Sorry for delay in replying - been away!

I have had problems with the farmer at Stiperden, I think that generally people have used to farm track but I would appreciate if runners stuck to the footpath.

Quote Originally Posted by Tussockface View Post
That's a very good question.
As I understand it, the official route is the 'path' that runs almost alongside the track. Except that it isn't really a path, because it's so pointless going that way that no-one apart from a Haworth Hobbler ever uses it. The result is that it's left rough, boggy and unmarked.
If the rationale is to minimise inconvenience to the farmer, I don't really get it:
1) The fields get churned up.
2) Right by the farm, you have to scramble back over a wall and drop down onto the track in any case.
3) The track itself is a major long distance route, while the 'path' isn't.

In my view, the BIG 'no-no' at this point is the cheat I see every year, where some people follow the road loop. This is longer, but much faster as it misses all the gloop at the bottom, and a significant descent and climb.


However, we should always follow the instructions given by organisers, as no-one wants to jeopardise an event.
Perhaps Brett can clarify this for us.