Now, when i say gentle miles, i don't really mean it! We'd decided to do leg 2 of the Bob Graham Round. Leg 2 runs from Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise, via 12 peaks, in around 13 miles, and over 5k of vert, and around 4500k of descent. See, nice & gentle!
We agreed to meet at Dunmail Raise layby to drop one of the cars, and head to Threlkeld to the start. Leaving home the weather was perfect, cool with clear blue skies and sunshine. As i hit Keswick it started to cloud over but nothing too bad, and the cloud was higher than Skiddaw summit which is always a good sign. Toward Dunmail the very top of Helvellyn was in cloud, but everything else was clear.
From Threlkeld you head straight up Clough Head. Straight up! In less than 2 wet, boggy steep miles, you climb over 2,000ft! Not surprisingly when we reached the summit there were high winds and about 30ft visibility.
We ran on to Great Dodd, Watson Dodd and Stybarrow Dodd. I was coping ok on the flats & descents but the climbs were literally killing me!
I'd started out with compression calf sleeves on, but i rolled them down half way up Stybarrow Dodd, my calves just felt restricted, so they'll be staying purely for recovery from now on!
Heading up to raise the weather started to deteriorate, the wind was picking up, it was cold, and visibility was reducing by the minute.
We made the summit, and i boosted a Gü energy gel to try and pick me up on the climbs. Then we took off over the rocky section to Whiteside.
Mark on Raise
The next climb upto Helvellyn Lower Man just about saw me off, and Mark looked a bit cold with my pace slowing us. An icy rain had also started by now, which was just wonderful. Not!
We reached the high point of the route on Helvellyn, Took a very quick photo, of absolutely nothing as it was so cloudy, and then legged it to the shelter to hide from the wind for a minute and grab a drink.
We had decided at this point to skip the final 2 peaks (Fairfield & Seat Sandal) which still left Nethermost Pike & Dollywagon Pike. We ran on from the shelter, and hit the ascent to Nethermost Pike, where i promptly stacked it and burst out laughing! The ridgeline to Dollywagon Pike usually offers amazing views over High Crags & Ruthwaite Cove, today however we were more intent on finding the fenceline descent to Grisedale Hause. Which as Mark called it 'a line so steep i thought i was dropping into Lucifers toilet' and gave our quads a pretty good beasting!
We took the Raise Beck trail path back to Dunmail Raise, a technical, rocky descent which was just enough to finish us off!
All said & done we'd covered 11.2 miles with 4475ft of ascent & 4088ft of descent. Soaked the bone, cold, muddy, and happy as Larry :-)
Next time i'm heading to Marks playground, Rubberslaw!
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