Challenge Training Raining Friday 3rd Feb 2023

Andy and Martin had travelled up from the flatlands of Cambridgeshire to get some hills in their legs.

The TGO Challenge is only a matter of 3 months away so hill training simply cannot be delayed.

Unfortunately their arrival in Edale was delayed by stupidly heavy traffic – as was mine….and Edale is, relatively speaking, on my doorstep.

Anyroadup at shortly after 11am we headed up to the Nags Head for a quick selfie before following the ‘old’ Pennine Way route up Grindsbrook and onto Kinder Scout.

That's me smiling.

The weather wasn’t as good as it might have been in fact a letter to the Peak District National Park folks may well be in order – all the photos I’ve seen show either glorious sunshine or beautiful snow covered hills, NOT persistent rain, muddy paths, and general grot. In their defence, they didn’t mention the excellent company I enjoyed today.

Whatever…

At the top of Grindsbrook we continued through the slutch to Crowdon Tower then to Pym Chair. The original Plan (always good to have A Plan) was to go over Brown Knoll, on to Rushup Edge then back down into Edale….but we weren’t expecting so much of the wet stuff….and it’s accompanying views.

Plan B was put into action: Edale Head > Jacob’s Ladder, then following the ‘new’ Pennine Way route, back into Edale for coffee and buns. The excellent Penny Pot Cafe provided said coffee and buns – both were excellent.

A good day out, if a little damp….okay, VERY damp. Thanks to Andy and Martin for inviting me out – it was just what I needed!

Where we went:

 

Around 8 – 9 miles with 1600’ ascent

Tally-Ho! The Black Bull, Edgworth 4/12/2021

The weather was more than a bit dire.

Driving (crawling) around the M60 and then the A666 to eventually get to Edgworth, I was having serious thoughts about the wisdom of ‘running’ 8 miles in such cold, windy, sleety conditions. My car was buffeted more than once on the journey, I deliberately kept my speed down – visibility wasn’t brilliant.

Hon Pres Park was found sheltering in his car when I arrived in the car park of the Black Bull in Edgworth. We reported to the pub, ticked our names off the list, and away we went. Well away Joe went, I was 10 minutes behind him, a time difference maintained throughout the route.

My feet were soaked within a few minutes of running, it wasn’t that long before the rest of me was wet-through too, such were the conditions.

I teamed up with Mssrs Wells and Brown as we searched for in indication as to which direction we should be headed in a waterlogged field. We stuck together for the rest of the trail.

Trail was a little eratic, but it was initially relatively easy to follow from the pub – better than last time anyway. The route led through the Holcombe Moor Firing Range, thankfully bullets weren’t flying today – too wet probably.

Continuing eastwards and upwards I began to suspect that the sawdust trail was going to lead us up to Peel Tower, but at almost the last minute we turned north, along a good, if rather flooded track. 

We turned west and downhill (for a while anyway) along a river of a footpath. Me feet were so cold that I couldn’t feel my toes – good encouragement to keep moving.

Hon Pres Park’s distinctive bright running top could be seen bobbing up and down in the distance – a good clue for where we had to go next. Ish.

For Dawn and AlanR

We only spotted the two tractors after we'd missed trail, we shouldn't have gone that way at all. 

Eventually back at the pub, it was clear that the trail layers had decided that conditions were bad enough to have shortened the route, I think everyone was very grateful – including me.

In spite of running in a good waterproof jacket and hat, I was completeley wet through and a bit too cold. I sat in my car for 10 – 15 minutes with the heater on and drank a mug of hot coffee. As the feeling returned to my bits I legged it into the pub, the sleet was being driven hard by the hoolie of a gale.

A good and warming meal of steak pie & chips, followed by apple pie and custard, all washed down with a pint TT Landlord, really hit the spot.

Then, looking forward to hopefully better conditions in a fortnight, we all went home – some via another pub.

Not me: I went straight home and soaked in a hot bath. Bliss!

Where we went:

Around 6.5 miles, with around 950’ of up and down.

PS: You should go to the Black Bull, it’s really excellent: good beer, good food, and lovely people. Norralot to dislike.

Socially distanced music session. 24th June 2020

…with cake!

Ed kindly offered the use of his back garden to sit and play music whilst maintaining a safe and sensible distance from one another. 

It was a rather hot day, knocking 30degC – that’s a lorra lorra degrees C.
We drank refreshing tea, we scoffed delicious Victoria Sponge (baked by Ed’s lovely wife), and played music that left us invigourated, refreshed…and maybe just a bit hot and sweaty.

