LDMT why not more popular

[Travs]

What a great day out on the fells today. When people say it is the 'complete test' in Fell Running i am inclined to agree 100%

Not one step is won easily. Strangely I didn't feel as physically stressed as say Buttermere or the Welsh 1000, despite clocking up 22.5 miles and over 10000ft. I think because the concentration needed to stay on course means a steadier pace is maintained, rather than pedal to the metal all the way round. Standing on the top of Dove Crag, staring down the north-east side of the mountain into the abyss in a storm, knowing there was a checkpoint somewhere down there, was quite intimidating for my first attempt to find a checkpoint on the LDMT!

Picked up the map at Alcock Tarn, then the above-mentioned 1st leg to the far side of a Dove Crag, a long leg. I went over into Rydale and climbed the flank of Dove Crag, but a lot of people appear to have gone round the Fairfield Horseshoe to get there.

Next leg was straightforward in terms of route choice, a traverse round the crags of Hart Crag down to a stream bend. Easy choice, but probably the most technically difficult leg, very greasy and steep crags abound.

Then another stream cp, this time on the Dunmail Side of Seat Sandal. I could only see one obvious route on the map, a slog up onto and over Fairfield, down Grisedale Hause and traverse round. But a few more experienced guys look to have found a better way, traversing round to Deepdsle Hause and Grisedale Tarn.

After the road crossing at Dunmail, a steep climb up Steel Fell and a long cross-country section to Tarn Crag. Despite surveying this area on Saturday in good weather, it was still confusing. Then a couple of shorter legs over rough ground round Sergeant Man, High Raise and back over Calf Crag.

The final long leg seemed to provide the most interesting route choice, to a sheepfold between Blea Rigg and Silver Howe. I suspect a lot of people took the most direct route but I couldn't face any more bog, tussock and rough traversing, and feeling like my legs were still full of running, dropped down into Far Easdale, all the way down the valley path, turning back up to climb past Sourmilk Gill to Easdale Tarn, then a direct traverse to the sheepfold. More experience would have showed me that I took a generally good route, but could have saved myself a mile by contouring round to Easdale Tarn instead of following the path strictly. Last couple miles followed easy paths back to Grasmere.

So got round, 6hrs45 which I'd have snapped your hand off for at the start. No major errors which was especially pleasing. The weather was pretty nasty for the fist half, very little visibility and frequent heavy rain. It cleared up after Dunmail but there were still storm bursts and heavy gusts of wind. A tough initiation into the LDMT, but overall I'm very glad I jumped in at the deep and andd went for the classic course.

I'll definitely be back next year. I just hope it continues to be on a different weekend to Peris. I can't miss either of these now, and that would be some weekend to have to do both...!

Hello to Dan Gilbert and Tindersticks, great running all round. And PeteS and Calvin I didn't catch you but saw you had good finishes as well.

Pete