A Trip to the Scottish Wilderness - Bothies and Munros

My friend Phil asked me if I had a weekend free at the end of February, a quick trip to Scotland to do some Munros. He said he had the accommodation sorted and the train tickets could easily be organised.

After a rather hectic week an early departure from Lancaster saw us heading to Blair Athol with bikes and enough food for 3 nights and days. The freebie newspaper in Glasgow had the North East of Scotland as full sun for the Saturday, perhaps our luck was in?

Before 1pm we were cycling up Glen Tilt with a stiff tailwind after failing to find any open cafés in Blair Atholl and making do with a few sandwiches and a very dubious pack of cream donuts from the local shop.

Despite taking a route on the wrong side of the valley (which joined the correct route after a scenic detour) things were going really well and the weather was very mild for late February. The idea was to cycle to the end of the track (12 miles) and then walk in to a hut (known in Scotland as bothies) which would be our base for three nights. The westerly wind was funnelled up the valley and pushed us up the gentle slope, whilst a couple we met cycling the other way were having a real battle. 

The steep climb out of Glen Tilt

A steep climb over a pass on the last section of the ride led us to a rapid descent to the end of the track. The remaining 2 (ish) miles was walking so we left our bikes locked up and made our way up the vague path beside the river with panniers and rucksacks. It was fairly boggy going and with an attempt to cut a corner resulting in a mile of tussocky heather by the time the bothy came into view we were quite tired and also relieved.

The final obstacle was to balance across a plank spanning a fast running stream, a set of walking poles really helped here. The solid granite walls and new roof gave the building a sturdy appealing look but even the best kept bothies are extremely basic shelters. Our bothy, the Tarf Hotel, was built in a very odd location and obviously suffered from flooding several times a year. The floors were wet and if anything it was colder inside than out. With no source of wood within many miles (apart from soaking wet tree roots in the bogs of the nearby hills) we were in for a few cold nights! We chose a recently refurbished room with a sleeping platform big enough for 2 people, and a couple of chairs and a table. After a few warm drinks and a snack we felt much happier and settled down for the night. 

The Tarf Both (Tarf Hotel)

I soon realised that even with a bivvy bag on top my sleeping bag was woefully inadequate in the fridge like climate of the bothy and spent a pretty uncomfortable night awaiting the dawn and a few hot drinks and hot porridge. My deflating thermarest didn't help matters either so it was with relief that I noticed the first sign of daylight, albeit rather grey.

The temperature gauge on the GPS showed 0.9 celcius, no wonder it had felt so cold! I had even slept in my duvet and hat. Phil got the jetboil stove going and plied me with warm drinks and I started feeling human again after a while.

Phil had a big day planned with possibly 4 munros to the north but all widely spaced so potentially 20 miles plus over mostly trackless terrain. We marched of at a good pace and via the first peak we descended over some snowy patches to the Geldie Lodge, a ruined hut in another equally desolate valley. A short food stop and we carried on over rough moorland towards Ben Bhrotain which at over 1100 metres was a long ascent. We were surprised to see people at the frozen and very windy summit, but it wasn't a place for friendly chatter, just a quick discussion about the best way off.

Descending from the arctic conditions we found a sheltered resting point and checked our progress, we were averaging 4kph so if we kept to that pace we could take in another munro on the way back. Straight line navigation over rough trackless terrain was not easy going. 

Wading the Tarf

We did spot a few mountain hares in their all white winter coats as well as ptarmigans, buzzards and many chuntering grouse. Descending from our last summit of the day we met three walkers who were also going to stay at the bothy, they had got second choice of rooms at the Tarf Hotel!

Having covered over 32kms (20 miles) we were pretty hungry so fed ourselves well on pasta, cake and custard and after several hot drinks I put on as many layers as I could to stave off the inevitable cold night ahead. The temperature already was hovering at just  1.9 celcius. I kept warm enough but my sleeping mat which had needed an emergency repair went completely flat and so a second uncomfortable night was endured.

Cooking in the Bothy

The next day Phil suggested we head East to two munros back across Glen Tilt. This seemed a reasonable proposition but our tired legs had had enough by the time we got to the heather clad slopes beyond Fealar Lodge and we decided to head back to the bothy via an alternative route, we would still cover 28kms (18 miles)

Stream Crossing in Glen Tilt

A third night of cold looked to be on the cards, but I remembered a pile of discarded wood next to a shed near where we left the bikes, and so I filled my rucksack with about 25KG's of fuel. With the aid of some firelighters left in the bothy we got a great fire going and actually raised the temperature to 11C, which felt positively tropical!