Up until now(ish) our music sessions have been more or less restricted to online Zooming – along with all it’s limits.

Music via Zoom is all very well, it helps you keep your hand in, but there’s nowt like playing together – separated yet in a group.

So that’s precisely what we did, and that is exactly what we’re going to keep doing until it’s safe to do otherwise. 

We’re waiting for pubs to re-open. Singing and playing music in a pub is likely to be a no-no for a while, most likely until an effective vaccine becomes available. In the meantime the possibilities of playing outside pubs, ie beer gardens, is looking to be the best option. 

Here’s a little of what we played at Ed’s – recorded by Mrs Ed (baker of the finest of Victoria Sponges): 

 

Running around Rainow, Saturday 2nd Feb 2019

The morning was bright and chilly. Others, probably more accurately, would have said it was bloody freezing.

Runners of different shapes, sizes and ages gathered at the Robin Hood in Rainow, near Macclesfield on the afternoon of Saturday 2nd February.

White Nancy, from the Robin Hood

The car park at the pub was exremely slippy. It was also on a slope and I was warned by the landlady not to park at the top of the slope: the previous day 2 cars, unmanned (or unwomanned), had slid across the car park – on car had gone through the hedge.

Whatever…a couple of hours prior to the massed gathering of knees, Rob McHarry and I had arrived in order to lay a sawdust trail of around 8 miles around the lumpier bits of the area….the clumps of sawdust were (supposed) to be followed by the runners.

We had A Plan….that is to say ROB had A Plan. It was actually a very good plan. So we sort of changed it by going clockwise rather that widdershins as Rob had originally suggested.

Suitably armed with bags of sawdust we set off, well we slipped and slid off the ice rink of a car park, and wandered off north along a quiet lane in the direction of, well, north.

Leaving the relative safety of ice-packed tarmac we turned left to skirt Rainowlow where some brown squiggly lines on the map were crossed.

A short stretch of tarmac at Billinge Head Farm took us to a nice path that skirted the eastern edges of Billinge Quarries.

The Audience

Laying Trail

Turning east, we followed a nice path that descended to Mellow Brook, then up the other side of the valley to Harrop Fold Farm….where I have hazy memories of camping weekends where lots of beer may have been consumed. Or Martini.

I didn’t drink the litre bottle of Martini. It’s not the sort of thing I’d do. Obv.

Harrop Fold Farm

A little more tarmac followed, and very icy it was too. The was little warmth from the sun, but as the track was in the shade anyway it would have made little difference.

Our route slowly changed direction to follow a more south-easterly course.

I was a little concerned that the runners following our carefully planned and even more carefully recced <koff> route might lose the sawdust trail; pale sawdust on bright white snow doesn’t stand out particularly well. We needn’t have worried, although we probably went a bit over the top with the clumps of sawdust, nobody got lost. Well not VERY lost.
 
Another valley crossing followed, this time down to Moss Brook and up the other side by Saddle Cote, this was a bit of a pull and Rob was well ahead of me. In my defence I was taking photographs which slowed me down quite a bit. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

It was around about here that Rob spotted a skier doing what skiers do best. Our route turned hard right to follow the skier's tracks.

 Route planner, navigator, trail-layer and runner extraordinaire…

……………and his incapable assistant

 

Ski tracks. And my shadow. Tsk. 

 

Oh, and there were goats too...I almost forgot to mention them

 
Another short stretch of tarmac along Bank Lane and then Ewrin Lane took us to Waggoner’s Brow were another hard right turn delivered into more familiar Turkey Trot country, approaching Lamaload Reservoir.
 

The reservoir dam looked quite spectacular in the freezing temperature, all the buttresses were covered in frost.

A steep descent to cross the infant River Dean, by the waterworks, had me slipping and sliding like a very slippy-slidy thing. But I stayed upright. we continued littering our way in a southerly direction,

It was a bit of a tug up hill. We followed the footpath to the western side of the reservoir to a point just beyond Wickinford Farm. From there we trotted in a south-westerly direction to pass through Valeroyal and very close to the site of the Setter Dog by Walker Barn, and then north by Gulshaw Hollow and Hordern Farm, scattering sawdust trail as we went.

Manchester, with Winter Hill beyond

We crossed the icy Berristall Road and descended steeply to the bottom of the valley before climbing equally steeply to pass by Thornsett Farm.


The going became very easy (easy = gently downhill). The Robin Hood hove into view and after another slippy – slidy adventure across the ice rink of a car park we made it back to our cars.

14 runners sat down to enjoy an excellent meal of beef stew followed by fruit crumble and custard….lots of fattening stodge, just what’s needed after a cold day in the hills.

