Sunday: The Wrekin

Distance: 6.37 km (3.6 mi)
Time: 1 hour 30
Average speed: 4.25 km/h (2.64 mph)
Ascent: 243 m
Car park to trig point: 32 minutes 9 seconds

A busy day. I think I must have started just as a sponsored run had finished, unless people usually run up and down the Wrekin in silly costumes on May day.

September to November

I've been walking but not blogging. The Sunday morning walks have been mainly on the Chase, but I've been up the Wrekin twice and around the Roaches once in late September.

The Wrekin and The Ercall

Distance: 8.24 km (5.12 mi)
Time: 2 hours
Average speed: 4.12 km/h (2.56 mph)
Time to trig point: 32 minutes 42 seconds

Beautiful morning. Some clouds away to the north and east but none over the Wrekin itself.

In anticipation of nicer weather I'd been looking for a better way of carrying water around. Normally I have a litre bottle in my backpack, but I wanted something I could carry around outside the backpack and also when I didn't have the backpack at all. I tried a 0.75 l bottle with a hook to attach to my belt but that just bounced around at my waist and tended to pull my trousers down. I ended up holding on to it all the time. Instead I've gone for a bladder-and-hose thing I can drink from without taking the backpack off, and just carrying the 0.75 l bottle when I don't have the backpack.

The Wrekin and The Ercall

Distance:8.38 km (5.21 mi)
Time: 2 hours
Average speed: 4.18 km/h (2.6 mph)
Time to top: 30 minutes, 42 seconds

This was the same route as in March, the difference in distance due to the fact I never manage to follow the same path down from the Ercall.

A colder day than many of late, after stepping outside this morning I dived back in to grab a jumper. There were also signs of rain recently, the route down from the Wrekin being slippyer than I like. It wasn't helped by somebody's boxer getting fascinated by my legs and trying to trip me up!

The Wrekin and The Ercall

Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Distance: 8.42 km (5.23 mi)
Average Speed: 4.4 km/h (2.75 mph)
Time to top: 30 minutes, 7 seconds
Total ascent: 340 m

A proper spring day this morning. I started off wearing my waterproof but was carrying it once I got past the tea shop.

I got to the car park north of the Wrekin just in time to get one of the last two places. Once I got the boots on I set the stopwatch on my watch going and headed for the trig point at the top. I reached it in 30 minutes and 7 seconds, which is my best time since April 2008 and the second best time I have recorded.

After a short breather at the top and a good look around (good visibility in all directions), I headed south to descend the other side, then came around the west to head up the Ercall for an encore. I was walking around the base when I almost stepped on a frog. Looking around I saw about a half-dozen more frogs on the path. Then in a nearby pool I spotted why they were there, a large mass of frog spawn..

A quick trip to the top of the Ercall then back to the car, mentioning the frogs on the way to a chap walking his dog. Huge numbers of cars back at the car park and along the access roads, there was one bloke lurking there with his engine idling waiting for a spot, so I let him have mine.

Next weekend I've got the first 20 mile walk scheduled. That means I've now got less than 7 weeks until the Keswick to Barrow!