Chagford Challenge LDWA

My first event for quite a while, there were two main reasons for signing up for this one. Firstly to start the build up to my main aim of the year and secondly to introduce my new training partner to LDWA events. I will get to the plans for the rest of the year later.

I know I have said it before but every time I take part in a LDWA event I am amazed at their friendly well organised events they put on, once again this was the case in the Cornwall & Devon LDWA Chagford Challenge. Great support, food and weather.

 Now my new running partner has not done a long run like this before so we decided to enter the middle distance route (20 mile). We got on well together all day and kept a fairly even pace the only problem I had was when he said things like "Dad I think we can run this bit".

The route starts following a beautiful wooded track along the River Teign before turning up a steep hill to Cranbrook Castle. You then travel through field and country lanes to North Bovey. The second big climb on the route took us up onto open moorland. The day had started to warm up and it was nice to have a bit of a breeze on the tops. After a great checkpoint stop at Warren House Inn (peaches and rice pudding) we headed over to Fernworthy reservoir and the last section back to Chagford.

What is next then, well having said how great the LDWA events I have entered some different events this year.

• Chiltern Ultra 50k
• The Wye One Way 50

Better start getting the weekly mileage up.

Cerne Giant 30

This new LDWA route starts in Cerne Abbas, heads east through villages like Plush and Cross Lanes before reaching Bingham's Melcombe. This is a beautiful 16th century manor with immaculate gardens. We tried not to make too much noise on the gravel paths. From here the route turned west to follow the Wessex Ridgeway north of Cerne Abbas to Sydling St Nicolas. The climb up Shearplace Hill, the final hill, returns to Cerne Abbas.

Walkers started at 8 and runners before 9. We set off just after 8 to allow the field to spread but to gives us enough time to get round and enjoy refuelling at the checkpoints. It was a beautiful day with great views over the Dorset hills.

At the half way point we were passed by a couple of runners who had obviously started long after us and were still full of running. I was pleased to find out afterwards that one of them was Jez Bragg, who went on to finish first.

As always the Dorset LDWA put on a wonderfully friendly and well organised event. At the main checkpoint in Buckland Newton, Simon and I were talking to another runner who said "you don't want to eat too much as it can sit heavily on your stomach". As we watched them leave the checkpoint we shock our heads sadly. They seemed to have missed the point. Now fruit cake or lemon drizzle or both, silly question - both. Our advise if you are concerned about eating too much is slow down, have another sandwich or sausage roll or cake and walk for a bit.

I have not run since and have been working too much, so plans for the next big run have been delayed. Luckily there are some great plans for canoe and biking trips on the horizon.

Sourton run

As a bit of a test run for an upcoming event Simon and I went down to Dartmoor for a run out. We had originally planned to do a some of the Chagford Challenge route but as the weather was clear I decided we should head for open moorland.

We set off from Sourton and followed the steep path up past the church to join the Dartmoor Way below Sourton Tor. Here we spotted our first Ten Tors group in their traditional spring plumage of massive rucksacks.  From here we dropped down to one of my favourite spots, West Okement Valley, and then struggled up to Black Tor. The weather was cold and clear for most of the day but as we headed to High Willhays we entered mist which had settled on the summit.

Lints Tor

From here to Amicombe Brook the going was hard with boggy, clumps of grass slowing us down. I did see a nice camp spot for a small tent SX 583861.

After crossing the top of Tavey Cleave we headed back to via Hare Tor and Great Links Tor to Sourton. This side is more popular than the central section, according to Simon this is because sensible people don't like running over trackless boggy ground. Apparently he is not that keen either.

Are we ready for the Cerne Giant 30? Probably not but we will find out on Sunday.

As you can see I have been using Social Hiking a bit. There is a nice feature where you can overlay a route (where you plan to walk) over the top of a track (where you actually walked). I have also found it useful when your phone battery dies halfway through your trip.

