Keswick To Barrow 2012

Distance: 40 miles (allegedly)
Time: 13 hours, 15
Average Speed: 4.86 km/h (3.02 mph)

We set off from our B&B in Windermere at a little after 5am: myself, Mike Roberts and Steve Eyles, with Chris Bradshaw as our support.  Mike and I are old hands, but it was Steve's and Chris' first K2B.

It was about 35-40 minutes to reach the top of Thirlmere and then another 15 minutes to reach the dropping off point.  You can't expect to get 2400 or so people to the start line without some waiting involved and the K2B committee have made it as smooth as possible.  Chris took a quick team photo and then the three of us queued for the start.  We went through at 0607, with about 1870 people having gone through ahead of us.  This included three young women and a black labrador all dressed as bees.

The skies were clear, so it was a cold start.  There was evidence of previous rain but there wasn't to be a single drop that day, possibly a first for my attempts.  We were wearing the waterproofs anyway, just for the warmth.  A brisk walk to Thirlmere soon warmed us up.  As usual it was flat calm at that time of the morning and Helvelyn was reflected beautifully in the water.

Mike had been off work ill for much of the training period and although recovered wasn't quite fighting fit so he fell behind.  Steve and I hit much the same pace so we kept together.

After Thirlmere we hit Dunmail Raise and the sun finally found its way over the hill tops, raising the temperature.  I found myself having to take of the waterproof and shove it into the backpack, out came the hat at the same time.  I was now wearing just a t-shirt on top, not cold at all.  Steve had got ahead of me while I adjusted my kit, but I caught up with him as we reached the edge of Grasmere.  I phoned Chris at the 1 mile to the checkpoint sign to let him know we were coming.

We picked up supplies from Chris and he asked about Mike.  Steve said he was ahead of us, I said behind.  After grabbing a drink I lost sight of Steve, so unwilling to stay to long I set off again.  Steve caught up with me at the top of Red Back, which we had warning him about.  He said he was glad it was over, I said that we still had to get down the other side.  Descending punishes the parts of your feet that had been given a rest on the ascent, you also face the choice of a slow controlled descent or a mad dash.

The checkpoint at Elterwater marks the one-third stage.  I grabbed two drinks at this checkpoint, and eavesdropped on somebody having a good strop at a hapless official.  I couldn't work out what the actual complaint was, and I'm pretty sure the official was none the wiser.  Steve had already set off, so I followed him.  Other than a few glimpses over the next half-hour that was the last I saw of him until the end!  He'd obviously trained well.

I plodded on.  In a lay-by on the main road down to Coniston there was an ice cream van.  I resisted the temptation for an actual ice cream but got a cold drink from his freezer.  Not long after it was the stony track up the hill and another steep descent down to Monk Coniston.  There I met up with Chris who said he hadn't seen Steve.  Mike had been only ten minutes behind us at Grasmere, he'd started out of breath but had recovered and got his pace back.

I started the walk along the east side of Coniston and began the mental arithmetic to estimate my finish time.  I was thrown when I reached the 20 mile mark and spotted the lunch break stop without seeing the 1 mile to checkpoint warning.  Slightly clarified by the official who was having to explain to everyone that CP4 wasn't there this year, but was later on.  I was able to guess I wasn't going to beat my personal best time.  I had a quick sandwich, checked my feet, changed my socks and converted my trousers to shorts.  Then I set off before my muscles became convinced it was over.

Shortly afterwards I was passed by the bee girls and their bee dog.  They'd already passed me once or twice, but they always seemed to stop a long time at each checkpoint.  One of them remarked that I must be looking forward to a beer at the end.  Two, I said.  The first wasn't going to touch the sides.

The new home for CP4 was at Water Park at the bottom end of Coniston.  Somebody at the drinks point there had thought ahead as the was a water bowl for the dogs.  Apart from the bee dog, there must have been at least 5 other dogs including a husky.