Heat at Last - you just have to carry the fuel 2.5 miles!

Despite little rain the melting snow had raised the level of the "burn" we had to cross and we resorted to throwing our kit over before our final walk back to the bikes and the 12 mile pedal back to civilisation.

Escape!





Map showing Tarf Bothy to Ben Bhrotain Route - click to view

CLICK HERE FOR FULLSCREEN SLIDE SHOW

Hardmoors 60 Ultra Marathon

My main reason for entering this event was to gain enough "points" to enter the UTMB (Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc). However I discovered that the Hardmoors events are worthy challenges in their own right, and although no where near as hilly as other long distances challenges I have done, the pace required to complete them in the time limit makes them very tough propositions.

My friend Jules caught a nasty virus a week before the event and so I only knew one other person taking part, Matt Beardshall from Chesterfield. I'd arranged to meet up with Matt on the bus going from the finish (Filey) to the start (Saltburn by the Sea) at 5.30 am on the Saturday morning. With a good forecast for the weekend I felt well prepared as I pitched my tent on Friday evening just a few minutes from where I would be catching the bus. A restless nights sleep followed however, and next thing I knew it was daylight - that was odd I thought for a split second before I looked at my watch and realised I had overslept by 2 hours!

I bundled the tent into the car and drove like a maniac northwards. The car sat-nav said I could get to Saltburn by 8.10 am, that's after the race had started. However the quiet roads meant I got there at 7.35 am just as registration was closing. So I had 10 minutes to register, leave my "drop bags" for the route, have my breakfast, a drink, get changed, check my running kit was all packed, put on my foot cream and anti chaffing cream, sun cream, etc, etc. I just managed this and caught the tail end of the briefing and then it was time to set off! I felt worn out before I started.

Matt had tracked me down and we set off together at a steady pace to the Coast, trying hard to avoid the temptation to "race" the other 65 starters. I had a garmin GPS to allow me to try and judge the pace, it is very easy in distance events to go off way to fast and then grind to a halt later. To start with we were doing 10 minute miles, plenty fast enough, perhaps too fast?

The first checkpoint at Runswick Bay (13 miles) was just a mile away when I tripped on a section of cinder track and fell hard onto my knees and hands. It was like falling onto sandpaper and a considerable amount of blood oozed from the wounds, not a great start! 

By the second checkpoint at Sandsend (19 miles - 3 hours 22 minutes) I was starting to feel fatigued, not a great sign so early in the event. But we were about 20th and had quite a lot of time in hand, so no excuse to "pack in" now. At Whitby a few miles later I did feel like stopping, weaving through the crowded streets I felt tired, jaded and the though of carrying on for another 40 miles was not appealing. I couldn't even appreciate the superb coastal scenery of the Cleveland Way.

I told Matt to carry on ahead as I was holding him back, and he gradually pulled away into the distance until I couldn't see him any more - very dispiriting! I did overtake another two runners (although by now much more walking was being done), especially on the vicious descents into places like Robin Hoods Bay and Boggle Hole. Forcing a couple of gels down I rallied slightly on the long climb up to checkpoint 3 at Ravenscar (32 miles in 6 hours 33 minutes). In the village hall at Ravenscar there were 5 or 6 VERY tired looking runners, including Matt. I just guzzled rice pudding, peaches  (about 3 tins worth I think!)  and warm tea, refilled with water and started to feel much better. Setting of with Matt 12 minutes later we rattled off the next few miles at a good pace, even having the energy to have a good chat for the first time. Things were looking up.

Scarborough hovered in the distance for a long time, never seeming to get any closer, but  when we did eventually reach the promenade I found it very hard to run for more than a few minutes at a time, and even then it was at a very slow pace. We spoke briefly to Julien Pansiot who had caught us up before dropping behind again. He had been feeling ill earlier in the race and was doing well to carry on. The 43 mile checkpoint at Scarborough was actually at 45 miles but we got great encouragement from the Hardmoors checkpoint/support crew (we were in 13 place approx) who refilled out water and handed out goodies.

