best fell runner ever ?

[L.F.F.]

Base it on British and English combined and its still Holmsie.

The lakeland lads are very good but the Bingley lad just has the edge.

Yes, it'd be interesting to see a similar article based on the Champs. I suppose if that was done then people like Rob Hope and Simon Bailey would feature a lot more strongly as well?

Were the Champs around in the days of Billy Bland etc? If not then I don't suppose it's fair to say they weren't as good because they don't feature as strongly as more recent runners.

Also, the Classics are a good reference point as they definitely have always been around (although they won't have been the focus for a lot of more recent runners if they've been focusing on the Champs, so again it's a bit tricky to compare).

Suppose to an extent it's subjective. Some of Billy Bland's times, and the places he got them, would be enough to put him as number one for a lot of people regardless what others have done elsewhere, I'd have thought.