Escape from Great Britain (May 31st 2019)
9:53pm, 17th Jun 2021 | Escape from Great Britain
Blog by rhb
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The site just retrieved this draft I'd forgotten about. A long time has passed but I should finish this.
Original draft:
98miles in 48hrs to travel 68.72 as the crow flies. Estimated 3100m ascent. 10th. Tough headwinds on Friday. Ouch.
8.7 mile hike with 333m ascent to the train station after. Ouch ouch.
Frittered away time throughout, but enjoyed it thoroughly. 10.5 Trail Talons were great except on wet rocks. 12+yr old Montane Featherlite smock saw off all the wind & rain. Jetboil ace.
Memories:
The path to Alston was straightforward. Stopped in Alston to use facilities then headed to the Maidens Way, instead of the Pennine way.
Ford crossing was interesting as it wasn't wadeable. A rickety sheep catcher fence proved very useful. This path was on edge of hills and luckily just west of the worst of the weather.
I enjoyed descending but missed a turn, slight detour to correct this. Confused about path through farm to "hanging gardens", cost me 30mins easily.
Dinner in a bus shelter at the bottom of the ridiculously long village green in Milburn, just two drive by checks by suspicious cops whilst I ate.
Through Appleby and up towards the Howgills. Pre-booked camping at Ravenstonedale was a detour but I went there, arriving sunrise (doh!) but got a good kip & facilities for after coffee...
Bowderdale was lovely, I stayed low which gave shelter but a steep climb up to The Calf still before dropping to Sedbergh. Detour to shop.
Off to Barbondale, I was blown away by scenery missed an early turn on planned route and was way too far to retrace steps. Dinner by river at far end was peaceful, clearly a well visited wild camp spot.
Bull Pot farm was interesting, then finding a dry river bed with no obvious onward path cost huge amount of time before a sketchy scramble up the most path-like route with a big drop to one side got me going again. This was the actual path, and a fall here with no signal for my tracker or phone would've been catastrophic on reflection.
Nav error up top as it was getting dark corrected by eventually trusting compass over trod lines, then a wandering to Ingleton. I should have pressed on bit looked for a bivvy spot for ages, eventually found one for a short kip then up early to use local facilities and press on to Forest of Bowland. Lovely climb all on road, then the first runnable long descent for over 24hrs it felt.
Midday and the 48hr finish arrived before I reached Slaidburn. I had a celebratory Whisky from my hipflask then lunch in a cafe whilst sorting bus options. There were none so I decided to walk to Clitheroe. This was along the Waddington road which is a big climb and another long descent.
Had just missed a train in Clitheroe so went to the pub and had a pint & bag of nuts plus got changed out of my sweaty kit into my spare stuff for if I'd got soaked.
I hope this race runs again sometime it is a great extension of the Escape from Meriden format and my memory of the route and trouble spots I had should allow me to make quicker progress assuming the same fitness level & training done, plus decent weather. Fully unsupported, I'd carry flapjack over boil in bag meals to save jetboil weight & try to grab more bits to graze on the go.
Pictures might have to be retrieved and posted in a separate blog post.
Original draft:
98miles in 48hrs to travel 68.72 as the crow flies. Estimated 3100m ascent. 10th. Tough headwinds on Friday. Ouch.
8.7 mile hike with 333m ascent to the train station after. Ouch ouch.
Frittered away time throughout, but enjoyed it thoroughly. 10.5 Trail Talons were great except on wet rocks. 12+yr old Montane Featherlite smock saw off all the wind & rain. Jetboil ace.
Memories:
The path to Alston was straightforward. Stopped in Alston to use facilities then headed to the Maidens Way, instead of the Pennine way.
Ford crossing was interesting as it wasn't wadeable. A rickety sheep catcher fence proved very useful. This path was on edge of hills and luckily just west of the worst of the weather.
I enjoyed descending but missed a turn, slight detour to correct this. Confused about path through farm to "hanging gardens", cost me 30mins easily.
Dinner in a bus shelter at the bottom of the ridiculously long village green in Milburn, just two drive by checks by suspicious cops whilst I ate.
Through Appleby and up towards the Howgills. Pre-booked camping at Ravenstonedale was a detour but I went there, arriving sunrise (doh!) but got a good kip & facilities for after coffee...
Bowderdale was lovely, I stayed low which gave shelter but a steep climb up to The Calf still before dropping to Sedbergh. Detour to shop.
Off to Barbondale, I was blown away by scenery missed an early turn on planned route and was way too far to retrace steps. Dinner by river at far end was peaceful, clearly a well visited wild camp spot.
Bull Pot farm was interesting, then finding a dry river bed with no obvious onward path cost huge amount of time before a sketchy scramble up the most path-like route with a big drop to one side got me going again. This was the actual path, and a fall here with no signal for my tracker or phone would've been catastrophic on reflection.
Nav error up top as it was getting dark corrected by eventually trusting compass over trod lines, then a wandering to Ingleton. I should have pressed on bit looked for a bivvy spot for ages, eventually found one for a short kip then up early to use local facilities and press on to Forest of Bowland. Lovely climb all on road, then the first runnable long descent for over 24hrs it felt.
Midday and the 48hr finish arrived before I reached Slaidburn. I had a celebratory Whisky from my hipflask then lunch in a cafe whilst sorting bus options. There were none so I decided to walk to Clitheroe. This was along the Waddington road which is a big climb and another long descent.
Had just missed a train in Clitheroe so went to the pub and had a pint & bag of nuts plus got changed out of my sweaty kit into my spare stuff for if I'd got soaked.
I hope this race runs again sometime it is a great extension of the Escape from Meriden format and my memory of the route and trouble spots I had should allow me to make quicker progress assuming the same fitness level & training done, plus decent weather. Fully unsupported, I'd carry flapjack over boil in bag meals to save jetboil weight & try to grab more bits to graze on the go.
Pictures might have to be retrieved and posted in a separate blog post.
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