Cycle Camping - Carrog, Llangollen Valley and Heritage Railways

While I carried my camping gear "just in case", on a 110 mile tour of the Peak District last year, I managed in the day without trouble and did not need it.  I had not, until the present trip, done any cycle camping.  As I have run with camping gear in the past, the prospect of cycle camping was not that overwhelming.  Nonetheless, I still felt some trepidation as it was a while since I had made a lightweight expedition, and this one would have to be particularly light.

My Topeak DXP 'Trunk Bag' is quoted as 22.6 litres capacity, that doesn't sound a lot smaller than the 25 litres of my OMM rucsack, but 2.4 litres represents a lot of food (or a bloomin' big water bottle).  As I would be nearer civilisation when cycling than running, the obvious solution was to forego all but a minimum of food and shop as necessary.  I also bought a small top tube bag, that holds a phone, with tiny 'panniers'.  The panniers are useful for such items as; first aid kit, wallet, hand gel, charger, flapjack etc.  The gear and packing all worked nicely and I will create a page to share details in the near future.

The bridge over the Afon Dyfrdwy (River Dee) with the Grouse Inn behind, from Carrog.

Cycling to Carrog

The ride to Carrog (route here ed: and now embedded below) was a real pleasure in the Sunday sunshine.  I stopped to eat and drink every twenty miles or so, shopping to fill the empty sandwich space on the penultimate stop.  Lugging the panniers round the Cefn Mawr Tesco was no joke!  The trip, including stopping and shopping, took under five and a half hours, or about four hours and forty minutes of cycling.  This was much quicker than the six hours of cycling I had anticipated.

I had picked Carrog as a destination due to its pleasant situation, do-able distance and suitable campsite (the Station Campsite turned out to be very hospitable indeed, of which more later).  There was plenty to see on the way down, if I ride down again I will schedule more sight seeing stops.  As it was I stopped only to eat, taking in the countryside, beautiful villages and sights like the Horseshoe Falls as I cycled by.  The cycle route along the Llangollen canal was pretty, but fairly busy on a warm Sunday, this must have added quarter of an hour to the journey time.

 

Chez Moi au Carrog for a few days.

Carrog Station Campsite

I can't say enough about Carrog Station Campsite.  It was well run by friendly people, cheap, catered for solo back/cycle campers, is beautifully situated and has free showers!  The site is in a field bounded on one long side by trees and a hedge, beyond which is the Afon Dyfrdwy, and the opposite side by the charming station building, sidings and line of Carrog station on the Llangollen heritage line.  The eight pounds per night is very reasonable, though I was actually charged considerably less than that in the event.  I must have merited a low profile, non weekend camper discount or something.  I set up quickly and went to explore the surroundings.  I was just in time to catch some gorgeous fifties diesel railcars, at the station, that were on for the Sunday only.  Carrog is a tiny place and I had guessed that there were probably no shops*, the good news is that there is a pub.

*There are shops in Corwen which is only 2.8 miles away (2.5 by the main road).

 

Gorgeous fifties diesel rail car on the last run of the day.

The charming station at Carrog, station building from the road bridge.

The charming station at Carrog, waiting room on secondary platform, looking towards Corwen.

The Grouse Inn

 The Grouse sits on the north bank of the river.  There is food at reasonable prices, I couldn't see much suitable for vegetarians, but I didn't ask, they may 'mix and match'.  Pub grub on a daily basis is way beyond my budget, for what I intend to be a way of life, even when at reasonable prices.  I am fond of pale beers with plenty of bite and so I settled on the Manchester Pale Ale.  It is not a 'memorable' beer, but is entirely satisfactory.

I found the Grouse Inn to be a friendly place.  On the Sunday night I got chatting to a lovely local couple.  We found plenty in common, from the outdoors to jazz, and soul singers.  We ended up talking the evening away, from Peggy Lee to surfing.  It was a real joy to meet people who enjoyed activities as I do, for the pleasure of living completely in the moment, and oneness with movement and one's environment, and not for the extremity of the circumstances.

Steam Train to Llangollen

I had anticipated walking over Llantsilio mountain and descending to join the railway, then riding to Llangollen to do a bit of shopping/ambience absorption.  The rail time table meant that I would have to complete a 9.5 - 11.5 mile walk very quickly if I was to get back to Carrog after the shopping.  The idea of doing anything quickly, in the very warm weather, was not even to be considered.  This especially as my 'cycling light' meant that I had only a bum bag to carry water and sustenance†.

Consequently, I decided to just enjoy the sights on offer in a lazy, touristy way.  I arrived at Carrog station early and just chilled on the platform and enjoyed watching the train go through on its way to Corwen.  The ride to Llangollen is outstandingly pretty, I changed sides in the carriage several times to make the very best of it.

