Area: Borrowdale/Buttermere, Lake District
This outing brought back happy memories of the legendary OMM of 2008, where we took the same route over the Dale Head ridge in 70mph winds and biblical rain, linking arms to avoid being blown over. Later, my tent flew away from the Buttermere camp (literally), cars floated downstream, and the abandoned event featured extensively on the BBC ('2000 runners unaccounted for'). The route up Dale Head was also familiar to me from the Borrowdale fell race, which I also did a long time ago - 2009 maybe? It was very cold at Honister, always a rather bleak spot, but this is a very quick route onto the summits - around 24 minutes from pass to summit. Thick hoar frost and a bitter wind, but signs of a clearance in the weather, which got better for the trot over to Hindscarth (which is set back from the true ridge line). Great views in clearing weather, down to Newlands and across to Pillar and Gable. Wonderful to be up here feeling relatively normal again (although still not able to properly run, I never felt especially tired and moved briskly throughout - albeit far slower than the last time I was here, the Anniverary Waltz fell race in 2016, which remains probably my best performance in Lakeland). I took the steep short cut direct to the flat summit of Robinson and its great views over Grasmoor and the Solway Firth. I could clearly see Criffel in Dumfries, which we ran up three years ago. I took a steep, obscure but direct descent down to Buttermere, then jogged up to Gatesgarth with the ridge of Fleetwith Pike looms above. As with Blencathra yesterday, I have only been up the Pike once, a strange omission as it is another fine mountain. I adopted the now familiar rapid uphill walk, a function of my glandular fever: entirely comfortable throughout. The ridge is superb, and rather like Hall's Fell yesterday leads in an elegant beeline to the summit with a little mild scrambling towards the top: around 32 minutes, which was quite pleasing given fitness levels and the stage of the day. The summit of Fleetwith Pike is one of the best spots in the Lakes, superb views over Buttermere and across to the ridge from Haystacks. Lots of memories of different races and mountain marathons came flooding back. A short jog down the continuation traverse line (with some sunshine) led down to the Dubs quarry road and a toastie at the Honister cafe. Later, a little mountain bike outing. And after that, a run from the YHA to the top of Castle Crag. I couldn't resist the latter, as it features as a short fell race: it is something like a 3k blast (or less) along the banks of the Derwent to the steep climb to the tiny summit, which occupies a famously beautiful spot above the Jaws of Borrowdale. In my compromised state of health (and after this morning's outing) it took me 20 minutes from the door of the hostel to the summit of Castle Crag. A wonderful few minutes enjoying the view and ambience before ambling back to relax at the hostel with a pint of Loweswater Gold.
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