He has started again

After a long period of very little running I am, at last, getting out a bit more regularly. Sunday was a great early morning run over North Hill. I am also getting out on the bike most weekends thanks to my son and his new road bike. Why this new found enthusiasm? Well, if don't run for a long period of time it is very difficult to get started again, once started don't stop. Also the Cerne Giant 30 is only 79 days away. This is a new event in familiar territory, the plan is to walk/run (how much of each, we shall see).

Lyme Regis - Runners vs. Paddlers

We were planning a trip to North Wales, but unfortunately I had to cancel it. To replace it we came up with another epic adventure for middle age men who should know better. Just think Top Gear but without the budget, cars or sofa based racism.

The plan was to start  at Lyme Regis and make our way back home. Grumpy Old surfskier and his mate paddle while Simon and I run/walk along the Coastal Path. The weather beforehand had been pretty rough but we arrived in Lyme early on Sunday morning full of hope.

The least enjoyable bit of the path is the first sectoin to Charmouth due to the diversions, landslips and sections of road. From Charmouth we followed the Charmouth Challenge route over Stonebarrow to Golden Cap

The day had started fairly calm with some sun but as we moved east the wind picked up and it got cooler. Occasionally looking out to sea we could see no sign of the paddlers. They had planned to head out to sea and then follow a long downwind leg to the end. However because of the rough conditions they had to keep closer to the coast and follow a more zig-zag route.

Seatown, this is where I began to struggle, the hills really starting to hurt. Through Eype, nearly home now.

We clattered down the hill to West Bay wondering when we would see the paddlers.

Taking the sensible option, they had decided to come in at West Bay harbour rather than crash on the beach at Burton. We arrived almost an hour after them so they were pretty cold when we found them sunning themselves behind a wall in the harbour. To pick up the car, we carried on running to Burton Bradstock before returning to West Bay.

Over breakfast with our families the tricky question of the win was discussed. Stopping part way through because you realise the win will be at the expense of a smashed boat does not feel like success. Getting to the end so you can rescue the opposition, that has the smell of victory. But maybe that is just me. There are rumours of a rematch Fathers day 2012.

Around Shipton Hill

With one away on a geography field trip and the other taking part in a mammoth game of football at the park, I escape for a run upto Shipton Hill. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Forget birdsong and daffodils, the first sign of spring is when you get too hot in your Helly.

Corfe Castle run

Many were called but few are chosen, well few didn't think up excuses fast enough. I invited 6 people to come for a Tuesday night run in the Purbeck hills, but in the end it was just me and Simon.

Having parked in the dark shadow of the castle we started the run up towards Nine Barrows Down.  We followed the excellent track on the way up with the guns of Lulworth range booming behind us. As we approached the top our enthusiasm to reach one of Dorset Marilyns meant we left the track and on the way down struggled to rejoin it.

Crossing the road to Ballard Down we ran along the side of the hill before turning for the steep climb to the Obelisk. Luckily there was a plaque we could pretend to read as we caught our breath.

Once through Studland we ran through sandy heathland and woods back to Corfe Castle.  This was a mix of small road and forest tracks, at that time of night only over looked by deer and rabbits.

We both agreed that we should come back in the daylight because it was a great route and the views over Poole Harbour and Swanage must be amazing.  I have only included this photo of Swanage to prove it came out... sort of.

The Full Monty Cute

Crewkerne Running club organise a great cross country race.  Apparently it is around the grounds of Montecute House but because of the thick freezing fog on Sunday I did not catch a glimpse of the house.  I even managed to not spot one of the trees on Ham Hill and ran into it, but that is another story. The 10 mile race consists of 10 hills, some of them requiring the use of hands and feet to get up, separated by muddy and icy paths. My time was 1 hr 58 mins which considering how many hills I had to walk up I am pleased with.  The winners time was 1 hr 11 mins  which is amazing thinking about the hills.  That's it no more running (till next year). That is me on the far left trying not to fall down the first hill. Photo gratefully taken from gallery link on website. Full Monty Cute Website

Dorset Doddle 2010

This years event had a limit on the number of entries so the start seemed a bit calmer.  As Nigel and I set off we were soon left in the no-mans land between runners and walkers ambling along Weymouth seafront.