Carrying the shopping wasn't too big a problem, I ate most of it on a pleasant riverside seat!  The rest I put in a carrier bag (I always carry one or two as they take up so little space) to take back.  The problem with shopping a day or meal at a time is getting fruit and veg in suitable quantities.  The NISA store had a coleslaw and a chick pea salad available, these and a banana were a reasonable compromise.  Not quite up to my usual ten a day habit though.

†This is a problem I need to address for the future.  Something like the old Berghaus Blitz might be useful.

Carrog station, Steam back on for Monday.  This is my train, though it is on its way to Corwen here.  The  loco' will change ends when it comes back on the way to Llangollen.

Llangollen, looking east.

Llangollen looking west.

An evening walk, or two

Though I had walked a few miles round Llangollen, as the evening was still young when I got back to Carrog, I set off on the 'Quarry Path' from Llidiart y Parc after a beer (a 'one for the road' gift from the couple I had met the previous evening, the route was also a recommendation from them).  The path was, as I had been told, very worthwhile, the view of the village and the hills beyond unfolded beautifully.  The greenness of the valleys and the hills is quite breathtaking.

Llantsilio Mountain from the quarry path low on Moel Fferna. 

After my evening  meal, it was still a little early for the pub so I set off up the steep path from the Grouse that rejoins the Bryneglwys road.  I walked to the top of the ridge to take in the views to the north, then retraced my steps back to the Grouse.

The ride home

The ride home was pleasant, the canal towpath was a little less busy on a weekday and the weather was a little cooler.  The ride did not have the same thrill of anticipation that the ride down had.  To add some interest, I stopped along the way to take in Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  I have seen pictures and films many times, but was still shocked by the sheer audacity of the structure when I saw it for real.  A visit is strongly recommended.

The incredible Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

A little later, I was pedalling up an extremely steep hill when my phone rang.  After a false start and a lost signal, I answered and the conversation ran a little like this:

"Hello, el"?
"Speaking".
"This is work and we're making you redundant".
"I see, well thanks for letting me know, I'll see you tomorrow"!

Looks like I'll be doing more touring than I thought.
 

Apart from that... as they say, the experience proved remarkably accessible and I am sure I will do it again.  Maybe I will travel on after a stop in Carrog next time.  Maybe I will do that Llantsilio walk.
Ed: I am now a supporter of Mapometer. Supporter status allows me to embed maps in my blog. The trip described above is mapped below. I will endeavour to update some of my old routes with maps when I can.

Rainow 5 BS, 5 miles, 751' - 2018

The Rainow 5 is an automatic inclusion in my calendar.  It's a fair drive for me, and means a late night followed by a five thirty a.m. start.  The traffic on the drive in had me wondering whether it was worth the effort.  My memory reminded me that this thought was not new and that in a couple of hours I would be scampering along Kerridge with a big smile on my face, shouting "fantastic" to myself.

My knees have been hurting quite a lot lately and on Tuesday I woke with that feeling that a cold was coming.  The symptoms were still very mild on Wednesday and the knees weren't too bad so I packed my stuff ready for after work.  The drive from Northwich to Bollington was painfully slow, my Garmin asked (with synthetic lack of irony) whether I wanted to switch to pedestrian mode!  By the time I reached Bollington the rain showers had diminished to intermittent light drizzle, and I cheered up with the prospect of sandwiches and a pleasant walk in.

Runners to vanishing point, a good turn out again.

The walk to Rainow was as delightful as ever, the lambs gambolling was a particular feature this year.  Several of the squeeze stiles had pieces of fence across them, presumably the tiny larrys were getting through without much trouble.  The rain held off, but many lurked in Rainow institute just in case.  One hundred and seventy seven runners squeezed into Smithy Lane.  It was hard to move through the pack on the tarmacked road and not much easier on the descending track, Oakenbank Lane, at first.  I must have managed OK as I arrived to a much shorter queue at the first stile than in previous years.

The steep ascent up to White Nancy, Bollington in the background (left).

We made our way through the fields to where the outward route crossed my walk in path on the outskirts of Bollington.  The surface was extremely good, firm and springy, just about everywhere.  I concentrated on running 'solidly', I wanted to make a reasonable go of the race without putting my knees in jeopardy.  We crossed the valley bottom and then started the steep ascent straight up the side of Kerridge, to White Nancy.  I maintained a reasonable 'trot' until near the top.  I had decided I would get a shot looking down at the runners here this year.  The colours of a couple of runners ahead were particularly appealing, so I got a move on and overtook them gaining enough distance to include them in my shot (above).

The enchanting run along Kerridge, and a surface like a well kept rural green.

I had already started muttering 'fantastic' crossing fields on the the descent from Rainow.  Here on Kerridge my face practically ached with involuntary smiles and I whooped out my appreciative war cry repeatedly as the occasion demanded.