I met Chris again at the Red Lion in Lowick, further back from the road than the usual meet up.  He'd missed Steve again, but as we were talking (and I was dumping my used socks and trouser leg ends), Mike came up.  I set off again, passing the bee girls, swiped at CP5 which had also moved this year (the community centre, not the church) and headed off for the long, slow slog up to Kirkby Moor.  Mike soon caught up, but said he'd got the the church only to be told he'd missed the checkpoint and had elected not to go back.  He was soon outpacing me.

I re-did my mental arithmetic.  With two thirds done I could just make 12 and a half hours if I picked up the pace.  But now, I could feel the blisters on my feet.  I tried to ignore them, but I knew they were going to get worse.

At the 30 mile sign I stopped to take a picture.  The bee girls were resting there and offered to take it for me while I posed by the sign.

I was through CP6 when Mike came up behind me.  He'd stopped for some crisps and I'd just gone straight through oblivious.  Soon he was outpacing me again.  Not long after my feet were in agony.  I made it to Marton and the next checkpoint.  I swiped, knocked back some water then headed straight for the First Aid point with Chris in tow.  I got tangled up trying to take the backpack of and had to sort that out before the nice St. Johns Ambulance lady could look at my feet.  A huge blister on each heel, each requiring two of the large white plasters.  After this patching up I set off as soon as I could, wanting to finish as quickly as I could.  I put on the IPod and went for a Rush live album.

The next few miles were just trudging along, trying to build up a pace and ignoring what was happening below the ankles.  You get a lot of encouragement from Marton, going through Dalton and into Barrow.  You need it.  At about 38.5 miles I passed a father and daughter struggling on.  The daughter was crying, but keeping going.

Coming up to the last mile I changed album.  Just like last year I put on Abbey Road as I was walking along Abbey Road.  Last year I started with Here Comes the Sun and had to skip a couple of tracks to finish on The End.  I didn't skip any this year, and I didn't finish on The End.  I didn't even finish on Her Majesty.  It had looped around to Something.

Chris, Mike and Steve had gone inside because they were Southern and through it was cold, so no photograph of me finishing.  There was a surprise however.  For completing seven walks you get:

For the past 48 hours I've been seeking a grant from the Ministry of Silly Walks, but I should have raised a bit over £300.

Ready to go

Less than 36 hours to go now. All packed bar the toothbrush. I'll be trying to tweet my progress via @smwkerofin as last year, but I don't expect much of a signal.

Nearly 30 miles

Saturday 28th April
Distance: 45.45 km (28.24 mi)
Time: 10 hours 12
Average speed: 4.46 km/h (2.77 mph)

This was the last scheduled training walk before the Keswick to Barrow on the 12th of May, reusing last year's 30 mile route.  I was out the house early and heading up the old railway line to Beaconside and Beacon Hill.  It was cold, but dry.  As it turned out, it was the driest it had been for weeks in terms of rainfall, but the ground was still muddy.  I wore my new lighter waterproof jacket not for its protection from water, but from the wind.

At Beacon Hill I got a good view of the County Showground and all the traffic tailing back in both directions.  Not a day to use that route out of Stafford.  I continued on to Hopton Pools then on to the road.  I was planning to use the footpath past the Battle monument so I checked my GPS to confirm where it was and found it was still showing me back home, with an hourglass running.  A bit of cursing and exiting/restart later and it was working, although it had lost the track up to that point.  Thus the time information above is a guess, taken from last year's effort over the same route.

I'd found the footpath on the other side of the road before fixing the GPS  and continued past the monument for the Battle of Hopton Heath.  Not a big monument, but then I don't think it was a particularly big battle.

The path led through a large field with long, wet grass resulting in damp feet and damp trouser legs.  It was one of those fields where the stile I was aiming for wasn't visible from the start and not being well travelled there was no trail to follow.  So I just used the now-behaving GPS to keep me near the line until I could spot the yellow dots of the footpath sign on the far fence.  That stile looked pretty dilapidated, which would explain the bits of new aluminium gate nearby.  The next fence already had its gate installed. 

I descended the hill down to Salt and the Trent Valley, aiming for the Trent and Mersey canal.  The next bit was a steady and flat stroll along the often muddy tow path, heading for Haywood Junction.  When Weston came into view I could see the traffic backed up to the A51, obviously from the County Showground.

