8.52 miles, 2,638 feet, 2 hours 41 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - Champion Tree Trail - High Skelghyll - 3 way junction - Blue Hill Woods and Lane - Wansfell steps - Wansfell Pike - 3 way junction - High Skelghyll - Ambleside. Overcast; mist with mizzle almost to the valley floor. No significant wind. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery. Not many walkers about; no other runners seen.
Originally Posted by Travs
Sallows and Sour Howes are best approached from halfway up the Garburn Pass, or from either end of the top of the pass. Even descending from their tops to the south east is grim - ascending - no thanks!
I don't think i've ever taken a simple route onto those two.....
The first time i did them i was ticking off Wainwrights, and started somewhere on the Kirkstone Road, beelining direct towards Troutbeck Tongue, then attacking Sour Howes/Sallows from the north-west, which i recall was equally tough, and a fair climb out of the Troutbeck valley.
Then descended straight down to the quarry and almost direct to Limefitt Caravan Park, and eventually over Wansfell and back to Ambleside.
It was not the easiest of days for four Wainwrights of such modest altitude!
11.02 miles, 3,164 feet, 3 hours 30 minutes: Loughrigg Silver How race route, but 1/ starting and finishing at Rothay Bridge, 2/ taking in Lily Tarn on the way out rather than on the way back, and 3/ going over some of the minor tops on Loughrigg after the second visit to its true top. Wall to wall sunshine, a moderate wind from the south east, no precipitation, terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers about, but I did set off fairly early; no other runners seen.
Are the roman ruins in Ambleside any good? I've tried to spot them a few times from the lower road through going north, but never seen owt.
10.71 miles, 3,319 feet, 3 hours 25 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Overcast, with the clouds above the high tops. Some patches of blue sky. A strong cold wind from the north east. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. I only saw about a dozen walkers on the fells, and no runners.
They are just some foundations - but it is a nice setting, and, combined with Stagshaw Gardens and the Champion Tree Trail, makes a nice family outing.
10.03 miles, 3,173 feet, 3 hours 19 minutes: Loughrigg trails, starting and finishing at Rothay Bridge, ascending via Fox Ghyll, descending past the old golf club, and going down the race route to the road at High Close and up the steps opposite Loughrigg Tarn. Blue sky with some high fluffy clouds. That wind from the north east persists. No rain; terrain mainly dry with excellent traction. Given how nice the weather is, there were surprisingly few walkers about; no other runners seen.
I took several "let's see where this path goes" routes today - some I had probably taken a few times before, but there was at least one that I hadn't.
9.04 miles, 3,074 feet, 2 hours 52 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including the ascent from the 3 way junction, down to the top of Nanny Lane, up to the true top, back along the ridge, and down the race route to the kissing gate. Sunshine and high fluffy clouds; if anything the wind from the north east was even stronger today, but I was of course higher. No rain; terrain dry with good grip. Quite a few walkers on the fell; no other runners seen.
The bracken has started to come up unfortunately.
10.12 miles, 2,583 feet, 3 hours 1 minute: Ambleside - Waterhead - Clappersgate - Fishgarths Wood - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - down the race route to the road at High Close - back up the steps opposite Loughrigg Tarn - down past the old golf club - Miller Bridge - Rothay Bridge. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet - misty in the distance - constant drizzle/light rain. That north east wind has settled to a moderate breeze. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Given the weather, there were a lot of walkers about; 3 other runners seen.
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