Near the end of the ridge a gentleman passed me.  He remarked to me that there was little point in his passing as I would only pull away again on the upcoming descent.  How familiar that sentiment sounded, and how unfamiliar to be the person hearing rather than voicing it!  I mentioned this to the runner as he passed, and how it was only in very recent times that I had acquired any skill in this respect.  It would have been nice to continue to chat to my fellow runner, but as the path now began to descend and I didn't want to contradict him, I overtook and pulled away.

I kept my pace up as the route levelled and thought that I had opened a gap of more than ten seconds.  However, just after emerging from the next kissing gate I heard a clang as someone else came through.  I would have paused to stop the gate latching if I had realised someone was that close, and did so at the next gate.  By now the pursuer was right on my tail, but it was a female runner, not the gentleman I had passed earlier, she soon passed me in turn.  Shortly I opened a good lead on the chasing pack though I was still a good few seconds behind the one in front so ran on my own for a while.  I tried to close in on the pack ahead as we climbed back up to Rainow.  I overtook one runner who fell back, but never caught the group.  I finished, found a welcome cup of water, then looked for those I had met during the race.

Twilight and the flagged path back to Bollington.

Back at the Rainow Institute I filled up with cake (the lemon drizzle was gorgeous), a cheese and tomato roll, and enjoyed one of the excellent espressos on offer.  I wasn't sure of my time, it turns out I pipped last years by around half a minute so I am happy with that.  Full results are on the Macc' Harriers site HERE.   The walk back in the twilight was a real pleasure, one I shared for a short while with a charming young woman and her dog, that I met along the way.


I had planned to retire from working at the start of this month.  I want more time to myself to spend outdoors with what is left of my mobility.  My employers persuaded me to cut my hours instead.  This works fairly well for both of us, I have two more days to ride, walk and run, they get a 'handover' period.  I also avoid the shock of suddenly having no income at all.

A walk in the woods, a carpet of bluebells in Parrot's Drumble near Talke in North Staffordshire.

I've done little with my first few days off, apart for some short walks and casual bike rides, as knee pain meant rest if I was to be fit for the Rainow 5.   I'm looking forward to a nice long ride this week though.  I'm planning a leisurely ride up NCR 55 to have a look round Bollington in the daytime.  I anticipate a lot of cycle touring in the near future.

Mow Cop Hill Race 2018, 6.5 miles, BM, and a ride to Wincle Brewery

Time for my first event of the year which,  for yet another year, was Mow Cop Hill Race.  It was the race's ninth year and my ninth time running it.  A week earlier I rode over to Wincle  Brewery.  Though the weather was less than sparkling for the Bank Holiday, the Sunday wasn't too bad and I took the opportunity for a pleasure ride.

Mow Cop Hill Race
Now that arthritis has dramatically reduced the amount of running I can do, the significance of missing one or two runs is much greater.  For one reason or another I had only managed to run twice since February and not for a fortnight before the event.  Cycling for at least 14 hours a week keeps me generally fit, all the same I am always nervous when I am not specifically fit.  Still, there was no way I was going to miss Mow Cop Hill Race this year and blot my perfect attendance record.

Warming up on the steep bank leading out from Mow Cop Village Hall car park.

The usual car park was a mire, but an adjacent area and the Mow Cop Village Hall car park were skilfully marshalled and all went smoothly.  Though the sun didn't shine for us this year, it was warm enough for shorts and singlet and there was no threat of rain.

Gathering for the start were one hundred runners.  Geoff started off the briefing before joining us for the first time.

One hundred runners mustered for the start.  Geoff Petengell, one of those responsible for the race, was joining us for the first time.  He delivered the briefing then 'changed sides', leaving someone else to call the off.  The reason for his participation as a runner this year was revealed later.

I made a fast start, the gradients match my running strengths and it is worth getting to the first stile as early as possible.  Even the path by the playing fields above the village hall had big patches of deep mud.  I sustained my speed up the fields on the way to the quarry.  Unusually, the rocks on the climb out of the sandy quarry had mud on them and there were a few slipping feet.  We ran past the folly and on to the Old Man of Mow, taking the longer path past this year.  At this point I became conscious of the fact that I was still going quite hard.  Uncharacteristically, I continued at the same level of effort.

Now quite why I decided to continue running hard is a bit of a mystery to me.  Real effort has always seemed a little vulgar and undignified for me (heroic in others though).  I did make an effort once before, in my one and only road race, where I managed a half marathon in under 1:36.  Let's face it though, in a road race there's bugger all else to do.

Heading up through the quarry, quite slippery this year as the rock had become coated with the ubiquitous mud.

There was a lot of mud everywhere, I had chosen to wear shoes with a very aggressive tread, my More Mile Cheviots, they worked well especially downhill in the mud and tree roots in the wooded area by the side of Mow Lane.  I am growing fond of these shoes, which I only bought as something cheap for kicking around and riding the bike in.

The boggy bit after joining and leaving the road at Roe Park was an especial joy this year, reminding many of the filthy run up to the Roaches on the Roaches Fell Race.  No souls (or shoes) were lost as far as I know.  I fair zipped along here, the right pace can help one sort of skim along on the coarse cane grass.  Making 'tactical' micro routing decisions is counter productive in my opinion, one just slows down and starts sinking.

