Kinder Scout circuit

Catching up again.

I've walked on Kinder Scout many, many times but had never done the whole edge walk so took advantage of a fantastic summers day back in August to tick this one off.

Most people travel to this part of the Dark Peak by car and park in Edale but it is far better to get there by train and there is a (fairly) regular service running between Sheffield and Manchester. From the station and through the village of Edale I took the (popular) Grindsbrook route up on to the plateau and traversed the edge in a anticlockwise direction.

The route up Grindsbrook is a gentle ascent but gets a little tougher near the top as you climb up one of the steep, rocky paths to the plateau. This can be 'interesting' in the winter when the cloughs are frozen but on a summers day it's an easy scramble up and you are rewarded with an excellent view back down.

From here I followed the obvious 'edge' path to the east and basically followed my nose. Looking south towards Mam Tor I could see lots of paragliders taking advantage of the conditions.

For the most part it is easy walking and difficult to go wrong although the path does fork near Jaggers Clough and you can end up heading towards Mad Woman's Stones if you take this route. I made this 'mistake' and ending up cutting the corner, missing Crookstone Knoll.  No problem though as another worn path soon took me back to the edge.

After the first stretch of the northern edge where you can hear a bit of traffic on the Snake Pass the path heads north for a short while before heading west again at Seal Stones and following Seal Edge towards the promontory of Fairbrook Naze. The top of Fairbrook is probably my favourite part of Kinder Scout with lovely views across to Bleaklow so I stopped here for my sarnies.

A couple stumbled across me here without seeing me (I must have blended in to the grass, peat and heather somehow!) and they jumped a mile.

The rest of the N and NW edges of Kinder make for wonderful walking and it is rare to see a soul along here. There are lots of interesting rock formations and outcrops along here too.

It does get considerably busier as you get to Mill Hill rocks and the junction of the Pennine Way. There was a lot of teenagers around this point today. Some were loving it while others looked they'd been dragged up there kicking and screaming judging by their sour faces.

At this point I was getting low on water as I'd underestimated how hot it was going to be today and so filled my bottle with water from the Kinder river at the top of Kinder Downfall. It was a bit discoloured and, in hindsight, I probably should have filtered it as plenty of sheep walk through (and probably more) the river at this point. Tasted fine though and no nasty after effects.

From this point it is fairly easy going past the trig point at Kinder Low and Noe Stool, turning east along some paved sections towards Crowden Tower. Lots more eroded rock formations along this section that look superb. Some even resemble animals and human faces if you look at them from the correct angle! By now my feet were beginning to ache but I knew it wasn't that far back to the top of Grindsbrook where I could then descend back to Edale

As usual it was harder going on the way down the steep rocky section but the path soon levels out a little and I just had time for one quick pint before catching my train and looking forward to more well deserved beer in the Sheffield Tap while waiting for my connection back home. My GPS indicated that I'd walked 19.3 miles and it took me just under 8 hours.  More details of this walk here. Back in Sheffield the Thornbridge Jaipur had rarely tasted so good :-)

A trip to Anglesey and some vile weather on Snowdon

For the 2nd consecutive year we went camping in Anglesey during late summer. A lovely part of the UK and great for cycling. You could cycle round the edge of the whole island easily in a day if you were so inclined but the inner parts comprise a network of hidden little lanes (with very little traffic) that are definitely worth exploring on 2 wheels. Its not particularly hilly but it isn't totally flat either with enough ups and downs to get the heart rate up.


The area around Newborough in the S.W corner of the island was particularly pleasant to pedal around. Tracks and trails weaving through pine forests, wide beaches to cycle along and, on clear days, stunning views across to Snowdonia.

Cycling along the beaches here was excellent although I was the only one careful enough to:

1.  Not ride through the surf
2. Clean the bike afterwards

The drivetrains of the others' ended up rusted to buggery! It was good fun to video though.

Don't let the weather in the video above fool you! This was far from the norm with low scudding clouds and frequent heavy showers blighting most days and the day that David and myself chose to walk up Snowdon was particularly vile with heavy rain and strong wind the whole day. I've been up there quite a few times but this was easily the worst weather I've experienced on the mountain with the wind threatening to blow you over at times.

Despite the weather the ascent and descent took no more than 3.5 hours (Miners track up and Pyg track down) but probably because there was no need to stop and admire the view from the summit. This was our view :-) :

And this snap gives some idea of the conditions at the top. We really were just about hanging on to the trig point!

My Rab eVent jacket and waterproof trousers did their best but the only part of me NOT absolutely soaked through afterwards were my feet. Thank you Meindl. I also lost the waterproof cover for my rucksack and so everything in there was knackered too. Hey ho. I'd still rather be out walking and cycling in weather like this than working!

The one thing that continues to puzzle me is why people bother to pay through the nose to get the railway to the top on days like this. I just don't get it.

