11th October 2008 - the 3 Peaks - 24.8 miles and 5200 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
Continuing my masochistic whipping myself back into shape fitness regime, this weekend, rather than run something solo on Saturday followed by a fell race on Sunday, I decided to knock my plans to run Windgather on the head and “blitz” the 3 peaks instead. I’d run a couple of 5 milers in the week, had been suffering from a sore toe, had a small hangover from Friday night and it felt like I’d put one of my contact lenses in back to front…… but apart from that I felt fine and dandy and ready to go.
Getting to the top of Pen y Ghent felt was a doddle with me reaching the trig after 38 minutes and the descent to Hull Pot was, as usual, brilliant. Lots of water and mud mind but it wouldn’t be Pen y Ghent without them. Hull Pot beck was in full flow:
Then I followed the bog fest that is the Miner’s Path to Long Mires where I picked up the main 3 peakers track going towards High Birkwith from where the terrain becomes fields rather than bogs. Park Fell on the horizon with er…. some mud in the foreground:
Another extremely dangerous wildlife encounter for the intrepid stolly – this time black, furry teddy bear cows!
I now started to catch up with some 3P walkers and some bright spark had planted an empty lucozade bottle in a fresh cowpat, which, despite the dripping cow shit, I of course picked up to carry with me. I ran past a few walkers with my pooey bottle in hand (but just 'glared' rather than made accusations) only to then see yet another empty bottle planted similarly in another cowpat! I picked that up too and, now kind of angry, turned into the duel wielding pooey plastic bottle litter avenger – the next group of walkers got what for (four lads as it happens) although, when I say what for, I just pointed the bottles in the face of the nearest chap and asked him in a wild fashion whether he’d dropped them. Before he could answer I was off, running, bottles in hand, like some scary eco-friendly lone ranger, here one moment and off the next. When I got to Ingman Lodge I deposited them in a bin and returned, like the hulk when he’s calmed down, to 'normality' again!
Then it was the road for a mile to Ribblehead, just in time to catch a train going over the viaduct, with a cloudy Whernside behind.
Going up Whernside I followed the runnable all the way walkers route to the top, still feeling in good shape and hit the trig after 2 hours and 46 minutes. The low cloud was now lifting but, unfortunately, not quite quick enough for me to be able to see much from on the top ridge.
End of part one!
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