Out of the bog it is all downhill again.  Just after the lovely section following the stream, I felt some pain in my hamstrings.  This was a novelty, it's about the only place I haven't had a pain before. The pain didn't get any worse with effort so I kept going.  Keeping it going is not hard on this section, all the same, a few 'challengers' spurred me on.  I found my road legs here on the lanes, a huge stride is very efficient down hill (not sure of the effect on joints though).  This allowed me to pull away from my challengers, while actually reducing my breathing rate and intensity.  A psychological and physical riposte ;-).

It was soon time to begin ascending again and long strides were left behind for a sort of shambling run, run/walk walk etc.  Under a tree, opposite the house in the field before the woods, sat a gentleman with a lovely grey Staffie sat at attention on his knee.  The attentive expression on the animal's face was a picture, one could imagine dog and owner sharing critical observations on our performance.  As I had decided to keep the pressure on, I did not stop for a photo.  Anyway it would have seemed a little presumptuous to stop and point a camera at a spectator.

I picked it up as soon as I emerged from the woods, fending off a few more challenges, though I was feeling it by now and was passed once in the last fields before the village.  I was very cautious over the fences and hay bales as I really was very tired.  I kept it on to the end and it was quite a relief to cross the finish line, I was really ready for the water on offer in the village hall car park.

Tea and coffee and some amazing home made cakes.

I walked back to the car park looking for a puddle or stream to wash in before going into the village hall.  The only puddle I could find was very muddy and my efforts weren't worth much (the picture of my shoes below is from after attempting to wash them!  I scraped off as much mud as  I could and used my wet socks to remove a little more before changing into dry stuff.  Back in the hall I ate a considerable amount of the smashing cake on offer.

During the results and awards we found out Geoff's reason for running this year.  Apparently he has just turned 60 and was determined to win the V60 category, this he did despite trailing at second for five miles.  Congratulations Geoff and welcome to the sexagenarian club.

Did I mention that it was muddy?

It's good to be 'back in harness'.  All the effort I made got me back in three minutes under last years time, nearly half a minute a mile quicker.  This was heartening, at an age when not getting any worse means that one is getting better.  I definitely enjoy running at a modest pace more.  Speed does matter to me, it's just that my goals are 'speed at a comfortable level of effort' based, rather than what I can do when the hounds of Annwn are behind me (except when the hounds of Annwn are behind me).  Fun perhaps once a decade or so though - I had quite forgotten what barely being able to walk down stairs the next day felt like.

Wincle Brewery

The outlook for pleasure rides wasn't sparkling for the Bank Holiday period.  Sunday's weather promised to be a little grey, but it wasn't expected to rain and would be warm enough for shorts and jersey, if you were brave.  I have run past Wincle Brewery, when on the Dane Valley Way section of my old 28 mile Saturday long slow run, many times.  I have sampled its products, post run in the Gradbach hostel often, but have never had the opportunity to stop in the rather charmingly situated brewery.

The excellent Molly, Wincle brewery's popular 'greeter'.

I planned different out and back routes using BRouter web and loaded the files onto my GPS.  I didn't check where the route went, as a mystery ride is a bit of fun and, as they say, it's all good.  The route mostly followed NCR 550 out of Stoke to the Hollybush then forked left on the 559 to Leek, passing the Leek Tunnel on the way.  I stopped near the tunnel for sandwiches.  There are steep steps where the path bypasses the tunnel, a narrow ramp alongside the steps sufficient to wheel a bicycle up, is a real boon.

I stayed on the 559 through Leek, on up past Tittesworth Reservoir to Meerbrook.  Surprisingly, I was now directed directly north instead of west round Gun Hill.   I should have paid more attention to the outward route as the software had used some footpaths¹.  I am fiercely against bicycles on footpaths, however by the time I realised what had happened, turning back and using a different route would have added a ten mile penalty.  In this case I had no choice, but to dismount and carry on.

While dismounting is technically permissible, it is still not really satisfactory and anyway, progress over what turned out to be very marshy ground and one very high and narrow stile was far from fun (the balance of the bike with rear panniers fitted made a shoulder carry a non starter).  Even without the weight of a rider the wheels sank more than rim deep and I had to wipe off as much mud as I could with handfuls of grass.

The old steed, and Molly off to greet the next customer.

Once back on the road I soon forgot my wet and muddy feet as I enjoyed the scenery on a long freewheel down to Danebridge.  I swooped into the brewery car park, propped up the bike and was promptly greeted by the excellent Molly.

A welcoming site.

I sat outside and enjoyed my beer and a chat with other drinkers.  Had it been finer I would have had more beer then walked/slept it off before starting back.  As it was I ended up hurrying my 'Wincle Waller' a little as the ambient temperature dropped.  I should have gone back into the shop where there was a nice wood burner, a mistake another cyclist, down from Macclesfield, hadn't made.

