March 2010 : Cold Spring

Harter Fell, Kentmere

Black Combe Fell Race

Somehow a Buzzard finds a thermal on which to hitch a ride above Silecroft village.  Up on the ridge, in the exceptional visibility of the cold air, we can see Snaefell amoung the hills of Manx across the Irish Sea.   Black Combe Fell Runners lull you around the ridge on a horseshoe of three fells.  Before their usual soup though, they brutally tip you down into Whitecombe Beck and, with a shocking sting-in-the-tail, force you to re-climb back up to Black Combe's plateau.

Illuminating Hadrian's Wall

 

The Sun powered by a gas bottle

Once upon a time a Roman soldier marked time on a knoll that is Beaumont green. Or maybe not: out here west of Carlisle, a turf bank would be enough to display the Emperor's boundary down behind the Solway Firth. Whatever the legion patrolled, the present day inhabitants living amongst, suspiciously ancient, red stones in their buildings appeared to enjoy half hour of flaming Calor gas and sixty seconds of hand held flares. A pulse of light passed through Station 38 to be extinguished along the lane and down at the shore of the estuary at station 41.

Small Water, Mardale

After such an easy day, it's back training.  A pleasurable ride past croci and budding daffodils turns distinctly unfriendly.  Inside a torture chamber of toe-freezing, deep, melting snow above Small Water, it takes an age of suffering to traverse all the way up and down, to and from the Roman road across High Street.

Pen-y-ghent

A couple of Hewitts remaining to be bagged in the Dales provide an excuse to climb up through the terraces of Pen-y-ghent before a run out and back to Plover Hill.  A cold but sunny day with folks cycling up and down the lanes between limestone walls evokes images of North Riding a century ago.

Back to The Howgills 

From Fell Head along the railway towards next month's Welsh Border country

A newly discovered bike route sees plenty of hard ups and downs with a fast fell run from Kentdale.

'We're still here'