View from Oban Bothy

View from Oban Bothy
Showing posts with label Trail Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trail Running. Show all posts

Saturday 21 January 2023

Tally-Ho! from Rainow, 21st Jan 2023

 


I arrived at the Robin Hood quite early for a gentle cross-country trot, as usual, following a trail of clumps of sawdust.

The weather was ideal for trail running: cool (okay, cold!) but bright – appearing even brighter because of the lying snow……you just can’t trust that lying snow.

I missed trail within the first couple of hundred yards (see the attached map of where I actually went), but soon got back on track. Losing trail is one of my strengths…..a gift you might say.





The trail led us north, by Rainow Low, and soon another opportunity was taken to lose trail.
A runner was catching me up, runners ALWAYS catch me up….and then pass me. The catcher-up was Vinnie, turbo mode.

We stuck together for a while, enjoying the lovely views whilst comparing notes.





Soon we came by Harrop Fold Farm which has great memories for me. My mate Crockett used to be the farm manager, he ran some excellent music and dance camping weekends here. Beer may also have been consumed. In quantity.

(Mostly) running NE in the direction of, but not as far as, Kettleshulme, we crossed Macclesfield Road, the B5470, before turning south and up Charles Hill and then followed almost a mile of lovely ridge.


Vinny was in camera mode – he does take some lovely photos.






All too soon we left the ridge to descend to Summer Close….was it here we came across the goat that thought it was a dog? I can’t remember. The goat was brought up with dogs and behaved like a playful puppy!

Losing height also meant we lost the sunshine, it became noticeably colder.


Around Crabtree Farm other runners appeared behind me, catching me up. It’s what other runners do.







Trail now headed west, along a bit of tarmac of Ewrin Lane, and into the setting sun.




We were now on final approach and descent to Rainow…..the ‘we’ was Eastwood and Wilson who caught me up on the Gin Clough track.



We rejoined Macclesfield Road for the last couple of hundred yards back to the Robin Hood, a nice hot shower, beer, and a nosh.


For Dawn and AlanR

It was a good day out: great route in good conditions, great company, and I even found most of the trail!

Then I called into the chippy on the way home.


Where we, well, where I went:

 


Just under 8 miles with around 1500’ of ascent.

Sunday 9 October 2022

Tally-Ho! Chinley Trail 8th October 2022

 

Another bright and remarkably warm day, given the weather forecast, saw the fine fellows of the Cheshire Hare & Hounds Tally-Ho! trail running club gather at the very fine Old Hall in Chinley for what promised to be another excellent run.

The hares, Ade and Tony (I’m in the money) Taylor, had plotted the day’s run.

Unusually this trail was marked by clumps of straw as well as the more usual sawdust…..this confused one or two of the hounds. Given the advancing years of one or two of the hounds such confusion is to be expected.

A pack consisting of Eastwood, Wislon, Brown ( not THAT Brown, the new one), Lost Markham, Fast Taylor, Doggy, and me, set off downhill (always an ominous start to a run) to follow the tarmac of a very quiet lane, across the railway by Brierley Green, then on tracks and footpaths to eventually cross Dolly Lane.

The pack soon caught up with some of the crocked club members who had decided to walk the route. They were off-trail, and were searching for the sawdust – although in all fairness the bright sunshine made it difficult to spot.

By this time Markham had been left behind, we warned the walkers to watch out for him and to make sure he didn’t get too lost.

The pack spread out over the next couple of miles of gentle ascent, either searching for trail or just easing off the pace.

At Over (the?) Hill Road we continued eastwards (eastwoods?) to the area marked on the OS map as New Allotments – a strange name for this rather inhospitable bit of the route.





 Burston, not at all very lost.

Turning north and then looping round by the disused quarries, Burston and I came across two runners coming towards us. We planned to stop them to see if they might be interested in the Club, but as the got closer it became clear that it was Jenks and Whitehead – they’d somehow lost the trail early on and ended up doing it in reverse.

A brilliant part of the route followed: over the edges of Chinley Churn and Cracken Edge – stunningly beautiful in the autumn sunshine. 


The descent by Cracken Edge was very steep, it was a shame to leave the lovely tops, but it had to be done.

 

The rather beautiful White Hall

Another ¾ mile or so got us back on to tarmac that soon delivered us back to the pub….where rehydration operations commenced.

 

The Abbeydale IPA being served was very good indeed – just a shame I was driving.


18 sat down to dinner in the dining hall. Those who’s eyes were bigger than their stomachs ordered puddings, whilst those who were, er, watching their figures, stuck to one very filling main course.

Thanks to Ady and Tony for another superb trail – a serious contender for Trail of the Season, almost as good as the New Mills trail ;-)

Thanks also to everyone who kept me company on the way round.

Where we went:

7 miles (ish), 1200’ ascent.

Monday 25 April 2022

Tally-Ho! Point-to-Point 2022 23rd April 2022

 

St George’s Day was the chosen date for Cheshire Tally-Ho! Hare & Hounds running club’s end of season run, the Hartley Folly.

Traditionally a point-to-point, linear run, it’s somewhat longer in distance than the usual fortnightly trail runs.

