Catbells

Lots of rain this morning meant that plans to attack Yewbarrow were altered to the much milder ascent and descent of Catbells.  Now on most days, particularly a Saturday, there would be crowds on Catbells.  Wainwright summed up its popularity with families by saying,

"It is one of the great favourites, a family fell where grandmothers and infants can climb the heights together, a place beloved. Its popularity is well deserved, its shapely topknott attracts the eye offering a steep but obviously simple scramble."

Today, thankfully, the weather was on our side, deterring the masses and making for some beautiful views:

 

 

mountain v(ewe)

Catbells is a great fell.  If you manage to get it to yourself you can quickly get up the steps to the modest summit.  Views from the top are over Derwent Water and towards Skiddaw (cloud permitting) and then West over the Newlands Valley.

There is an easy but fun scramble up to the summit.  Once up there, we saw somebody camping, there was no movement so they may have been still sleeping.  Interesting location for a wild camp.

quick mugshots on the summit  

It's a nice, fairly easily sloping run from the summit down to the point where the path splits, turning off left before the path climbs up onto Maiden Moor to do the horseshoe route.  The path down begins with a steeply pitched section with multiple switchbacks but then turns into a gentle(ish) dirt track which is forgiving on the feet and knees.

At the bottom of the dirt track I decided to have another go at running photography.  You can just see a red speck on the right hand side.  This is Jonathan making his way down the path.

After about 500m from the turn off point, you have a choice of going right which will take you to Manesty and you can run back along the shore through Brandelhow woods, or turn left and join the Allerdale Ramble path along the Eastern side of Catbells.

We chose to go left as we thought that the midges might be having a party in the woods.  The track along here is a really good run, great dirt surface and gently undulating.

Near the start of this section of the track is a bench and a plaque commemorating Sir Hugh Walpole.  I wikipediaed him when I got home, seems like an interesting character.

Before long we were back on the road and just a few hundred metres run around to the car.  Despite a bit of rain, it had been a really hot run (I suppose that is what you should expect in August).

Breakfast at The Lakeland Pedlar did not dissapoint.  The bike shop has moved to much larger premises down the road (in the old Labour Club) so we went for a look around there too.

I will leave the last words to Sir Hugh:

I believe the root of all happiness on this earth to lie in the realization of a spiritual life with a consciousness of something wider than materialism; in the capacity to live in a world that makes you unselfish because you are not overanxious about your own comic fallibilities; that gives you tranquility without complacency because you believe in something so much larger than yourself.

Sir Hugh Walpole (1884 - 1941)

Fixing Coniston again

Walna Scar car park, lots of interesting maneuvers going on here 

One of the aims of my blog is to record my progress on completing the Wainwrights.  I had already done a bit of fell walking before I decided to 'do' the Wainwrights and one of the slight regrets I have is that I didn't record the fells I did before.

The Coniston fells are full of old mineshafts and workings

Coniston was one of the first fells that I did.  I remember my wife and I electing to eat our lunch before doing any climbing so that our backpacks would be lighter.  I also remember my wife suggesting that we had gone high enough and questioning whether you had to go to the top to technically 'bag' a fell.  

Although I didn't record that first ascent, I have actually been up the old man twice recently.  The latest was with Fix the Fells on a drain run.  This means that I didn't just go up The Old Man of Coniston, I went up it with a spade and fixed it!

There are a few factors which mean that Coniston needs a lot of fixing.  First of all, it is a popular fell, and quite rightly so, it's a really nice walk with great views over the coast and towards the Scafells as well as over Coniston lake.  All this walking means plenty of wear and tear which means it needs regular maintenance.

Dow Crag with Harter Fell behind on the right

 Another factor is that the fells around here have been extensively mined.  This means that there is a lot of spoil, or loose slate, which with a combination of weather and people walking over it, washes down into the drains.  If these drains are not cleared, then water and loose scree choose another route, usually down the path, and this can lead to further erosion.

We had arranged to meet at the Fix the Fells shed in Coniston.  After driving up and down, what I later worked out to be the wrong road, I decided to give up and head to the Walna Scar car park, hoping that the others would pick up some tools for me.  It was a good idea to get to the car park because it gets busy and parking choices are sub optimal if you arrive after about 9am.

large summit cairn on The Old Man

Luckily, the others had brought me a spade and, once they had found parking places, we set off along the track.

As usual, there were a lovely group of volunteers out.  I'm getting to know the regular faces now.

We gradually worked our way up and then decided that, as we had come this far, we might as well continue to the top where we had lunch.

Lots of people at the top as usual.  There was a fell race going on and I had no idea which one (I usually keep a track of fell races because I pretend that I might enter one some day).

runner heading north from the summit

I later found out that it was the Turner Landscape Fell Race which seems like a brilliant run for a good cause.  We overheard some walkers telling a runner that she was doing really well to which she replied, "No I'm not, I'm dead last!"

The weather had been really warm with little wind all day.  Of course once on top, the wind got up.