The ride back, which was pretty much the GPS default route for cyclists, was pleasantly uneventful.  I hit just shy of 40 m.p.h on the way down to Bosley!  I was surprisingly tired when I got home, the whole ride was little more than my daily commute (though a lot more than twice the ascent).  I will no doubt visit again, continuing with different out and back routes.  It should be easy to modify the outward route to take the Gunhill Road, Rudyard Road, Bearda Hill option. I don't want to think about how much ascent that will add.  Funny, I can't think of running without hills, the more ascent the better, cycling is another matter entirely.

¹  BRouter allows users to configure their own routing profiles so it is possible to write a profile to stop it doing this.  Unfortunately details on the scripting aren't that easy to find, I 'm on it and will share when I crack it.  BRouter is easily the best routing tool I've used, mainly by virtue of the underlying maps available.

Macclesfield Forest, Shutlingsloe and Tegg's Nose.

I've done many runs including Shutlingsloe, Tegg's Nose and Macclesfield Forest, none of those routes were compact.  They all used the bridleway down from Tegg's Nose visitor centre, an evil, hard surfaced, knee wrecker and slippery in the wet to boot.  A virtual recce., using aerial photographs and OpenStreetMap, suggested a better descent.  As it happened I found a better route still.  This route is clear on the ground, but not shown on OS maps or, previously, on OpenStreetMap.

Cheshire plains and Tegg's Nose from the permissive path, onto Shutlingsloe, skirting the southern edge of Macc' Forest.

The loose plan was to start from Standing Stone car park, take the permissive path onto Shutlingsloe, go round to the south and take the direct route up, then down the steps into the Forest.  From the Forest, take the Forest Bridleway to the Gritstone Way and the Gritstone Way into Langley and up the Nose.  From the top of the Nose, partly retrace my steps and take a non RoW path west to east across the southern flank to join Forest Road and on to Hacked Lane.  Follow Hacked Lane back to the Forest then take the Forest Chapel path to Charity Lane and the Chapel, then go a short way down the Lane to pick up the paths back to Hanging Stone.

 Shutlingsloe summit looking west, overcast, but with sunny spells, reasonable visibility and a sheep.

I ran up Shutlingsloe according to the plan, I caught another runner on the descent and we had a good chat.  We went our respective ways in the Forest where I explored, looking for a good route to the Gritstone way.  I ended up on some MTB trails that were OK, but I think there are better ways left to be found.  There is a public footpath, west, off the Gritstone Way about 150 metres before the road in Langley.  I couldn't remember seeing this path on OSM, so ran it to its end and back to get a GPS track.

I took the Gritstone Way up the Nose, running on up to the quarry before turning round.  Not far from the top, I could see a path zig zagging south east then turning north east.  This path was not on any map that I had seen and seemed a pleasant and promising way of getting back to the Forest.  This promise was fulfilled, I had a very pleasant descent and, fortuitously, the path ended at the tracks (Crooked Yard Road and Forest Road) that lead to Hacked Way.  I noted later that the RoW running west off Hacked Way to Clough House then south, has not been mapped for OSM, so have another reason for running the route again.

An unusual feature, near the start of the north east descent path.  I'll have to go and add something.

I used to follow Hacked Way Lane to Charity Lane then run east round the top of the Forest.  I was not out to maximise distance this time, so I took the first path back into the Forest and on to Forest Chapel.  As I passed the little ruined building, where the path crosses the bridleway, I spotted something new.  A small 'shrine' with a notice had appeared at the eastern end of the building.  I have included a photograph below, it was a fascinating piece of local history that touched deeply.

The eastern end of the ruined house where the Forest Chapel path crosses the Forest Bridleway, a photo I took a while back.

The memorial that has appeared at the end of the building.  The text should be readable if you click on the image to enlarge.

I have always enjoyed the Forest Chapel path and this time was no exception.  I was soon at the junction with Charity Lane, then at the Chapel.  I took the road back towards the reservoirs for a short way, then picked up the footpath south, this is soon left on a path signposted to Hanging Stone.  This last path is always over shockingly quickly, there is a bit of a clearing and then, bang, one suddenly becomes aware that the car park is in sight.  The thought of beer and sandwiches is some consolation.

I ran 9.37 miles with around 2070' of ascent.  Missing out the tracking detours and with a typical descent in the Forest to the Gritstone Way gives 8.8 miles, 1826' of ascent.  Both unmapped paths are now on OSM.

Evening on Tegg's Nose, and a morning on Chrome and Parkhouse hills

A spontaneous decision to do a run from Langley, including Tegg's Nose, turned out rather well.  This spurred an effort to 'get out more'.  A run over Chrome and Parkhouse hills the next weekend did not go at all as planned, I had a great time even though the route I ran was not the one I intended and could probably be bettered.

