Hot Runs

Saturday: myself and Tim headed over to Hathersage to recce part of the Long Tour of Bradwell. The weather was hot and humid, and away from the shade of trees it was sticky hot. Our route took us backwards on the race route from Leadmill Bridge to Toads Mouth, exploring the link from the Burbage Valley across the road and down towards Lawrence Field. We returned the same way (or at least returning on the actual race route as we'd taken a slight detour on the way up). Back at the car we still felt good so continued on the race route towards Bradwell for a short distance....then back to Hathersage for a late lunch+ice cream and browse in the gear shop. Total run 14.6km and 350m ascent.

Tim running across Lawrence Field

Looking towards Bole Hill

Sunday: solo early morning run for me from home. My route was from Old Glossop, Cock Hill, Glossop Low, over to the Pennine Way, up to Bleaklow Head. I'd contemplated heading to Bleaklow Stones-The Ridge-Hern Clough but dismissed that in favour of less tussocky running. I stuck to the Pennine Way until some point after the turning to Hern Stones then bashed across the tussocks to the B29 plane wreck and Higher Shelf Stones trig point. I decided to run along the Shelf Moor race route across to Dog Rock and home down via Lightside, but feeling good as I crossed Dowstone Clough I made a decision to head back to Glossop Low....and luckily came across a quad track that made for easy running across the heather. I picked up the Torside-Glossop Low trod and boards, and was soon heading down passed Cock Hill. A quick detour back to the trig point, then off via the quarry spoils and down to Old Glossop. The temperature today was pretty perfect, warm but a good breeze blowing and enough cloud cover to not be worried about sunburn. I saw and heard loads of curlews flying really close by, a stoat popped it's head up and called out, grouse, a lizard thing rushed off down a peat tunnel, and there were plenty of mountain hares around and one pheasant. Apart from the wildlife I didn't see anyone until dropping off Cock Hill....a perfect solo adventure.
Total run 17.1km and 625m ascent.

Torside Clough and reservoir

On the Pennine Way

There's a stoat hiding in there, honest!

My route across to Higher Shelf Stones

Approaching the B29 plane wreck and trig point in distance

'Overexposed' B29 plane wreck

Dowstone Clough

View from Glossop Low

A little windswept at Cock Hill with Bleaklow behind

Glossop town

Wreck Runs in the press

Running Delights in the press - featured here is an article all about our guided runs on Bleaklow to see the aircraft wrecks. Shown here in the Buxton Advertiser, and was also in the Derbyshire Times at the end of May 2014:

Guided Wreck Run

Low cloud hung over the trig point at Higher Shelf Stones this morning...I can see it from my house....so I knew it was going to be claggy on the tops. With waterproofs, emergency kit and my mudclaws laced up I set off to meet a couple of runners and guide them to the trig, visit the B29 Over Exposed plane wreck nearby, and bring them safely back down to Old Glossop.

As I expected, it was fairly blustery on top with a little moisture in the air from the low cloud, but visibility was fairly good. There's no getting away from the fact that your feet will get wet on the hill - combined with the wind today my toes got a little chilly. As we started to descend back down to Glossop we could see the sunshine on it's way, bringing some welcome warmth to our hands and feet! Enjoy the photos...

James Thorn in the cloud as we ascend up Doctors Gate

Running up Doctors Gate, Higher Shelf Stones are just tucked under a cloud at the far left

Looking back down Doctors Gate and where we came up

Heading along the top of Crooked Clough with the waterfall down below

Approaching the trig point and highest point of the run at 621m

Spot the runner among the plane wreckage

Two walkers approaching the wreck site from a different direction,
barely visible in the low cloud

Is the trig point that way? Nope! Good job I know the way :)

Heading towards James Thorn

Sunshine way below us lighting up Mossy Lea Farm and Shire Hill

Still misty up the top of Doctors Gate as we descend

and now the cloud has lifted off James Thorn

For more pictures at the wreck from a different run up there have a look at this post. If you are interested in learning more about the history of plane wrecks in the Peak District this is a good site to start: http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/pages/peakdistrict/peakdistrict44-61999.htm

White Out

Excited by Saturday's snowfall in Glossop we headed up Bleaklow yesterday morning...

Heading up Doctor's Gate

The weather was kind to us, with little wind until we reached the tops. Full clag cover made photographing difficult. It was obvious which way the wind had blown over the past 24 hours - south facing slopes were quite scoured of snow with snow settled much more on the northern aspects.

Iced rocks

Almost at High Shelf trig point, battling with thigh deep drifts in places

High Shelf trig point with the sun teasingly refusing to make a full appearance

More iced rocks at the top with snow drift beyond

There were some impressive snow drifts. Sadly with full cloud cover and lots of clag the light wasn't great for taking photos of the snow sculptured formations that were created.

Beautiful snow sculptured drifts, hard to capture in the dull light

In one particularly deep drift behind Higher Shelf trig Tim built us a snow hole to enjoy a warming brew...

We were properly sheltered from the bitter wind in here, with plenty of space to lay down

We wandered over to the plane wreck of Overexposed then returned to the trig and were impressed by the ease in which you can lose your bearings in the claggy conditions. Thankfully it wasn't a full on white out, and were were confident in knowing our location having been on this part of the hill quite a few times. We made our way back down to Glossop via James Thorn, the frozen pond and a few wonderful sledging sections.

there were actually footprints over the pond...just visible appearing on the far left

Tim enjoying a slide down on the bum sledge....best bit of kit for descents!

