Monday, September 08, 2008
The B*ll*ck Smithy- NOT!
The Bullock Smithy was renamed on the MdS forum, and seems rather more appropriate... especially as I didn't manage to finish. Yes, I am gutted...
We started off ok- I found Hazel Grove, parked up and walked to the start where I met three guys from the MdS forum who are doing the MdS next year too, plus joined Rose, who I met on the Kent 50 and we decided to pool our resources- my navigational skills and Rose's knowledge of run/ walk ratios.
I had been undecided about footwear- the only footwear I had was my running shoes, and I figured it was going to be very wet and boggy underfoot, so after a lot of consideration decided to wear my walking boots and carry my running shoes. I took a load of food and all the essential items listed for the event. I had thought about buying a new head torch, as mine is quite antiquated and I hadn't been able to purchase a new bulb for it, but decided to chance it as I hadn't changed the bulb that long ago- well, that decision was to bite me on the bum later! In all, my pack weighed 6 kg!
I was dreading the kit check before that start as I hadn't got the aforementioned spare bulb plus a couple of the first aid items- but all they told me to do was read through the kit list and sign to say I had everything! Looking at some of the other entrants with their tiny bum bags, there's no way they could have had all the kit items!
We started off well, running and walking, and hit bog quite early on- Rose had been wearing running shoes so changed to her trail shoes. We left Stockport and climbed through Lyme Park, where they filmed Pride and Prejudice (where's Mr Darcy when you need him!?!) Then had a long, gradual ascent to the first check point at Bow Stones.
The Climb To Bow Stones
We had a drink at the checkpoint and I changed out of my long sleeve top as I was sweating. Rose had foldable walking poles, but they kept falling off her front pack, and I think she got a bit fed up with them in the end!!
After the checkpoint was a lovely grassy track with amazing views over the Dark Peak;
Lovely Views
We jogged when we could, ie good tracks and down roads. There was a lot of climbing in the first twenty miles or so though, and at times the route wasn't apparent so I found the map essential. We had another long climb up to the second checkpoint at Chinley Churn, just below the summit edge.
The Posed Photo- taken By Rose!
We started off ok- I found Hazel Grove, parked up and walked to the start where I met three guys from the MdS forum who are doing the MdS next year too, plus joined Rose, who I met on the Kent 50 and we decided to pool our resources- my navigational skills and Rose's knowledge of run/ walk ratios.
I had been undecided about footwear- the only footwear I had was my running shoes, and I figured it was going to be very wet and boggy underfoot, so after a lot of consideration decided to wear my walking boots and carry my running shoes. I took a load of food and all the essential items listed for the event. I had thought about buying a new head torch, as mine is quite antiquated and I hadn't been able to purchase a new bulb for it, but decided to chance it as I hadn't changed the bulb that long ago- well, that decision was to bite me on the bum later! In all, my pack weighed 6 kg!
I was dreading the kit check before that start as I hadn't got the aforementioned spare bulb plus a couple of the first aid items- but all they told me to do was read through the kit list and sign to say I had everything! Looking at some of the other entrants with their tiny bum bags, there's no way they could have had all the kit items!
We started off well, running and walking, and hit bog quite early on- Rose had been wearing running shoes so changed to her trail shoes. We left Stockport and climbed through Lyme Park, where they filmed Pride and Prejudice (where's Mr Darcy when you need him!?!) Then had a long, gradual ascent to the first check point at Bow Stones.
The Climb To Bow StonesWe had a drink at the checkpoint and I changed out of my long sleeve top as I was sweating. Rose had foldable walking poles, but they kept falling off her front pack, and I think she got a bit fed up with them in the end!!
After the checkpoint was a lovely grassy track with amazing views over the Dark Peak;
Lovely ViewsWe jogged when we could, ie good tracks and down roads. There was a lot of climbing in the first twenty miles or so though, and at times the route wasn't apparent so I found the map essential. We had another long climb up to the second checkpoint at Chinley Churn, just below the summit edge.
The Posed Photo- taken By Rose! There was a drinks station on the road, and we had a welcome cup of coffee and a Jaffa Cake bar. Following this was another climb up onto the moors and the third checkpoint at Edale Cross; lovely Moorland scenery, I forgot how lovely this part of the country is;
Climbing to Edale Cross
View From Near Edale Cross
The Descent From Edale Cross
Rose Descending Jacob's Ladder
Mam Tor
Looking Down To Castleton
Climbing to Edale CrossWe overtook quite a few folk on the ascent, and I was pleasantly surprised by the weather- I fully expected to get soaked but it held up all day and was actually quite sunny.