By now our average pace had settled to 12.30 minutes per mile, and indeed the miles were clicking over steadily. We had done 2 marathons in just over 11 hours by the time we got to the Filey Brigg checkpoint at dusk. Filey Brigg is a peninsula that sticks out just North of the town that marks the finishing point. However this wasn't the Hardmoors 53.4, so we had to go right past the finish line to complete an extra 10 mile loop to the South West of Filey. This meant nearly 2.5 hours wandering through fields and deserted villages to reach the last "clip" at Stocking Dale and finally return to Filey.

What a wonderful welcome as we walked in the hall to a huge round of applause. We finished = 13th in 13 hours 45 minutes.

Thanks to Jonathan Steel and the Hardmoors crew, I would throughly recommend your events to anyone. And thanks for the lift back to my car at Saltburn!

Hardmoors 60 route

mile splits - notice the slow down towards 32 miles and the recovery afterwards

Return to Embrunman

Two years ago Alistair and myself did our first long distance triathlon at this event based in the Southern Alps. We were both keen to go back to give it another go.

We had both gained experience from several more half Ironman triathlons and I personally felt better equipped to put in a better performance after much more long distance training including several tough training weeks in Spain with "Crazy Ian", lots of tough Saturday morning rides with the City of Lancaster Triathlon Club  - C.O.L.T. and also two years of long distance fell running including two Bob Graham Rounds a Ramsay and a Paddy Buckley Round. Surely some of that should help? Last time I also had a bad calf muscle tear that made running very painful. In 2009 I had completed the event with its gruelling Alpine cycling leg over the Col D'Izoard of 185kms and 11,000 feet of climbing in 14.30 hours. I was hoping to knock well over an hour of this time.

Staying in a rented flat in the busy little tourist town that the triathlon takes its name from proved ideal. The run route actually went past the front door. And on our second visit here registration and getting set up was all pretty straight forward.

Bike ready in transition the day before

The pre race briefing seemed to go on forever in the baking late afternoon heat and threw up more questions than answers. Alistair unfortunately was not feeling 100 % with a chesty cough and lack of sleep.

However we arrived in transition at 5.00 am and despite some further confusion about the practice swim we made the dash into the lake for the standing start at 6am with the 1000 other starters.

Two laps of the warm shallow boating lake at 22c went fine with the day dawning about halfway through the swim. The early morning sunlight hitting the summits around the lake makes this a stunning venue. I noticed one guy next to me swimming without goggles, not quite sure why you would do that!

Alistair was already in transition when I arrived and we had both improved a bit from 2 years ago, but was still only 737 out of the 1,000 starters) One guy close to us got a red penalty card for blatant nudity and gesticulated with the referee with more than two hands!

Two years ago I had headed off too fast on the initial climb so this time I rode quite strickly to heart rate trying to keep below 150 (my max is 175) and average no higher than 140. Even so I was faster over the first 20 mainly uphill kms than I was before by a few minutes. I had made a note of times for each 20kms and stuck it to my crossbar as a reference. Despite being just 7.30 am it was already warming up as we passed through small Alpine villages before the technical narrow and twisting descent back to the lake, this route doesn't mess about - you do 1,500 feet of climbing in the first 3 miles. The next section along the lake is about the only section of the route that you could describe as flat and it felt good to cruise along at 35/40 kph for a few kms. Next the return through Embrun with the roads lined with supporters. The cyclist in front of me signalled for the crowd to increase the volume even moreand we rode through a wall of sound. I employed this technique later on the run to great effect and the crowds never failed to respond.

Dropping back down to a river the air felt cold, but nowhere near cold enough to require a jacket like some of the French and Spanish riders who must have been far more acclimatised to the heat. One lady spectator told me I should zip my top up, worried that I might get cold?!

3 hours into the ride and I was on the toughest part of the main climb of the Col D'Izoard. This is a straight road at 10% for about 5 kms with no escape from the rapidly increasing heat. I had gained a few more minutes on my previous schedule but was careful not to race other riders who came past me. Even with the highest point of the route coming up there was still plenty of ascent in even hotter conditions to come.

The spectacular Alpine scenery distracted from the effort needed as did the continual interest of Continental tri teams kit. Levens has a big tri club it seems! Different pronunciation to the Levens South of Kendal though. Then I spotted a tri top with Braintree on the side, time for a brief chat before concentrating on the final sections, past the memorial to Coppi and Bobbet.

On the Col D'Izoard at 2,500 metres - 7,500 feet

I was pleased to be 20 minutes up on my previous time at the summit and stopped for the first time to refill water bottles. I thought I may as well get the benefit of extra momentum on the fantastic descent to come.