Langley and Tegg's Nose

I found myself working, once again, on the first weekend in August.  Tragic, especially as the weather was fine.  To make the best of it I decided to have a good run on the way home.  I had plumped on 'The Cloud' again as I knew the route and it is the most 'on the way home' (that is, not really, rather than not at all) of any real hill.  As I worked my way through my boring tasks, I decided I deserved something a little more special.

Panorama from the Langley side of Tegg's Nose.

I formed the idea of making a five and a half mile loop out of the nearest section of my old 'cooking' 28 miler.  Trouble was, I had no maps.  I did however have my Mio GPS that I had brought for logging and tracking.  I quickly drew up a route, made a .gpx and loaded it onto the Mio.  I have serious reservations about running with a GPS only, mainly because of the lack of geographical features or any route overview.  As I knew the area a little, the route was frequently crossed by roads, and Tegg's Nose was likely to be visible most of the time, I didn't really think that there were any significant risks.  I arrived in the car park by the reservoir in Langley at around half five.

 I ran towards 'Hanging Gate', peeling off south west before I got there.  I met a few walkers, who were looking for the pub, just after I crossed Meg Lane and I was able to point out the route.  I ran on until Hollin Lane and then followed it north west until the next footpath but one.  This was a new path to me and I was pleasantly surprised by an unmapped expanse of water near its end.  I ran through Langley, back through the car park then on up Tegg's Nose for an amazing panorama followed by some good descent practise.

Hidden pool at the end of the path from Ridge Hill to Langley.  Not yet shown on OpenStreetMap.

It all went rather smoothly, I found running with the Mio in my hand less of a pain than I had anticipated.  There were a few easily corrected navigational wobbles.  These were no more than I would expect where there are proximate multiple paths, even if I had been 'thumbing' a printed map.

Reservoir at the foot of Tegg's Nose and the mast at Sutton Common/Croker Hill (this image is centre left of the panorama above)..

A lovely white dog, with a wagging tail and what I can only describe as a big smile on its face, came over to see me as I finished a wash back at the car.  I was charmed by the creature's enthusiastic candour and was soon fussing my new friend.  I chatted for a while with her humans, about the lovely light, before they all went on their way.

I had brought a few sandwiches and had a 'Nanny State' that I had cooled in the fridge at work then wrapped in blankets.  After my dousing and with fresh clothes donned, I sat on a bench by the reservoir and enjoyed the rest of the evening light, my sandwiches and the still chilled 'Nanny State'.  I really can't think of many finer ways to enjoy a summers evening.

 The route (in red) - about 5.5 miles and 1080' of ascent.  Shown over OpenStreetMap, Cycle Map layer.

Parkhouse Hill, Chrome Hill and High Edge from Earl Sterndale

The success of the snatched evening at Langley, furthered my resolve to plan some better routes.  I no longer have an easy way of printing from my mapping software so it would have to be the Mio again.  I was somewhat emboldened by my last experience, so felt happy to venture somewhere new (I know Earl Sterndale well, but know the inside of the 'Quiet Woman' better than the local paths).

I took the path by the 'Quiet Woman', my route turned right almost immediately.  I could see the path straight ahead, but could not work out the route through buildings and gardens to the right.  I gave up on my path as I didn't fancy hopping through gardens without a firm idea of the way.  I knew that the other path wasn't a huge detour and it looked pleasant enough.  I would leave it to my GPS to figure out the detour back onto the route.  I was about to learn a lesson in 'hard' logic.

It all made sense at first, I followed instructions to turn right at the end of the path until I met a road.  My intuition told me to turn right here, but the device told me to carry straight on.  This was a surprise as the first hill was now on my right.  I thought perhaps the ridge was joined from the side so let it go.  After a while and when the device told me to turn left I began to smell a rat.  Then the truth dawned.  GPSs don't care about running the route, it was taking me on the shortest line to join the return leg!!

Very special view, along the ridge, Chrome Hill from Parkhouse Hill.  The ridge looks like it comes to a steep end at the knoll, it does!

I used my common sense and eyes to find my way up Parkhouse Hill, I retraced my steps back to the road so that I started at the end of the ridge.  The route was now obvious for a while.  This was just as well as the bright, but low sun made the Mio display almost invisible*.  The run along the ridge was excellent and the views very special.  The ridge looked as if it came to a steep end at a rocky knoll and indeed it did.  The descent route looked like err, interesting running.  The descent itself was very steep and the drop to the side was not one you would want to fall down.

The insane descent path off Parkhouse Hill.  Yes, those little dark marks, with a big drop to the side, are it!

I reached the road intact, if shaken, crossed it and was soon on my way up Chrome Hill, I passed a little limestone arch with views to north north east and was soon near the end of this ridge.  Again, the views were really rather wonderful.

 Just past the summit of Chrome Hill looking north west, pretty much the direction the route continues.

