Stolly's adventures 2009

[Stolly]

27th September - to coincide with the 3 peaks cyclocross race and provide (piss poor as it happens) support for Hanneke while she rode, pushed, carried and dragged her bike round, I decided to run up Ingleborough from Horton, catch the race as it bundled past there, then run over Park Fell down onto the road just before Ribblehead and then run a reverse route of the 3 peaks fell race back over the moors and bogs to Pen y Ghent. Ingleborough to Pen y Ghent this way takes me the best part of 2 hours so my expert planning would thereby plant me squarely on the PyG trig just in time to meet the cyclocrossers for a second time.

Everything went to plan too except that I set off from Horton too soon and arrived at the Ingleborough trig maybe 20 minutes before the bikers started appearing. I was expecting the sun to break through the clouds and turn into another glorious day, as it had been on Saturday, so I didn't bother carrying any extra layers. Needless to say I froze my nuts off on Ingleborough firstly in the wait and then for the half an hour that it took all the bikers to troop by. I did however manage to give Ady a mars bars, Merry a quick drink and Hanneke a drink too. I could then thankfully kick start my goosebump covered spindly legs and get running again.

It was perfect timing as it turned out too with the front of the field in the throws of going up and down the final climb on Pen y Ghent just as I puffed into view. I bumped into Tea & Cake with her dog at this point who reckoned the top 50 riders or thereabouts were on or just off the hill. I swiftly said tata to T&C and headed for the trig, had a quick rest and then realised the one key fault with my promise to provide Hanneke with a drink and a snack at the Pen y Ghent trig - I'd have to hang about for probably a frigging long time. I gave this problem oooh 20 seconds of deep thought and decided to 'unsupport' Han instead and just trot down to Horton between all the riders coming up and down. (I'd probably bump into Hanneke anyway anyway I reasoned with myself).

By the way running down that track with one set of riders man-handling their bikes up, loads of spectators and walkers and their dogs milling about, and another set of riders screaming down behind me coming off the hill must be one of the most hazardous and stupid things I've ever done. No crashes caused though but I did have three of four extremely close shaves. About 18 miles and a great run as usual. And I didn't bump into Hanneke (but she did finish so nothing to worry about).

Simon Fell on the horizon on the way up Ingleborough:



The colourful bog (of doom) just before the trig on Park Fell. Getting up close it looks like you could lose a double decker bus in it!



Pen y Ghent viewed from the top of the precipitous descent off of Park Fell:



Simon Fell from the Pen y Ghent side of Ribblesdale:

[Stolly]

30th September - one of my bog standard runs from home tonight up into the hills out back, straight up the side and over High Hill, up and round Warrendale Knotts to the trig before hacking back down to Settle. Maybe 6 miles give or take and 1500 feet of climb.

Over the past two years of living in Settle me and my eldest daughter have evolved a series of different running routes from home. We started off with small, middle and long runs, simple, but over time all sorts of add ons and extentions have been bolted on and we've had to develop a "highly sophisticated" system for labelling all these different routes.

Tonights run in our parlance was 'middle, middle, long, cow factor 3'

[wharfeego]

...Tonights run in our parlance was 'middle, middle, long, cow factor 3'...

I note your "cow factor"...I guess that's of the moo variety and not of your runnin' partner?

[Stolly]

Cow factor 3 is when you have to run very close to a lot of cows. It was made more fun the other evening in that I was running through misty clag with all these cow shapes appearing one after the other out of the gloom. Cow factor 4 is when you meet the bull as well (my daughter calls this event a 'cow attack' even though no cow attack actually takes place). Cow factor 5 is when a cow attack does take place

[southernsoftie]

Gotta have a system!

[Stolly]

4th October - a cracking 9.5 miler up Ingleborough out of Clapham this morning. Through the spooky tunnel under Ingleborough Hall, up Long Lane and into open fell through Clapham Bottoms and then running parallel with the wall all the way up to Full Beck Head just below Simon's Fell to meet the main Horton - Ingleborough track and following that to the trig on Ingleborough. I found it hard going on the way up to be honest (maybe I'm going down with something) but the descent was brilliant, firstly along the extended ridge of Little Ingleborough, down to Gaping Gill, over the top (rather than down through the gully) to Trow Gill, past Ingleborough Cave and along Clapdale Drive all the way back to Clapham. Marvellous. A steady 1 hour 40 ish.

Long Lane (well a very little bit of it):



Pen y Ghent to my right as viewed from Brunt Riggs on the map:



With Little Ingleborough and Ingleborough to my left:



Simon Fell from the top of my route off Ingleborough with Pen y Ghent in the far distance:

[Stolly]

11th October – a magnificent trot around the three peaks this morning with pretty grim weather for the first 10 miles or so – low cloud, howling wind and sideways rain. By Ribblehead though things started to clear up and by the time I was trudging off of Ingleborough it was nicely warm and sunny. 4 hours 29 which I was quite pleased with, what with the conditions and the fact that my running speed is nowadays stuck in second gear.

Pen y Ghent trig



Pen y Ghent and Park Fell taken from somewhere near the start of my assault on Whernside



Blea Moor I guess and some other rolling hills



One of the best feelings going - running the ridge line of Whernside



A couple more pics to follow...