Peak Raid navigation race, Old Glossop

The final race of my Glossopdale Harriers 2017 champs - I needed to do this one to qualify for the overall champs category and I'm glad I had entered. The day dawned beautifully, blue skies and frosty under foot. Less chance of getting boggy feet and ankles with a keen frost, though no guarantee you won't go in a bog monster!

This is a score event (organised by Explorer Events), meaning once you have a map with the check points on you can do as much or as little as you like. I was joined by fellow Glossopdale Harrier Marie and we did the event together - both just needing to finish and get some points to get on the overall champs table, and thus secure a delightful club souvenir at the Christmas Do!

After the usual pre-race faff with kit, pinning on numbers and sauntering the 1km or so to the start point we are ready. First dib at the start, grab a map and spend a few minutes pondering our route choice.  Our aim is to get 5 check points (CPs) and have a good outing. I'm pleased that it looks like we will be able to do a loop route, rather than an out and back.

CP#6, small group of rocks, on rock

We head off towards Mossy Lea and our first CP, CP#7. We see plenty of runners heading south and up the steep bank towards CP#8 - I've been over that way once, and pretty much vowed never again. It's rough, very rocky among the heather and no real trods to speak of. Given our aim, heading for CP#8 and CP#9 would have seriously limited our time and points so we discount them and stay on better ground.

Knowing the area is a massive advantage in these races - there's no place names on the map or contour height markings (the latter I find so odd). Soon enough I'm ditching one of my thermal layers and we are climbing up towards Shelf Benches, along the well worn path towards the pond. Nav is spot on and I'm teaching nav to Marie as we go.  CP#7 is a ruin - one I have passed by so closely many many times yet never seen! That's why I love these events on your own patch, always something new to see.

checking the route

From CP#7 we head up to CP#6.  It's rough ground and we climb~traverse our way to it - being careful not to get drawn along trods that are going away from our tartget. Again, I know roughly where it is but I am glad of a clear day on this one. Low cloud or clag would have made nav more interesting and my approach different. Now on top of Shelf Moor, near The Pike, we are going for CP#5 so it's over to Dowstone Clough then west towards and beyond Dog Rock. I'm pointing out contour features to Marie along the way, this terrain is hard to nav on so not ideal for a beginner but she's picking it up well and reading the ground nicely.

CP#5 is pretty much placed exactly where Tim had hidden his goodie box once so I am familiar with the approach - steep tufty rocky grass....we find a good way down among the rough ground and even include a small bum slide to our advantage. It is meant to be fun after all!!  After dibbing we are climbing back up steeply....our next target is way over in Shittern Clough, CP#3

climbing out from CP#5

From the path along Yellowslacks I know the ground over to Shittern Clough is heather bashing, but also that a way down the path you can then bear right (north-ish) on a burnt patch so we enjoy the free running on the path for a while before beelining to CP#3. We can't avoid the heather completely and it's hilariously deep and holey and still frozen in the shaded north side of the hill as we make our way ever slower into the clough. With CP#3 located in the clough we start the climb towards Cock Hill and CP#2.

CP#3, Shittern Clough - stream, end of path

It's hard to see exactly where CP#2 will be - will it be in the main quarry under the trig or off to the north slightly? We clamber up towards the trig but then head to the top edge of the main quarry....no sign in there so we continue and easily locate the CP in the next bit of quarry. Safe approach needs us to go along and around to it but I look back to see someone clambering down the small crag! With a quick time check we have ooodles of time to head out to CP#1 and get back without fear of going over the 3 hour time limit (which means you lose some - or maybe all - of the points you have accrued).

CP#2, N Crag Foot (under Cock Hill trig)

The terrain here is best described as lumpy - quarry spoils and rocky little trods mean the going is initially slow then we can run a little as a trod becomes clearer. Closer to CP#1 we meet Andy B and Ian O of Glossopdale coming in the opposite direction, who helpfully confirm we are close to the CP and need to just keep going in the same direction. So our nav was reassuringly spot on.

Our final CP - CP#1 old quarry, on ground

Final CP for us dibbed and we have about 30mins to get back to base....3km later and we're back. The run off is lovely, the sun is shining as it has been all morning and we are back to the scout hut really quick. The final dib at the end sees us completing 6 check points in 2hrs 40 or so and 11km covered. Happy with that given we pootled along, I took photos at each CP and we didn't rush any of it.  A refreshing brew and biscuit is welcomed as we socialise with the other runners and await Tim finishing.

Me (left) and Marie dibbing at the finish, thanks to Explorer Events for the photo.

Thanks to Explorer Events - another brilliantly organised nav event. Shame I can't do the final race in the series but it clashes with another local race organised by a mate, Shittern Santa Saunter - a delightful race starting from Howard Town Brewery in Old Glossop.