Approaching the summit of the Col D'Izoard

Just a few weeks ago Andy Schlek was riding away from the peleton in the Tour de France and the roads were still covered in fresh graffiti including one saying "Cadel this way" with an arrow hoping to guide him off the road. With all traffic going one way you are free to let rip on the descents, cut corners and crank it over on the many hairpins. I overtook a race refs motobike and made the most of it. At one point I glanced down at my speedo, 80kph!

All to soon you arrive in Briancon and speed through the junctions and cheering crowds onto a fast section of mainroad before what is perhaps the toughest section of the bike course. 3 big climbs into a headwind with the temperature on my Garmin gps now reading above 30c. I picked up lots of places on this section but still watched my heart rate. The final climb of around 1,000 feet is a real sting in the tail and has a technical uneven descent to transition.

7 hours 22 mins on the bike meant I had improved 40 minutes and gained 483 positions, but more importantly I felt 'intact' although I took a painkiller to take the edge off a slight headache caused by the heat.


Two years ago the run had been arduous from the start. This is a tough run course as well with over 2,000 feet of climbing, but this time my legs felt great and along the first flat sections of gravel track I ran comfortably at 5.30 minute kilometres, which was really pleasing. My son Matty and Alistairs wife Emma were at the 4kms point and I told them all was going well. There is a steep ascent of over 300 feet up to the town but the reward is deafening support with drum beating and cheering through the narrow streets and market square, this really spurs you on. Plenty of sponges and cold water every few kms also help. Descending from the town Alistair spotted me as he was heading onto the final section of the bike course. It was great to know that he was still going strong.

I was overtaking quite a few people on the downhills and completed the first half of the run in 2 hours. You wear a paper necklace for the second lap so you can tell who is on the first lap or second lap. It was surprising to see how sleek and stylish some of the runners were who were 20kms behind me. Suddenly at 25kms I hit the 'wall'. From cruising and enjoying the run my legs were tiring, I had to walk the uphills and the downhills became very painful. The feed stations became vital, not for food especially but for a good soaking with the sponges to cool down in the scorching afternoon heat. All I could do was grind out the kms and hang in there. On the last run through the crowds in the village I signalled for more volume and the result was awesome, a real buzz.

The hot southerly wind made it worthwhile tucking in behind people if the pace was OK. At one point I overtook a couple of 2nd lappers who then tucked in behind me on the last hill, This made me determined to keep the pace going and eventually I heard them both fade and start walking. Very satisfying!

I passed Alistair going the other way (he was starting his second lap and still looked strong) and high fived with just a couple of kms to go. 13 hours 12 mins gone and I came into the finishing straight and demanded 'more volume' from the crowd.

The Finish!

The last 2 hours had been very tough but I was elated by my result. 190th overall and 19th in the V2 age category. I hadn't dropped any positions in the run. In fact I had gained 90 positions overall.

Alistair also made it back to complete his second Embrunman.

Full results here

Below are records of the elevation gains in bike and run.

Relaxing the next day

Bob Graham Round in Winter - success!

Quote from Bob Graham Club web site: "Whatever the motivation, completing a successful winter Bob Graham Round is a fabulous experience and achievement and those who have done so should rightly be saluted."

Prior to the 2010/11 winter only 18 succesful winter rounds have been recorded since the first in 1986

After a failed attempt in Early January at a Bob Graham winter round and some more hill training to boost endurance time was slipping away for another attempt before the end of February. But  following a weeks rest after what I decided was to be my last training run, the forecasts were showing a brief window of opportunity with a ridge of high pressure from Monday evening to Tuesday afternoon. By the Sunday morning (the day before) I had made the decision to have a go, hoping enough support could be found. Dick Gerrish was well practised in road support after my first round in May 2010 and the failed January attempt. He was ready to go at a moments notice. Being midweek, running support was harder to find. In stepped Ian 'Crazy' Richardson, my Triathlon training buddy, Jules Coleman and Andy Smilie from Lonsdale Fell Runners, and Tim Lezard who drove all the way up from Brighton! 'Bradford Dave' from Hesketh Newmarket also offered support for leg 1 at the last moment.

With a skeleton support team in place and kit ready the drive from Kendal to Lancaster through heavy showers on a gloomy Monday afternoon, with streams pouring down the hillsides was  reminder that  the BG in winter always going to be a tough challenge, no matter what the forecast.

