More Hike Recce - 25/09/2011

On top of the world (well the Stiperstones anyway) in my Mercia top -
bring your own sunshine!

I did a little more recce for the Hike yesterday, but this is really into the finessing stage now.

First effort was to start in White Grit and climb Corndon Hill, then check out the wide right descent route Andrew and Prue had used earlier in the week. I ran a couple of variants at the top of this but have settled on following the fence round the corner and then just going straight down the path at the second waymarker. I passed a couple of groups of three mostly walking, also out on reccies.

At the bottom turning left through the gate leads to a metal gate in the corner of the field and avoids the need to electrocute oneself...

The second recce was really just being sure of the effort required on the road. I started at Bridges and ran to Stiperstones summit (mostly runnable, I only walked briefly about three times on the steepest sections). You can stay on the verge or run in the fields for about half the distance. Walking the last section up to the Stiperstones checkpoint is probably advisable, given the roughness of the path.

Coming down I ran two nine minute miles fairly easily: I doubt this will be the case on Saturday!

I walked into the Bridges pub and Terry (one of the Hike organisers) bought me a pint! Shortly afterwards one of the walking groups I'd seen earlier on Corndon turned up and we had a nice natter. See you all on the big day, folks!

Stats were 9.3 miles in total and 2,220 feet of climbing in almost exactly 2 hours. This week's total (I've started keeping count again) was 46 miles and 8,500' of climbing.

2 more Hike reccies - 21/09/2011

No wonder Newport runners don't win fell races if they do this on every
summit! Lisa, Andrew and Prue having fun on Corndon Hill. Don't ask how
many times I had to get them to do this before I pressed the shutter release
at the right moment!

These were the final long recce runs for the Hike.

The first run was with Em. We left her car at Stiperstones and went over to Bank Farm in mine. We ran through Easthope Wood and Snailbeach (stay at the wood's edge, across the road, old railway and then sloping footpath to the road) and then on up the road to Tankerville. It's noticable how much easier the uphill road bits are when you've got a bit of company and are chatting away.

Then it was across the fields and back onto the road to the Shelve checkpoint, and down through the woods and fields to the A488. At the bottom of Corndon I actually found the path this time! It heads sharp right just after the gate and is clear, leading straight through the bracken up steeply to the summit.

Em jogging up the last section of the Corndon climb

We turned and followed the fence to the sharp corner where we made a direct descent onto the grassy alp, although I didn't get it quite as bang on as last time... Just after Woodgate Farm we stopped for a really nice flask of sweet coffee and a bacon and egg buttie - thanks Em!

The trip over the small hill from Little Cefn Farm gets easier each time I do it - the keys are the pointless stile in the big cow pasture and the muddy area by a drinking trough where you cross the stream and fence.

We ran up the road past the Nind turn, and then walked for a while to get to the gate to Black Rhadley. In view of the time we missed the final ascent of BR out, but Em knows where it goes now. I tried an alternative approach to linking to the Stiperstones car park, going up the wide gravel roadway past Nipstone Rock and then turning left onto a path through the woods. This took the same time as my previous option, is slightly longer, but uses a little less road and is easier, especially in the dark.

We got back to the car park in good order, having done 15.1 miles and 2,870' of ascent in 3hrs 16mins. For 11.5 hours running time for a 12 hour hike, this section (excluding the final Black Rhadley climb) should take around 3hrs 34mins: we were taking it pretty easy so we need to remember to go out sloooow at the start.

I took a break, chatting with John and Geoff at the Stiperstones Inn, then having a half and some crisps and nuts at Bridges, before meeting Andrew, Lisa and Prue from Newport for the second recce. The plan was to run to Shelve and then pick up the route of my run earlier in the day, over Corndon and back to Stiperstones.

The trip down to Shelve was pretty quick (two nine minute miles) and we continued on down to the main road at a fairly decent pace, before trogging along the roads to White Grit. I felt a little tired here, but perked up as soon as the Corndon ascent started, and even managed to run some of it...

Summit furniture on Corndon Hill, waiting for the others!

Lisa powering to the top!

On the descent Lisa and I went down my way, Andrew and Prue went further over to the right. Lisa and I ended up at Woodgate first, but it seemed obvious that the right hand route was faster and, indeed, it turned out that Andrew and Prue had waited for us...

