Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

10.2 miles, 2,941 feet, 3 hours 12 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Overcast, with the clouds just obscuring some of the high tops. Misty below that. A few minutes of drizzle; even fewer minutes of sunshine. A moderately strong wind from the west - and it is still cold. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Very few walkers about; 4 runners seen.

Scandale, or the one and a half miles of it above High Sweden Bridge, is another ascent where I used to be able to run the whole way. And, as a different run, from Ambleside to High Sweden Bridge. Those were the days.

[Mike T]

11.03 miles, 3,140 feet, 3 hours 35 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including from Todd Crag to just above the caves, up to the top, down to Grasmere shore and back up to the top. Sunshine and high clouds, no rain, a cold moderate breeze from the north west. Terrain damp/wet but grip was mostly OK. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.

I saw 2 pairs of jets, and a trio of very low helicopters. It is a pity it takes so long to get the camera out.

[Mike T]

10.58 miles, 3,031 feet, 3 hours 27 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down to the upper section of Nanny Lane, and back up to the pike. Overcast with high clouds, some patches of blue sky, no rain, that cold breeze from the north west persists. Terrain damp/wet and slippery in places. Not many walkers about; no runners seen.

Blue Hill Lane, from the bottom of Blue Hill Woods to the kissing gate at the bottom of the Wansfell steps, is yet another ascent that I used to be able to run up. It is "only" half a mile, with 300 feet of up, but very rough in places.

[Mike T]

15.4 miles, 3,911 feet, 4 hours 54 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe anti-clockwise, with a few extras. Sunshine and high clouds, and a cold breeze from the south. Very clear in the distance. No rain. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Lots of walkers low down, not many on the actual fells. 2 runners seen.

I ascended via Rydal Park, Low Sweden Bridge, the rock step, High Sweden Bridge, Scandale, and the Hodgson route to just above the Pile of Stones. Then Hart Crag, Fairfield, the fours trods to the right/west on the descent, though halfway along the 4th trod I took the direct descent to Alcock Tarn, then part of the Grasmere Guides' descent, and finally along the Coffin Route and Under Loughrigg.

[Mike T]

11.52 miles, 3,055 feet, 3 hours 44 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including from the top down to Grasmere shore and back up to the top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A few minutes of weak sunshine. It started drizzling just as I got home. There was a moderate breeze from the south west - no longer cold. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers on the fell; 2 runners seen, 1 with a buggy.

The number of enjoyable trods is shrinking as the bracken takes over.

[Mike T]

10.56 miles, 3,006 feet, 3 hours 25 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet. Intermittent drizzle/light rain. A moderate wind from the south. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Very few walkers about; 2 runners seen: 1 in the valley, 1 descending Scandale.

[anthonykay]

Yesterday's permitted exercise for me was a walk with gloves and secateurs, to clear brambles and nettles from one of the footpaths that I use. I don't usually suffer from hay fever, but with the amount of pollen flying around during my gardening activities, I soon had itchy eyes and sneezing fits.

[Mike T]

11.07 miles, 3,022 feet, 3 hours 36 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including from the top gate above the old golf club down to the caves, up to the top, down to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top again. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. A moderate wind from the south west. A few minutes of drizzle, though I could see rain coming in from the west. Terrain wet and slippery. Quite a few walkers about, particularly on the Grasmere side of the fell. 5 runners seen - 2 in the valley and 3 on the fell.

[Mike T]

12.53 miles, 3,414 feet, 3 hours 53 minutes: Fairfield Horseshoe clockwise from/to Ambleside, going to the left/west of Great Rigg, south west of Dove Crag, down the non race side of the wall, and down the rock step. Initially overcast, with banks of mist at various levels; it became sunnier as the day went on. No rain. A moderate wind from the south west. Terrain dry/damp/wet and slippery in places. Not many walkers on the fells; I saw 6 runners, all on the fells.

I wore my new Mudtalons for the first time, the non speed version. They are very comfortable, the grip is excellent. I did notice the increased heel toe drop, but this was not a problem. Being high/wide they do tend to tilt/twist on angled traverses, but for the width I am willing to accept this.

[Mike T]

10.39 miles, 2,839 feet, 3 hours 16 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, including along the ridge to the true top, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, and back up to the Pike. Overcast, with the clouds obscuring some of the high tops, occasional spells of sunshine/blue sky. A few minutes of drizzle. No significant wind. Terrain damp/wet/saturated and slippery in places. Very few walkers on the fell; 1 runners seen.

Very pleased with the Mudtalons.