Looking back

Ooh I just checked my blog. Last updated March this year! What a slacker!

So it seems we are long overdue an update, so considering the long and distant last update it seems I will be covering the training sessions over the summer, and the training still to come this autumn/winter.

What has been going on since March? Well the main event of the year was my training session in May, and the session in August. Ok, so the main TWO events of the year were the training sessions in May, August, and October, Oops, so the big THREE events this year are the three training sessions, my new car, and the Mediterranean cruise we went on. Oh pants - I will start again...

The main events of this year were: (you see what I did there?) Three big training sessions, I bought a new car, and we went on a cruise....

So to start - the May recce - its been so long i will have to refer to my notes... Ok, so this recce was a journey into the unknown. Last years Spine Challenger race finished in Hawes. This recce started at Hawes (what is Checkpoint 2 in the race) to Middleton in Teesdale (checkpoint 3). We met at a camp site near Middleton, pitched the tent so it was ready for us, then drove back to Hawes. The day looked great, not very windy, dry and cool.

We set off in good spirits. 35 (ish) miles in front of us. Up and over Great Shunner fell, I was surprised how much of the ascent was runable, I had imagined it to be one long slog, but it seemed fine (whether it will feel the same after 110 miles remains to be seen).

Ascending GSF

Dropping down the other side, we entered the lower lying areas of Thwaite and Swaledale. A lovely picturesque place, of farmers fields and flowing rivers/streams. We met up with a chap that was doing the Lands end to John-o-groats thing. He had started at lands end and was doing it using the long distance footpaths (like the Pennine way for example) rather than just roads and stuff - a much better plan I thought.  

Mind you, this chap could talk! maybe it was because he was so lonely, but he was tagging along and talking us to death. We sped up, hoping to loose him, but the terrain wasn't very helpful towards high speeds, so he kept up with us - we soon discovered that "in his day" he was a champion fell runner, hence he could pretty much keep up with whatever we attempted to throw at him speed wise.
We passed another couple, and our chap stopped briefly to bore them a bit - we took this god sent gift and trotted off round the corner, never to see him again...

Swaledale is very pleasing on the eye, with little waterfalls and stuff to distract you, but we soon lost it to the wilds of Yorkshire, as we slowly climbed up over the moors towards the Tan Hill Inn, a recognised pit stop on the race, and purveyors of a lovely chocolate orange cake.

Add caption

Suitable fed and watered (lemonade - the drink of champions) we set off to what was going to be the soggiest bit of the weekend - Sleightholme moor (or to fellow spine racers, the Tan Hill bogs). Light rain had set in, and visibility wasn't great, as we squelched our wandering way across this unpleasant featureless bit of Yorkshire. Eventually after many dog-legs to avoid the deeper bits, we hit dry(ish) land and could more confidently stride out knowing we wouldn't be swallowed up in the mire.

Little navigation checks passed, and the important sharp right turn found (avoiding the alternative route via Bowes) we carried on under the A66...

The path under the A66

Then it was just a series of long up and down sections until we eventually dropped steeply down to our campsite and waiting tent. We didnt recce all the way into Middleton, the path was suitably obvious from here in, so that was it, just an uncomfortable nights sleep for me (my mat had a puncture) and the next day we bailed on. We had intended to do another 20 ish miles, but the 35 miles in 12 hours had taken it out of us a bit, and anyway, this was only a recce - I didnt need to break myself this early on.

A curious chicken

So that was the may recce done and dusted. Plenty of shorter training runs later and we were nearly ready for another training/recce weekend, heading further north - but first, in other news, I got a new car:

 My Mini Cooper Coupe. A 2 seater (no its not a convertible) for me to have fun in...

His name is Montgomery (Monty for short), but as this has nothing to do with long distance running I shall move on...

So - Recce number 2 of the year. This will be a fun one. Middleton in Teesdale (Checkpoint 3) to Alston (Checkpoint 4)...
The plan for this one was a little different. We would be sleeping in proper beds Saturday night, and I would do day 2 on my own, so i picked up Cathy from Dufton (the end of day 1 place) and drove back to Middleton to the start.
The day was quite windy, but again it was dry and comfortable.

Me and Cathy at the start. Cathy demonstrating how windy it is with her hair.

The first section follows the river Tees, a lovely river sporting a couple of proper waterfalls. The imaginatively named Low force and High force:

Low force

High force

 After a bit the route turns left and starts to rise up into the hills and away from the general public out for a stroll around the waterfalls.

Still following the river Tees, we slowly rise, coming so close to the river that I can dunk my foot in it if i try, and we soon hit another waterfall - Cauldron snout, a fall that spouts from under the Cow Green reservoir, and is sometimes diverted away from during the race if it is particularly wet or icy, as the route climbs up rocks right next to the fall.

Cauldron snout waterfall

Once up, we carry along, sometimes wet, sometimes on a nice gravel road, passing convoys of shooters making the most of the newly opened grouse season. Our next destination was to be the incredible natural landmark of High Cup Nick (HCN), but before we got there i took a pic of the path - a typical Pennine way path:

As we approached HCN we saw a couple of walkers. One seemingly wandering around aimlessly, the other sitting down in a bivi bag. Chatting with them it transpired one had "done his knee in" and the other was waiting for mountain rescue to arrive. We checked they were OK, that they didn't need anything (they were very well equipped, and happily at the very head of HCN so would be impossible for mountain rescue to miss, especially as the bivi bag was day-glow orange).

