Anyway; massive thanks to Mum and Peter who came over to support and assist and that started on the fri night when they picked me up from the flat and drove down to Coniston to register. The much vaunted kit check which was supposed to resemble an MI5 investigation was nothing of the sort really - something to remember for next year...also something to remember for next year was a 6am start; drive to Coniston for the briefing and an awful coach ride back to Dalemain for the start....given that the briefing did not add to my sum of knowledge and Dalemain is about 5miles from my front door a new strategy for next year is emerging - don't go....!!!!
More to follow...
So, where we we? oh yes hot and bothered at Dalemain having endured about 90mins in a very hot coach to get us there; not much time for a warm-up and no idea about the first section of this walk at all...about to go a LONG way further than I ever have done and with a mind full of interview stuff for two days time....apart from that I was raring to go.....and then we had the first 100 yards!
The mass start for the 4 mile circuit of Dalemain is a neat idea....having a single stile that nigh on 200 people have to cross after 100 yards ain't a great idea at all - in fact it is SERIOUSLY stupid....
..to be fair its not a bad circuit of Dalemin but surely having it the other way round would be better so one starts with a gently uphill mile jog which gives the field time to settle down and thin out.....
So; having taken 15mins to go 200 yards (literally), which had already thrown my estimates of the first 10miles out (to Howtown) I plodded on. Pacing wise I seemed to go ok - gently jogging the descent to Howtown; refuelling at CP1 and keeping a good pace on the long climb up to the High Street ridge. I made a minor error at the checkpoint in putting an orange energy lozenge into the water bottle - too fizzy and it gave me hiccups :-(
Anyway; the cloud kept just high enough so one could see where you were going and I climbed well....I remain convinced that you can recce out this route to the nth degree; you can lay down 50miles on the Surrey downs for a warm up - you cannot get used to the big climbs of Lakeland (at least by English standards) without living here. It was, I must confess, gratifying to pass a lot of people who had whizzed by me on the way round Dalemain and on the endless descent to Howtown....
speaking of endless - the path along Haweswater...low on water (actually refilled at a strea)..into the wind and rain....grrr.....and that took me to CP2 at Mardale..
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