10.12 miles, 2,419 feet, 3 hours 9 minutes: Wansfell, but not to the Pike - again, the 3 way junction at just over 1,000 feet was the highest point I got to, taking in Kelsick Scar, High Skelghll, Low Wood, Blue Hill Woods/Lane and Stock Ghyll Lane. A mixture of sunshine, blue sky, and high fluffy clouds. No rain. A moderate breeze from the north west. Terrain saturated/streaming/slippery. Not many walkers about; 1 runner seen.
10.08 miles, 2,386 feet, 3 hours 18 minutes: Loughrigg trails, taking in Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag and Lily Tarn both ways, and Ivy Crag on the way back from the top. Overcast, with the cloud base just catching the high tops. Intermittent drizzle. A strong cold wind from the south west. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Very few walkers on the fell. I came across the AAC Tuesday/Friday running group - there were 16 of them. No other runners seen.
10.78 miles, 2,415 feet, 3 hours 17 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Stagshaw Gardens - High Skelghyll - Skelghyll and Holbeck Lanes - Low Wood - Waterhead - Champion Tree Trail - 3 way junction (1,112 feet) - Blue Hill Woods/Lane - Stock Ghyll Lane - Ambleside. Initially overcast and drizzly, with the cloud base at about 1,000 feet. It cleared up considerably as the day progressed, resulting in banks of cloud at multiple levels, intermittent sunshine, and revealing patchy new snow above about 2,000 feet. No significant wind. Terrain saturated/slippery. Very few walkers about; 2 runners seen.
10.22 miles, 2,753 feet, 3 hours 24 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including ascending to the top via Fox Ghyll, down the race route 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. Sunshine, blue sky, high fluffy clouds, and even higher thin streaky clouds. No rain. A moderate breeze from the north. The bitumen was mainly dry, but elsewhere the ground was wet/saturated/slippery. Yesterday's snow line is still there - it is more defined than it was. Not many walkers on the fell; 2 runners seen.
10.01 miles, 2,963 feet, 3 hours 41 minutes: Wansfell Pike from 2 sides, ascending the first time from High Skelghyll, going along the ridge to the true top, down to the upper part of Nanny Lane, up to the Pike the second time, then down the race route and Stock Ghyll Lane. Sunshine, blue sky and some fluffy clouds above 2,500 feet. No precipitation. A gentle refreshing breeze from the south. Most of the snow has gone. Terrain firm/hard/crunchy/icy in places; elsewhere wet/saturated. Slippery where one would expect it to be. Lots of walkers on the fell - there were 18 on the Pike on my second visit. 1 runner seen.
10.92 miles, 3,296 feet, 3 hours 52 minutes: Rothay Bridge - Miller Bridge - Low Sweden Bridge - rock step - Low Pike - High Pike - High Bakestones - Scandale - Red Screes - south ridge - Golden Rule Pub - Ambleside. Mainly overcast - I was in cloud from 800 feet on the way up until 1,000 feet on the way down, though every now and then I popped out above it. No precipitation. A moderate breeze from the south. The terrain was mainly wet/slippery, though there was quite a bit of old snow/ice on Red Screes above 2,000 feet. Very few walkers about; 7 runners seen, most of them cooling down after the local parkrun.
What's Ambleside parkrun like?
8.64 miles, 2,163 feet, 2 hours 51 minutes: Loughrigg trails, including Fishgarths Wood, Todd Crag, Ivy Crag, Lily Tarn, and the top. Overcast, with banks of cloud at multiple levels. No rain, no significant wind. Terrain wet/saturated/slippery. Quite a few walkers on the fell; 3 runners seen.
I have never done it. I know it is multiple laps, with some sharp turns, as well as some narrow sections, so it would be hard to maintain an even pace. The only one I have done is Fell Foot at the other end of the lake - there is more space there.Originally Posted by mr brightside
Sweat Science put out an article on 23/2/25 on steep/short vs less steep/longer - apparently "steeper is cheaper" in terms of energy use. Buried within the article is a link to another article: on walking vs running on steep terrain - apparently walking uses less energy than running - at the same speed - once the gradient is steep enough. They refer to studies using a treadmill set at a gradient of 45 degrees - gulp. At this gradient we no longer have free air time between steps - there is always at least one one foot on the ground - accelerometry shows it is still running - one peak per stride vs the two peaks per stride seen with walking.
It won't let me provide links as I have read too much to have access any more!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote