Place Fell

looking back from the first climb up to Boredale Hause.  Brothers Water is on the left (to the left of the woods).  My car is parked near here.  Hartsop above How is the peak above the woods with St Sunday Crag on the right although both are disapearing into the clouds at this point.  Hartsop Dodd is to the right of Brotherswater.  The track visible from the centre of the picture going off to the mid right takes you to the A592 (main Glenridding road).  It curves around below those trees on Hartsop above Howe.  I followed a track at the start of the trees, thinking it might cut the elbow off the road but it seemed to be carrying on up to the tops so I turned off to drop steeply through the woods.

A midweek day off is a strategy I like to employ.  It breaks the week up easily and by Wednesday I've recovered sufficiently from weekend exploits to have a decent day out.  The forecast for today wasn't great so I planned a lowish level trail run around the Ullswater area.  My original plan was to go over Boredale Hause and into Boredale but the skies cleared a bit and I was having fun so I decided to head for Place Fell.  I cut off the path and climbed steeply up to Round How (which I'll admit, I thought was the summit) from Round How summit, I saw the distinct trig point on the summit of Place Fell across the way a little.  I headed over, the path was covered in a lot of snow so I had to find an alternative.  The snow was very deep in parts, particularly coming off Place Fell over to Low Moss.  I took a left at Low Moss, skirting in front of High Dodd on a nice track along the side of Scalehow Beck.  This joined up with the shoreline path along Ullswater which I followed back to Side Farm and on, cutting across to Deepdale Bridge before taking the little detour up through and back down through the woods to the car park.

looking back from the steep climb up to Round How.  Beda Fell directly across and the same Hartsop Fells and others visible on the right.  High Street ridge will be at the back.  Clearing up a bit eh?

Place Fell summit (the one on the right) from Round How

Place Fell summit, looking over towards High Street at the back.  It looks like The Nab in the middle

this got a bit tiring after a while

back on the shoreline track.  A good run

from my little woodland wander looking back to Place Fell

Anniversary Waltz route

looking down Newlands Beck and to the ascent up to High Spy

Another early starting Saturday for a run around the Anniversary Waltz Fell Race route with Howard, Paul and Dean.  Conditions were as good as we could have hoped for, it stayed dry all around, there was little wind, it was just a pity the cloud was down over Robinson to Dale Head preventing up from seeing the beautiful views of Newlands Valley and other places.

We took a bit of a wrong turn near the start, carring on to Goldscope Lead Mine instead of turning off to run past the church.  On realising, we turned around and followed the track around scope end to cross Scope Beck and then pick up the route just before the climb up to Robinson from near the reservoir.  As I said above, the cloud was down from the top of Robinson, we dropped out of the cloud in the dip between Robinson and Hindscarth but then got back into it at Hindscarth.  There was a thin snow layer which made the descent to Dalehead Tarn difficult.  The climb up to High Spy seemed easier than I remembered and then the run down over Maiden Moor and Cat Bells, passing lots of people out for a weekend stroll.  With the wrong turn (and perhaps a few laps of the car) the run was bang on half marathon distance.  Back in time for a big lunch.

first steep climb up to Robinson

the team

Dean on Robinson

briefly out of the cloud before climbing back up to Hindscarth

L=R, Howard, me, Paul, Dean

summits of Hindscarth and Dale Head

on the descent from Dale Head, the view opened up over to High Spy

descending to Dale Head Tarn

Howard looking up towards High Spy

High Spy

Maiden Moor

Dean and Howard having a moment

Cat Bells, last summit

Leisurely Ling

rounding the corner on Ling Fell

A nice leisurely run up and down Ling Fell chatting with Jonathan.  Lovely evening, nights are drawing out.

