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![]()
Gotta have a system!![]()
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:
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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...