Whallian too soon. We took the first track off the road, over a stile and into the trees but although the track climbed steeply in roughly the right direction it turned sharply back towards St. Johns / Peel... didn't seem right.
So even though I'd said to my nephew, "I'm not going back down there!", we went back down there and looked for a path in the right direction. Didn't really find one, but found plenty of head high gorse. Did we take the wrong track off the road (is the proper one further up?) or does the St. Johns bound track suddenly turn sharp left towards the summit?
The top of Slieau Whallian was windy and cold but clear, and the descent was a bit of fun. Navigation was easy enough and the scenery FANTASTIC. My nephew says in a dry, ironic tone, "You won't get views like that from the Glue Pot!", the pub in Castletown that we were all bound for later.
Next question came up due to the ascent of South Barrule. Is there an easier approach than the direct line from the gate at the foot of the hill towards the summit? It was bloody hard to run at all with no discernable path or trod to follow. When we did get to the top, there seemed to be a path coming up that would have followed a line to our left as we'd climbed. Or is that a red herring? I can't help think there must be a way up that is easier running than the way we took.
Finally, when you get to the Sloc, the route description states 'follow the path to the landward side'. I thought we had but ended up at Surby... At the Sloc do you take the path up the hill (the Raad ny Foillan) or go left staying nearer the road?
We were nearer the road (the track the Manx MTB End to End follows) and it didn't seem right.
What a day though... of course, the family took the pi$$ because I got lost again, (even with my nephew's local knowledge, map, compass and directions!) but the views were staggeringly gorgeous. From the top of South Barrule and Cronk ny Arrey Laa the whole of the south was down beneath you and spectacular.
Felt good at the end so roll on Easter.
From what I can remember you leave the road at GR 277811 and follow the forrest trail. The track bends to the right and gets a bit steeper. You then bear left through the trees on a path until you emerge from the forrest at GR272810. This bit is flagged on the day.Originally Posted by lantern rouge
I always bear slightly right after the road crossing and there is a path all the way to the top.
You take the left hand track. You do not go up Raad ny Foillan.
You sound like you took the old route of the MMM with the head high gorse which is too far to the east.
Don't know if you did the New Years Race but the MMM route is the same as it, there should be plenty of fell shoe tracks still there? Once you have ran as far up the track from the gate as the first junction of it, the track does take a sharp turn to the right in the Peel direction, carries on up a steep climb and then you hit a wall which you turn along run up until a gap in it and then turn right through it to run up to the style at the top.
I'm so naughty!!!!!!
South Barrule, after crossing the road go through the gate and head up as if you are aiming for the left of the summit, then dog leg right for the summit. It's a bit sketchy here. Come down off South Barrule, across the cross roads, through the gate, cross Lanagore (Cronk Fedjag) then to the top of Cronk ny Arrey Laa. Have a look at the link at the bottom of my post. It's very well marshaled on the day.
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