Anniversary Waltz

[alwaysinjured]

Any clues on where it goes? I can play follow-the-leader to Dale Head, but:

- is the best line from High Spy to Cat Bells the tourist path with some straightens?

- route down from Catbells?

Ta.

It isnt easy to explain but you spend almost no time on the path!

To get to high spy. climb up about 80-100 ft on the rocky path, but just after the first rough section look out for a trod across the grass to your right that goes all the way to high spy top.

Then - go cross country on a level traverse ( small trods generally visible) to the col you see between the two high points on the horizon about half a mile away.

Then - stay generally left, on trods to the right of the path, eventually being forced on the path by the terrain, all the way till you see a visible big fork in the path. Take the right hand fork on a slight incline to the horizon

Then Look for emmillous stones!!!! - you see the path swing in a long right hand bend over about, but a visible trod ( marked by emmis stones) completely cuts off this corner, go all the way on a level traverse till you finallly see cat bells.

The next bit is hard to explain. But basically ignore the path - which you see swinging in a left hand arc , finally fropping steeply to the col before cat bells.

Dead reckon the coll across grass heather, lumps and bumps. It looks wild and horrible, but trust it - it is for the most part a really nice run down all the way - here and there you find a trod and lose it again. And a lot faster than the path

CLimb to catbells. Go down the first section of rocky then swing sharp left down steep heather / grass. It looks bad, but it is really grippy and springy under foot. Go down as far as a diagonal trod that goes all the way down to the path that you started on.

But the reall secret is how to get down from dalehead.
Less than 6 mins all fast running to the tarn, if you know where to go....

Hope this helps

[Mud]

Use the path headed towards honister
After about 500m swing left and
take a sweeping simicircle arc to the left down grass
which is only steep for about 200ft descent, and good ground all the way.
after about another 400m you hit a path which goes up from the tarn
and heads towards honister - follow this to the right of the tarn and
onto the ascent towards maiden moor

Like this?

Blue is the stony path, green the invisible right-of-way, red your suggestion?

[dominion]

- route down from Catbells?

Ta.

Just head diagonally down to the road! I lost about 1/2 day there.....

[alwaysinjured]

Like this?

Blue is the stony path, green the invisible right-of-way, red your suggestion?

In principle yes: in practice it probably is not quite as far south as your map suggests.


Take a look at dalehead from high spy & what you see are distinct bands right to left: the walkers path down the RHside(north), a rock band, a gully "the right of way you mention" which goes but is not very nice at all! another smaller rock band, a second gully, then the biggest area of rocky ground of all. And the route takes you just to the left of that last rock band.

But ask swoop and sunnyside what they thought:

It is fast running all the way down, and the steepest section really is less than 200 feet still on good grass, and without trying I really did get down in only 6 mins or so to the back of the tarn, so racing would have been quicker still

If I find a photo, I will post it.

[Swoop]

But ask swoop and sunnyside what they thought.

Although it is longer it does avoid the horrible rocks and means you can keep running.

[hopey]

Right this is interesting as we follwed the walkers path down from Dale Head, but was told after the leaders on the day don't take this path, I couldn't work out what route they'd take, just going to go and get my map out.

[emmilou]

Look out for emmilou's stones. They were still there today!

They're STILL there Excellent

[david]

I lost about 1/2 day there.....

Amateur. I've lost much more than that .

[alwaysinjured]

They're STILL there Excellent

Well they WERE still there: trouble is swoopy moved them 100 yards further on......I told him not to, but he wouldnt listen!

[Yorkshire Monkey]

Ok, so out of the entire FRA it's now only Amadablam, Fellrunner and me who haven't either raced this last year or reccied it to death.

I haven't got a clue either.