The 7pm start time was chosen so I would have as much daylight as possible over the crucial central fells, when visual contact with your support runners is so important. As fortune would have it it also meant that the last of the evening rain in Keswick had passed and the quarter moon slipped out from the clouds on cue. 

LEG ONE - KESWICK TO THRELKELD

It was a deserted Keswick apart from a couple walking past the Moot Hall who spotted the BG attempt in the offing and wished us good luck. The severe storms of the last week and heavy rains had swollen the rivers and we had been warned that the crossing of the Caldew could be hazardous. 'Bradford Dave' ran into problems on the slopes of Skiddaw, he had twisted an Ankle we later found out and his light trailed behind before he turned back to Keswick.

Blencathra Summit

For a while it was clear with the lights of Keswick below. Then a vicious hailstorm rolled in to test our metal, blasting into our faces we quickly donned waterproofs and thankfully it faded. Is there ever a calm day on Skiddaw? With a strong westerly plastering rime frost on the rocks and trig point we were glad to turn East and head towards Great Calva 5 minutes up on schedule. It was reasonably boggy heading to Great Calva, but not as bad as I'd feared, and another 5 minutes gained on the 23.20 schedule by the 2nd summit. The River Caldew was the next worry, and by the time we had to wade across our feet were numb from the drenching effect of the heather on the descent from Great Calva. The wade across although chilly was not too hazardous. 

My last winter attempt had started to get really hard on the ascent of Blencathra, today there was just a thin covering of snow on frozen ground, glistening in the torchlight. Threlkeld came into view and flashing my torch down soon got the welcome responding flash from the road support team. 'Parachute Route' dispatched the leg took 3 hours 29 minutes. 24 minutes up was a great start.

LEG TWO - THRELKELD TO DUNMAIL RAISE

Road support kicked into action and I discovered I had an extra support runner (Andy S) for leg 2, a real bonus. A huge mug of warm tea is like nectar after a few hours out in sub zero temperatures, and a tin of warm rice pudding hit the spot.

The now familiar walk up Clough Head in the dark came next, ice was rapidly forming even at low levels and the temperature dropped further. Over the Dodds we gained a few more minutes even at a steady pace, and whilst I concentrated on efficient movement and the task ahead Jules and Andys chatter about the years running events ahead proved a welcome distraction as we moved along the ridges in our bubble of light.

Jules refuelling me on leg 2

By the time we reached Stybarrow Dodd we were in cloud, reducing visbility to 10 or so. The GPS tracks saved from the summer nudged us at times back on the the correct bearing. No line of BG teams and their torches tonight as there had been in May, it was to be Great Gable before I saw another person on the hills!

What was Bob Graham thinking when he turned left at Fairfield? It's one of those sections that always seems a killer, but spot on route finding down from Dollywagon meant we gained a few minutes again.

Leaving Helvellyn Summit

Once again the flashing light from the support team lifted my spirits and more tea was consumed, but worryingly I found it hard to stomach anything else, also I had hardly eaten anything on the last leg, there was trouble ahead!

LEG THREE - DUNMAIL TO WASDALE

The make or break leg, with fell virgin Tim ready and chomping at the bit the steep climb up Steel Fell went well, although I was now starting to struggle to run or jog on the easy ground. Feeling a bit queasy and bloated I was trying to convince myself that I had eaten enough at Dunmail to keep me going for a few hours. I chatted with Tim and quizzed him about his running, cycling and triathlon exploits, but as I grew weaker and started to tire and the minutes started to slip, a couple each peak it was becoming obvious to me that a could soon be in trouble. I was desperate for the night to end, surely that would change everything and lift my spirits? By Rosset Pike I was just 24 minutes ahead of schedule, which sounds fine, but a gradual shedding of minutes can soon escalate. I was feeling very very weary on the slopes of Bowfell, tackling the occasisional patch of hard neve didn't help matters. I told Tim I wasn't going to last much longer if I didn't start to feel better soon. Negative thoughts swirled around my head, 'who did I think I was thinking I could do the BG in winter?'  I couldn't conceive of the remaining effort it would need to get round. I tried to think positive thoughts, just keep moving, your ahead of schedule still, and when I thought about it it wasn't my legs that were tired it was just a lack of energy. I asked Tim to carry my pack, and he said to me that I simply had to start taking Gels, the thought was repellant, but over the course of a few minutes the feeling of sickness subsided and the first Gel worked almost instantly.