Past Haywood Junction I left the canal at Shugborough and headed for Cannock Chase along the Staffordshire Way. I went past the stepping stones along Sherbrook Valley  and at the little bridge where the Staffordshire Way leaves the valley I stopped for lunch.  I nearly had to share my rolls with a couple of large and friendly but hungry dogs.

I only stopped for ten minutes but as usual it was enough to trigger complaints from my legs and feet when I set of again.  It was a well travelled path I followed from there, picking up the Heart of England Way to the Visitor Centre and Marquis's Drive.  All along there I was checking the GPS, estimating how much distance I'd done that the GPS had missed and doing the mental arithmetic to work out what the total distance would be if I turned back at X, Y or Z.  In the end I decided to copy last year and at the top of Kitbag Hill I turned North to start looping back.

I went down to the other stepping stones, or in this case stepping slabs, and back via Fairoak Lodge and the Tackeroo caravan site.  Last year I'd exhausted my water and had to resupply here, but being much cooler I still had some.

At rifle range corner there was a party of 12 tired teenagers, boys and girls, with heavy packs and looking at a map.  They asked directions to Beaudesert and I waved in the general direction of the way I'd come.  Then they asked where they were and I consulted their map.  It was a laminated extract of the OS map for Cannock Chase with a thick red line marking what I guessed was their route.  I then had to point to the very edge of their map to where they were, nowhere near the thick red line.  "We're about half way" said one lad and I left before the recriminations over navigation began.

Passing my outward route I went up Brocton Field and Coppice Hill where I transferred my backup water into the camel pack thingy.  Heading downwards I began to suspect my footware.  It seemed I was feeling every stone in the path, walking on the softer verges rather than the stony track.  Things came to a head as I reached Milford Common.  Although I'd suspected that blisters had already formed, all of a sudden there was a pain in my left sole that slowed me right down.  I grabbed a soft drink from the fish and chip place at the common, then sat outside and eased my shoe and sock off my left foot.  There was a large blister on my heel which I could live with and another right on the sole that was causing the trouble.  I slapped a Compeed on it, hoped for the best and set off again.

It took a few minutes of limping but I was able to get back into my stride, although a little slower.  Facing a choice between the tarmac of the road route back home or the shorter, uneven canal route, I opted for the Staffs & Wocester tow path and a bit of will power to ignore the pain.  As usual I left the canal between Baswich Bridge and Radford Bank, whereupon it started to rain.  It was the heaviest rain all day, not quite enough for me to put up the hood on the waterproof.

Back on the streets it was a trudge back home, taking waits to cross the road as rest stops.

I had been wearing the shoes I planned to use for the actual walk, but now I'm not so sure.  I had thought they were in good condition but the insides have no give anymore.  I don't like the idea of getting a new pair so close to the big day.

The Long Mynd

Saturday 14th April
Distance: 31.8 km (19.76 mi)
Time: 7 hours 52
Average speed: 4.04 km/h (2.51 mph)

This was the second 20 mile training walk (call me a liar for 0.24 of a mile), the one with steep ascents. The first ascent was from Church Stretton (192 m above sea level) via the Cardingmill valley up to the trig point at Pole Bank (515 m by my GPS).

The weather was dry, overcast and cold. The wind encouraged me to keep my jumper on, but there was no need for my waterproof.

From Pole Bank I headed south past the gliding club and stopped at the edge of the forest to have my lunch. There was a sheep in a hollow that stared at me as I ate my two buns and a banana, never moving. I became convinced it had got stuck somehow so I went for a closer look. It moved then but still held its ground, then I saw the tiny head just beside it so I left them alone.

Changing the usual route I headed east and followed a stream to near Churchmoor Hall. I thought it was a path, and so did somebody else by the footprints, but it was just a sheep track and I had to make diversions around hawthorns. Back on the actual path I headed south-west to Plowden, a mere 200m above sea level before climbing back up to the plateau on the Long Mynd at 440m.