The day was marred by the news of John Potter’s car suffering the same fate as the sliding cars of the previous day. His unmanned car ended up colliding with two other cars in the car park. John, understandably brassed off with what had happened, didn’t stick around for the run.

My thanks to Rob for letting me ‘help’, and for his good company of course….and to Wells the Elder for buggering off to Brazil so creating a temporary Trail-layer vacancy.

GPS track of where we went (clockwise from Rainow):

Around 8.5 miles / 2,000ft of ascent. And descent. Obv.

More photographs here.

Created in Blogger, because Google / Blogger have done something to stop Open Live Writer communicating with it.

 

A Sweltering Dales Backpack, 24th–26th June 2018

Messrs Rye & Walker had planned this little jaunt and foolishly invited me along….probably knowing I’d bring them beer. Which I did. Obv.

The Plan was to meet up at Hebden near Grassington on Sunday around 2pm. I’d had a particularly tough week and so decided to make my own way to the first camp spot of the trip on Conistone Moor, meeting up with Martin and Andrew at 10pm. My alternative plan was a good ‘un, it meant that my walk avoided the silly high temperatures of the day.

The Planned Route

A few shots from my evening walk from Hebden to Conistone Moor, Sunday’s overnight pitch  :

I eventually found Alan and Martin just after 10pm. I wasted no time in getting my tent up (I used my TN LaserComp….just to remind it that I still loved it) and distributing the cans of beer I’d lugged up.

Monday morning dawned very brightly and rather warmly. After a quick breakfast and a few mugs of reviving caffeine we were off, via Great Whernside, to Kettlewell for tea, coffee, bacon butties etc.

It was now getting very hot. I don’t know how Martin & Andy coped with long trousers, I was cookingly hot in my lightweight kilt and T shirt.

Wot?

Looking back to Kettlewell

After our refreshment stop we headed out, climbing out of the valley. This was tough going in the very strong sun.

We’d had a good day of walking, but the high temperature and very strong sun slowed us down. Water was very scarce. We eventually found an almost dried-out tarn. My Sawyer filter clogged in seconds. Andy’s MSR Guardian filter was a life saver, it filtered what was virtually mud, converting it to clear and potable water.

We needed to find a suitable pitch for the night, ideally with a water source – not easy. Eventually we pitched up at Horse Head Gate, actually on the wide path. There was a trickle of a stream nearby so we were sorted for the night. 

Decision time.

The Plan for the next day was to head over to Pen-y-ghent, this was clearly going to be a problem. Limestone country isn’t known for a surplus of surface water – and water was going to be a vital requirement if we were to continue with our route.

Home for the night on Monday:

Sunset

Sunrise

We chose to re-route and cut our trip short by a day. We’d camped on the Pennine Journey LDP, this offered us an easy way off the top and down to the River Wharfe at Yockenthwaite and then to pick up the Dales Way – much easier walking, plus far more chance of picking up water.

An ex-mole on the Pennine Journey LDP

Descending to Yockenthwaite

The dried-up River Wharfe at Yockenthwaite

At 7.45am it was so hot that we were actively searching out shade. Bits of woodland provided some relief from the blazing sun – but the flying insects were a damned nuisance. Smidge helped.

St Michael and All Angels Church at Hubberholme

At Buckden we sat outside the village shop, ate ice creams and glugged cold drinks.

The Dales Way follows the course of the River Wharfe so it was fairly flat (apart from some hilly bits) and easy walking.

At last, water in the River Wharfe

Conistone Pie

Limestone pavement

En-route to Kettlewell and more ice cream

Posing outside Kettlewell’s village shop: purveyors of el-cheapo electrolyte drink. And ice cream. (Poor quality pic due to a mucky lens on my phone)

Next stop: Grassington…and a pub. No beer though, we drank copious amounts of coke, water, shandy – anything that was refreshing, cooling and rehydrating.

Hebden, so near….

We arrived back at Hebden around 4.45pm, we needed more ice cream and cold drinks – the tea room was still open it was doing good business. We made full use of it’s facilities…all of them!

We parted company around 6pm, Andy and Martin headed off darn sarf whilst I enjoyed a very pleasant drive through the Dales and eventually back home to Manchester.

First job when I arrived home was to run a much needed cool bath and have a good long soak, that cooled me down nicely.

I’d considered going to the monthly music session at the Lord Eldon in Knutsford….but I was too knackered! A cold beer at home suffficed.

Thanks to andy & Martin for planning the trip, for cutting it sort and for inviting me along. It was good.

Full photograph album here.