Stolly's adventures 2009

[Stolly]

Good'un Stolly...all on "my" land too.

Hehe, we'll agree to 'share' the land if you like Andy . I just love running up there - its never too steep to give you an excuse to walk and you can just keep on adding extensions to routes you've run before. My next plan is to run the same route, including the Rye Loaf Hill bit (rather than the easier line past Stockdale farm), to Gordale and then hack north around the back of Malham Tarn over Fountains Fell and up Pen y Ghent before 'zipping' back to Settle via Stainforth. I'll have to get my map and my '4 mile' piece of string out though - that feels like it could be at least 25 miles.

And after losing a bit of enthusiasm for this thread over the summer, what with all sorts of other adventures and crises taking precedent, I've now regained my running 'mojo'.

And sorry for not making it to Pendle yesterday SS, my frigging daughter messed up my plans. I will be Pendleling next Sunday for sure.

[southernsoftie]

And sorry for not making it to Pendle yesterday SS, my frigging daughter messed up my plans. I will be Pendleling next Sunday for sure.

Not to worry Stolly, only teasing. More important things than running/trust family to screw up a good run*.

Fingers crossed for this Sunday!

*Delete as applicable

[Stolly]

17th September - a cracking run tonight. Starting from Embsay Yacht Club, I looped round the top of Embsay Reservoir, straight up Embsay Crag, dropped down the other side before hacking north on a fairly under used trod over Embsay Moor. This trod eventually met the main east~west cart track which I followed west in the direction of Rylstone, turning north again when I finally hit the wall at High Bank and arriving at Rylstone Cross after about 44 minutes. I then turned back on myself and followed the wall all along the ridge line before finally dropping back down to the reservoir again.

It was a still and clear evening although it did get slightly spooky as twilight kicked in; the spookiness not much helped by the odd pheasant leaving it to the last minute to jump out from the heather screeching as I passed by. It was also extremely gnatty in places and midgey too, probably made worse by the stillness. In a few places there were even a few swarms of those bastard black mini attack helicopter gunship shaped gnats - I could almost hear them locking and loading and firing up the ride of the valkyries as I came into view . Anyway I don't think I got bitten much and it was so brilliant up there, having the whole moor to myself, that it didn't matter anyway.

The heather was stunning too. I didn't have my camera with me but here's a couple of pictures I took when I was last up there the weekend before last:







About 7.5 miles I think. I was running for 1 hour 17 anyway.

[Ady In Accy]

That's what it looks like in daylight then

[wharfeego]

it's a grand shop up yon Embsay Moor...another one o'my favourite runnin' places.

[Stolly]

20th September - a fabulous run around the second half of the Full Tour of Pendle route with Southernsoftie and Alf from the forum and, whats more, it was in gorgeous sunshine with no wind - I didn't even know it could be sunny and not windy on Pendle!!

We more or less ran straight up and through Ogden Clough, a nice and easy climb up onto Pendle, before whizzing down the the otherside across Pendleton Moor. Then, put simply, we climbed Pendle, ran down, climbed Pendle, ran down, climbed Pendle to the trig on Big End and ran down! None of these climbs were of the 'nice and easy' variety though; more like the 'steep and sodding bastard' variety in fact.

For the final descent, given that we'd run out to Ogden Clough following the main cart track at the start, we decided to ditch the proper route and instead follow the main track down, a fantastic descent done pretty full on, and then at the stile run back to Barley using the Half Tour of Pendle finish along the ridge.

A fantastic run in stunning weather. And thanks to SS and Alf for their company too.









About 2 hours 15 start to finish

[southernsoftie]

I should state the only reason I let Stolly get so far ahead for the 2nd pic, was purely for the photo composition.

[Alf]

It was handy to have the resident Yorkshire "hill expert" present yesterday to point them all out to us Stolly

Thanks to you and SS for the run out.

I should state the only reason I let Stolly get so far ahead for the 2nd pic, was purely for the photo composition.

Its the wide angle SS, makes you look further away than you actually are

[wharfeego]

Great photos Stolly owd son. Inspirin' me to get out wi' mi camera instead of the camcorder.

I've got an idea to film some good scree runs...on the hoof wi' headcam and handheld camcorder...includin' other runners. Any suggestions of good, long scree runs...mostly in the Lakes I'm thinkin'. I'm up for doin' say 6 of the best in a day then producin' a film of th'action. Any takers?

Might start another thread to put this idea forward.

[Al Fowler]

Great photos Stolly owd son. Inspirin' me to get out wi' mi camera instead of the camcorder.

I've got an idea to film some good scree runs...on the hoof wi' headcam and handheld camcorder...includin' other runners. Any suggestions of good, long scree runs...mostly in the Lakes I'm thinkin'. I'm up for doin' say 6 of the best in a day then producin' a film of th'action. Any takers?

Might start another thread to put this idea forward.

Theres that scree coming off the Langdales.
Myself and Derby Tup where talking to a walker who and run down the scree back in Aug. He said it was amazing.