Bog Bashing

With friends visiting at the weekend and the weather not dry enough to climb the running option was set in motion. Now where to go? I actually didn't want to go running. With Cor being here and her desire to do a route that didn't end up wrecking her with the 3 boys I didn't have much choice. To actually get out and run was a good choice. I had fun. The boys were off up James Thorn-Over Exposed-Shelf Benches-Dog Rock-Cock Hill. Too far and they'd run too fast for us. I didn't fancy a great uphill slog. I wanted to run. And be in the hills without being wrecked when I got up there. So we drove to the summit of the Snake Pass....had a tactical pause while the garmin got signal (aka dodging a heavy rain shower)...then ran along the Pennine Way northwards before cutting left up to 621 Trig Point. We'd turned a little earlier than the nice trod, but it was easy going, and we picked up the trod on the west side of the stream without losing any height.

A trot...walk....jog....and we're at the trig point. Quite windy too. There was a short run section where feet placement had to be done on an angle to hit the spot you were aiming for. Any lack of concentration and your foot would have been blown sideways!  We reckon that if we head a little further west we might get a glimpse of the boys heading up hill....and we do.

Looking south westwards...white dot is where the boys are....

There's only a short wait sitting on a blustery outcrop til the boys are with us. A brief discussion and they slightly alter their route so they run with us to Hern Stones....bog bashing all the way! There's another brief pause as we get to the plane wreck of Over Exposed - then we're off again.

I'm pushing my pace on this section a little. It's interesting when running with other people what happens to your pace. With Cor I was certainly being pushed faster than I probably would have on the trod, and now, with the boys, I'm keen to see just how much I can keep up. There's no way I can keep up....so it's more like seeing how far behind I will be when they get to the stones, even though I know Tim isn't pushing himself to be quick. The ground is pretty wet, lots of mini-streams and marshy bits to cross. It's very liberating running over them, not knowing quite how deep your feet are going to sink in. The boggy bits are fun too....squelching down and up the peat tufts...keeping up a decent speed seems to work best, go too slow and you sink in further and get stuck more. There's also a bit of skill in choosing a good line down and up the bogs....not so much down, but you need to have your exit on the far side sorted or, as I did in one place, you come face to face with peat bog that is too steep and slightly over hanging. Then you're back to a walking pace and slipping around and back towards the bottom if your not quick enough. All good fun. I manage to get to Hern Stones relatively unscathed...muddy gloves, but then you're not really trying if you don't fall over. Just ask Tim if you don't believe me.

We regroup and have a brief pause at Hern Stones for a chunk of kendle mint cake...mmmmm.....and then the boys are heading northwards to Wain Stones while we turn east and back to the Pennine Way. The rain is holding off, but the clouds look threatening. I give Tim my spare kendle mint cake as the boys are more likely to need it than us. We soon pick up the paved path and turn south, heading back to the car. The run is mostly easy going under foot now, a few rocky bits that need careful foot placement but a mostly downhill run back to the car with just a blustery wind to contend with. With the increase in water up on Bleaklow the path is not so easy to pick out in paces as it weaves in and out of the bogs - there's a lot of weaving and crossing the river. I'm sure with practice you can just run down the river. I'll add that to my things to learn about fell running. Something I'm sure will be very handy as we head towards autumn and winter.

I feel determined to keep a decent pace up, even with the wind blowing straight into my face. I know that if I was out here alone today I would be having a few walk breaks, blaming the wind and my crappy lungs for needing a break. But, I keep a steady rhythm is kept as we pass a few groups of walkers....onwards, splashing through the puddles without a care now - feet are wet so it doesn't matter at all. I even see Cor not totally avoiding the puddles....(think she was secretly enjoying it)!

For stats geeks here's the garmin track. Do ignore the max HR - that has to be a garmin blip!

Back at the house we've just had time to have a drink and shower, stretch a little and then the boys are back. I'm really happy with the Roclites...as long as the laces are done up tight enough (so you don't get them sucked off in a bog) they are great. They don't hold the water, the grip is good, they're light and to be honest, I can hardly tell I'm wearing them. Here's our shoes drying out....all INVO8's!

The run was great. Running with friends is good. I seems to take the pressure off monitoring pace, being vaguely anxious about how far or how fast you're running, and it's a good laugh when you're negotiating the bogs, wondering who'll be the first to face plant or sink in a deep one.  Thanks for getting me out there Cor, a decent 7.58km run in about an hour. Good times.

Saturday stroll

Out with family today for a short stroll up on Bleaklow. Parked at the top of Snake Pass and ambled in a northerly direction on the Pennine Way until reaching the point where you can get to Hern Stones along a small trod. Brief stop there in the shelter of the rocks to have a bite to eat and to find the geocache which is stashed not too far away, then headed southwards to the plane wreck of Over Exposed and continued the few metres to 621 Trig Point overlooking Doctors Gate, Crooked Clough and Shelf Moor. I bagged another geocache then it was off on the trod eastwards back to the Pennine Way. If I was alone or just with Zephr I would have headed to the eastern edge of Crooked Clough, past the waterfall, but a better path was needed today. All totalled to about 7.5km in about 3hours - a slow pace, good to be getting the map out noting various local features etc.
The weather was kind to us, claggy but dry, just the odd few rain drops. Nicely warm, only needed icebreaker on most of the time.