Saturday afternoon run out

A cracking afternoon for a run out along the Dales Way and back past Haw Pike farm and through the golf course. I must look at a map and see if the lane back has a name

Stepping stones

My favourite image from our Dales Way walk last weekend

Friday's lambs

Lambs

Spotted yesterday as I drove down the dale after a lovely walk from Grassington with Rich, Jan and Tussock and snapped today by Stef

Strid Wood walk

A couple of pictures from yesterday's dog walk with Richard and Jan in the Strid Woods. It was a lovely stroll followed by late lunch featuring Stef's first formed pie

Bolton Abbey fun

More Tussock

Out

The plan is to get out this weekend for some 'proper' training and (at least as importantly) some fresh air. Ilkley Moor, Beamsley Beacon / Round Hill, along the Wharfe towards Bolton Abbey or maybe across the Roman Road to Skipton are all possibilities, but it's going to happen and on both Saturday and Sunday

I'm not too worried how fast we run (or if walking is needed) but I want to be out for a minimum of six hours over the weekend. Oh, and short-eared owl, a woodcock or two, or peregrine would be nice too. Actually I'll settle for dipper and a mipit and maybe some winter thrushes

Sunday lunch

We went for lunch today with my twin brother Michael and his partner Deb. Michael invited us out as part of our (ongoing) engagement celebrations and I suggested we go to the Devonshire Arms In spite of living a few minutes up the road I'd never set foot in the pub in all the time I've been in Wharfedale

Every thing about the meal was great: lovely food, perfect service and a nice relaxed atmosphere in the brasserie. I also got to wear my new tweed jacket (Abraham Moon cloth from Guisley). Tweed seems to be my latest obsession after me spending hours recently scouring menswear blogs looking for a something to wear for our wedding. I doubt it will be another nine years before Stef and I return to the Devonshire  

Mandarin

Stef bought me a new digital camera for Christmas but I've only just started using it. These photos were taken on a recent walk in the Strid Woods at Bolton Abbey and show a surprsingly confiding mandarin drake

Two out of three ain't bad

I went for a walk in the Strid Woods on Sunday evening. It is still quite cold and the wind always seems to funnel downstream at Bolton Abbey (i.e. from the North) whichever way it's blowing, but I saw redstart (one handsome male) and pied flycatcher (a pair near the Hobbit's bus stop) along with lots of other woodland and riverside birds (LTT, treecreeper, nuthatch, willow warbler, common sandpiper, oystercatcher, sand martin etc) 

There was no sign of wood warbler (the last two years there have been three or four singing males in the area around the Strid itself) but I'll probably go for another walk later this week to try to see one. A wood warbler was found near where Stef's folks live in Devon and there are great photographs of this real woodland special here and here 

Cockley Beck

The weather was a bit mixed to put it mildly for our break at Cockley Beck, with a couple of stunning sunny days but two or three extremely wet and windy ones too. We managed to do 77 miles and around 29,000 feet of climb, which sounds incredible looking back now!  In fairness this was mostly jog / walked at Bob Graham pace (2.5 to 3 miles per hour or so), but we did run up Hardknott Pass one day over to Eskdale and back

The cottage we stay in at the Beck has no mobile phone signal or internet plus it's six miles to the nearest pub so we always take loads of food and drink and largely are either on the fell or in the cottage. There are some great birds in the area and I usually make a list of what we've seen during our stay. This year's highlights included siskin, swallow, raven, buzzard, red kite, wheatear, meadow pipit, chiffchaff and willow warbler

Stef has her Bob Graham attempt in two weeks time and is about to start her taper after this weekend's Highlander MM, which she's doing with Yiannis. I've been looking forward to a weekend catching up with friends and no (or relatively little) running. I went to the Narrowboat last night with a dozen or so KCAC pals to celebrate Brett's birthday and I'll probably have a walk in the Strid Woods at some point today; hopefully to see a wood warbler or two

20 in 20

A headtorcher at Bolton Abbey on Tuesday night, the usual club run last night from the White Lion (albeit reduced to three miles) plus a road run tonight and we're still on course to run every day in December. My cold feels like it's finally clearing up and the prospect of more runs in the light during the Christmas holidays including a trip to the Lakes has lifted my flagging spirits no end! 

Tuesday 'torcher

It was over to Bolton Abbey last night for a eight mile headtorcher with John, Chris, Andy and Johnny, plus John and Chris' dogs, Skye and Moss. We ran from the cricket ground up past the priory ruins and the Strid as far as the aquaduct at Barden and back. John showed us a steep path I'd never been on before, which I think would be brilliant for hill reps; not Bob Graham training reps but for short fell races

After the run it was all back to the Swan for much needed refreshment (it was a really mild night for mid-November). There was good news and bad - the Mary Jane ran out just before my pint was to be pulled but they also had Ilkley Black on, so Black it was! We had a lovely hour in the pub telling stories, pulling each other's legs and planning upcoming 50th birthday parties. All in all a splendid evening!