The passage over from Little Cefn was straightforward although again we parted ways near the A488. This time my route past the newly re-roofed barn seemed faster.

We started up the road past the Nind turn, and I was feeling a bit tired by now, but then Andrew took us up "the trail" around the north side of Black Rhadley Hill, which made a change. I was struggling a bit to run on the uphills, but still feeling ok. More tired than weak I think. The trail makes a handy short cut and I was pleased not to be on the road - we only had half a mile to do before the Nipstone Car Park. I bonked a bit on the way up from here but felt much better after some sweets and was able to run the rest of the way back to the car park...

This second run of the day was a mere 13.7 miles and 1,890' of climbing, done in 2hrs 47mins. Again for 11.5 hour Hike running time this should take 3hrs 6 mins, so we were well up above the required pace.

I finished the day having done 29 miles (36.5 if you count Tuesday night's run) feeling pretty strong and with plenty in my legs, which bodes well, I hope. No running until the weekend, just a light gym session with my stepson.

Townbrook on Tuesday - 20/09/2011

Tonight's excitement centred around the Townbrook Valley. 20 of us headed up through Rectory Woods and up the valley to reach the col between Yearlet and Long Synalds where we regrouped. The next leg took us to Boiling Well, where there was a conflab as one or two had forgotten their head torches and it was starting to get dark. We sorted it out and decided to stick to easy ground, heading down the track towards Medlicott (at 8 min/mile pace!), before turning sharply back on ourselves to climb the Long Mynd Hike trod up to Pole Cottage. From here we headed down via the green path.

Tom Naomi and I actually stopped at the top of the wood and did some warm down stretches.

I felt good on this one and was at or near the front most of the time, which was a little alarming given what I had planned for the rest of the week...

Stats at the top of the map; actual running time was more like 1hr 26mins.

More LMH Recce - 18/09/2011

JT on the road in Gogbatch

With the Long Mynd Hike less than two weeks away I was keen to check out the Church Stretton part of the loop and make sure I'd got it sussed.

JT and I set off from Stretton on a fairly chilly Sunday morning to do the first and last few miles, climbing Caer Caradoc, the Lawley and up High Park to Pole Bank before cutting off across to Pole Cottage and descending into Minton, crossing the A49 and finishing with a climb up Ragleth Hill.

JT was feeling a bit grim but got a pasty down himself at the Spar and we started running just across the main road. We walked most of the way up Caradoc, and then took the descent steady too (I was in my Peregrines which aren't the grippiest and JT's trailies have done about 1,000 miles and have no grip left). Crossing onto Ragleth Hill I felt quite lively, although JT was still not up to much. A big shower hit us near the top and the soaking did us both some good - strange how adverse weather can sometimes get you into it a bit more.

We made our way over to Dudgeley and Gogbatch, where the pasty kicked in and John started to get going. I liked his variant route climbing up the spur rather than the road to get out of the batch and up towards High Park.

We split at the finger post: JT went the low route and I took the higher path to see which was quicker to the top of Mott's Road - conclusion was the higher route (I only just got to Motts after JT and he's quicker than me).

We ran on fairly quickly over Pole Bank and on to pick up the last section of the Hike route from Pole Cottage. I like the descent to Minton - I'd not been all the way down before, just on the upper section when I did my Gill Harris round.

The path down to Minton - JT is about 100 yards in front...

The road to Little Stretton wasn't great though, and I felt out of energy going up Ragleth Hill. JT ran on and I followed, meeting up on Sandford Avenue before running back to our vehicles by the School where Hike HQ will be.

We had a nice morning out, covering 16.5 miles and 3,500' of climbing in 3hrs 26mins.

LMH Recce - 16/09/2011

Stormy skies over Corndon Hill from the Stiperstones

I managed to finish work a little early on Friday afternoon after a couple of late evenings earlier in the week, so I headed out to the Stiperstones car park to finesse the recce I'd done on 31st July. I had a few new pointers from friends who've done the Longmynd Hike, so I bore these in mind as I headed round.

I wanted to do the Stiperstones - Earl's Hill - Bank Farm - Shelve section again just to get it off pat.

