I was slow out of the blocks this month, with a few consecutive rest days before I finally laced up the fell shoes and ran Paddy's Pole Fell Race, a short, punchy week day race on home turf, namely Parlick. The race is superbly organised by Olga (and wonderful volunteers from Preston Harriers), who took over as race director last year. She concluded the pre-race announcements with, "Right, I am going to start the race with, 3, 2, 1, go!", it took a moment for us all to realise it wasn't a rehearsal and off we went! I was a minute slower than last year... boooooo, but I had a thoroughly good time!
A few days later I heard via Rowan Wood that Jeff Pelletier was over from Canada for a month, he was planning a Bob Graham Round attempt and was looking for support. I have been enjoying Jeff's YouTube channel since he posted his TOR Des Geants adventure back in February, 2020 and so I got in touch. I offered to support Jeff during his attempt and also to show him leg 5 by way of an out and back recce from Newlands to Honister... and so it was that on a super-hot Wednesday morning, we met at the Newlands Church car park.
It was fantastic running with Jeff... he is such a warm, friendly person. We chatted easily and were soon at Robinson chatting easily some more with a couple of walkers who had paused their journey to enjoy the incredible views. Jeff is interested in people: he asks questions and listens intently to their responses. I like these qualities when I see them in people and Jeff has them in spades.
It took us two hours to get to Honister, stopping occasionally to take in the views or to stare in wonder at the fast jets roaring through the valley below Littledale Edge. Arriving at the slate mine, we bought a cold drink from the cafe, refilled our soft flasks from the tap in the toilet (filtered using Jeff's Salomon XA filter) and I swallowed a salt tab. I'd never had a salt tab before but Jeff offered me one and I thought I'd give it a go, it was after all, a very hot day and this was a training run so why not? I started feeling unwell before reaching the summit of Dale Head before finally throwing up just after Robinson when I tried the correct the situation by putting some food in. I'm not sure if it was the salt tab, the water from the toilet tap or just the heat but I struggled back to the car taking an extra 30 minutes to make the return journey. Jeff was patient and thoroughly superb throughout. Way to make a first impression, Chris!
The following weekend we decided to go glamping! We'd found a place called Meadow Falls near Ingleton which looked great. The campsite and glamping pods were fantastic with all of them having their own picnic bench area outside covered by a tarpaulin under which the occupants of the pod could sit out in the evening, even in the rain but ours didn't have a tarpaulin... apparently ours had ripped at some point and had been removed. We were informed that it would be replaced the following season. Super. Anyway, we didn't let it spoil our evening.
The following morning we did the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, both Rebecca and I have a vague memory of doing it years ago but neither of us can remember when... it was a lovely family walk which we all enjoyed immensely. When we got back to the pod without the tarpaulin covered picnic area, I slipped into my shorts and ran the trail again but added on an out and back to Whernside. It was busy around the waterfalls trail and busy near Whernside but the area between the two I had all to myself.
So, another busy month has been and gone... having an extra day in the week for training has been fabulous and I don’t take if for granted. It’s how I managed to squeeze in an out and back recce of part of leg 3 from Dunmail Raise to Pike O' Stickle just the before the end of the month. The weather was pretty awful with low cloud, rain and very little visibility but overall I was surprised at how easy it all felt. I know the rockier sections are between Pike O' Stickle and Wasdale, which I am hoping to recce as an out and back in reverse from Wasdale Head next month. When that's done, I will have recce'd the entire Bob Graham Round route at least once with quite a few sections done multiple times.
Onwards and upwards!
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