This is the Club’s 150th year, but with Covid, nothing has (yet?) been done in the way of organising appropriate celebrations. The Hartley Folly would have to suffice.

Various routes were considered and all were recced, eventually, and with the (mostly) polite advice of some members, a 14 mile main route from Edale to New Mills Golf Club was settled on. A shorter, 7 miles from Chinley, route was planned for walkers and those who might struggle with the longer distance.

The routes were planned with public transport in mind, Edale, Chinley and New Mills were all on the same railway line, it was just a matter of driving to New Mills Golf Club, running (downhill!) to New Mills Central, and hopping on to the train to the chosen start point.

Our normal trails are marked with clumps of sawdust. On the morning of a run, one or two members (the hares) will lay a sawdust trail over an 8-ish mile cross country route. runners (the hounds) will then attempt to follow the trail – some more successfully than others.

The Hartley Folly is slightly different in that sawdust is generally not used, the hares rely on a route description …. although I put a few clumps of sawdust down where I felt there was potential for confusion.

Given the average age of our club runners, confusion goes with the territory.

On the day we were joined by guest runners, including members of New Mills Jolly Joggers – a really lovely bunch.



I was on the 10.17am train from NM Central, along with other runners. Some alighted at Chinley to take the shorter route, others at Edale. Les R travelled on the 1.16pm train, choosing to run the shorter route from Chinley.

Des W took an earlier train but arrived too early for refreshments at the tea stop at Peep o’ Day….Tally-Ho! is a very civilised trail running club!

Another group of runners took the 11.17am train, they varied the early part of their route by running up Grindsbrook onto Kinder Scout. They joined the main route before the tea stop – thus ensuring a rest & refuel break.

Our choice was the main route which started from Edale railway station, north to the Nags Head, then west along the Pennine Way, by Upper booth, to pass Lee Barn.

We were fortunate weather-wise, it was dry but chilly, thanks to a biting easterly wind - at least the wind was mostly behind us. 





We climbed (trotted?) up Jacob’s Ladder, it was here that we felt the full effect of our very own Beast From The East – thank heavens for Pertex!



The route levelled out (a bit), where the Pennine Way turned to head north Swine’s Back, we continued west to pass the easily missed Edale Cross. Then it was downhill by Oaken Clough and Coldwell Clough and soon joined a section of the Pennine Bridleway which delivered us part way to the Tea Stop at Peep o’ Day – but not before a stiff pull up the northern flank of Mount Famine.

The PBW went north, we went west, in search of tea, cakes, and other eatables and drinkables.






 
We arrived at the Tea Stop to find Ian B already there, he’d decided to walk the entire original route that started in Hope…what a hero he is!

The Tea Stop was quite excellent! Tea, coffee, cordial, water, plenty seriously yummy things to eat – even Jelly Babies! Joules did us proud, making sure everyone had everything the needed.

The pièce de résistance was surely the gleaming white table cloth – sadly not so gleaming white by the time we’d finished.

I ate too much, I’m a sucker for a nice spread – not a good thing when there’s another 6-7 miles to go!

 

Leaving the Tea Stop we trotted north by Far Phoside then east to cross Chapel Road. It was the slightly uphill by Stubbs Farm, followed by a descent to rejoin the Pennine Bridleway just 200m north of where we’d previously left it.







Almost doubling back on ourselves we turned westwards, further descending to follow the course of the River Kinder – a river with an identity crisis.

Noting Hayfield’s Sportsman Inn, famous for being exactly when needed towards the end of a particularly tough trail run a couple of months ago, we carried on into the village of Hayfield, and then onto the Sett Valley Trail.


Easy running on the flat to the outskirts of New Mills, then leaving the Sett Valley Trail, uphill via a few zig-zags on tarmac and farmland by Tanpits Farm, the hamlet of Whitle, and finally the Golf Club hove into view.

Our route was about 14 miles with 2500’ of ascent, all runnable….with care in some parts!

Showered, changed, and rehydrated, 46 sat down to an excellent 3 course dinner.

After our dinner Hon Pres Park got to his feet to address the throng, and he presented a bouquet of flowers to Joules in recognition and thanks for her considerable efforts at the Tea Stop. 

My Trail of the Season Trophy, 20/21

I rather belatedly received my Trail of the Season Trophy for the 20/21 season, but it was only in my hands for a short time before it was re-presented to the winners of the Trail of the Season for the 21/22 season. The story of my life!

The dining room slowly emptied as the runners, walkers and their guests got up to head for home at the end of what had been, for me, a perfect day.

A trio of itinerant musicians struck up some tunes, their efforts seemed speed the emptying of the dining room. I can’t think why….they were very good.

My thanks to everyone for helping me plan, helping me on the day, and by taking part, making the day such a success.

It would be remiss of me not to offer the club’s thanks to Kirsty and her staff at New Mills Golf Club, they looked after us superbly!

The main route:


The shorter route:


More photos here.


Thanks to everyone who sent me their photos, if there any more please send them to me and I’ll add them to the album.

  

Tally-Ho! Whitworth Wander / Turkey Trot 2023

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