The first section to Lulworth went well and the weather was perfect for running, cool and grey.  The first checkpoint is in the massive car park at Lulworth before you head up Bindon Hill.

The weather started to deteriorate with a few spells of heavy rain.  When we got to the climb up Rings Hill most things were covered in mist.  Navigating the route is never too difficult as you just keep the sea on your right.  I was glad I had done the route before because any delays wondering which path to take are very frustrating after 20 miles.

You can just make out our rivals disappearing in the mist

The coastal path was very slippery, covered in a thin layer of mud and a number of times I was on my backside sliding down hill.  Nigel did not want to be outdone so as we neared Swanage he slipped down a section of path and performed a mid air forward roll.  During his flight he had to make a decision whether to land on the rocks or the gorse.  The gorse was fewer points from the judges but a safer option so he went for that.

Finish time was 9:04, half an hour quicker than last year. This has messed up my technique for calculating finish time as I came 55th out of 146 finishers.

Thanks again to the Dorset LDWA and all the people at the checkpoints for another great event.

West Okement River

Welcome to Kitty Tor

It was a beautiful high cloud blue sky afternoon on Sunday. On the way back from Cornwall I stopped at Meldon reservoir for a run around some of the tops.  My route followed the hills above the West Okement River.

Publish Post

Finishing the Wessex Ridgeway

This is our 3rd attepmt to finish the Wessex Ridgeway.  Previous attempt include a DNF in the Wessex Relay race organised Gillingham Trotters, then last November we tried to do the whole route in 2 very wet and windy days. See this post for details.

Last weekend we started at Beaminster followed the Rdigeway route as far as Wootton Fitzpaine, before heading to Charmouth on the coast and along the coastal path to West Bay.  25 miles and about 5,800 feet ascent.

The perfect training run for Nigel who is doing the Dorset Doodle with me and Simon who is doing the Across Wales with me.  I am sure I have got the short straw there.

It was a great day, perfect weather and a very good route.  However we decided that they have got the name wrong.  Ridgeway conjures up following a rocky narrow route that stays high above the green lowlands.  It should be called "Wessex up one hill, down, look around for the next big hlll and go up that".   Not as snappy as Ridgeway but more accurate.

The best part of the day was early on when we climbed Lewesdon Hill and stood amongst the pine trees over looking the steep sothern slopes.  A beautiful place with great views across Marshwood Vale to the sea.

I forgot to take my camera so instead of a beautiful view from Lewesdon Hill all you get is my blister. That is a blister plaster not the actual blister.

On the kit front I was very pleased with my Montane Bionic T-Shirt, the mixture of polyester and wool makes it very comfortable in a range of temperatures and it wicks very well without feeling clammy.  I will definitely be using this on the longer events coming up.

I love the smell of bracken in the morning

I set off early Saturday morning on one of my standard off-road loops, through Shipton Gorge over the hill to Bridport then Eype and back along the coast path.

The best bit is the hill above Bridport a narrow ridge flanked by bracken and dry stone walls.  This is the nearest I can get to a Welsh hill top without resorting to the car. On the OS map it is called Bottom Wood but I think its name is Bothen Hill.

The last few miles home were a bit more difficult than they should have been.  I was very hungry by the time I got home.

Purbeck 10K

The strange thing about the Purbeck 10K is that the start is a mile from the start. So having parked at the Purbeck Sport Centre we walked up to Puddleton Road where the race starts. All afternoon the clouds had been getting greyer, it started to rain and turned into a cold May evening. Lots of murmuring about being too cold to do a good time tonight. It seems standard practice for runners to start listing reasons for not being on top form in the lead up to a race. Anyway I had not managed to do my last few training runs but was just there to see what I could do.

After joining the nervous queue for the toilet I met up with John and Graham from work. They were hoping to do 50 minutes, so I decided to stick with them. I have never run under 50 minutes and have been training with that in mind for a couple of months.