Finishing off our lunch, we decided to head down via Goat's Water, which would apparently allow us to claim two paths.

Dow Crag - beautiful

I spent a lot of the walk looking at climbers on Dow Crag as well as admiring the beauty of the cliff face and the clarity and inviting nature of Goat's Water.

Sure enough, when we got to the end, we saw some people swimming in Goat's Water.  I had been thinking it looked nice for a wetsuit swim.  A Goat's Water crossing would be a good goal to tick off on my way to total wild swim mastery.

Just along from here someone asked if we had buried someone on the fell.  It's not unusual to get sarky comments when you are in a group of people carrying spades and I really don't care but we have heard them all before, ranging from, "Where's Snow White" to people asking if we are part of a prison work party (actually, that last one may be in good faith).

swimmers - brrr!

route taken

Fixing the old man

On the first day of my Yurt holiday, I joined a Fix the Fells work party in Coniston undertaking some footpath repairs on a path from the miner's bridge up along the south flank of Church Beck.

I think I prefer work parties over drain runs because I enjoy the more physical work and you can see the results of your efforts.

The main tasks involved today were narrowing and defining a path and making the route clearer, encouraging people to use the main path rather than walk to the sides which widens the path.

In many sections, multiple paths had developed.  Here we chose the most appropriate path and used various techniques to cover up and discourage the use of other paths.

One thing I will have to remember in future is to take before and after pictures.  A key skill in this would be to identify the point at which you are at a 'before' stage.  All too quickly, what starts as a simple, "let's put another step in there" becomes a major reconstruction project.

It's a full day out and it's hard work, although you can go at your own pace and there are plenty of coffee breaks.  At the end of the day, you really get the satisfaction of having put in a good days work and it's not a bad environment to be working in is it?

A bit of Wrynose - Yet More Cycling Progress

Not far in terms of distance but another notch on the Lakeland Passes post.  This time it was an attack on Wrynose Pass from Great Langdale, coming back through Elterwater and around Grasmere.  Here is the full route including elevation data:

the steep bit

from the top cattle grid

Here is a better view of the section of road with the switchbacks, this is looking from near the Old Dungeon Gill Hotel

This section of road is immediately steep, at about 25% from the bottom cattle grid.  It didn't seem as hard as Honister from Buttermere and I'm not sure why this was because it was definitely a longer stretch of very steep road where as Honister has some undulation.  The switchbacks are great fun (maybe these make it easier).  It is possible, of course, that I am getting better at going up hills.

Down the other side and a slight mishap where I ran into the side of the road.  I needed to brake but saw a lot of gravel in the middle of the road and didn't want to use my brakes at this point and ended up overshooting a corner.  All ok and carried on, stopping in Elterwater for a pint.  I can recommend the Britannia Inn for a pint, although not sure if it's a good idea when you still have a way to go.  I took the secret steep road up to Loughrigg Tarn and round behind Grasmere before taking the coffin road past the Wordsworth museum and back to the car.

A really nice bike ride and I am now looking for a good day now to make an attempt on Hardknott Pass.

Yurt Life

This week was my 40th Birthday and to celebrate we booked a yurt and Low Wray Campsite with the wonderful Alex and Donna of Wild in Style.



We had such a great time, there were a suprising amount of things already in the yurt such as beds, bedding, fire and firewood (including the necessary bits to get a fire started).  There was a double gas stove and all the pots, pans, cups, plates, knives and forks etc that you would need as well as basics like salt and pepper, oil etc.  All very helpful when you already have a full car with bikes, scooters, running gear, hiking gear, a wetsuit and a whole load of four year old's belongings (ok, I took much more than Hannah).

Hannah really got into the experience.  On the last day, she said, "Mummy, why is there no tv here".

The yurt is in a great position on the campsite, the edge of Windermere lake is just a short walk down the hill.  Hannah really loved paddling and pushing the boundaries of her wellies.

We had already explored Wray Castle but this is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area and need to keep your kids occupied.

The campsite would also be a great base for exploring the Coniston, Langdale or Ambleside area (great cycle routes around here as well as the obvious lakes and fells).



from the edge of the lake, cloud rolling over Fairfield? not entirely sure, happy to take corrections

cool spider web

improvised 'fishing'

vegan meat products on the barbecue

the family

Another really nice touch from Alex and Donna was the bottle of wine that was left for us on arrival.  As Fiona is pregnant, I took over the duty of ensuring the wine bottle was emptied.  After a lovely meal with my mum and dad at Fellinis in Ambleside, I sat out by the fire, reading my book and drinking wine into the early morning.  

I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 40 years.

Here's to the next 40 - cheers!

Cumbria Christmas Cracker 2011 Cycle Sportive

The Christmas Cracker Cycle Sportive was postponed in 2010 to February 2011.  I had bought me new bike a few weeks before so was keen to get out and have a go at something like this.  The route is a fairly easy 57 mile round route, it takes in a few hills but none of the major Lakeland passes.  The biggest hills being Red Bank behind Grasmere and the slog up past Grizedale Forest.