I descended Chrome Hill and joined a track, following it north west then turning north onto a footpath and High Edge.  I left the footpath when I was due east of the summit and headed directly west across the moor.  I soon found what I was looking for, an enigmatic World War II bunker, I managed to drop the Mio and put a tiny dink in the glass, while climbing inside.  My peace was shattered on this part of the route by loud squealing, the sound of thrashed engines, the smell of burning rubber and a pall of smoke.  It seems there was a practise session at High Edge Raceway.

Inside the bunker on High Edge, not so much a room as a very narrow corridor round a massive central pillar.

I continued in the same direction until I met the path on the western side of High Edge, turned south, recrossed the track and continued south on a footpath then track.  I got into some difficulty with navigation here, the instructions I was getting were nonsensical, I could barely see the display and what I could see was just a line in space.  I took a recommended turn and 'miles remaining' jumped from just over three to four and a half!  Something was clearly amiss so I abandoned the intended route (I had forgotten that I had stuffed the huge OL24 White Peak map in my bum bag) and put the Mio away.

I headed east past Stoop Farm to join the track I had taken to High Edge, then keeping the ridge I had come in on to my right, I ran by track, path and road, back to Earl Sterndale.  I had to reset the Mio to turn it off.  Fortunately the data was saved.  A post mortem on Monday revealed the reason for some of the errors**, but not the freeze.  My reservations concerning devices that don't show elevation and cannot present an overview (a: screen too small. b: footpaths and tracks are not shown at all at wider view zoom levels) are renewed.  I'll just have to fork out another fortune for ink cartridges.

It was a cracking run, notwithstanding the navigational failures.  I ran just under 8.5 miles and 1730' of ascent.  I do think the intended route back, to the south of the ridge would have been better and would have given very nearly 250' per mile.

The ridge run, ascents and descents were absolutely excellent, more like a mountain run than anything else.  Cheese and mustard pickle sandwiches and a chilled Nanny State finished the morning nicely.


* The Mio display is transflective, and very good in quite strong light.  It was the very low angle of the strong light that was the problem.

** Not usually actual errors.  I find that most daft GPS behaviour is caused by hard logic on tiny inaccuracies or discontinuities in the .gpx.  These are often caused by badly drawn nodes in the underlying map ways (see below).

An apparent contradiction between the turn indicator (top left) and the route, marked in green and arrowed, at a T junction.  This particular 'error' is because the T is not properly formed on the map the route was derived from.  The device is simply relaying the first of a set of instructions that say something like;  turn left, after one metre perform a U turn.  N.B. That when creating the route you may, for example, be mapping while viewing an OpenStreetMap layer, but be routed following, e.g., Google Map ways (some online mapping utilities do this).  This gives rise to errors that can be very hard to debug.

Discontinuities in a mapped way also explain the oft seen, 'in 800 metres go straight on', when there is no junction in sight.  There may be a junction in the mapped ways, effectively the device is saying 'at end of Road A part one, go straight on to Road A part two'.

Green, Green, Grass of Home 2017, AS

The 25th saw the end of my fifties.  My colleagues at work clubbed together to get me a substantial quantity of Brew Dog products to mark the occasion.  This touching gesture helped dispel the gloom that I felt despite a very pleasant ride in.  No point in mourning the passing of my fifties, time to move on and start my sixties.  I decided on the 'Green, Green, Grass of Home' at Llangynhafal, 8 km/5 miles, 457m/1499' (AS), on the 26th for my MV60 début.

Day to day

Cheshire Cycle Route closures 

My commute has been interrupted again by major bridge works on the M6.  Two bridges over National Cycle Route Five are affected.  If you are planning to use NCR 5, be aware that the road under the bridge near Hassall Green, Cheshire is closed for eight months.  The 'Salt Line' is closed only between 08:00 and 17:00, but you can't follow/join NCR 5 from the end due to the road closure.  The shortest detour, is to leave the Salt Line at the Roughwood Hollow (incorrectly shown as Betchton Road on Google maps) crossing, and ride up to the alternative (road) NCR 5, joining Roughwood Lane via a hairpin junction (or vice versa if you're coming the other way).  Alternatively, you can use the road option in its entirety, but I'd miss the tranquillity of the Salt Line.

 

 I don't want to worry M6 users, but!!  One of the bridges carrying the M6 (over the 'Salt Line') that are on my commute.  Works have forced me to detour again, only weeks after the previous works ended.  It is estimated that works will last eight months!!  Inset: Detour to Hassall Green (bright green).

My Mio

 I treated myself to a Mio Cyclo 300 GPS last month.  I had been toying with getting a handheld GPS for a while and one came up at an exceptionally good price (£80 new and boxed).  In general I am very pleased with the device  I am Beta testing for the manufacturer right now, but will add a dedicated page when I get back to release software.