Returning to Tim after Bowfell summit

Energy returned to my legs as dawn lit up the winter view over the central fells. At Esk Pike I had not lost any more time, and by Great End I had gained a few minutes again. Tim was struggling on the rocky ground though, which was covered in ice and rime frost, but it was the sort of challenge I relish. I instructed Tim to take a direct route avoiding the detours to Esk Pike,Great End, Ill Crag and Broad Crag which meant he could just stay in touch. Scafell Pike was covered in cloud and we lost sight briefly and vocal contact kept us together.

Foxes Tarn was something I had been trying to put to the back of my mind. I knew it was going to eat up much more time. Tim was giving it everything to keep moving over the testing terrain, and I think if he had known what the traverse to Foxes Tarn was like he would have refused!  The brooding East Butress of Scafell above, exposure beneath and the icy slabs and bad steps which were just manageable in the conditions.  'Do you have anything like this in Brighton' I quipped.

Approaching the end of the climb from Foxes Tarn I instructed Tim to wait at the col near Scafell whilst I did the last summit on this leg, but when I returned he was still not at the col. I back tracked a short distance and he appeared out the gloom, looking pretty shattered. He told me to head down to Wasdale as he was going to take his time so I set of alone and Wasdale soon came into view. Over the last three summits I had not checked the time (the GPS recorded that) and as Tim had the time sheet I had no idea how things stood, although I was pretty convinced that I had lost so much time via Foxes Tarn and my bout of weakness that the game was up.

'How far behing schedule am I?' I asked Dick as I arrived at the van. 'Still ten minutes ahead' came the amazing reply!

LEG 4 - WASDALE TO HONISTER

Feeling more able to 'stuff my face' with the crumpets on offer (Dick just seems to know what I will want by intuition now) my spirits lifted. The ascent of Yewbarrow was of course tough and I was sweating hard, but my energy levels felt more normal. Wastwater lay like a mirror, not a breath of wind. I now believed for the first time that I could actually do this. With 'Crazy' Ian for company I got great encouragement and a massive 10 minutes gained at the summit was another big bonus. Ian went over on his ankle and was hobbling, it was a good job the fells were deserted and the air was blue! But he soon recovered and we carried on.

Being a lover of rocky terrain I shot ahead on the rocky traverse from Yewbarrow, but despite a disrupted nights sleep after supporting me on leg one, I knew Ian would catch me up on the lower slopes of Red Pike. He even carried my pack, what  hero! Ian sat out the return trip to Steeple and we cursed forgetting the camera as the views were amazing.

The clouds gradually lifted and for the rest of the day the weather treated us kindly. A gentle westerly breeze on the summits pushed us along as we continued to gain time. I took a headlong fall downhill on the rocky terrain off Kirkfell, bashing my knee and causing a sharp spasm in my calf that had me worried briefly, but no serious damage done. The last 'killer climb' of the round is Gable and with Ian feeding me a gel every 40 minutes as well as consuming plenty of energy drink I managed to keep a good pace going and once again I was 30 minutes up. We even met a few walkers!

From Gable the rest of the route is laid out on a clear day, this is the first time I've seen that view with a BG perspective. I guess if you are feeling drained it looks a long way, but with spirits high, tempered by fatigue it looked fine to me. I would settle for doing that in 5 hours, which was the time I had left.

LEG 5 - HONISTER TO KESWICK

Arriving with plenty of time in hand, and body reasonably intact I relaxed in the van and was fed bacon butties and tended to again by the Dick Gerrish support system, fantastic! Tim was there as well (thankfully he'd made it down from Scafell OK).

Leaving Honister

As I set off up the long slopes of Dale Head with Ian I knew I could let the pace slip. The day had taken its toll and this was all about finishing. Looking across to Skiddaw and Helvellyn in the fading daylight with their snow capped tips brought back the enormity of the route, was that only 18 hours ago I was on those hills? The central fells remained shrouded in cloud.

Completing the last summit

Despite virtually no wind now it got very cold towards sunset but even with legs now protesting on the steep run off Robinson we were relieved to start heading down into the valley. We meet Dick and Tim at the road end and headed towards the distant lights of Keswick.The Owls were hooting in the woods just beyond Hawes End, I wonder what were they saying?

