Peak Raid Mini Mountain Marathon: Wardlow

 Firstly, an injury update: the back is doing fine. Some hot water bottles, stretching and then pilates type exercises and I made it to parkrun the following week. In fact, I had an amazing weekend in Eskdale camping with friends that weekend. We had wall to wall sunshine, went to Muncaster parkrun, walked to the coast, went on a steam train, walked some more, went wild swimming, saw waterfalls, walked a bit more and had ice cream. It was a weekend that lifted a bit of pressure off me, and I am so greatful to be invited and to be able to go. I am also completed charmed by Eskdale so anticipate a return at some point. 

Then this weekend I made a prompt return to racing. In fact, anyone looking at my running and racing schedule would think I am trying to out run something (possibly very true) for the next few weeks. 

But this race was different: it was an orienteering event. I love the Peak Raid Anytime events but due to the dog, haven't made many of their in person events. I was please Martin agreed to let me go on this one and had the dog for the morning. I left Manchester before dawn as I like to be in the early slot, and a beautiful pink and orange sunrise broke slowly across the hills ahead of me. However, the minute the car tipped in to Darbyshire, it was swallowed by patchy fog which is not ideal for orienteering. I noted it was a bit better on the high ground and wondered if I could use this to my advantage....

Wardlow is very small village on the road to Monsal Head. I suspect most people do not stop there unless they are using the campsite. Parking for the event was at the campsite which was easy enough, and then we registered in the village hall. I think I had 20 minutes to phaff before my start time and there was no queue at this time. The light had arrived but patches of fog remained.I chatted with the organisers voicing my plan to 'stay high' on Great Longstone for the first bit, then drop in to the dales later when the fog had thinned. I may have pointed in the wrong direction however, and had a quick peak at my map to check which side of the road Great Longstone was before I started. 

I was first off, and took my map, started my watch and immediately pottered off down the footpath to the left. I am not good at looking at the map and making a plan which is a shame as actually my initial route choice was sound! Initially I was bumping through an old field system of narrow medieval land spurs fenced in with limestone walls. I couldn't see too far ahead but I found the first control pretty easily (10 points in the bag), and decided to head for the good bridleways and paths on the edge. I was feeling pretty heavy and slow if I am honest. I chugged up a lane and found the next point  before turning on to a bridleway. I put my headphones on and started to relax, sort of enjoying the foggy stillness around me. I don't mind the fog, but mostly when i know where I am, not when I am navigating. 

I went up a steep track and collected another control near the top and turned to go back down. In hindsight, I should have then gone for a 50 on the edge of the map at this side, but I didn't. Instead I ran down the track and passed three other competitors coming the other way. We all said hi, smiling and enjoying the morning. The views were starting to appear and a cloud inversion was apparent. 

Rising up the other side of the valley, I moved towards Longstone edge. I collected the odd control, and passed a few campers in various places but it was mostly quiet. My body was also starting to warm up. I knew an amazing view would await at the edge of the Edge, and with the sun rising it did not disappoint. Then I began to drop down a gnarly little descent which I made hard work of. Somewhere below I heard voices but when I popped out the bottom, I saw no one. I galloped across a green field towards Great Longstone wondering about my next move: to go back up the same way or head east to the 40 pointer.....

As I stop up from dibbing the control at the bottom of the field, I heard a huff behind me and turned to stare in to the eyes of a gigantic white bull, about 20 meters away and walking towards me. Mercifully I have been on this path before and my route was now decided for me... I walked slowly backwards, starting my cow singing song (yes, I sing to cows, its a thing) as the bull and his harem advanced slowly towards me. I walked a little faster knowing the path bent left with the Dale in a few meters. As I rounded the corner out of sight of the bull I LEGGED IT. I legged it all the way to the next fence. There would have been no escape had they charged; I was basically in a funnel. Mercifully, the corner had gotten me out of sight long enough to get a head start. I hurried through the next field and to the safety of the lane at Great Longstone. The following sign was on this gate.....

I like Great Longstone and felt very guilty for startling an older gentleman as I appeared in the church yard taking the footpath short cut across the village. I toyed with the idea of getting a checkpoint on the Monsal trail at the South of the village but it was a long way for 20 points and there was a 50 at the top of the hill, and another 30 at a distant trig point, so I scampered up past the campsite, back to Longstone Edge. The cows seemed to have woken my body up and I was able to gently jog some of this, rather than just walk the uphills. 

It might be slightly cheating, but I remembered the next section from a previous orienteering event this side. So I found my way up to the pond and the 50 points at the top of the moor without too much difficulty. I was turned towards the west part of the course to see the final remains of the cloud inversion and the trig point I was aiming for sticking out above it. 

This route choice was not perfect: had I looked at the map properly I would have noticed most of the point to the other side of the trig and in the dale were only 10s and 20s, and would involve lots of climbing in and out of the dale to get. But in my head, the route had promised dales and therefore I should go to the dale section. So I ran off the moor, across the road, back in to hte fog and down a steep grassy field that was pretty slippy in places, and I made very much hard work of it, including losing the path at one point. I popped out the other end pleased to start ascending again and started the section of climb to the trig. 

There were a few more people now, as a combination of more people having started and also more people heading over to the moor from the dale (possibly having reached the same conclusions about the low scoring dale in the fog I belatedly came to). One of the people running towards me waved and I realised it was Kiloran, my fellow Chorlton Runner. It was her first event like this and we exchanged a few words, took a selfie and carried on. 

The trig point was stunning but I didn't tarry. I also made about my only nav error of the run, taking the wrong line off the top and having to adjust my route halfway down the pasture (CROW land) across a load of tussocks, at one point tripping over a particularly tough bramble and landing on my face. I must admit, overall the ground was much better than I had feared with all the rain we had had. White Peak is famous for its limestone which when wet can be a mare, plus we were traversing farm land which can get deeply muddy at times. This was reassuring as I headed for the Dale. 

The path across the top of the Dale was a bit slower than I hoped, as it was abit of an adverse camber. I was trying to find a good route with just under an hour to go. In the end, I elected to drop in to the Dale down a small path that wasn't too slippy but wasn't overly fast either, collect the control at the bottom and then climb out and head north. The climb out was initially steady but became very steep with steps through the trees. At times, crags appeared out of the fog hinting at how dramatic this dale is normally. 

On the far side, my plan started to unravel. The path  this side of the dale was tough going with camber and mud. I realised I was not going to get to the 30 pointed at the top of the valley, and dithered over to go to one of points, then decided not to.....eventually I turned towards the route back and the top of the a different path in to hte Dale. This path was glorious. There were several people coming up out the valley but I was alone heading towards the end. I then started up the climb on the other side which was much better than I had anticipated. 

So as I grabbed my last control at the end of the path back towards Wardlow, I realised I would be nearly 15 minutes early. Oh well, I was enjoying this last run towards Wardlow, and felt I was flying (for me) as I headed towards to road and then towards the village hall. 

I had enjoyed my run, so to find out I had a respectable if not competitive score was nice. I grabbed a cup of tea and enjoyed chatting to the organisers, stream of arriving competitors and spectators abot route options. I had definitely run based on interest points not competitive points but I had also really enjoyed the run and my nav was fine (mostly). I didn't even rank high among the Chorlton guys. Sadly, I can't make the next one but hoping to have another go at the November or December event and suggest a few more people do to!