Small Hours

John Martyn live at Reading University playing Small Hours from his brilliant One World album

The Slaters Arms, Bradley

We had a lovely club run last night from the Slaters Arms in Bradley, near Skipton. It was a great evening weather wise, and there was a good turn out of around 25 to 30 runners. Several runners were back after injury / illness including Brett and Sue plus Russ, who last I heard had just started a two year period of rest due to acute tendonitis of the groin. Ouch!!

The pub is a regular on our program of summer Wednesday night runs but I never go there otherwise. After looking at the food on offer last night I should go more often. The Timothy Taylor Golden Best was also well kept and tasty

Tinseltown

Strid Woods

It was a glorious evening when I got in from work yesterday so I grabbed my binoculars and went down to Barden Bridge for a walk in the Strid Woods I think I've mentioned the walk from Barden up to the Cavendish Pavilion and back before. It's regarded widely as one of the best short birdwatching walks in the Yorkshire Dales and rightly so

Not long after setting off I saw a pair of common sandpiper (I'd already seen oystercatcher and heard chiff chaff) and before I got to the Pavilion I'd heard (but not seen) greater spotted woodpecker drumming and green woodpecker yaffling. I was lucky to see several dippers and a heron too, along with some very cute mallard ducklings

After checking the time at the wooden bridge by the Pavillion I realised I had to get a move on to beat the impending darkness so I dashed back as fast as I could. I think I was a week or so early for the main species I was hoping to see (pied flycatcher, wood warbler and redstart) but time in the Woods is never wasted and I'd had a very pleasant couple of hours walk

Cash

Final push

Stef's BG will be starting at 7pm on Friday May 13. Therefore we're into the last couple of weeks of her training. We're staying in the cottage at Cockley Beck for a week from this coming Saturday and we've planned out four good training runs. These are recces of leg 3 (the long central section between Dunmail Raise and Wasdale) in two halves, plus a look at the options for traversing Mickledore, the col between Scafell Pike and Scafell the last peak on leg 3, and another run over leg 1, this time with Yiannis, who will be navigating on that leg for Stef

We went to the cottage twice last year and it's in a terrific setting at the head of the Duddon Valley. Hopefully we'll get some decent weather so we can relax a bit between runs. A day at the coast in the sunshine would be nice too!

Working for the clampdown

Withnail, Wheatear and I

I didn't meet my old boss on Friday evening but stayed in watching Withnail and I instead. Drinks were taken, although not at the same rate or in the same volume as demanded in the infamous drinking game I also watched my newly arrived Bedlamites DVD a couple of times

On Saturday morning I went over to Skipton and bought a new pair of Walsh PBs. On the way to Stanfords one of the town's top-rated pie shops, I bumped into Chris, an old mate from K&C. He's a nice guy and it was good chatting with him in the spring sunshine. In the afternoon I went up to Starbotton and did around 10miles and 3800ft crossing over to Arncliffe in Littondale, onto Kettlewell, then returning the way I went out. It was a stunning afternoon and I had the good fortune to see several wheatear, along with curlew, oystercatcher, meadow pipit etc

Yesterday I went back up the dale and did the first climb over to Arncliffe again (the bridleway over is wonderful, in particular the steep, bottom stretch). After running back over I then climbed Buckden Pike. If anything there were more wheatears on the way up and down the Pike than there were on the ridge between the two dales

I'd intended to have an easier week training this week and did, but still managed 10,000ft+ of climb without having a big day out; my fifth consecutive 10,000ft week

The Bedlamites on DVD

The excellent Bedlamites short film is now available to buy on DVD from Shyla and Lukas Lee. There seems to be a well-deserved buzz about the film in the fell running community and it was reviewed in glowing terms on the Mud, Sweat and Tears website earlier this week. I've ordered a copy already and I'm looking forward to seeing it again over the weekend

Reps and plans

It was back to the hills reps over on Ilkley Moor last night: 4 x 550ft on a near perfect evening to be out. A group of Ilkley Harriers were training in the same part of the moor, plus a few friends from Wharfedale too. I'm not sure if it was bumping repeatedly into those guys, or the fact I've lost 12pounds since Christmas now, or simply that the training is really starting to pay off but I was back at my car eight minutes faster than I've managed before. I was well chuffed!

I've got a weekend at home planned for a change. Tonight I'm meeting my old boss for a pint and a catch up. Tomorrow I'm finally going to get some new fell shoes then head up into Wharfedale for a longish run. On Sunday I'm meeting Dave if he's shaken off the cold he's had all week for more training

I'd overlooked the fact that I could have done the LDWA Grasmere Fells, Tarns and Gingerbread challenge event, which looks good, but it'll be nice to have a weekend where I don't have to drive over to Lakeland and sleeping in my own bed will be a novelty too