And so to Keswick, when I finished in summer I had to battle through the crowds, today there were just a few club runners doing some evening training and some locals going about their daily business, no tourist throngs or queues of traffic. The main street around Moot Hall was deserted. 23 hours 19 minutes had passed. I told Dick, Ian and Tim that that was the toughest thing I'd ever done or ever wanted to do, and I won't be changing my mind! But with good luck, determination, and great support I felt I'd achieved something really special.

Full screen slide show here

You can read Dick Gerrishs live report from the day here

List of Successful winter rounds

Location	State of light	Estimated time	Actual Time	Ahead or Behind
Moot Hall	Dark	19:00	19:00
Skiddaw	Dark	20:25	20:20	+5
Great Calva	Dark	21:10	21:00	+10
Blencathra	Dark	22:20	22:04	+16
Threlkeld - Arrive	Dark	22:51	22:29	+22
Threlkeld - Depart	Dark	23:06	22:42	+24
Time for leg	3hrs 51		3:29
Clough Head	Dark	00:05	11:36	+29
Great Dodd	Dark	00:35	12:07	+28
Watson Dodd	Dark	00:44	12:17	+27
Stybarrow Dodd	Dark	00:53	12:28	+25
Raise	Dark	01:11	12:45	+26
White Side	Dark	01:19	12:53	+26
Helvellyn Lower Man	Dark	01:37	01:05	+28
Helvellyn	Dark	01:43	01:14	+29
Nethermost Pike	Dark	01:53	01:23	+30
Dollywaggon Pike	Dark	02:05	01:36	+29
Fairfield	Dark	02:47	02:14	+33
Seat Sandal	Dark	03:12	02:37	+35
Dunmail Raise - Arrive	Dark	03:37	02:54	+43
Dunmail Raise - Depart	Dark	03:52	03:11	+41
Time for leg	4hrs 31		4:12
Steel Fell	Dark	04:17	03:35	+42
Calf Crag	Dark	04:37	03:59	+38
Sergeant Man	Dark	05:12	04:35	+37
High Raise	Dark	05:21	04:46	+35
Thunacar Knott	Dark	05:36	05:03	+33
Harrison Stickle	Dark	05:46	05:13	+33
Pike o Stickle	Dark	05:58	05:27	+31
Rossett Pike	Dark	06:43	06:19	+24
Bowfell	Dawn	07:18	06:55	+23
Esk Pike	Dawn	07:43	07:20	+23
Great End	Dawn	08:08	07:42	+26
Ill Crag	Dawn	08:23	07:56	+27
Broad Crag	Dawn	08:33	08:06	+27
Scafell Pike	Dawn	08:45	08:21	+24
Scafell	Daylight	09:17	09:09	+8
Wasdale - Arrive	Daylight	09:52	09:42	+10
Wasdale - Depart	Daylight	10:12	09:56
Time for leg	6hrs 00		6:31
Yewbarrow	Daylight	11:02	10:42	+20
Red Pike	Daylight	11:52	11:28	+24
Steeple	Daylight	12:16	11:50	+26
Pillar	Daylight	12:50	12:22	+28
KirkFell	Daylight	13:40	13:13	+27
Great Gable	Daylight	14:23	13:53	+30
Green Gable	Daylight	14:38	14:07	+31
Brandreth	Daylight	14:56	14:22	+33
Grey Knotts	Daylight	15:04	14:31	+33
Honister - Arrive	Daylight	15:17	14:47	+30
Honister - Depart	Daylight	15:31
Time for leg	5hrs 05		4:51
Dalehead	Daylight	16:04	15:39	+25
Hindscarth	Dusk	16:25	15:58	+27
Robinson	Dusk	16:51	16:23	+28
Keswick Moot Hall	Dark	18:31	18:19	+11

Live reports from a BG winter attempt

Tuesday, 8 February 2011

HE HAS FINISHED

23.19 Winter Bob Graham round completed. Tom apologises to his team mates but he won't be at training tonight, he needs a rest.
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Portinscale

1800 Portinscale, hard going but 1 hour remaining and 2k. He will do it! Ian ..... bouncing!
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Down off the fells

Arrived Newlands 1705 7k to go. If they do it in the allowed time then he will be sub 23 hours!
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Nearly there

We are on our way round to Newlands. Last night on Blencathra seems a long time ago. They set off up Dalehead looking good. 1 1/2 hours until dark again.
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Honister

