11/12th July 2015- Pennine Way- Hawes to Dufton

I parked at Gargrave and caught the Little White Bus to Hawes and started walking at about 11am. It was cloudy but still warm and dry as I set along the Pennine Way in the northerly direction and started to gain height ascending up Great Shunner Fell. It was a gentle gradient and I made it to the top of the windy summit of Great Shunner Fell (716m).

The Pennine Way towards Great Shunner Fell

I carried on north, down to Thwaite, passing a few people on the way down. I avoided the temptation of the cafe in the village and carried on, and along a pretty valley towards Keld. Instead of going into the little village of Keld the PW carries on north along another valley and then up the side of a hill to Tan Hill, the highest pub in England and probably the most remote. I stopped for a half pint of a strong Stout and a bag of scratchings before carrying on along the PW.

Highest Pub in England

From here there is little in the way of path for the PW and its just a case of following posts along a boggy and wild moor till you come to a track whichis followed until the turn off at Intake Bridge to cross more Moorland and fields to come to the Gods Bridge and the A66. I was making good progress and thought I would make the most of the light and decent weather before finding somewhere to camp. So it was over the undulating Cotherstone Moor to Blacktone Reservoir.

A wet evening, Grassholme Reservoir

It now was beginning to drizzle so I put on waterproofs and carried on over more farmland to Grassholme Reservoir and then uphill to the next bit of open access land on Crosswaithe Common. It was just after 9pm so I pitched my tent just before it got dark. It was a wet and windy night, but I slept well and woke just before 6am.

Sunday morning. 

I had breakfast and coffee and then I packed up and started walking again. It was down to the village of Middleton in Teesdale where I was able to get some water from the public conveniences and then it was back along the PW in a north/west direction following the river Tees. It was flat and boring to start with but Low Force and the more impressive High Force waterfalls kept the walk interesting.

High Force

   I was now in full waterproofs as the weather changed from drizzle to bursts of rain. After following the River Tees for about 8 miles, the PW turns off through another valley and towards the impressive Cauldron Snout where the path becomes a scramble up the side of the waterfalls.

Cauldron Snout

Its then a long ascent across moorland west towards High Cup Nick. The weather was slowly improving and by the time I came to High Cup Nick it was sunny and I was able to remove the waterproof layers. From here I could see oer the Eden Valley and over towards the Lake District and roughly see my destination of Dufton.

High Cup Nick

It was then the long decent to Dufton which marked the end of the section of the Pennine Way, but not the end of my walk as I had to walk 3 miles along country lanes to Appleby-in-Westmorland where I caught the train back to Garsdale getting back to my car late sunday afternoon for the drive back home.

13/14th June 2015- South Downs Way 100

A wet night and drizzly morning started the South Downs Way race, but it dried out before the 6am start on Saturday. The task of completing my first 100 miler was daunting, but the tactic was to break it down, getting from checkpoint to checkpoint. It was cool for the first 22 miles and so was easygoing from the start to the 2nd checkpoint at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, getting there in just under 4 hours.

Following the marker posts

It was warming up though and I was having to drink more than usual, but I was still eating well at checkpoints, while trying not to stay at checkpoints longer than 5 minutes each time. It was a long run through farmland and wooded areas with a couple of hills to get to the Washington checkpoint at 54 miles but I got there in a little over 10 hours. Runners we're greeted by Elvis and a cowboy and I had a twenty minute break to eat pasta, have a coffee and sort out kit from my dropbag.

It seemed hotter now and was hard going up the first hill, but some good running followed to Botolphs CP at 61 miles, but after this I struggled to eat much (just nuts and fruit).

Looking back over Botolphs

By mile 70 at Clayton Windmills CP energy levels we're low, but I eat a little and just kept going. It was good running to the checkpoint at 76miles but now I was feeling sick. I had a coffee and off into the dark up the first hill, which was pretty tough. I gritted my teeth and just concentrated on the nest next checkpoint at Southese 84 miles and then over the hill that followed and then along to Alfriston at 91.6 miles. I still felt sick and low on energy, but managed to get a littel soup down and some coffee and with the end feeling near, I headed back off into the night and uphill to the next CP at Jevington and following this up the last hill to the trigpoint that overlooks Eastbourne where you could see the floodlights that marked the finish at the athletics ground. Despite feeling sick I just ran all the way to the end wanting just to finish. Following the last downhill and through the streets of Eastbourne it was a lap round the athletics track to finish in 22 hours 7 minutes and 25 seconds, just after 4am Sunday.


My first 100 miler done and in a time I was very happy with.

Finishers T shirt and belt buckle