This was the first sportive event I had entered and, like a lot of things lately, I learnt a lot from just having a go.

It was very cold in February but I think I could have got away with slightly less in the way of clothing.

Sportives are supposed to be fun events but there were a lot of entrants who took themselves and their cycling very seriously.  A few commented, in a rather condescending way, that I didn't have clip in shoes and was cycling in toe straps.

For the most part though, it was a lot of fun.  It was great experience cycling with lots of other people, I was able to see what it was like being part of a pack and drafting behind other riders.

It took me around some roads that I was unfamiliar with.  It was nice to have the route planned out and a brilliant cake stop at the scout hut in Cartmell (although this may also have marked my first vegan slip).

After doing this event, I signed up for the Lake District 100, a much tougher 100 mile sportive that takes in some of the major passes.  In 2011, I backed out of it having done no training and have put it off to 2012.  I feel much more confident in having a go this year having conquered some of the same passes I will be going over.

taking life seriously at the start

Carlisle Triathlon 2012

Carlisle Triathlon was my second sprint tri. 500m swim, 40k bike and 5k run. I had also managed to persuade my mate Jonathan to enter. He was pretty nervous, pacing around looking for people he thought were slower and fatter than him. 

Here's how my race went: 

Swim 12.57
The swim was tough, I had estimated 12 minutes but could not keep up the pace and ended up getting overtaken by the two other people in my lane (I caught them up later). The swim was 25 lengths of the 20metre Morton Academy Pool.

Transition 1: 2:27
Well, it was still slow, I really didn't think I hung around too long. At the Cockermouth Triathlon, I saw people with plastic boxes for their kit. I though this was a great idea, stopping your kit getting wet if it rained so I got one. Apparently, when we were all waiting to swim, they announced that these were not allowed and moved them all away from the bikes. This caused me to spend a bit longer in the first transition as I was looking out for the bright pink top of this box.

Bike 40:51
I really pushed it on the bike, I don't think I stopped pedalling once. I overtook about three people and was not overtaken myself. The course was pretty flat. It was also wet, there were big puddles at different points. The course seemed quite complicated and I was grateful for the marshals at every corner.

Jonathan coming into transition as I am going out

Transition 2: 1:01
Coming into transition, Jonathan was sat down by the box, having just finished his race. A minute for T2 is acceptable to me.

Hannah getting a bit excited seeing me finishing the run.

Run 24:30
I felt like I was taking it easy on the run but my time was still good. I managed to pick up the pace after about 2 miles and took over the people who had beaten me in the swim, that felt good. There were a few more people, in all I overtook about 10 people on the run.

Overall Time 1:21:48 - 81st place out of about 150

So, with Carlisle and Cockermouth, that's two sprint triathlons, Carlisle was overall about 30 seconds faster than Cockermouth - slower swim & run in Carlisle but faster bike and transition. That's a really good benchmark to work from. I'm hoping to do some triathlons with open water swims at some point, that's the next big step for me. Hopefully I have converted Jonathon to triathlons, he said he had a great time and slept most of the way home.

Little Dip in Buttermere

Another try of my new toy (wetsuit). Today I had a swim cap which completely solved the ice cream headache issue of my first swim. Heading to Crummock Water from Keswick, over Honister Pass, we decided to stop on the shores of Buttermere just before Hassness and go for a little dip.

 

Stood there on the grass (putting your wetsuit on while you are stood on grass rather than shingle stops you getting little stones all over it) I was greeted by what looked very much like the Gatesgarth Farm cat. Very friendly and using the leaning post to scratch on.

After a quick change and making sure I put on my swim cap, I was ready to go. With my wetsuit on, it felt lovely and warm (Jonathan put his hand in the water and said that it was really cold). I walked for a bit but quickly realised it is actually easier to lift your legs up and float into deeper water. Out I went, further than my first swim, happy and safe in the knowledge that wetsuits are floaty.

It was cloudy and raining at Buttermere. It made for some beautiful scenery. In fact, I think I have found a great rainy day activity.

I swam out a fair way until I was well out of my depth. I did a fair bit of front crawl and also quite a bit of just floating about on my front and back.

It got a bit spooky at the point where I couldn't see the bottom and it was dark and murky when I put my face in the water but I was able to keep my composure enough to practice this for a while.

This whole open water swimming is still something I'm getting used to and is a work in progress. Physically, it's very easy to swim in a wetsuit. The buoyancy means that you don't have to use your legs at all.



After splashing around for, what felt like a good period of time, I set off back to the shore.

When I got to the shore, things got a bit comedic. I managed to aim myself at a group of slippery rocks and spent a good five minutes slipping and falling over, paranoid that I was going to rip my wetsuit on one of them. I eventually managed to get over the rocks and headed back to the shore. The great thing was that, standing there in the rain, I wasn't cold at all.

Beautiful Buttermere.

 

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