View From Near Edale CrossAfter Edale Cross came the descent into Edale, via Jacob's Ladder.
The Descent From Edale CrossThis is a set of stone steps, reputedly build in the 1700's by a local farmer named Jacob. It was quite slippery- Rose fell and hurt her shoulder.
Rose Descending Jacob's LadderThere was the first 'proper' check point in Edale Village Hall, with that Challenge Walk mainstay, cold rice pudding, and more coffee. I went to the toilet and noticed my urine was quite concentrated (nice!!) so made myself drink two more cups of squash. It was starting to get dusky as we left, and I was keen to make Castleton before dark.
The next part of the route was up and over Hollins Cross, which is in the middle of a popular ridge walk from Mam Tor to Lose Hill. There was a straightforward, if steep, track up to the top, with views over Castleton and back towards Edale.
Mam TorI pointed out the road below Mam Tor, which had to eventually be closed due to the number of rock slides- you can clearly see where the road has been completely swept away in parts.
Looking Down To CastletonThis was the last photo I took, as it was soon too dark to take more. We found a good path down towards Castleton, then this ended in what looked like a stream. We were undecided which way to go, until a group overtook us and informed us that it was, in fact, the path! One of the girls in the group has done the MdS, and we had seen her on the Kent 50. Me and Rose jogged the road into Castleton, and could see the bulk of Peverill Castle looming out of the near darkness.
We reached the Castleton checkpoint just as it got completely dark, and were given jam butties- I needn't have taken so much food with me! As the website had stated that we would be put into groups of at least three for the night stage, we fully expected to be joined up with others, but they seemed happy to let us continue. A girl was at the checkpoint waiting to join a group but said she didn't want to join us as she didn't fancy running! She waited for the group with the MdS girl who we had overtaken on the road.
Me and Rose got out our head torches, I put fresh batteries in mine, and set off- but couldn't find the path we needed, so had to go back to the check point and ask. It was at this point that my head torch packed in!! I couldn't believe it! The next stage was quite tough- climbing out of Cavedale through water dashed rocks in complete and utter darkness. I had to rely on the light from Rose's head torch, which was fine when we could walk side by side, but not so good in single file- she had to keep turning round to light the path for me. Luckily we were overtaken by some blokes, so were able to follow them over Oxlow Rake, and eventually I was able to walk alongside Rose.
We reached the checkpoint at Peak Forest, and left behind another group. The next bit of the route was along the grassy tracks of the Limestone Way, and I had assumed they would be easy walking. Some were- most, however, were just ankle deep, gluttinous, slippery mud, which really slowed us up! I was so grateful for my walking boots, as although they were less flexible than running shoes, I had much better grip, and my feet kept mainly dry. This was so far my lowest point though, but luckily one guy in a group who overtook us took pity on me and lent me his small hand held torch, which was invaluable!
We reached the half way checkpoint near Chelmorton at midnight, and had a very welcome cup of soup and painkillers. I was slightly concerned as I realised it had taken us 12 hours to reach this point, leaving us only 12 hours to complete the hike. I realised then that it was going to be a tall order...
We left shortly behind a large group, and climbed out of the village on a track. We reached a road, and I assumed we needed to turn right, but hadn't gone too far when a voice called out of the darkness "Don't follow us- this isn't your way!" It was eerie as we couldn't see anybody- we called out "Are you sure?" and they replied "Trust us- we are on our way home from the pub- you need to go the other way!"
I got out the map, and discovered that they were right- so we retraced our steps and picked up a footpath, which soon degenerated into the by now familiar gluttinous mud. We caught up with a couple and passed them on the road before the next check point. I was rather demoralised to hear one of the officials announce that they "had the last four" on his mobile. We quickly left, and was able to make good time on roads and tracks to Earl Sterndale, reaching it at 3am. It had rained on and off since darkness fell, and we had a pretty heavy shower. I don't know what was wrong with me though, maybe I was hydrating too well, but I had to keep stopping for a pee all night!!
