From Simon Richardson…
It’s a big one – 35km, 2500m ascent – and so is my report. I got carried away again. You can see pretty much the whole race skyline from the carpark field at Loweswater, which is both perfect and unnerving before the race. Good weather, with light cloud and lower temperatures than the hot early part of the week, promised a pleasant day, though it had been very windy on the fells since 7am.
Being on a bit of a mission to get all the Wainwrights done this year, I mentioned my idea of adding three tops to the race route at kit check. Since they were aware and as long as I made the cut-offs, this didn’t appear to break any rules and just seemed a bit of a daft idea. The fact I’d already been out that morning to add the very blowy tops of Grike and Crag Fell above Ennerdale wasn’t mentioned, but the race didn’t start until 11am… it was never going to be a race about time or placings for me, and I had two more tops planned after the race since I was all the way up in Loweswater…
About the only person I seem to regularly meet at races was in the line up, so for the first part of the race through the woods and over towards Whiteside, Ross and I had a nice chat whilst half the rest of the field forgot it’s a long race and went off fast as usual. Then he seemed to either get bored, or engage a new gear – and blasted off up the short sharp climb to Whiteside overtaking almost everyone whilst I tried to follow.
Then follows a lovely edge to Hopegill Head, which I would encourage any keen fell runner to seek out. Small ascents and descents, the odd slightly rocky section and brilliant views off a sharp but never worrying ridgeline. Down and back up towards Grasmoor, after which all the sensible racing folk ran off to Whiteless. It wasn’t a lot of extra time to add Eel Crag and Wandope but there was a good bit of up and I did feel very foolish with my race number on…
Back in the race and time to overtake – although the legs are already feeling tired and the descent down Whiteside towards Newlands Hause is instantly super-steep and the kind of terrain where slowing down, changing direction or even thinking, is only possible where the right kind of heather, rock or bump appears. So I give up on the idea of overtaking and follow the line of people towards Newlands where I knew a steep climb would be waiting.
Having done almost exactly the next leg (Newlands to Dale Head) on the GL3D, I knew the almost up and over Robinson option had quite a lot of climb. I was keen to try “the second way” which is to skirt Robinson much lower and contour round to a col before Hindscarth. This is where prior knowledge would have been wonderful, most of the trods I found went the wrong way eventually. A lady in a black, yellow and red vest in front of me kept disappearing and re-appearing slightly further ahead. After a particularly rubbish bit of map reading led me to slog up a fenceline onto the main path, I was joined by someone who said “the lady from Pennine knows where she’s going, just follow her!”
It was clear and the views were wonderfully distracting from the leg fatigue. Up Dale Head, down to Honister, up the old mine incline and over towards Wainwright’s resting place – Innominate tarn. If you’ve not been that way, the views back down towards Buttermere, Crummock water (and Scotland!) are spectacular, with your morning’s completed work on the right and the way home to your left. I was pleased to find a way through the complicated terrain to the fenceline to avoid the climb to Haystacks (I didn’t need that top!) and equally displeased to end up on some very rocky terrain where a nasty rocky slip give me cause to reconsider. A quick back-track, a different line, and the very steep stony ascent to High Crag loomed. And blimey it is steep, after four hours or whatever it had been at this point, really steep. I try and find a smile for the photographer Stephen Wilson, huddled out cold & wet wind between some rocks at the top.
The ridge along to High Stile and Red Pike has spectacular views which is handy as my legs hurt and I needed a distraction! The sun comes out again which is great, but I have one last detour – Starling Dodd – next on my agenda, whilst everyone else headed for Melbreak. Even despite being told it was easier to get down to Scale Force from that direction, you do end up in some pretty difficult and seemingly unvisited terrain for a few 100m. Red granite boulders hidden in knee high heather doing their best to tell you you’re in the wrong place and making a mistake. Thankfully, soon I could see more runners ahead and found a good line descending to the high point of the stream crossing at the start of the leg busting ascent to Melbreak.
And there was the black, yellow and red vest again! My legs wouldn’t catch that vest no matter how much I tried, and it was disappointing not to be able to follow her route off Melbreak which was bound to be the local knowledge way – there is a cheeky trod (one of many) but you need to know which it is. I didn’t, and consequently lost another few minutes following the simple option – down to the valley path and turn right. But I’d probably lost at least half an hour to daft extra Wainwright bagging so why worry about a few minutes.
Past the cheering folk at the Kirkstile Inn and on to the best selection and quantity of cakes I have ever seen at a race! At least 40 different varieties of post-pie treat await, and for this reason alone, I would strongly recommend the Buttermere Horseshoe! That and the amazing route and finish line view.