The first mile across the Stiperstones is rough and almost unrunnable, and I certainly plan to walk most of this on the day - it'd just be too easy to ruin everything by turning an ankle up there. This time I stopped and took a picture or two...

Running up to Manstone Rock and the trig point

Running down the ridge past Blakemoorflat

I headed straight along the ridge to Blakemoorgate and through the middle of the band of conifers there, before making a bit of a mess of negotiating the field above Upper Vessons Farm. Staying on the main track here might lose 30 seconds over an ideal line, but it's pretty hard to find that ideal line, and rough if you don't.

From the start of the road, I'm unconvinced about the field crossing to Habberley. There's a narrow section along the edge of a maize field (will it have been harvested in two weeks' time?) and the biggest field has recently been cultivated and will be a nightmare if it's wet. Probably best to use the road in the wet but the fields if its dry...

I think I've got the ascent of Earl's Hill off, after a friendly reminder as to where the path starts (right on the LH bend in Habberley, not by the pub) from a local.

Looking south from Earl's Hill with another shower coming in...

Coming down, this time I retraced steps to Habberley and then took the road to Bank Farm, which seems both shorter and easier, although climbing on the road is a bit of a drag.

From Bank Farm this time I stayed low, skirting round the edge of the woods under Maddox's Coppice, past Coppice Farm to Snailbeach. This is better and easier than going over the top. In Snailbeach I didn't have the best line - keeping left just in the woods and staying above the workings looks to be more direct than my route via Snailbeach Farm and Lower Works Road.

From Snailbeach to Tankerville is a pretty grim two mile slog along the road, mostly steadily uphill. This is one of the tiresome bits of the route, along with the climb to High Park and the ascent of Black Rhadley (both on roads and uphill). At least this time I found the public footpath towards Shelve (starts at an unpromising hole in the hedge just before a "Pennerley" sign.

The next bit over the hill towards Shelve is straightforward as long as you trust yourself to find the stiles - they appear as you crest rises in the middle of each field. The last bit up to the Shelve checkpoint is uphill, but not too bad - it's fairly short...

I ran back along the road to the Bog car park and then up the waymarked path to cut off the hairpins, and finished with half a mile of road back to the car park.

16.4 miles with 2,500' of climbing in 3:27: I very comfortable taking just under 12:40 per mile on average.

Shrewsbury XC Training - 15/07/2011

We had a Mercia committee meeting at Collegefields in Shrewsbury on Thursday night. Keith, Paul and I went for a run beforehand, round the balancing ponds and public open space between Collegefields and the bypass.

i reckon we probably did about three miles, with some very short but stiff ascents. Not a bad place to run, given Keith can run from his door there.

Bury Ditches Recce - 13/09/2011

Moonrise over Bury Ditches Hill Fort

This was a rare trip away from Church Stretton for the Tuesday Night Group. Dave and Chris had offered to take us for a recce run round the Bury Ditches Hill Race. This will be run from Lydbury North on Sunday 25th. A lot of the lower section of the route is on private land...

17 of us met in the car park of the Powis Arms, and eventually set off just after seven. The route starts with a fast level section of drive and crosses Walcot Pool before climbing steadily through a couple of fields to Lower Down. 300m of road leads to a track across another couple of fields and into the woods. There's another kilometer of steady but easily runnable climbing to a bench where the route turns left for a final, gentler climb to the hillfort.

Gra, Emma, Darran and Em

Phil, Gra, Helen and Em

Testing the bench

The light was fading as we emerged onto the grassy ramparts, and a nearly full moon had just risen in front of us - another of those magical hill running moments.

The descent is fast and furious on a good path, crossing the car park and road after 600m before heading down another 1.2km to Lodge Farm, where the route doubles back onto another track for a serious sting in the tail, as the track climbs 60m in just 400m horizontally.

From here it's easier though, across two fields to come out at Lower Down again, then hard and fast down the outward route to finish by the pub.

We all had a good run tonight, mostly treating it as a series of fairly hard efforts, so the pace at the front was a bit silly at times, and very silly when John and Jamie started sprinting up hills! Thanks to Dave for organising and also to whoever laid on the chip butties in the pub afterwards...