Lorna and I have been in the Dales this weekend - luckily one of our friends' family owns a bunkbarn at Chapel-le-Dale, near Ingleton. We have just got back from a weekend of food, drinking, walking, and (for me) a nice long run on Saturday. It was one of the best training runs I've had for a while...
The plan was to recce part of a longer route I'm hoping to have a crack at next summer. I did the recce bit on the way out, then looped back round to head home. I ended up with 9 tops and 58km in about 7 and a half hours. Here's where I went...
From the bunkbarn I ran up the road for a hundred yards or so, then up Ingleborough. As you will notice on the map above, I've made a mistake and drawn the first three hills in the wrong order, but you get the idea. The climb was fantastic, it was cold an frosty with a lot of frozen patches, but the sun was warm and it was a beautiful morning on the summit. It took about 30 mins from leaving to the trig. From there I cut back the way I had come, then followed the fence to Simon Fell, then Lords Seat. I managed to slip on a patch of ice on the way down Ingleborough and had a bloody knee for the rest of the day but apart from that I was having an amazing day.
 |
| Looking back up to Ingleborough |
From Lords Seat I cut across to join the 3 Peaks race path down to Horton. Through the village and out t'other side towards Pen-y-Ghent. It was getting busy with walkers now, and throughout the day it became very obvious that to many people, there are only three hills in the Yorkshire Dales! I saw hardly anyone on the "lesser" fells. From Horton I headed up towards Pen-y-Ghent but cut up to Plover Hill. The run along the edge of the wall was longer and harder than it looked, the terrain was boggy and tricky, but eventually I got to the stile and turned around.
 |
| 360' from Plover Hill |
From P-y-G I ran down to the road, on a fairly questionable route which had me clambering over fences, walls and rivers and took aaaages! Next I climbed up Fountains Fell, feeling quite knackered now as it was a steep one after the Pennine Way turned off. I climbed on following the wall to the top of Fountains Fell, then dropped down slightly, then a final (for now) climb up to the last summit of my recce part of the day - Darnbrook Fell.
 |
| Darnbrook Fell Trig |
From the trig I dropped down north on more trackless boggy stuff, till eventually coming out at Halton Gill. From there I started to head back to the bunkbarn, running along the river through Foxup, then up to contour along the edge of Pen-y-Ghent for quite a long way. This was another really nice section, the sun was still shining and I got some decent running in. Eventually I reached the route towards the Ribblehead viaduct, it was really really boggy on the way up and I fell in up to my waist once. It took me quite a long time to get out, and I nearly lost my shoes in the process!
Eventually I reached the road near Ribblehead viaduct, which I always think is an amazing thing. I ran on up past the viaduct where there was a cave rescue training exercise going on, helicopters and everything! I didn't follow the normal route up Whernside, but went up the really steep side, then turned right onto the main path to the top.
 |
| Looking back to Ingleborough from the way up Whernside |
I squeezed through the gap in the wall, touched my final trig for the day, turned around and headed off back down, via High Pike. I was now looking forward to the Steak and Ale pie I had ordered in the pub later... I really enjoyed the run down though, it was quiet now, the wind had died down and the sun was starting to set. I ran down through the farm, onto the road and up to Chapel-le-Dale.
All in all a fantastic run, I learnt a lot during my recce and had one of the best days I've had for a long time. And the pie was amazing :)
Comments
Post a Comment