From Charles Wain and Luke Watkeys…
Charles and Luke flew the flag for Ilkley Harriers in the Lake District this weekend. We’d originally both planned to tackle the Teenager with Altitude, a beast of a race covering 24.7 km across the Northwestern fells with 2,300m of elevation. Sadly, a mid-week bug meant Luke wasn’t on top form, so he made the executive decision to drop down to the Newlands Memorial. Taking place at the same time, it’s a more accessible but still challenging 18.5 km route with 1,100m of climbing. Here’s how our respective days on the fells unfolded:
Charles (Teenager with Altitude)
The route kicks off with a steep pull straight from the gun, climbing quickly into thick clag on Causey Pike. Early race enthusiasm got the better of me, and I pushed too hard on that opening climb — something I’d end up paying for later.
From there, navigation became the main challenge, threading a line up towards Grasmoor via Coledale Hause with visibility down to around 20 metres on the tops. The terrain between Grasmoor and Robinson is relentlessly steep, both on the descents and the climbs, and this is where the early effort really caught up with me. Progress became more about hanging on and staying accurate in the clag than moving quickly.
Thankfully, things turned around after Robinson onwards. As the cloud began to lift, my legs came back and the running opened up towards Dale Head and on to Cat Bells. With views returning over Buttermere, Derwent Water, and across the Western and Central Fells, it was a welcome lift after the earlier grind.
I was pleased to bring it home in a little over 4:30, and the promise of a well-earned chilli and beer at the finish capped off a cracking day out in the fells.
Luke (Newlands Memorial)
This was my first Lakeland fell race and, despite feeling under the weather, I was itching to get it under my belt. It’s a different game in the Lakes compared to Yorkshire; the scale of the mountains surrounding the start line was both exciting and imposing.
The race began at 11:30 am. Unlike Charles’ immediate vertical ascent, I had a gentle 5 km warm-up through Little Town and along the valley parallel to Scope Beck. However, the honeymoon period ended abruptly at the foot of Robinson. The climb is relentless, gaining 500m in just over a kilometre to reach the 737m summit. As I neared the top, the field thinned out, and the clag descended. With visibility down to a few metres, it became a matter of follow the leader, hanging onto the runner in front. From there, it was a lovely bit of Lakeland top-hopping across to Hindscarth and Dale Head.
The real drama started after Dale Head. It was a precipitous drop down to Dale Head Tarn, and with no clear path, you were left to choose your own line. Emerging from the mist, I spotted the tarn and decided on a fairly direct line, only to realise too late that I’d committed to a section of hidden cliff edges and knee-deep peat bogs. After a few moments panicking and traversing sideways to find safer ground, I finally hit the bottom, a bit rattled. I then managed one further bad decision, making a wrong turn before finally rejoining the main line.
From the tarn, it was the second major haul of the day up to High Spy. By this point, the sun had begun to break through, and we shared the ridge with plenty of tourists enjoying the views. This was the most runnable stretch of the day, moving fast across Maiden Moor before hitting the final trig point at Cat Bells. The descent off the top was great, even for tired legs – nippy, technical, and a total quad-killer – leading us right back down into the valley for the finish.
I crossed the line in 2:37:53, finishing 96th out of 163. I was over the moon just to have finished. It was a proper introduction to Lake District racing; bring on the next.
Summary of results:
Newlands Memorial:
1st: William Robson (1:41:10)
96th: Luke Watkeys (2:37:53)
163 finished, 2 DNF
Teenager with Altitude:
1st: Jose Concha (2:50:36)
80th: Charles Wain (4:33:48)
103 finished, 6 DNF