Week Six - Antimatters

The Calva Trod, complete with digger

That's better!!!  After no less than three BGR supports this summer where I was supposed to support everything between Keswick and Dunmail and ended up falling short for one reason or another (bad ankle, the squits, not being fit enough etc) I rolled up at Dunmail and romped to Keswick in a shade under 8 hours.  That's almost 11,000 feet of climbing and 27 miles done with a joyful flourish - I even ran up the last bit of Skiddaw.

Confidence restored?  Not sure, but a useful step towards proper 'round' fitness. 

Going the 'other way' was weirdly novel, learning the ground all over again, despite it being all too familiar when coming the other way.  I tried a few things out to varying success.  The Cofa Pike variant between Fairfield and Dollywaggon was new to me and whilst i wouldn't fancy it clockwise, that scree run coming down is brilliant and it really is a fast descent.  Add to that a good water source en route and i'm sold, provded i can find it in the dark.  Actually, a certain Mr Charters will hopefully take care of that :-) (unless it's icy as hell, in which case we'll go the out and back way from the hause between FF and Seat Sandal). 

I stayed on the 'motorway' between Dollywaggon and Nethermost for far longer that i normally do, missing out the slight rise on the direct line over High Crag.  This was far quicker and provided you can locate the cairn (GPS wil help here!) it is the way to go.  I found myself ticking off the peaks without wanting to push remotely hard.  I wanted to know what easy paced was for me and it translates to a 22 hour pace over those peaks, which of course allows for a tired contender which i was not.  Still, good news!

Threlkeld was a welcome seat for stashed food and a 15 minute break.  It was here that the familiarity of clockwise lulled me into a silly error and reminded me that i need to relearn the route as i'm going the other way.  I have run off Hall's Fell into the village over 20 times, possibly more, and yet just strode past the end of the track and up the road.  The only time i went wrong all day was on bloody tarmac...

Leg 5, as it now is, is a real mental and physical challenge on an anticlockwise round.  It's 5,200' of ascent, tough heathery ground and on battered legs and a jaded brain.  The biggest climb on the leg, and the second biggest climb on the whole round, is Blencathra.  Add in the darkness and the possibility of ice on the ridge and you have a formidable start to this tough leg.  I will ask a couple of experienced lads to go and check it out on the day so we can make a quick decision about whether to do the longer but safer Doddick Fell route. 

I picked my way up that enjoyable ridge in no hurry and was 10 mins inside the 23 hour schedule time of 64 mins. The run off Blencthara in the grassland of what's oddly referred to as Skiddaw Forest (there are no trees!!) was pleasant which made a change from the usual plod up the opposite way.  I headed over Mungrisedale Common and to the meandering Caldew.  I decided i could see a new trod leading directly up Great Calva opposite and decided to try following it up through that heather slope rather than take the path up the east fence (longer but easier ground).  Error!!!  It was a decent enough trod, but the 'lie' of the heather meant that it would have been ok for clockwise descenders and purgatory for those going up.  Every step was a fight against the fellside and i grew fed up rather quickly.  It was a case of step, trip, step, stumble, step, fall, swear etc.  Imagine that after 21 hours!!!  I think i'll be going the other way.

Calva eventually gave up as i reached the top and off I headed to Skiddaw, a big mountain but only a 1,500 climb from this side.  I reminded myself that from here it's just like popping up Moel Famau, my local fell.  As I left Calva and popped onto the top of the BGR trod leading down to the 4*4 track, i got a shock.  I thought maybe a student night out had gone VERY wayward as a stumbled upon a road works sign at the top of the path.

Roadworks sign near the top of Calva on the BGR trod

My surprise was heightened 200 feet down the hill when i ran into a a digger merryly excavating channel created by the BGR trod and laying heather 'mats' over it.  I was gobsmacked.  There is debate amongst fellrunners about the environmental impact of the BGR, with views varying on whether little cairns and markers to show the way are cricket or not.  I've always been relaxed about the use of cairns, provided they are small and destroyed after you pass (much like Yiannis did on Emma's BGR when descending Blencathra via his parachute route - he got that spot on).  Others are less relaxed and see it as an affront.  For me, i felt BGR'ers were far less a cause of erosion that walkers and that our tracks were often rubbed out by nature in the BGR off season.  This however was the first time that I saw a fellside being repaired as a clear result of the BGR (walkers don't come this way really).  This has got me thinking about what we're doing to our playground.  I wonder which BGR trod will be next for such treatment?  The one up the front of Clough Head is looking very worn now...

More plant at the bottom of the trod

Onto Skiddaw and the now easily located trod up Hare Crag. This is harder navigationally when going clockwise as you have to ensure you take the right fork over Hare Crag and not the old quad bike track going left.  THis way round is a doddle. I plodded easily up the slope, which starts off muddy and ends up on fast short grass and then some loose rock at the summit.  As i nearer skiddaw's summit, a decided to run from the fence and felt great!! 

That final descent is going to be VERY tough though.  As i ran down into Keswick, elated after a strong and gorgeous day out, i remembered how sore my quads were coming off Scafell last year.  I resolved that I would train my quads to deal with long descents because i could end up having to push here at the end of the round to get under 24 hours and a 3000' descent is going to be a swine with battered quads.

Before i knew it, Latrigg's lovely woods were with me and it was a simple case of Fitz Park, Moot Hall, Fish and Chips.  A great day out, and in 7:55 which is a good time for those two legs.

The training is working!