Heading back towards the gliding club I again saw Crouching Ewe Hidden Lamb who had left the hollow and were grazing nearby. The final stretch at height was via Cross Dyke before heading down to Little Stretton, a steep descent, and then a nice flat stroll back to the car in Church Stretton.

A good practice walk, not too fast. I had stiff legs and only proto-blisters on the feet. The next big walk is pencilled in on the 28th, a 30 mile.

Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe

Easter Sunday
Distance: 13 km (8.08 mi)
Time: 3 hours 20
Average speed: 3.9 km/h (2.42 mph)

A typical British Easter Day: daffodils, drizzle and the occasional snow drift lying. The narrow track up to Forest Chapel still had deep snow in it, my foot broke the crust on top and my leg went in up to the ankle.

Above Forest Chapel I was in cloud. A brief respite around the reservoir then back into cloud heading for the top of Shutlingsloe. Out of the forest and crossing on the flagstones I was contemplating missing the peak when I saw somebody who made me look almost sane: a hill runner in very short shorts and bright red knees. I was so glad it wasn't me I was on the path heading for the top long before I realize I'd missed the chance to avoid it.

From the top of Shutlingsloe I could see the trig point, the rocks around it, and nothing else. It was quite tricky picking my way down without sliding around and required descending one bit on my bum.

Stile Cop and the canals

Friday 30th March
Distance: 31.3 km (19.45 mi)
Time 5 hours 57
Average speed: 5.26 km/h (3.27 mph)

For this one I combined a Friday walk home with the scheduled 20 mile training walk. To make up the required distance I combined my three possible routes from Rugeley to Stafford.

Firstly I headed up Stile Cop. The weather had just turned and the glorious sunshine of the past few days had become a thick cloud covering. Worse, when in the wind it was feeling chilly. I was in a t-shirt and persisted so, it wasn't too bad out of the wind.

At Stile Cop (the only real climb, 146 m worth) I went down the track beside the bike trail then across the main road heading back into the Chase. At the stepping stones I turned right to go past the Forest Centre and follow the Cannock/Rugeley footpath back into Rugeley.

In Rugeley I followed the road to the Moseley where I picked up the canal heading for Stafford. Then it was a simple trudge back to make just shy of the 20 miles. The net result was stiff and sore legs the following day, but no blisters.

Sunday 18th March: Beresford and Wolfscote Dales

Distance: 12.6 km (7.83 mi)
Time: 2 hours 56
Average speed: 4.3 km/h (2.67 mph)

I set off from home in heavy rain, just as the weather forecast had predicted. I was hoping that the forecast would also be right in it stopping by about 9ish, but it didn't look to hopeful. I even passed a car parked by the A515 with sleet on its windscreen. Thankfully the rain had stopped as I pulled into Hartington and I set off in the dry, right about 9am.

This is a fairly gentle route, south from Hartington to meet the Dove in Beresford Dale, and then leave it almost immediately to go partway up Narrowdale Hill. This is one of only two steep bits upwards. The next part is a gentle stroll down into Alstonfield, then east along the road and then a track past the Youth Hostel. In summer this is covered in nettles, not a problem this trip.

Going down Gypsy Bank into Wolfscote Dale was going to be tricky given the damp ground. I'd already tripped twice going over stiles and done the flailing arms think to keep balance. I took care, but still managed to slide once before reaching the Dove at the bottom.

And now the sun came out, most of the time anyway. It's a very pleasant stroll back alongside the Dove and I met a couple of dozen people coming the other way, compared to 3 or 4 on the high road.

Just before meeting the outward route, the route heads up a steep path to a walk in pleasant sunshine along some fields and tracks, then back down into Hartington.

Gnosall and back again

Distance: 26.5 km (16.47 mi)
Time: 4 hours 53
Average speed: 5.43 km/h (3.37 mph)

Not a very interesting walk this one, it followed the old Stafford-Newport Railway line and was thus a) nearly straight and b) virtually level. Unlike last year I went through Gnosall, over the canal and up to the bridge carrying the the A518 before turning around.

Sunday morning on The Roaches

Distance: 6.13 km (3.81 mi)
Time: 1 hour 42
Average speed: 3.61 km/h (2.24 mph)

Slow I know, but I have an excuse.