Peak Raid: Grindleford

With the first snow of winter on the ground myself and fellow Glossopdale Harrier John headed over to Grindleford for the 3 hour score event, Peak Raid. I don't know the area very much at all, so it would be full on navigation for me, rather than recognising features and bee-lining for them. I really wasn't feeling the love for running with the cold temperature, knowing we'd be running in icy wet conditions underfoot. I don't mind wet, but wet and icy are a sure way to numb feet, pain and reduced enjoyment. But, this race was a counter in our club championships so I put those thoughts in a corner of my head and applied Rule 5.

We were allowed to start early, a bonus since we'd arrived early. John was still sorting kit but I was ready so dibbed, was handed a map and off I went. The map was a 1:25k scale, but as is usual for orienteering style events the colours and markings on the map are different to OS maps. It took me a while to figure out what was path and what was a boundary we weren't supposed to cross, and with lots of lines around the start area it was a challenge to see a clear way onto the hill.

Looking back down towards the woods where CP1 and CP2 are

I chose check point (CP) 1 for my first target. Just get running, moving, and dib to settle the 'OMG am I going to find anything' nerves! It was immediately apparent conditions underfoot were horrible. The forest I was running in from CP1 to CP2 was a quagmire of icy muddy rock-strewn-tree-rooted horribleness. And, I'd lost the path between the two so ended up bashing up a short section through the same plus brambles and dead bracken. Nice. The RO told me later that the paths in the woods aren't clear at all, so I felt a bit better.

So I'm now about 15mins in and feet going numb. Not good. My body was warm enough, hands even sweating enough to take gloves off for a while. But feet....gone. Keep moving. That's all I could do to try and get some warmth back to my toes. This was the pattern throughout the event. Toes would get some feeling back, just to be plunged into more icy wet bog or marshy quagmire on the open moorland, or getting the calves cold as well as I bashed across the snow strewn heather to reach CPs or chose to avoid the icy paths by running in the heather to the side.

Climbing up towards open moorland for CP13

From CP2 I climbed up onto the moorland - no idea what its called as orienteering maps don't have names on! CP13 was my next target, a small standing stone at a random point near the path. With good visibility other runners were hitting the CP and making an easy CP even easier.

Now choices. Go on, get CP 15, 14, 10 and then onto 11....and risk feet going silly cold? Or do a shorter route, get a minimum of 5 CPs (my mental minimum on these type of events) and get back a bit quicker to defrost. As I stood at CP13 weighing up the options the wind picked up. I'd got sweaty running up and along the moor, and now the wind chill hit and my body rapidly cooled. That decided it for me. A shorter route, enjoy the good visibility and get back to plentiful cups of tea in a warm room a bit sooner.

As I turned to retrace my steps and pick up the edge path (along White Edge I'm told) a herd of deer ran across the path only 30m ahead of me. Wow. If I'd pushed on to CP15 and the longer route I would not have seen them. Beautiful.

Deer on the horizon and right. Note the wonderfully inviting icy and boggy path in the foreground!

The edge path was decent running, treacherous in places with the boggy bits not quite frozen enough to trust running over, the stones skimmed with glistening ice, and the heather coated in soft wet snow. Pick your best line and go with it. The valley beneath had mist rolling in and out of it making a good distraction from the toe situation. There were more deer on the moors below the edge too, and some highland cows.

The path along White Edge...where it looks clear it was actually ice

I noted the next feature I needed to nav to and tucked the map away to enjoy the run...run walk run, hop, bash toes, slip, fall, run walk....the rhythm went on. Knoll passed (my ticking off feature), I could see the trig point ahead and knew I now needed to bash across open moorland to a 'gulley' and CP11. Other runners once again made the nav too easy; it would have been much different if it were claggy!

Looking back from near the trig point towards CP12 and CP13

With plenty of time in hand I went up to the trig point. Now I can definitively say I have been to that trig...which on checking an OS map is on White Edge/Big Moor. From here I pondered going to get CP4 then CP3, or the other way round. I decided to drop down and across the open moorland to the edge below - Curbur/Froggatt, not sure which. I can safely say if I never cross that bit of land again it won't be soon enough. Horrible marshy, boggy, grass tufty-ness. Plus ice and snow. Yey! I bet it's lovely running there on a dry summers day....not yesterday though. At the edge path my decision was made. My feet were proper numb to the point I was kicking things and not realising until I semi-stumbled.

CP4 was away from the finish and through more forest. I did not fancy an additional 2km in the same stuff I started the run. I turned right and picked up CP3 without any difficulty, returned to the edge path then headed back to the finish. The route back wasn't entirely straight forward...the boundary lines and contours all blurring a little as the wind picked up and my eyes watered in the cold air. I took my time and hit each turn and feature bang on.