Arrived Honister 1447 30 mins ahead of schedule making up 15mins on this leg. Tom has been eating all the way and was in great form. Bacon butties and tea, set off at 1504 up Dalehead. Ian the donkey well loaded up in fine spirits. 4 hours left to do what is down for 3 hours on the plan. Sub 23 hours is it possible?
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Scafell encased in ice

Tim down safe at 1013. For a BG aspirant he has had a brutal introduction to the realities of the Central Fells and a winter attempt as well. Good effort.
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Tom preparing to leave for leg 4

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Tom arrived Wasdale at 0942 ten mins ahead of 2330 schedule. Rocks on high fells icy and Foxes Tarn route ate up the time cushion from Dunmail. He felt bad at Bowfell but took power gels and settled down after that. Ate crumpets and tea, change of clothing. Set off on leg 4 with Ian at 0956 16 mins ahead of his planned time.

Brighton Tim left somewhere on Central Fells, I am waiting for him in Wasdale.
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Dunmail

Tom arrived Dunmail, 0254, 43 mins ahead of 23.30 schedule. Stopped for 15 mins drank tea and ate rice pudding, change of clothing and footwear. Set off with Brighton Tim on leg 3 at 0210. Next stop Wasdale in the light.
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Monday, 7 February 2011

Threlkeld

Tom arrived Threlkeld 2225 25 mins ahead of schedule. Food and change of clothing then set off on leg two at 2240 26 mins ahead of schedule. In v good spirits.
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They have started

7pm, skies clearing they set off. Leg 1 Tom, Ian and Bradford Dave. Lights seem low down on Skiddaw bit low cloud cover will stop any more views of them until Threlkeld at about 2245.
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Choices

Which shoes do I chose? Rain intermittent, temp in Keswick about 4 Celsius. 40 mins to go.
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We are here in Keswick

Drove through some heavy rain at Dunmail. Water pouring off the fells but weather no too bad in Keswick. 1 hour to go to start.
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Setting off

The wind has dropped a lot, the sun briefly shone, Tom Ian and support crew are setting off for Keswick.
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Felltop forecast Lake District

4 hours to go.

Forecast for Monday

Weather:

Rain at first to all levels, will be occasionally heavy at times as extensive hill fog covers the hills. During the morning the rain will turn lighter and patchier before turning more showery in nature for the afternoon. It will also turn brighter as some sunnier breaks appear during the afternoon and hill fog lifts. Turning colder during the day on the summits as the showers turn to snow in the afternoon above 500 metres. Very windy at first on the hills with a danger of losing one's footing in the storm force winds, but winds will ease during the day.

Visibility:

Moderate to poor at first, becoming good occasionally moderate later.

Hill Fog:

Overcast at 550 metres, occasionally broken at 360 metres. Becoming broken or well broken at 670 metres into the afternoon, occasionally broken in showers 450 metres.

Maximum winds above 500m:

Southwest 40 to 50 mph, gusting 70 mph, veering and easing from late morning Northwest 35 mph, gusting 60 mph.

Temperature:

Valleys/Low level: Plus 7 Celsius
At 900m: Plus 3 Celsius lowering to Plus 1 Celsius
Freezing level: Above the summits at first but
lowering to 900 metres during the day.

Chance of precipitation:

Dawn - 0900: Heavy Rain. 80% chance of rain
0900 - 1200: Light rain. 40% chance of rain
1200 - 1500: Heavy rain showers. 30% chance of rain
1500 - Dusk: Light rain showers. 30% chance of rain

Forecast for Tuesday

Weather:

Another bright day with sunnier spells as a few showers continue to occur at first. The showers will be less frequent and more widespread than Monday, with parts of the east and south staying dry. The showers will fall as snow above 350 metres before dying out into the afternoon.

Visibility:

Good occasionally moderate at first in the showers.

Hill Fog:

Broken or well broken at 670 metres, occasionally broken during the morning in showers 450 metres.

Maximum winds above 500m:

Southwest 15-20 mph, backing South 10-15 mph.

6 hours to set off time

The atrocious weather is slowly improving leaving behind swollen rivers and boggy ground. The 1pm weather forecast is for windy conditions improving in to Tuesday so Tom is set to go leaving the Moot Hall in Keswick at 7pm for his Bob Graham winter attempt.

Regular updates on Toms progress over the 24 hour challenge will be posted to this blog as and when mobile phone signal allow.
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