I checked the weather forecast before I set out that morning. Raining at Leek, but I thought I'd risk it anyway. All the way out there it rained, but heading north out of Leek it was looking more like sleet. When I parked, I'd realized I was wrong. It was actual proper snow.

Having driven all that way I wasn't going to back out. I was prepared to shorten the route and I was thinking about which bits to cut out while getting a face full of snowflakes. The wind was coming from the north-west, which was the same as the first part of the route.

In amongst the trees the snow didn't seem that bad, but climbing up onto the top soon dispelled that illusion. It's lucky the path is well defined and that I'd walked it many times before, the snow and mist reduced visibility. I saw one other person along the top, he looked like he was regretting it as well.

At Roach End, the worst of it over, I decided to stop being stupid and took the easy route back to the car along the road. I stopped only to snap this poor thing:

Poor lamb

Also, my gloves may be warm and light but I question how waterproof they are

Hellrunner 11/2/2012

No, I didn't participate. I just spectated and cheered on some friends that were doing it. It's a circa ten mile run up and down hills and through muddy water.

That Saturday was a cold day, about -4°C in the morning and not due to get above freezing until sometime in the afternoon. No wind or rain, but a lovely clear sky.

I parked at Chase Road Corner at a little after 9:15 then set of for the Tackeroo caravan site where I'd been told the start was. Coming up to Rifle Range Corner I could see marshals in high-vis vests managing hordes of people crossing the road from the caravan site and heading towards the Rifle Range car park. Assuming that was for the Hellrunner, I turned left for the car park. Halfway along the road I bumped into Matt and somebody whose name I didn't catch (sorry) who were just nipping back to the Tackeroo to get their kit from the car. They'd spotted that there were facilities for dumping kit at the start/finish line.

The Rifle Range car park was full of marquees and stalls and lots of runners milling around with spectators, organisers and the like. After a bit of wandering around, we all met up, the five runners plus Wayne and me who had come to help and/or laugh at misfortune.

Matt, Emily, Raad, Andy and Swnidc(s) before the start

As the 1030 start approached, I made my way to the other side of the start line. The runners would head downhill from the car park towards the Sherbrook valley. After a bit of a delay (it does take time to get ~1500 people ready to go, especially when there is a long line to drop off your kit bag) they set off at about 1040. It took two and a half minutes for everyone to cross the start line.

There wasn't a route posted. The runners at the front followed a quad bike, the rest followed the front. We spectators had no idea, but according to the photographers the route came back past the start/finish line fairly quickly. We could see them heading south up a hill into Parr's Warren so I positioned myself on the track that came out of there and waited. Sure enough they came that way, running on the re-frozen snow.

Not shown for sanity's sake: either of the two blokes in nothing but a mankini

Once they had all passed by, heading north to the trig point and then into Haywood Slade, I went that way myself (off the route) wondering where would be the best place to catch them next. I followed a bunch of other spectators and found myself at the old rifle butts in the woods. The route ran past there and I had already missed most of them as there were only a few stragglers passing. What kept me there was that the route was going to pass there a second time, but now directly along the length of the pool at the foot of the butts. The one with a layer of ice about an inch thick. They had broken a path through for the runners some hours earlier but it had refrozen. I took up position on the top of the butts and waited


The first few through were skidding on the ice before breaking through the thin layer and into cold water up to their stomachs. It was noted that they were far from the shortest competitors. They were "encouraged" by a man on the PA dressed as Satan. Soon he was acting as DJ, playing things like Deep Purple's Burn and Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire plus many more, highly appropriate tracks. By the time I saw Emily and Andy go through there was a wide-ish channel clear of ice but obviously still ice-cold. It was also clear there was an underwater obstacle tripping many of them up. Including Matt:

Taken as Matt surfaced

Once Matt was through I started back to the finish line by the direct route. I saw Matt again as we both passed the trig point, then just as I reached the finish line I saw him cross it. Alas I didn't have time to get the camera out.

