Two Breweries race

Not having raced at all this year I had no expectations other than to have a good run, enjoy it and see where I came. It would be nice to be first local but realistically I knew other guys should be quicker. At least the weather had held out and my friends & parents who had come up for the weekend would be able to enjoy the day too.

Coming into Stobo

Starting off at the back there was no point in me getting carried away thinking I could keep up, so settled into a pace I could keep going at. I knew my strength lay in the steep up & the down and the longer a race goes on my endurance. As the race went on I steadily moved up the field catching half a dozen on the last climb and the last of the Moorfoot’s realizing then that I had probably overtaken my local rivals pushed on from the top of Trahenna to the finish with my calf’s always on the verge of cramping and locking up.

I finished 13^th just slightly slower than last year but as the first local (people living within 6 miles of race route) which was great and meant a lot more and it gave us all something to celebrate at the ceilidh in the evening.

Glen Tress ride

Spent a wet and windy couple of hours riding round the green, blue & red routes in Glen Tress. Trying to keep out of the tail end weather of Hurricane Katia that’d been battering the UK this week.

Durisdeer Ride

I was out mountain biking again around the Buccleuch estate at Durisdeer. Set off up the track past a solitary cow which was baying. Memories of my run in lat year came back as it started to trot across towards me; this spurred me on to climb faster.

Further up I arrived at the gate to find it off it latch, the cow presumably had pushed it way through but been unable to get back with the way blocked and was now stressing and calling to its mates on the opposite hillside.

As has been usual this week wind and constant showers were the order of the day. Well at least the jackets I’m testing are getting realistic use, though I’d much prefer to be out in warm, dry, sunny weather.

Close call!

This whole area is a big shooting estate and the climb up to Kettleton Byre bothy is littered with grey and red partridge. The other side to this is they attract a lot of raptors, I’ve since looked up the silhouettes and I think they were hen harriers or goshawks as I didn’t recognise the outline.

Kettlon Byre bothy

Good tracks thread the glens around here providing short challenging climbs and fast descents on stony hard pack.

After passing a bothy being done up I noticed I’d picked up a clicking sound. Thinking I’d broke a poke I stopped to inspect only to find a 4” nail protruding out the side of my tyre. Fortunately it had only gone through the knobble. Lucky me!

Heading back I had toyed with the idea of a hike a bike to Daer reservoir but I didn’t really have time and so retraced my original outward journey with a 2 mile climb back up the Roman road and back to the car. No sign of the cow either.

Cowgill ride

  

Given the weather was wet and wild I decided to go do some exploring on my bike rather than get blasted off the hills with the gale force winds.



Cow Gill Loch



There exists a series of valley tracks that thread through the hills linking hamlets and villages of south Clyde valley which presumably were the routes used before metalled roads came about.

In the end I did a figure of eight loop going as far as Lamington returning via Cowgill Loch to Coulter and then Kilbucho. Most of it was on good tracks with short sections of road to link them. Despite the wind making pedalling hard on the way out, it actually turned out to be not too wet.

Heading back Mitch Hill on the left

Mungrisdale run

On my way back from Wales I decided to break the journey up with a run. Ten minutes after pulling off at Penrith I was parked up at the quaint village of Mungrisdale, my plan being to head up Blencathra and back.

Looking back on the route from Mungrisdale

Going up from this side gave me the chance to use some paths and fells I’ve never visited before. So I took a nice track that headed up onto Bannerdale crags following it round the edge of the comb to its summit traversing across a couple of nice looking gullies that look like they would give winter sport.



The path above Bannerdale crags



Running down from here the wind got up and the heavens duly opened, forcing me to stop & pull on my over trousers before a climb up into the teeth of it and the path across to the summit of Blencathra where I turned straight away and came down the path to Scales fell. As soon I dropped this side I was sheltered from the worst of it and a nice run down passing below sharp edge on the way to the saddle at Mousthwaite comb.

Sharp  Edge scramble Blencathra

As it had picked up a bit I decided to return by the higher route of Souther fell following a nice grassy path which led me up, over and down to the car.

Kentmere Horseshoe

Decided to make most of the good weather on my way to Wales and wanted something not far form motorway. It’s a while since I last went round this and makes a change as its on the outskirts of the main Lakes area.Parking can be a bit of issue at Kentmere village but because it was late afternoon I dropped lucky on a spot by the hall.




Grassy running to the summit of Kentmere Pike

 

Opting for an anticlockwise route saw me setting off up the lanes and track toward Longsleddale, before breaking up onto the ridge and up to Kentmere Pike getting really good views of the Mosedale and the Howgills to the east.

 

Views out east towards Haweswater

 

Once up the initial shoulder of the ridge it gave good running and I was soon at Thornthwaite beacon at the head of the valley and my turn around point.

Turning to head south over the summits of Froswick,  Ill Bell & Yoke I came across a new surfaced (to me) path that ran all the way to the bridle way at Garburn pass. Easy running but not as cushioning underfoot.



 

Looking down Kentmere valley



This just left the descent of Garburn pass a bouldery and rocky track. Passed a couple of downhill bikers at the top and pushed on in the hope of keeping them at bay. Arriving at bottom gate about the same time, I think the lad could have beaten me if he’d tried though