It is a straight 5K out and 5K back along a road closed to traffic. The first few kilometres went well, just before 4K I was passed by the leaders tearing up the other side of the road. Some people find that aspect of the race demoralising but I quite like it. We completed the first 5K in just over 24 minutes and having only been passed by 2 penguins, I was quite happy. A local team had decided to do the race as penguins, fast penguins mind you. The real tricky bit was between kilometres 7 and 8, Legs are feeling really heavy, lungs are empty and I am not sure I can keep it going for another 3K. Now, I may be happy to see the leaders race past me the first time but to see them with rain jackets on jogging back along the road to warm down, that is demoralising.

The last kilometre should only last 5 minutes, so it was just a case of head down and get to the end. I finished in 48 minutes 40 sec, very pleased. Now I can get back to some longer distances, ideally with a bivvy bag.

No map, no compass

On Thursday night the plan was to run the last bit home from work again. I had planned a new route which included about 5 miles of paths and tracks that, although not far from home, I had never covered before. Before we arrived at the start of the run I realised I had left the map on my desk at work.

Should I try and follow the planned route or fall back on a well known route home? Would I get a sense of freedom just running, following paths as they appear, making choices based on feel. I wouldn't have to get the map out and consult it. No comparisons between symbols on the map and the real world. I have sometimes thought about doing a backpacking trip over two or three days with no planned route, just venture into the hills and follow my nose. Would I spend more time enjoying my surroundings.

"I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in" - John Muir

I know it is supposed to be about the journey not the destination, but I like to know the where the journey is taking me. As I was no more than 10 miles from home I could not get too lost. But as I ran over Eggardon Hill and through Powerstock Common I still spent time at path junctions scratching my head, wondering if one of the choices would lead to a dead end. I like the sense of control a map gives you, even if it is misguided sometimes.

Run home

The blog has been a bit quiet lately, partly becuase I have been trying to run a bit faster for an upcoming 10K. I dont normally enter 10Ks, they involve too much short-term pain for me. I came up with idea of running the Purbeck 10K in under 50 minutes, something I have never done before. Why do I come up with these ideas? Perhaps if we work together we can come up with a cure. As a friend pointed out "This might be your last chance, you are not getting any younger". That is motivation that is.

However as I have got some longer events coming up this summer I thought I had better get some miles in. On the drive back from work tonight I was dropped off 10 miles away and ran home over Eggardon Hill. It was a beautiful evening and a great run. I did stop to take a picture with my phone but as you can see the best thing about the phone is the price (smallness of).

Grizzly 2010 race report

Four of us arrived in Seaton, not necessarily prepared but committed to running the Grizzly. I was nervous, not sure about the others. What I do know is that we were all cold. Frantic searches began for extra layers of kit to wear. Anyway here is my account from the back of the pack.

The race started off again along the beach then up and over the hill to Beer. From there it took a different route up the valley and over the next hill to Branscombe Mouth. This year we headed into the village of Branscombe and through the woods to Bulstone. After a number of painful twists and turns up the hills we arrived at the first bog (I think this was about 13 miles). Foolishly as we came dripping out of the far end I thought "well that was easier than last year" a few miles later a longer and deeper section awaited. I began to lose my sense of direction in the narrow valleys with runners ahead of us hammering past on the other side of the valley.

After running through Branscombe Mouth again we reached the hardest bit for me, the mile section along the beach before we started the climb up to Hooken Cliffs.

© Copyright Nigel Mykura and licensed for reuse under
Creative Commons Licence.

Last last few miles along the coastal path were fantastic looking back across the cliffs to Seaton. There was great support again all the way round from lots of spectators, marshals, a piper, rock bands and fiddles. It is becoming a favourite and if was not so hard I would do it again.

Now we come to the difficult subject of finishing time. At the moment I am not sure of my exact time but about 4 hrs 40 mins. This is a bit slower than last year but the course was different. Anecdotal evidence suggest the course was harder, but would you trust the judgement of anyone who had just run 20 miles over cliff top paths, bogs and steep wooded valleys - no. Analysis of this years results compare to last year show that the top 20 runners were on average 4 minutes slower this year. ( You have to admit that is alot effort to justify being a bit slower ). The end result not pretty.



