Area: Eskdale, Lake District
This is a lovely hill when seen from Eskdale, draped in woodland lower down, rocky and shapely higher up. I don't think I've ever been up it before but did a mountain marathon (the Saunders I think) around the lower slopes some years ago. After my unsuccessful first attempt at Hardknott, it was a relief to be gently jogging along the Esk riverside path which led to a whole range of micropaths through surprisingly thick bracken, not something I associate with the Lakes - overgrown and unpopular paths! Very steep, then boggy, until I gained the standard Duddon track. Another path branches off from this and weaves round the little crags that dot the upper slopes of Harter. I was a bit tired after the violence of the ride and a fairly fast social run last night, but I kept a decent pace going until the three little crags that mark the summit - 44 minutes or a little less from the road. Slightly hazy views to Hardknott and Scafell, but there was a fair amount of cloud around. I made a nice 5 mile loop by then taking the grassier eastern slopes towards the top of Hardknott Pass. This was boggy and a bit dull, but did get me down quickly. Hardknott is so narrow and tenuous that you can't even see the road until you emerge onto the rutted tarmac. I ran down it, examining the fearsome hairpin, and taking a few direct shortcuts through the heather: 1.23 for the 9.2k/600m loop.
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