There were quite a few people at the Earl Sterndale check point, including one lady having an asthma attack, and her husband insisting that she couldn't possibly complete another 21 miles. we had another drink, and left behind a large group. I had heard one of them say that the next section was awful, with a steep, muddy descent, so when I heard somebody else say that they were going to stick to the roads to Brand Top and the next check point, I made the fatal error of deciding to go with them... I assumed that they knew a way, but didn't realise that they were hoping to be able to cut across to Brand Top...
The group split, and me and Rose ended up following three people- the MdS girl, a guy, and the girl who hadn't wanted to join us in Castleton. She appeared to be in charge, and we set off down a track- which soon petered out. She felt that if we crossed a field we could reach the check point, so we set off along a very rock uneven field- this was hell, as the batteries in my borrowed torch had packed in. There was a stream at the bottom we couldn't cross, and other paths we tried petered out. We decided to retreat back to the road - this was really the lowest point for me, I felt so annoyed at myself for following them blindly but at 3am you are just looking for the easy way out. Rose said it was one of the worst experiences of her life so far!
We stuck to the road, and eventually found the check point at Brand Top, but we had lost nearly two hours. The other group decided to retire, but me and Rose elected to carry on. The guy at the check point showed us a road route that would cut out some of the bog on the next stage, which was good as I had changed into my running shoes as my feet were hurting. They were serving hot dogs, but being veggie I just had the bun and tomato sauce! It was light when we left, at 6:30am, and set off back up the road. There was a light drizzle and visibility was down to practically zero. I felt quite low- really tired and my feet were hurting quite badly so I swallowed a couple of pain killers.
After about a mile, the minibus who had picked up the others pulled up along side us. The driver advised us that we would not make the finish by 12pm, I had already suspected this. He said that they couldn't keep the check points open and we would be walking unsupported; well, given that choice and getting into a nice warm minibus, it was no contest really! We settled in and dozed off whilst he picked up more retirees at the next checkpoint- quite a lot of folks retired judging by the results. It was quite touching as we hadn't realised that some of the forum members were following the live results, even losing sleep, and I had some lovely messages from some of them!
Back at the finish, we caught up with two of the forum guys, Ivan and Matt, who had completed it. Another guy, Shiz, had made the sensible decision to retire with an injured knee. I got us a coffee, and the guy driving the minibus came over and apologised for pulling me and Rose out, presenting us with a pair of running socks each! I had a little kip in the car and headed for home.
I am rather gutted not to have completed it, and am thinking of going back next year for another bash, as it's unfinished business for me- I think the lessons to be taken from this are;
- Get as much done in daylight as possible- it would be good to try to get to Peak Forest before dark as Cavedale was horrendous
- Keep pack weight light! Take less stuff
- Take a head torch that bloody works!!!
- Don't trust and blindly follow anybody who says that they are taking a different route without at least checking the map beforehand and understanding exactly where they are proposing to go (although Shiz had said that the suggested route from Earl Sterndale to Brand Top is a devil to navigate in the dark anyway so we may still have become lost)
- Reccying the route between Earl Sterndale and Walker's Barn may be an idea for next year
But- the positives are;
- We covered about 45 miles (Brand Top was 41 miles, but we estimated that we covered around 3/ 4 extra miles getting lost, and had covered another mile before being picked up) in very challenging conditions
- With a pack weighing 6kg
- We have now had the experience of walking through the night- so all in all a good step towards the MdS.
- I am only aching a little and my feet are fine- no injuries- I guess I have to keep in mind that the MdS is the main focus and all that matters- all other events are expendable, and it is better to know when to withdraw and fight another day rather than keep pushing and risk injuries that could push training back for weeks. The Bullock Smithy will be there next year, and it won't matter so much if I injure myself doing it... I will be back...
Labels: Bullock Smithy Hike, Peak District
Comments:
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Read your blog, you are totally correct by saying there is a lot to be said for doing as much in the daylight as possible! I cant even imagine what its like going up cavedale in the pitchblack, i bet the rutted track down to millersdale is no barrel of laughs either... Well done for getting as far as you did!
# posted by 
: 7:36 AM
: 7:36 AM
Thanks Steve, Cavedale wascertainly no joke, especially without a head torch!!
All the mud on the Limestone Way tracks was heavy going too... will definately push to get as far as possible in the daylight next year.
Did you do it this year, if so well done!
Steph
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All the mud on the Limestone Way tracks was heavy going too... will definately push to get as far as possible in the daylight next year.
Did you do it this year, if so well done!
Steph
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