Would like to recce leg 2. Is anybody else planning on doing it.
Would like to recce leg 2. Is anybody else planning on doing it.
No, but it's pretty straightforward. By way of notes:Originally Posted by todboy
Handover is at the bottom of Cragg Vale and you follow the metalled road up past the reservoir to the fell gate which, to all intents and purposes, is marked. From there to the top of Stoodley I suppose you can go awry at first in so far as there's more than way you can work your way through the fields (walled, from memory) but the general direction is obvious. Once you get through the last gate onto open fell the 400m or so (again from memory) to the top of Stoodley are obvious (though there's more than one trod you can follow, there's no major divergence of distance between them.)
From top of Stoodley the descent is rapid and steep down to Mankinholes but there is pretty much a trade route to follow. That early in the race you are likely to have some company, anyway. At the bottom of the hill you go through a farm gate and turn sharp right onto metalled road for about 200 yards, then left down a path and left again down a stairway into Lumbutts. The stairs are very, very slippery in my experience...watch out.
Then sharp right back onto road and steep uphill for about 1/4 mile or so before turning right (marked Calderdale Way, but watch out) into a farmyard and then left through fields (mainly knee deep bog in previous years). You have to watch out a bit here...you can go awry...if you are running solo. Path is not 100% obvious. But basically you emerge onto a footpath which turns into a road and drops steeply downhill into Toddy, coming out on the main road. You cross this and continue about 100m through town before turning right and heading very steeply uphill over the railway tracks on metalled road again. This is an absolutely withering climb...very unrelenting and unpleasant.
Near the top, but not at the end of the road, you bear right again onto a path (just after a large house set back from the road, I think) and eventually back onto fell. You traverse the first field diagonally and then, back on footpath, you have to watch carefully for the final right turn through another field and back down to the finish line. Steep single track descent at the last before metalled road 1/4 mile to the finish. But the last turn into the field for the final descent is another opportunity for a navigational error so take care.
Main advice is leave something in reserve for the last climb.
Spot on instructions, and advice about the last climb it seemed to keep on going last time I ran it!
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