About the PBC Foundation

The PBC Foundation is an extremely worthy charity and one that is often overlooked. In fact I'd never even heard of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis or the charity until my friend and work colleague, Angie, was diagnosed with the condition a short while ago.  PBC is a degenerative liver disease which effects 1 in 4000 people, and is more common in women.  You can find out loads more at: www.pbcfoundation.org.uk
 
Better still, have a read of Angie's Blog about her experiences of living with PBC.

Blog resurrection

This blog, rather like me in many ways, has laid dormant since the end of my Lands End to John O'Groats ride in 2010 but now, like the proverbial Phoenix, it rises again.  This is largely because I've got some exciting stuff planned over the next year or so; chief amongst which is a cycling the 3-Peaks challenge. At present I am woefully unprepared for tackling this in the planned 4 days but hey, I've got the best part of a year to get myself in better shape for it and the preparation will be a great excuse to spend loads more time on the bike and in the hills. Tally Ho.

Reflections on the ride

So, how did it all go? Would I do it again? Would I change anything in hindsight? Have my sore bits recovered?

Well I was certainly glad of a couple of days off but I've already been out on the bike and am eager to get out on some longer rides again so I suppose I haven't suffered that much as a result of the ride. I still think I need to rest the knee a bit longer yet though. I'm not sure if I'm loads fitter as a result of the ride because I never really pushed my cardiovascular system that much. Having said that I lost some weight and my resting pulse is noticeably lower so maybe I am. I am confident that my cycling stamina is considerably improved. Keeping going all day isn't a problem and I'd have no qualms about doing consecutive century rides. I just wouldn't do them quickly. Classic touring cyclist attitude I suppose.

Thoughts on bike and equipment
I definitely made the right choices there. The Specialized Tricross was comfortable and I was glad of the short reach/upright position on the bike. I can't recall any significant neck/back pain. It was stable and even managed a bit of unplanned cyclocross with no drama! That happened in Scotland when I made the mistake of watching a Buzzard glide alongside me rather than focus on the road. My attention was quickly re-focused as I bumped along a rocky verge towards a ditch! Thankfully I got back on the tarmac quickly and without injury.

Just the one puncture (in Devon) and enforced mechanical intervention (changing very worn brake blocks before a hilly day in the Cairngorms) so I got off lucky there. However, I like to think it was because I made sure the bike was in good nick before I set off.

Travelling light was definitely worthwhile. I love cycle camping and being self sufficient on the bike but all that extra weight would have really told. I don't think I could have managed an average of nearly 95 miles per day in hilly terrain with a full complement of panniers. Not without being LOTS fitter beforehand anyway. Taking the bare minimum made the whole trip much more enjoyable. I probably stank to high heaven at times but no-one was rude/honest enough to tell me.

I know that Cath and Sarah enjoyed their holiday too but having them there as support in the evenings and, every now and then, en route helped a great deal and kept my spirits up when otherwise they may have dropped.

The route
The CTC B&B route is described as 'scenic'. They mean 'hilly'! I noticed that some translation of the route instructions was required from time to time. For example where it says 'ascend the hill' it should say 'ALERT: engage bottom gear and continue for 1.5 miles until lungs explode and your heart beat sounds like a drum roll'. In all seriousness though you can't avoid hills on LEJOG and it wasn't that bad. I actually preferred the hilly bits. I could get into a spinny rythym going up without really suffering and I could enjoy some exhilerating descents. And I never had to get off and walk! Some days/sections were tough but I wouldn't have changed it. All part of the challenge and it did afford me some spectacular scenery. The Cairngorms were a great example of this. I could have skirted the hilliest roads but that would have meant long stretches on the fearsomely busy and unpleasant A9. As it was it was one of the best days of the trip and certainly the most rewarding.

Highlights
The section between the Crask Inn (wonderful pub in middle of nowhere) north of Lairg to Altnaharra in the early evening sun. Rounding a corner and seeing clouds shrouding the summit of Ben Klibreck. Fantastic. I'll never forget it.

The whole day through the Cairngorms. Awesome views and very rewarding.

Hills in the Scottish borders. Gradual ascents and miles and miles of descent on perfectly surfaced roads.

Hey, Scotland is doing pretty well here!

The Wye Valley. I love cycling alongside waterways and this whole area was beautiful.

From Whalley to Appleby through Bowland Fells. Hilly, remote, great scenery and the sun shone most of the day.

The not so good bits
The wind! Prevailing south westerlies my arse. 9 days of headwind. Some days better than others but to be honest I just forgot about it after I'd got into Scotland.

Maybe I've got the rose tinted specs on but actually I can't recall many bits I really didn't enjoy. Those bits in the blog where I said I hated it were probably more down to the fact that the weather was crap and I couldn't get warmed up. I suppose I'd nominate:

The day from Ludlow to Chorley. It was cold the wind was right in my face and quite strong. 134 miles of mostly uninspiring landscape. I didn't get to the B&B until after 9.30pm. Just one of those days where all I did was get the miles in.