I met up with everyone behind the finish line, everyone except Raad who was still out running somewhere on the course and Wayne who was looking for him. After a while we started wondering whereabouts Raad actually was. He hadn't finished and wasn't in the First Aid tent. Andy and Emily had to go off to relieve a babysitter, the rest of us waited.

We started to get concerned when nearly everyone else had gone and the various stalls started packing up, but then about an hour after Matt finished:

What's more, there were more in after him.

Ice on the Canals

Friday 3rd February
Distance: 20.9 km (13 mi)
Time: 3 hours 54
Average speed: 5.36 km/h (3.33 mph)

The first Rugeley-to-Stafford walk of the year, alongside the Trent & Mersey and Staffs & Worcester canals. I did the same walk on almost the same day last year, for the same reasons. Then it was windy, this year cold. This time I had checked the weather forecast properly and was well wrapped up.

The forecast said it would reach 1°C, given that it was -7°C driving into work I wasn't convinced it got that high. Both canals were iced over, but only thick enough to support the ducks (and one swan). Only one thin ice warning message though, apparently the council was only worried about that part of Rugeley where the railway crosses over. The parts clear of ice were at the locks where the flow had prevented the icing. Between Tixall lock and Baswich Bridge there was a very light dusting of snow on the ice.

Compared with last year I'd taken 6 minutes more, but felt just as stiff so more training to do. Shame I ducked out of walking this morning, due to the snow.

Training starts again

We have a team in the Keswick to Barrow again. The difference this year is that I am now team coordinator!

Late December

It has been a long time since I updated, but then there's not been much to report. It's been almost entirely Cannock Chase or The Wrekin. I was back in my homeland around Christmas, so...

Boxing Day - The Coast

Seaton Sluice to Cullercoats Bay
Distance: 8.55 km (5.31 mi)
Time: 1 hour 49
Average Speed: 4.71 km/h (2.92 mph)

A chance to clear the head and work of some of the previous day's food. I was dropped off by Dad at Seaton Sluice. Not long after the car had disappeared out of sight I wondered where my warm hat was, still in the car was the answer.

The first order of business was crossing the Seaton Burn. I ignored the footbridge that was there in favour of a more interesting bridge over the harbour. Which wasn't there, so back to the footbridge. Then it was just a stroll along the cliff edge down to St. Mary's Lighthouse. The tide was out so I joined all the other folks walking over to the island and staring out to sea.

St. Mary's Lighthouse

South of the lighthouse I crossed from Northumberland to Tyne and Wear, and from cliffs to beaches and city streets. I favoured the beaches over the streets, except for one that was almost entirely flat wet rock and thus gave no grip.

In previous years I've continued on into Tynemouth, but this time I stopped at Cullercoats Bay. After a little looking around I found the club my Dad's jazz band was playing in and listened to him blowing on a couple of numbers.

27th December - Simonside

Distance: 8.52 km (5.29 mi)
Time: 1 hour 51
Average Speed: 4.61 km/h (2.96mph)

This was a walk our village scouts used to do often. Dad warned me I was leaving it late setting off, seeing as the would be setting very early. I didn't think it was going to take that long, but I brought along a torch anyway.

I started at the car park in the wood at the base. I did think I wasn't going to find a space as everyone else seemed to have had the same idea, but there was one. I set off following the Red route, which isn't all that arduous unless you've turned up in t-shirt and trainers. It climbs steadily through the wood before emerging below the cairn on Simonside.

The last little bit is steep, up steps cut into rock. I went past a family also going for the top. I assured one of them that it was easier going down.

"Then why couldn't we have gone up that way?"

Standing at the top you get a good view of Cheviot. Some days. But not that day, it was deep in cloud. It was still a good view of the Coquet valley and Rothbury.

The Coquet, but not the top of Cheviot

To avoid retracing steps there is a route across the saddle to Dove Crag. The footpath on the map is closed for erosion control, but there is a decent alternative path. Dropping down from Dove Crag the map shows you re-enter the wood, but a few chainsaws have changed that. I did note that the cairn on top of Simonside was now in cloud, so my timing was good.

It was then a pleasant little stroll through the wood and back to the car. I'd finished by quarter past three, so no need for the torch.