Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

11.28 miles, 3,703 feet, 3 hours 44 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Clappersgate - Todd Crag - Lily Tarn - Loughrigg top - race route descent to High Close - Silver How - High Close - up the steps overlooking Grasmere - Loughrigg top - Miller bridge - Ambleside. Mainly overcast, though there were some patches of blue sky. The cloud base was mainly above the high tops. No rain. A cold moderately strong wind from the west. The terrain was mostly wet/saturated, though a lot of the rocks were dry; slippery in places. I saw about 40 walkers on the fells, and 4 runners.

Today was an all over Kamleika day - it handled that cold wind well.

[Mike T]

10.66 miles, 3,334 feet, 3 hours 32 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Borrans Road - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - Champion Tree Trail - High Skelghyll - Wansfell Pike - Wansfell true top - down to the upper part of Hundreds Road - back up to the Pike - down the race descent to Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base initially at about 2,500 feet; rather lower later. Intermittent drizzle. A moderately strong cold wind from the south west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Lots of walkers on the fell; 1 runner seen.

[Mike T]

11.06 miles, 3,422 feet, 3 hours 51 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low/High Pikes - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule - Ambleside. Overcast - I was in cloud from 1,300 feet on the way up until 1,600 feet on the way down. No rain. A moderately strong cold wind from the south. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. I only saw 5 walkers and 2 runners on the fells.

[Mike T]

8.31 miles, 2,599 feet, 2 hours 35 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including up/down the race route from/to the kissing gate, and down to the farm at High Skelghyll and back up to the Pike. Overcast/misty, with denser banks of mist at multiple levels. Constant drizzle/light rain. A moderately strong wind from the north. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery; it was very firm in places, but I did not come across any ice. I saw 6 walkers and no runners on the fell.

My Shakedry top and Kamleika pants combination kept me warm today - luckily that wind was not particularly strong.

There is a huge pothole on Borrans Road - last night a car wet through it and almost instantly caught fire. Yikes.

[Mike T]

12.47 miles, 3,065 feet, 3 hours 48 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, along to White Moss, and back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Sunshine and lots of blue sky; some high fluffy clouds mostly above the high tops. No rain. A cold moderately strong breeze from the north. Terrain dry in places, elsewhere wet/saturated and slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; no runners seen.

Some new snow was visible on Fairfield and Helvellyn above about 2,500 feet. There seemed to be very little on Bowfell and the Crinkles.

[Mike T]

10.08 miles, 3,308 feet, 3 hours 21 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down Nanny Lane to Troutbeck, back up to the Pike, and down the race descent. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,000 feet. No rain. A cold strong wind from the south. Terrain mainly wet/saturated/slippery though some of the rocks were dry. Not many walkers on the fell; 1 runner seen.

It turns out that yesterday I ran past the Striding Edge photo diarist near the top of Loughrigg - I thought it was him as I recognised his dog - the video he posted confirmed his exact location.

[Travs]

I've only ever seen him (and wife) in the shop in Keswick.

Great website.

[Mike T]

I've only ever seen him (and wife) in the shop in Keswick.

Great website.

I have often used the photos from his walks to recce routes.

[Mike T]

12.05 miles, 3,221 feet, 3 hours 56 minutes: Rothay Bridge to Silver How and back, taking in Todd Crag, Lily Tarn and Loughrigg Tarn on the way out, and Loughrigg top on the way back. Mainly overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet; some brief episodes of sunshine/blue sky. No rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain dry in places, elsewhere wet/saturated and slippery. Very few walkers on the fells; 1 runner seen.

[Travs]

Really nice at Loughrigg Tarn.

My first ever visit to the Lakes, aged 15 or 16 we stayed in a cabin at Neaum Crag. Every morning i'd go up to the outcrop above the site (probably Little Loughrigg) and watch the mist rising out of the Brathay/Elterwater valley, then do a circuit of the tarn.

My first fell walks.... Loughrigg, Pike O Blisco, Catbells - High Spy (i remember throwing a massive strop because my mum and dad said i was too young to continue on the entire Newlands Horseshoe on my own, and had to retrace my steps all the way back to Catbells)

The excitement of getting my first pair of proper walking boots in Ambleside