Sounds like an epic (and tough!) day out Mark, great pictures - really give you an idea of how cold it must have been up there! We really need to get acquainted with Yewbarrow :w00t:
Sounds like an epic (and tough!) day out Mark, great pictures - really give you an idea of how cold it must have been up there! We really need to get acquainted with Yewbarrow :w00t:
Cheers Bill just give me a call will be going round leg 4 again sometime.Originally Posted by Arkel
Will do
Cheers DT glad that you like the latest post on my blog, and you are right leg 4 is a great day out if done the way we did it.:thumbup:
Excellent day out with Daz yesterday. 8:45 start from Dunmail and off up Dollywaggon Pike to recce the last 3 peaks of leg 2. Lot of snow and ice on Fairfield and Seat Sandal + little visibility slowed us down as did a wrong line choice off Fairfield. Still we were only a couple of minutes outside Daz' target times so a pretty good effort.
Back to Dunamil for a quick break and then up the lovely Steel Fell climb. We got a bit lost in the snow on Sergeant Man and High Raise. Daz mentioned possibly High Raise first and then Sergeant and Thuncarr. Am planning to go back in a few weeks and have another look. Anyone any thoughts on that option ?
We did Thunacar and then turned back. Visibility wasn't getting better and i was shivering in 2 shirts,a fleece,windproof jacket and waterproof.
Got back to Dunmail and we had an hour or so to kill to avoid hitting Manchester in rush hour. I did suggest a few Steel fell hill reps but in the end we decided on a pint of Jennings and a burger and chunky chips at the first pub on the left back towards Grasmere.
Good to meet you Daz, and the Bolt Thrower on the way back was spot on !
That will be The Traveller's Rest then?
We were discussing the Sgt Man/High Raise thing the other day and of course it's very subjective .... it's also a very easy place in which to lose time, particularly if the conditions are bad, it's dark and you're a bit tired (or all three). I recce'd this area to death in 2011 and also ran it all anti-clockwise to make sure I knew the line. My own opinion is that it's pretty hard going and very tussocky if you opt to visit High Raise first, far better to focus on finding the right route to Sgt Man and enjoy the psychological advantage of a short run up to High Raise and then a nice, easy run over to Thunacar, it just seems a lot less of a struggle that way.
I agree, Sgt Man first then High Raise is best.That will be The Traveller's Rest then?
We were discussing the Sgt Man/High Raise thing the other day and of course it's very subjective .... it's also a very easy place in which to lose time, particularly if the conditions are bad, it's dark and you're a bit tired (or all three). I recce'd this area to death in 2011 and also ran it all anti-clockwise to make sure I knew the line. My own opinion is that it's pretty hard going and very tussocky if you opt to visit High Raise first, far better to focus on finding the right route to Sgt Man and enjoy the psychological advantage of a short run up to High Raise and then a nice, easy run over to Thunacar, it just seems a lot less of a struggle that way.
I agree. I think the initial climb up the beck after Calf Crag (Mere Beck?) when going direct to HR is quite nice... there's a little trod and it's bang on (pretty much) the direct line you want to be heading in. Once the angle eases and you're on the summit plateau of HR the trod vanishes and it's harder going in the tussocks, particularly during a wet period (so all the time then). The line to the summit is easy with visibility, but would need a decent bearing in the dark/clag. Of course you can aim off and hit the path coming up from SM, but that kind of defeats the point of a direct line in the first place! So, yeah, not a bad option in dry conditions with a good line if you like running in tussocks, otherwise SM first is much easier/safer.That will be The Traveller's Rest then?
We were discussing the Sgt Man/High Raise thing the other day and of course it's very subjective .... it's also a very easy place in which to lose time, particularly if the conditions are bad, it's dark and you're a bit tired (or all three). I recce'd this area to death in 2011 and also ran it all anti-clockwise to make sure I knew the line. My own opinion is that it's pretty hard going and very tussocky if you opt to visit High Raise first, far better to focus on finding the right route to Sgt Man and enjoy the psychological advantage of a short run up to High Raise and then a nice, easy run over to Thunacar, it just seems a lot less of a struggle that way.
Yes the Travellers Rest. Very nice it was, although I still think the Steel Fell hill reps were the way to go.That will be The Traveller's Rest then?
We were discussing the Sgt Man/High Raise thing the other day and of course it's very subjective .... it's also a very easy place in which to lose time, particularly if the conditions are bad, it's dark and you're a bit tired (or all three). I recce'd this area to death in 2011 and also ran it all anti-clockwise to make sure I knew the line. My own opinion is that it's pretty hard going and very tussocky if you opt to visit High Raise first, far better to focus on finding the right route to Sgt Man and enjoy the psychological advantage of a short run up to High Raise and then a nice, easy run over to Thunacar, it just seems a lot less of a struggle that way.
We sttuggled to find the right line up Sergeant. All the trods were covered in snow and the peaks weren't visible. Best line I guess is close to the fence posts and past Codale Head ? We ended up too far to the right following the becks.
Sargeant Man first for me on my attempt :wink:
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