Peebles to Edinburgh. Scenery might have been nice but I wouldn't know because of the fog and rain. Freezing too. And then I had to try and navigate my way through Edinburgh and towards the Forth Road Bridge.

John O Groats. Not a plastic tat hole like Lands End but still a hole. And you have to pay to use the toilets.

Finally, the roadkill. You never really notice how much there is in a car. Badgers in England became lambs and deer in Scotland. Very depressing.

So, would I do it again? Yes of course. Might give it a week or so first though.

Day 11: Altnaharra to John o'Groats

Yay! Done it.

I've got sore gentleman's veg, I've got knees that will take a few days to work properly again, I've got blisters on ears and fingers from sun and windburn and I feel a bit drained but overall I'm in pretty good shape. And the aches and pains don't matter one bit. All I'll remember is a fantastic 11 days of cycling.

After a huge breakfast I set of a bit later than usual knowing that I had a shortish day of 75-80 miles ahead. For some stuuuupid reason I decided to wear shorts. That didn't last long as after 15 miles of chilly cycling and a freezing rain shower I put the longs on. The first 20 miles or so to Bettyhill were gorgeous despite the weather. Loch Naver and then the river Naver always on my right and reasonably flat. That soon changed when I hit the north coast road! It went up. It went down. It went up. It went down. Fairly challenging gradients too! All the way to Thurso. And the wind from the North was fearsome today, bringing sharp cold showers with it. Very tiring indeed. At times the road direction and the subtly changing wind direction meant I was slogging along at under 8mph. And that was on flat sections!
Wind? You're not kidding!!!

At one point I saw a cyclist ahead and put a bit of extra effort in to catch up. It took ages. And when I eventually got there I very slowly overtook a 60+ year old lady with a basket of shopping on the front of her bike! Either they are very fit/hardy up here or I was very tired or I wasn't really trying. I'd like to think it was a combination of the first two.

The views across some of the bays towards the Orkneys were stunning and I chose my places to stop and eat accordingly.

Beautiful north coast of Scotland

Soon realised that I had less than 10 miles to go and this spurred me on to put some extra effort in. At about 4.15 I rolled into the cold, windy, desolate hole that is John o'Groats and was greeted by Cath and Sarah and a small bottle of Laphroaig. Their support made this whole trip much easier and enjoyable than it could have been.

MADE IT! I'm not fat on this pic. Its the wind!!

It is supposed to be late spring/early summer and yet when I reached JOG the temperature was 5 deg and it was blowing a gale! For the last 9 days I've cycled (mostly) into a headwind and although it was tempting to cycle back and take advantage of the tailwind I decided to get in the car and drink the whisky instead.

Day 10: Grantown on Spey to Altnaharra

Penultimate day and another one over 100 miles. 108.2 tiring hilly miles. Nothing like the hills of yesterday but with my legs a bit drained it was all a bit of a struggle. The scenery, particularly from Lairg to Altnaharra, more than made up for this. In fact I'd say that the final stretch of 20 miles was the most beautiful of the trip so far.

Set off in really cold weather and climbed up and over from Grantown to Inverness. It felt like slow going and it was. Joined the busy A9 and crossed the Kessock Bridge to The Black Isle. I, mistakenly, thought this bit would be flat. No. Managed to find, and take, the road over the highest point at Mount Eagle - about 250m. Nice descent and rejoin the A9 for the Cromarty Bridge. Beautiful views out over the firth but couldn't take full advantage of them as I had to focus on the busy road. Terrible road surface and speeding traffic.

As for much of the day the next stretch included some of NCN route 1. It seemed that along here (on relatively quiet B roads I might add) that route appeared to have been designed to keep cycles off the road. Tracks running parallel to the road that then crossed the road to do the same before crossing the road to do the same before crossing ... well you get the idea. I can sort of understand why this might of been necessary but if I had been trying to follow it religiously it would have driven me insane.

Another longish climb over the Struie and some good views at the top before a speedy descent down towards the road to Bonar Bridge. The road then eventually went past The Falls of Shin where I met up with Cath and Sarah for a break (much needed as I was thirsty and hungry).
Feeling refreshed and ready for the last 25 miles

The road from here to the B&B at Altnaharra was just superb. Breathtaking views on single track road. I was really tired but the reason I kept stopping wasn't to recover but to take in the views. I did stop for a pint at The Crask Inn though. An oasis in the middle of nowhere. Feeling refreshed it was downhill to Altnaharra and a run I'll never forget. Clouds over Ben Klibreck and just stunning scenery.

Summit of Ben Klibreck covered in clouds.

Last day tomorrow. 80 miles, or thereabouts, to John O'Groats.