High Cup Nick

So we set off again, with promises that we would let mountain rescue know where they were when we passed them coming up. We did pass them soon after and passed the information across that their quarry were well equipped and in good spirits.

Now for the long boring descent into Dufton, and Cathy's car, which would take us to a hot meal and comfy beds in readiness for another hill day tomorrow. Just time to take a picture of a random blue sheep...

Random blue sheep.

So onto day 2. I was dropped back at Dufton, with promises of being collected at Alston the other side of Cross fell, the highest point of the whole race, and again, sometimes (well once) diverted around in extreme weather.

It turned out that Cathy had chosen the better day as far as features go. There was not much to go on here, and I think some difficult navigation may be called for in bad weather, as the terrain posed not much to grip onto in terms of directional certainty.
It was a fairly long slog up to the first actual landmark, the radio/communications thingy at the summit of Great Dun fell. To highlight this here are some pictures I took of nothing in particular...

Looking back down towards Dufton (which is behind that pointy hill)

The path up

Eventually the nothingness terrain gave way to the summit of Great dun fell, and its radio/communications thingy perched on top.

The top of Great dun fell

The next heading was Cross fell, the highest point of the Pennine way.

Cross fell in the distance

There was a couple of rolling hills to cross, but I could see Cross fell in the distance (see what i did there?). It was still windy, and it was blowing from my left, (not that that matters) but I could imagine that in the winter this would be very high and exposed and generally not a nice place to be in bad weather.

Looking back from whence I came. (Dufton is behind that pointy hill on the right)

And eventually I reached the summit of Cross fell. Not much to see, just a cross wall shelter and a cairn.

Cross Fell summit cairn

 After the summit, the route drops down the other side quite rapidly and turns sharp right onto an indistinct track/road. This leads to the infamous Greg's hut. A high up house/bothy thing, where during the race the highest noodle bar in England is set up, to help weary racers refuel.

Greg's hut

And that's pretty much it of this trip, just the long boring descent into Garrigill, and along the river to Alston, where the smiling faces of Paul, Cathy, Molly, and Connie were waiting for me and deposit me back in Middleton for the long drive home.

And - onto the next event of the year, our cruise. As this is my running blog there is not much to report on apart from stair reps. I often would leave Lesley to gaze out to sea while i climbed up and down the decks. Sometimes when she watched a film that wasn't my cup of tea i was gone for an hour or so. I can report that there are 213 available steps from the top to the bottom of the boat.

Our ship - The Ventura

Stair reps

And finally, to bring us up to date, my October recce. I will quickly point out that I failed to charge my battery in the camera, so i only took a couple of pictures before it died, so this will be a short update.
I did however cover quite a lot of miles over the weekend, unfortunately most of them in the car. First I drove to Southampton to take Lesley to stay at her daughters, then I drove back home (in very heave traffic) to grab my kit, then set off northbound. I camped just north of Sheffield and then set off early the following morning towards my first target. I was on my own so had to be clever with the time i had. There were a few tricky bits i wanted to cover, mainly between Checkpoint 2 (Hawes) and Checkpoint 3 (Middleton).
I had a bit of a mental block of the Thwaite to Tan hill section (probably due to the mind numbing conversation i mentioned earlier), and i knew i wanted to repeat the Tan Hill bog area.
So starting at Thwaite, i headed out, it was a bit drizzly but not windy, so it was quite comfortable. Winding my way through and up round the fields to Swaledale, then along the river until it crossed, then doubling back to the car - this tricky bit just reinforced. It was more straight forward than i remembered, but still useful.
Then i drove to the Tan Hill inn. I had a nice meal of vegetable lasagna, got changed and set out into the moors. The light was fading, but i got the worst bit done in daylight,taking some very useful compass bearings from post to post, before continuing into the dark.

The Tan Hill moors

The Tan hill moors

Basically i just carried along the path in the dark until I found a suitable wall and set up my bivi. The wind had dropped, the cloud had lifted and I was treated to a lovely dry cool night in the middle of nowhere.
The next morning dawned dry and clear, with a crisp blue sky. I leisurely packed up and retraced my steps back to the car.
Having a small amount of time to spare i treated myself to a walk around the High and Low force waterfalls of Middleton, revelling in the lovely weather, before heading back south and home.

And thats it - all up to date.

Plenty of training to be getting on with, and a final recce (hopefully Checkpoint 4 to Checkpoint 5) later this month, or early December.

Is now a good time to mention I am trying to raise some money for charity? Well I am - raising money for "The little lives appeal" which is the premature baby unit at our local hospital - where our grandson James was born 7 years ago.
Here is the link - please give generously...

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thespinerace

Thanks you - and see you soon...



Acknowledgements:
The Monty Python team for their Spanish inquisition sketch.
Cathy for her support
P&O for having ships with lots of steps