Todays permitted exercise!

[Mike T]

14.18 miles, 3,862 feet, 4 hours 19 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Robin Lane - Troutbeck - Garburn Pass - Sour Howes - Sallows - Sour Howes - Garburn Pass - Limefitt Park - Nanny Lane - Wansfell Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,600 feet. A few minutes of drizzle; a few minutes of weak sunshine. A moderate breeze from the south. Terrain mainly damp/wet but the grip was good. Not many walkers about. The 5 passes race was on, and I saw some of those competing, and 9 other runners.

It was great to bump into Brian in Troutbeck.

The race descent from the Pike is still enjoyable despite the bracken.

I came across some cattle on a very narrow path near the Mortal Man Pub and had to retreat - somebody must have left a gate open, or a fence was down.

[Mike T]

10.49 miles, 2,896 feet, 3 hours 10 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 just catching some of the highest tops. No rain. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain dry/damp with good grip. Very few walkers about; 6 runners seen.

[Mike T]

10.29 miles, 2,556 feet, 3 hours 7 minutes: Loughrigg trails, ascending via Fox Ghyll, going north and down to just above the caves, up to the top, down the race route and Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 1,500 feet. Intermittent drizzle/light rain. No significant wind. Terrain wet and slippery in places, particularly the rocks. Not many walkers about; 1 runner seen.

The bracken is blocking more and more of the paths.

[anthonykay]

The bracken is blocking more and more of the paths.

I'll swap your bracken for my brambles.

[Mike T]

12.4 miles, 3,282 feet, 3 hours 49 minutes: I took the route I would take if I did the Rydal Round, except that I started/finished in Ambleside, and did not enter the sports field. Overcast with high clouds, no rain, a few minutes of weak sunshine, a moderately strong cold wind from the west. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Very few walkers on the fells; 4 runners seen.

So I took the 1st, 2nd and 4th trods to the left/west on the ascent, went south west of Dove Crag before crossing to the east side of the wall just below it, and going down the rock step.

[Mike T]

10.91 miles, 2,868 feet, 3 hours 20 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Roman Ruins - Borrans Park - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Skelghyll Lane - Fell Lane - Robin Lane - Troutbeck - Nanny Lane - Wansfell true top - Wansfell Pike - down to the upper part of Hundreds Road - back up to the Pike - race route descent - Ambleside. Overcast, with banks of cloud/mist at multiple levels. A few minutes of drizzle. A moderate breeze from the west. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Not many walkers about; 3 runners seen, 2 of them I saw at 2.5 miles and again at 9.5 miles.

[Mike T]

10.16 miles, 2,835 feet, 3 hours 9 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including down the race route from the top to the road at High Close, down through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore, and back up to the top via Loughrigg Terrace and the steps overlooking Grasmere. Mainly overcast, with the cloud base just obscuring some of the high tops. Intermittent sunshine/blue sky; intermittent drizzle/light rain. A moderate breeze from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; no runners seen.

I doubt I will go down that race route again until the bracken dies - it is horrible.

[Mike T]

12.91 miles, 3,529 feet, 4 hours 13 minutes: Rydal Round starting/finishing in Ambleside, going over the tops on the ascent, crossing to the left side of the wall shortly after the rocky descent from Hart Crag, going over Dove Crag, and down the rock step. A mixture of weak sunshine and high clouds. No rain, a moderate breeze from the south. Terrain dry/damp with good grip. Very few walkers about; 3 runners seen - 2 in the valley, and 1 descending towards High Pike.

On the descent I took the route on the steep grass away from the wall - just like the rocky descent next to the wall, it takes me about 5 minutes from when the paths split until they join up again.

[Mike T]

10.08 miles, 2,921 feet, 3 hours 14 minutes: Ambleside - Rydal Park - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - High Sweden Bridge - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Lots of high fluffy clouds, some patches of blue sky, no rain, a moderate breeze from the north west. Terrain mainly dry with good grip. Not many walkers on the fells; 5 runners seen.

[Mike T]

10.91 miles, 3,124 feet, 3 hours 25 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including ascending to the top from the caves, then down the steps and through Deerbolts Woods to Grasmere shore and back up to the top. Overcast, with the cloud base at about 2,500 feet. No significant wind. A few minutes of refreshing drizzle. Terrain damp/wet - the rocks were slippery. Quite a few walkers about; 4 runners seen.

Descending from the top via the steps overlooking Grasmere is not a lot of fun when they are wet, though taking the grassy trod just to the east of the rocky path from 960 to 830 feet helped somewhat.