Training

I have managed to get some odd extra runs in despite my long commute and weekend work.  The last was an evening run on the 'Cloud' at Bosley.  I was missing 'real' terrain so took the little known direct path up from the north.  There were ferns up to my shoulders near the top and the path was completely invisible, I could just follow it by 'feeling' with my feet.  There were no distant views that day, it was forty minutes snatched between storms.  Always good to be on the Cloud though.  The farmhouses in the valley are also rather fine, and then there are the white peacocks.

 White peacock, not far down the hill from the car park, gorgeous farm buildings and farm machinery too.  These birds are often perched in the barn, but I saw one on the lawn this time.

Green, Green, Grass of Home

My plans were almost thwarted before I started.  My Garmin Nuvi returned no results for either the postcode or Llangynhafal.  Before resorting to using the nearest big town and guessing, I tried pointing at the map.  This is always frustrating as when you zoom in enough for minor roads to appear the screen shows such a small area you lose your place.  This is made even worse by the entropy on the swipe and constant suggestions for things you don't want.  Eventually I did find the place, only to find it clearly named Llangynhafal.  No idea why the search couldn't find it!

I don't travel hopefully and the nearly 50 mile drive there was occupied with worries such as; will there be anywhere to park, will there be any toilets, will I be too knackered to run, will my knees hold out, will I be too knackered at 05:30 tomorrow morning, etc.  I was glad to arrive at the venue, the Golden Lion in Llangynhafal. As for the worries; there was, there were, I wasn't, they did, only a bit.

The Golden Lion in Llangynhafal.  A very welcome sight at the end of a long rush hour drive, or at any other time I should think.

There was a ten minute walk from registration to the race start,  I had plenty of time in hand so ate a few sandwiches and chatted with other runners until 19:00.  The walk was steeply uphill, which stirred car drowsy muscles nicely.  The paths were not shown on Open Street Map, I was carrying the Mio so I tracked as I went so I can add them later.  Clear skies, after the very rainy afternoon, had been promised.  This didn't quite happen, there was a mixture of clear sky and dark cloud which gave some very beautiful light.

 At the start, wonderful lighting from the patchy evening sky.  Sometimes bright enough to make one squint, sometimes dark enough to trigger autoflash.

The view back down the valley, taken at more or less the same time as the previous shot.

Left: Gathering for the briefing and start. Right: We're off, climbing starts straight away and soon steepens.

The climbing starts straight away, following old tracks and steepening quickly until the first highpoint is reached less than a mile into the race.  There is then a short descent before a short 'almost' contouring section before continuing the descent to the lowest point at 1.5 miles.  There were some cracking views here as we now faced the valley from whence we came.

Gorgeous views, looking back down to the valley from a beautiful green path that was as flat as any of this event gets (level distance 0.16 miles out of 5 according to my stats!).

Following the descent came the main lift until we were on the Offa's Dyke Path and on our way to Moel Dywll.  Moel Famau and its Jubilee Tower were clearly visible as we swung south and eventually south west on the ridge.  The highest point at just over 1500' is reached at 4.25 miles, it was then all downhill.  There was a wonderful section of steep descent on heather with little to no path.  I approached with caution, but once I was overtaken I started chasing and began to enjoy it immensely.  The wonderful sense of exhilaration I felt running through the heather and bilberries is one of the high points in my running experience.   I genuinely did not know I could run that fast.

"I say Carruthers, are you sure you saw red and white tape up there"?  Some interesting terrain, we were warned (not as bad as the Cloud last week though).

Though the angle decreased, as we rejoined the outward path at around 4.7 miles, there was only one small hump to break the  descent to the finish.  I never did catch the runner who overtook me in the heather, came darn close though.  I came in at 58 minutes  something or other as far as I can make out.  I was too busy enjoying the glow and congratulating close finishers to worry about checking my watch.  I'm pretty pleased to have come in under the hour, in one piece and with no knee pain on a Category A five miler with 'proper' terrain.

It was a long drive home, fortunately I felt energised by the run so tiredness was not a problem.  I scoffed the rest of my sandwiches as I drove.  I took a 660ml of Punk out of my Brew Dog gift and put it in the freezer while I started preparing tomorrow's lunch.  The beer was still a little too warm when I had finished, I wasn't complaining.  It was about 23:45 by the time I had done everything I had to do.  I kept a mouthful of beer for just before I turned the lights out.  I drank the mouthful, a great tasting end to a great tasting day, I left worrying about the 05:30 start until it came.

I only travelled this far as a treat for my first V60, despite the long journey for a short midweek run I will be back for this event next year.  It was staggeringly good!

Results are now up here.  Predictably, my category position has improved, after all I am now ten years younger!  Hi to John Morris who I especially enjoyed speaking to before and after the race.  John (M70) came in 7 seconds after me at 58:13.  I would also like to express, in the words of our hosts (WFRA) -  "[m]any thanks to the race marshals who ensured the runners found their way around the course, to Colin and Helen at the Golden Lion for accommodating the race HQ and to all the runners who took part in this very enjoyable summer race".