A great run to Brandreth.

Weeks until BG – 4?

Weeks until Lakeland 100 - 21

Mon – 1.5 miles, 150m of ascent – cockfield fell, nice loosener after last sunday.

Tue - Climb

Wed – 18 miles, 500m of ascent, Hamsterley

Thurs – Parents evening

Fri - Nothing

Sat – 18 miles, 2300 ascent 7:21, BG Leg 3

Sun – 11.5 miles, 1500m ascent 5:30, BG Leg 4

Total of 48 miles, 4450m ascent. A good week, but with no long day of over 8 hours.

I reckon that with another 3 good weeks of training and a good weather window I might be ready for a crack at the BG at the start of my Easter holidays in 4 weeks time if the weather is right.

A good run on Wednesday evening this week, loop around Hamsterley common, via elephant trees, west to the road and then back along the valley, a bit of messing around with the nav, but the SatNav iphone got me round!

After my blog post of a couple of weeks ago, when I realised I wasn't doing enough ascent or enough long training days I focussed my efforts around both of these and decided I wanted to look at BG leg 3 and 4 this weekend. Fortuitously I saw on the BG FRA forum that Andy Gibson was planning just such a reccy, so I contacted him, booked into Wasdale YHA and set off on Saturday morning. It was a great run, very steady pace, but with some atrocious weather, which I can say with some confidence was the worst I have ever been out in, when hail storm hit on Great End and we had to hunker down behind a rock to avoid having the skin sand blasted off our face.

Some nav deliberation, lots of positives such as finding a great line on the climbers traverse to Foxes Tarn route and a good line up to Broad Crag, couple of negatives such as finding the worst line possible off Great End but a very successful day.

Things cleared up beautifully after “the storm” and we got some amazing views off Scafell, to run into Wasdale in the spring sunshine. Special mention to Andy Gibson and Chris Baynham-Hughes for having me along all weekend. Hopefully some photos to follow.

Sunday was to be L4, we planned to meet “Keswick” Simon Noble at the start of the leg, but snow meant he couldn't park at Honister as planned so didn't make it until near Pillar. It was great to have him along to show us some L4 short cuts, the snow made it heavy going but another good day was had.

Split times. (23 hour splits)

Steel Fell -24 (24)

Calf Crag – 25 (20)

Sergeant Man – 46 (34)

High Raise – 11 (9)

Thunacar Knott – 16 (15)

Harrison Stickle – 20 (10)

Pike O Stickle – 14 (12)

Rossett Pike – 47 (44)

BowFell – 39 (34)

Esk Pike - 23(24)

Great End – 35 (24)

Ill Crag – 25 (15)

Broad Crag – 11 (10)

Scafell Pike – 16 (12)

Scafell – 43 (31)

Wasdale – 46 (34)

Yewbarrow – 46 (49)

Red Pike – 51 (49)

Steeple – 26 (23)

Pillar – 38 (33)

Kirk Fell – 65 (49)

Great Gable – 47 (42)

Green Gable – 17 (15)

Brandreth – 14 (18)

Grey Knotts – 8 (8)

Honister – 13 (13)

So you can see that we had a great run to Brandreth! I'm not concerned about the slow splits, a combination of factors weather, nav, pissing about and general chit chat slowed things down a lot.

Next week a big day of Saturday and perhaps a walk with work mates up Scafell Pike on Sunday.