 

Jonathan running up

me running up and down

Helvellyn and a few others

Paul and Lee following mountain bike tracks up to Helvellyn

A big run today.  The plan was to go from Keswick, along the old railway line to Threlkeld, up Clough Head, over the Dodds to Helvellyn, down to Whythburn, around the bottom of Thirlmere, up to Harrop Tarn, over to Watendlath, over to Rosthwaite, up to Dale Head and along High Spy to Cat Bells back to Keswick.  We ended up heading back from Watendlath through Ashness Woods and along the shore of Derwent Water.  26.8miles.  Not to be sniffed at?

full route

looking back to Blencathra from the arduous climb up Clough Head

strange happenings on Clough Head

climbing up to Great Dodd, lots of slushy snow right across the Dodds.  Due to a navigational error, we ended up on Great Dodd summit twice.  Carrying on in the direction we thought was right, rather than stopping to check the map/take a bearing.  The Dodds can be disorientating in mist.

looking back to Calfhow Pike, we were in cloud for most of the traverse over the Dodds to Helvellyn.

Raise summit.  The ski tow was operating today.

dropping down from Raise

brief glimpse of Thirmere as the cloud cleared.

slushy steep climbing

figure in the mist on Helvellyn

Helvellyn summit trig

dropping down from Helvellyn, there is a fast descent on a particular bearing but today the snow made it treacherous.  We were glad to intercept the path and steadily wind down to Whythburn.

From Whythburn we ran along the road for a bit, around to the footpath at Stenkin.  We got a bit mixed up on this path and ended up heading south west instead of northwest.  We found our way back to Harrop Tarn and followed the footpath towards Watendlath.  We ran alongside the fence at the top before getting back on the footpath.  The urge to descend when we saw Watendlath below got the better of us and we had a difficult half mile climbing up and down before getting on the windy track down to Watendlath.  I went to fill my waterbottles from the tap in the toilets.  When I came out, Paul and Lee were suggesting an easier route back along the trail to Ashness Bridge and along Derwent Water shore.  It was about 2pm at this point and it was a bit touch and go whether we could complete the run in daylight.  My feet were pretty sore at this point so I didn't take much convincing.

sheep heading up the road to Ashness Bridge.  As we got further on, a tour guide was bringing a group up the road.  He shouted, "MOVE FOR THE RUNNERS!"  The group split and gave us a little round of applause, it was like finishing a marathon.

final stretch around Derwent Water, looking over to the Jaws of Borrowdale

Here's what happened on our little Great Dodd mishap.  We thought we were dropping a bit too much and didn't recognise the valley (Deepdale) which in my head should have been looking down towards Thirlmere.  We decided to climb back up.  Paul couldn't believe we had looped back to the top.  We took a bearing here and quickly found the path towards Watson's Dodd.

lovely Sale Fell

Jonathan and Joanne at the summit

It's been a while but Hardly AC returned to the old favourite Sale Fell tonight.  Nice cool conditions for a lovely run up and around, twice over the top.  Just three hardly runners tonight but definitely quality over quantity.

Around Whinlatter Forest

last climb of the mighty Grisdedale Pike

Day off today, glorious sunshine and snow.

I parked at Braithwaite and ran up the Whinlatter road to the turn off over Kinn and Sleet How before starting the steeper climb to the top of Grisedale Pike.  It was only at this point that I decided to go the way I went.  I was considering going around the Coledale Horseshoe.  From Gridedale Pike, where I stopped to talk to a bloke about the women we saw descending from the snowy top with what looked like ugg boots and handbags slung over their shoulders, I carried on to Hopegill Head.  It's usually a bit tricky coming down off Hopegill Head the way I went but today the snow made it a bit easier.  I then enjoyed a nice long easy run off Ladyside Pike down to the pass before enduring the tortuous climb up to Graystones.  Once up, the run across the top to Broom Fell and on to Lords Seat was taken easily before dropping off Lords Seat into Whinlatter Forest following some nice snowy paths down the side of Comb Beck to Thornthwaite and then enjoying an easy run along the road to my car at Braithwaite.  Just short of 14 miles.

heading over Sleet How with Causey Pike visible two valleys over

looking back down the valley, Blencathra in the distance on the left with Helvellyn range at the centre back

up to Grisedale Pike

almost went over this way to Crag Hill and back along the other side

deeper snow on Ladyside Pike made progress slow

looking back up to Hopegill Head

plenty of rest stops on the climb up to Graystones, looking back down the climb here and over to the snowy fells I have just been playing on.

Broom Fell

Lords Seat

heading into the forest from Lords Seat

into the forest

well almost around Whinlatter Forest, just a cut throught at the end.