Richard is an accomplished fell-runner as well as being a keen climber and mountaineer. Since 2004 he has worked for the UK based manufacturer Mountain Equipment and is currently Product & Marketing Director. He has worked in the outdoor industry for more than 20 years.
A glorious weekend in the Lake District as the last few days of the meteorological winter draw to a close. Today Steph, Seren and I went for a leisurely run around the Kentmere Horseshoe. Compared to the central tops of Helvellyn and surrounding peaks and the higher areas around Scafell Pike, there is very little snow cover elsewhere and the Eastern fells around Kentmere are no exception – just a few isolated patches of snow, but the ground is well frozen.
Managed to grab a short day of climbing with my colleague Matt ahead of a few days working in the Cairngorms. Conditions are currently very good, with a good general cover of snow, scoured in places and some notable spots of avalanche potential but in the Northern Corries, away from the East and North-East facing aspects there is some great climbing – hence the Mess of Pottage is currently the place to be. The few people we saw approaching the base of Fiacaill Buttress etc – you are officially off your head or wish for an early death!
Having originally planned to climb Yukon Jack, we found ourselves at the base of the Message. An awesome line, well protected, technical but at no point overly sustained. The guidebook gives it Scottish IV (6) with a mention that today, with very little turf left, it may actually be V (6).
All photos courtesy of Matt Fuller.
Another cold, clear night. Another late evening foray onto the Kentmere Fells.
Saturday dawned bright. The forecast was essentially good again, albeit perhaps a little cloudier with the odd snow shower or two. By recent standards a thoroughly decent day.
So today we have ran around the skyline of Patterdale, following much of what to many fell runners will be known as the Ian Hodgson Relays route. Converting the numerous legs of this annual relay race into a single route, following the skyline around Patterdale makes for an excellent route in its own right. Starting and finishing at Kirkstone Pass, it’s about 17 miles / 28 kilometres of running and approximately 6000ft / 2000 metres of vertical height gain. You could easily start and finish this route in Patterdale also. It includes ascents of Red Screes, Fairfield, St. Sunday Crag, High Street and Caudale Moor / Stoneycove Pike.
It felt colder than the past couple of days today, mostly due the effects of the keen easterly wind that was blowing. It also wasn’t quite the sunny spells days we had hoped for. On the high tops above 700 metres (which is about 3/4 of this route), low cloud clung to the fells and coupled with the light snow which was falling at times, visibility was reduced to little more than 30 metres at times. That coupled with the soft snow and relative lack of well-trodden tracks made progress both slow and hard going. I’ve ran this route in under four hours before, but today it took a little over 5 and a half.
Friday has seen an idyllic evenings run over Helvellyn today. Apart from a little cloud which was clinging to the tops the weather was incredibly benign with virtually no wind. Compared to the far eastern fells, the central fells around Helvellyn are holding more snow in greater depth and to slightly lower elevations. Snow currently lies above about 575m, at this altitude it has been gradually thawing through the day, especially on south and south-east facing slopes but above 675m the cover is wide albeit a little shallow.
Currently there is a reasonable trod, but once on Birkhouse Moor, the trod was less defined, the snow relatively soft and with occasional deep post holes which made the going slightly harder.
At long, long last; a dry, clear and sunny day has given way to a clear, cool, starry evening.
Wednesday has seen me head out on my first proper night run of the entire winter. A short-ish outing from Kentmere up along the track to the summit of Garburn Pass before heading north onto Yoke and Ill Bell after which we returned and headed for home.
Conditions were perfect for night running. It was around 2c in the valley, slightly below freezing from around 550m and it wasn’t until we reached Ill Bell that even the slightest of breezes could be felt.
A quick blast up to the Scottish Highlands on Saturday night with the intention of climbing on Lochnagar on Sunday. The forecast meant conditions were never likely to be perfect but the corries of Lochnagar can often be relatively mellow when everything else all-around is kicking off.
So as we left the Spittal of Glen Muick in fairly blustery conditions we were optimistic that there would still be some climbing possible. Considering it is early February there is a shocking lack of snow low down in the Highlands presently and there were a lot of nervous mountain hares bounding around through brown heather in their very white coats.
Luckily for them, snow showers were blowing in as we left the security of the few pine trees that remain in this corner of the Highlands. As an aside its a shocking example of what isn’t growing but should be, especially within a National Park and on a royal estate. There is a certain peace that comes from walking through and amongst Caledonian Pine which isn’t replicated by vast, monotonous swathes of grassland and heather. Whatever your view on ecology you surely cannot argue with the well-being that we get from being in native forest.
Roll-on an hour and the snow-showers had turned into persistent snowfall and the wind had increased. More people were walking out from Lochnagar than in, most of whom we dismissed but there were a few, clearly experienced souls mixed in amongst them that made me think all might not be calm in the corrie.
And so it proved. As we hit the col and began our descent into the corrie floor, the visibility plummeted. Not quite white-out conditions, but not far off, a swirling blizzard which reduced visibility to no more than 30 feet and at times less than 10. We made our way across the broken boulder field, plunging through occasional holes in the snow across to the base of the crags. I think we knew what the answer would be but we were still keen to actually see. Not that there was much to see, it was snowing hard, just the occasional glimpse of the crags revealed itself. There was only one way from here and it was back. Today was not a day for climbing.
Another day, another dousing.
Monday heralded the new working week but there is little new weather. My running kit had just about dried out from my ventures on Saturday and it was time to immerse myself once more. Its been another mostly wet day on the Cumbrian Fells again today with relatively mild valley temperatures. Its funny how the body adapts. Despite it being some 5 degrees at the summit of Kirkstone Pass it felt uncomfortably cold. On the positive side, the cloud base was not quite so low on the Eastern fells today. In the brief weather window we had around lunchtime it was hovering around 800 metres and at the same time the temperature appeared to be dropping ahead of this afternoons deluge.
What that meant for my lunchtime dash over Red Screes was that it was largely raining up to the highest summits to begin with, with only a smattering of hail and sleet mixed in amongst the rain on the outward leg, a brief lull mid-way round before the onset of more rain, but with snow above 600m on my return leg.
Saturday started like so many days this past Autumn and Winter. It was raining and cloud was clinging to the lowest fells. The forecast was for heavy rain, initially falling as snow above 600 metres. And again the forecast wasn’t far wrong.
So we opted for a variation on the so-called ‘3 passes’. The former takes a circular route from Kentmere; heading over into Longsleddale and then Mardale (Haweswater) before returning back to Kentmere. Its a good option for those wanting to stick to a relatively straightforward series of paths and trails and who want to get some climbing in, without venturing to the highest summits.
For our route, and to get some additional climbing in, we headed up Riggindale from Haweswater to bring us out on the summit of High Street from where we headed south to re-join the route at Nan Bield. It was a cold and very damp day.
climber & runner