I finally got to a point in the forest I recognised, not too far from CP1 I'd clipped earlier and put the map away, with no rush in my legs going back to the finish. I still have well over half an hour to finish in. Then I realised that if someone else got the same points as me time would matter, I'd be best to push on and get back as quick as possible. So, a final lift to the pace and I'm running across the final field, across the bridge and dibbing at the end. 165 points gained from 6 check points, and with about 34mins to spare. Oh what I could have done with a warmer, less icy day. Never mind, I thoroughly enjoyed my run and would like to go back to explore the area again - seek out the deer that I'm told live around White Edge and Big Moor.

Results have now gone live, I finished as 7th FV40 out of 12 (class split results) and 88/115 overall (overall results).

A big thank you to John for driving us safely to the venue and back, and to the race organisers for a well-planned event with copious tea and biscuits afterwards. Superb.

Shelf Moor Fell Race 2015

Time once again for the local Shelf Moor fell race to be organised by the Glossopdale Harriers. I'd volunteered again this year to help put out the flags on Saturday and then sweep the race route on Sunday. Both days had glorious weather and the views onto Bleaklow, Kinder and beyond with the blazing purple heather were fantastic. I hope the racers took a brief moment to glimpse the beauty on race day!

The Saturday Flagging Party:

Sunday's race day - not many pictures as I was too busy running at the back of the race:

And a final photo to show off the beautiful heather, taken on a guided run I lead about 10 days before the race:

Instructor the NNAS Bronze Navigation Award

Last weekend I had the pleasure to be teaching navigation in the Peak District - this time round I was leading a two day Bronze level National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) course with four participants. The meeting point for day one was Hathersage and our route took in the church, Camp Green (a Norman earth and timber ringwork fortress), Callow Bank, Higger Tor and Carl Wark fort.

Learning how to count paces so distances can be measured

Callow Bank ahead of us

Burbage valley and a lack of plantations....don't always trust what's on the map to be on the ground!

Orientating the map with features on the ground

Checking the path ahead is the one we want

On day two we met in the centre of Castleton, right at the other end of the Hope Valley. The task for the participants today was focused on relocating themselves accurately and they all did brilliant.

Hardest part of many walks is getting out of the village on the right path

Now where exactly are we along the edge of this wall?

A challenging relocation on a wiggly contour line high above Winnats Pass

YEY!!! We've found Mam Tor by orientating our map with the compass

Using the map to find features on the ground...this time interpreting
contour lines of the great Mam Tor-Lose Hill ridge

Refinding the village of Castleton, but first relocation along
side a river by counting paces and wall junctions

I've received some super feedback from the course participants

"very much enjoyed the weekend. Lynn is an excellent and inclusive instructor."

"thanks to Lynne who was a fantastic teacher...we can't imagine a better person to learn with. [We] felt that we'd walked away being able to things we couldn't do at the start of the weekend.  The course was a perfect mix of theory and practice.  We'd love to build on what we've learned once we've done some practice and consolidation - Snowdonia this weekend will give us an ideal chance to do that.  We'd recommend the course to anyone."

If these photos have inspired you to learn navigation but you don't know your handrail from your attack point then get in touch. This weekend was a NNAS Bronze Award course but I also run bespoke private one-to-one or group tuition - course content is tailored to suit your level of knowledge (from beginner to advanced) and your pace of walking/running. I am available for instruction in the Peak District, Snowdonia and the Lake District. I've been walking and running in the hills for many years, competed in fell races that require navigation, orienteering events which are totally based on navigation, and safely got myself around hills and mountains in the UK and Europe.

Frosty Sunday Saunter

Today dawned cold and very crisp, with a bright blue sky. On with my big down jacket, hat and gloves...and camera...and off for a Sunday Saunter. Here's the best of my photos...enjoy!

Sense-loss in the Snow

I had a super run out onto Bleaklow today, totally missed what was probably an amazing inversion but I did experience total loss of feeling in both feet, muffled hearing loss due to windproof beanie, lips chilled so much I needed to avoid any moisture getting on them, and vision reduced so much it was quite funny. The visual thing was due to fog, watery eyes in the freezing wind, and then a snow storm that blew in as I descended. Enjoy the photos, they really don't do the experience justice but they're good reminders for me.

Tim was also out doing his own run...he's just disappearing
down James Thorn here.

Rocks in the mirk

Testing navigational conditions so a good job I know the way

Target acquired....Higher Shelf Stones trig point,
about 450m higher than my start point

More amazing ice crystals

Rocks at Higher Shelf Stones

A little drift of snow

The way home...

In a snow shower descending from James Thorn

With the exception of having really really cold toes I was toasty warm in my ultratherm jacket, beanie, buff, gloves and waterproof mitts. It was a little eerie being out alone in the foggy mirk, especially when it went quite dark just before the snow started. Great fun though, hope we get more snow so I can use the plastic bag I carried but didn't use - they make the best sledges ever :)