Click here for last years report

Stickler plus a bit

The idea was to meet up in Shillingstone and do the Stickler route in reverse plus a bit because we all wanted to do more than the 10 mile. What is the definition of a bit? It turned out that a bit was another 9 miles.

We started up Hambledon Hill and had beautiful view down the River Stour. The conditions were freezing and the ground was rock hard with frost. Next was Hod Hill and down to Stourpaine.

We left the Stickler route at the top of Norton Lane and headed through Turnworth. Doubling back on ourselves from Oke Breacon we ran through Blandford Forest and back down to Durweston. Rather than run along the road we decided to cross over and run along the old railway track.

As is obvious to anyone who can read a map this was not a good move but to 4 tired runners the gap where the railway bridge was before Dr Beeching came as a bit of a surprise.



So we headed back towards Hod Hill and eventually Shillingstone. 19 miles in about 4 hours. Home for a fry up.

For the full route click on the map below.

Snow at last

I have at last started building up some mile for the Grizzly. Last week 23 miles and the plan for this week is 26. We have been very lucky in South Dorset I suppose and have had very little snow until yesterday. I am a bit envious seeing other bloggers getting out walking and running in the snow. Today I could not run at lunchtime because the paths were too icy, which was a bit frustrating. Tonight I read that other people have found the solution. Tea and Cake is inspiring even when not running/biking/mountain marathoning (not sure that is a verb).

I am now ready for tomorrow.

Wessex Ridgeway

For both of us the lane out of Shillingstone seemed familiar and yet out of place. Without the crowds of runners and the adrenalin of a race the hills felt steep and we noticed more. We had detoured from the route of the Wessex Ridgeway slightly to take in 2 of the hills of The Stickler again.

We had been dropped in Tollard Royal just before dawn and walked through Ashmore Woods as the sun had come up.



Reaching 11 miles in about 3 hours we were feeling optimistic. Despite the bad weather forecast the sky was clearing and we had great views over north Dorset. As we reached Alton Pancras (25 miles) we were both beginning to tire and the earlier optimism was beginning to drain.



When we reached Sydling St Nicholas cold and sore we made our first mistake, carrying on.

We bashed on down the road in the dark towards Rampisham masts. By now the rain was coming down hard and we were very cold and tired. With very little shelter on the ridge and as tired as I have ever felt we did the sensible thing and phone for a lift home.

The achievement was to complete 42 miles in one day but the mistake was not to stop while we still had clear skies and energy left to sort ourselves out and warm up. The weather forecast was never good and we learned some valuable lessons. I would like to attempt another walk/run bivvy trip, maybe in the spring.

Wessex Ridgeway - Part 1

Last year 3 of us entered the Wessex Ridgeway Relay. Due to an over ambitious plan to run the 100km relay with 2 slow old blokes and one slightly younger, quicker bloke with a bad knee, we did not make the end. (Which one am I? - a clue my knee is fine.) Most teams have 6 members and run the off road route in a time between 8 and 12 hours.

We reached the hill above Beaminster way behind everyone else having got badly lost and down to 2 men so we decided to call it a day.

This was our first DNF (Did Not Finish - printed on race results instead of your time) and meant there was unfinished business out there. Taking inspiration from this and also the 84km Bivvy Challenge Simon and I have decided to give it another go but in a different format.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=23139

The idea is to walk/run the route over 2 days. We will start from Tollard Royal early Saturday morning. Overnight will be bivvying under a hospitable hedge with views over the Marshwood Vale and out to the coast, luxury. Towards the end of Sunday we leave the Ridgeway before its official end at Lyme Regis and head for home.

The route means we are never too far from home so if things go badly wrong we should be able to get home fairly easily and the north Dorset wilderness is not exactly remote compare to other peoples plans.

Kit has been planned and currently stands at 4.5 kg without and food or water. It is basically made up of Clothing, Sleeping, Food/Cooking and Others. If you want to see the details click here. We hope to pick up some food and water in a couple of the small towns we pass through.

All I can do now is look at the weather forecast and hope it all works.