I attempted to run/walk the Wainwright Coast to Coast route during the hot, easter bank holiday. It provided a sublime challenge and an interesting route through the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. Unfortunately due to an ankle pain I withdrew just after the start of my fourth day near Catterick - having started in St Bees on the West Coast - so never made the North York Moors section. Still that is over 120 miles and getting on for 40 hours on feet, so I gave it a good go. Mark, who I was running with went on and arrived mid afternoon on his fifth day, at Robin Hoods bay - over 190 miles, I joined him for a few pints!
The ankle doesn't seem too bad now, but I've adopted a sensible approach to managing it - no Fellsman and likely no LDWA 100 mile challenge either. This is all disappointing, but I've decided to prioritise the UTLD in late July and the UTMB in late August.
Below I'll add some choice pictures from route. Enjoy :¬)
Something special in Carlisle station
Looking back over St Bees from the headland at the start of day 1
Our first hill climb, Dent
Ennerdale, our entry to Lakeland
Looking towards Black sail YHA and the end of Ennerdale after a long, hot trudge along its length on an unusually hot April day. Luckily we'd found an ice cold waterfall to refill from along the way.
Leaving Ennerdale the hardway over towards Borrowdale. Though there isn't an 'easy way' from the east end of this dale to any of the neighouring dales I'm aware of! We were suffering at this point having left lunch very late. A panini at the Slate mine visitor centre really perked us up.
'Scene-stealing' Eagle Crag after Stonewhaite valley.
Greenup Edge, part of the last long climb of the day before our descent to our overnight stop in Grasmere. We arrived back just in time for a quick wash before catching the 9pm last food orders at a local pub - having been out over 12 hours and covering about 40 miles.
Day 2 - Heading up alongside Tongue Gill towards Grisedale Tarn. At this time of the day most of the sheep are still laying in.
Into the clouds, still a way off the top. Thankfully it was cooler today as we had two big climbs in the first half of todays 43-or-so-mile haul.
The start of the long descent to 'green' Patterdale.
A welcome surprise on the way down. The recently renovated Ruthwaite Lodge (climbers hut) had been borrowed by fundraisers. One of whom had made several trips up from patterdale with cakes and coffee and water for tea (heavy) the previous day and earlier today. We contributed and got a cake and brew. I hope their efforts were rewarded by the many daywalkers and C2C'ers on route that day!
Dollywaggon Pike, High Crag and Nethermost Pike behind us as we descend into Grisedale.
Leaving Patterdale behind. The water in view is the southern tip of Ullswater.
Angle Tarn, an interesting feature on route over our second high pass of the day. On the way to the Knott we somehow got sidetracked and climbed Rest Dodd instead! No great harm done though as we were able to descend along the wall and we cut as close to the fall at Rampsgill Head as we dared to steal some distance back on route to the highest point on route - Kidsty Pike.
cont.....
I've mentioned it somewhere on here, possibly numerous times, but I plan to run the Coast to Coast next year. Following the challenging 190m Wainwright route of course - following from reading several excellent accounts in blog-land and hearing from former completors. The planning is underway and there's quite a lot to work out. First things first, my co-runner and I have commited to 5 days, so much so that we've started booking accomodation at appropriate intervals. We reckon this will be a challenging but not uncomfortable schedule, especially as the hilliest bits are at the start in the Lake Distict. Not to suggest that the Yorkshire Dales and, my oft bleak - more often stunning nemesis, the North York Moors are easy. So now we plan around the schedule.
Never being a fan of complication I'm toying with the idea of carrying the bare minimum of gear rather than using a sherpa company and only getting support on route in the form of places to eat and sleep. After doing the 180m section cycle of transpennine trail with a 10L pack. Which I had stuffed with bottle of energy drink, powdered energy drink I needed for second day, clean thin clothes for the evening and train journey back after second day, snack food to supplement food I'd buy on route, protective gear (waterproof, gloves, hat), navigation stuff and - the thankfully unused - spare innertube. Only thing I carried not in this bag was a small bumbag with puncture repair kit and phone and 2nd waterbottle on bike.
We've called the idea, "doing it caveman". Ok, thats a slight exaggeration, were not going to subsist off the land, catching rabbits, eating berries and grass. But, if we can confirm there are places on route to lunch substantially, then I plan to carry the minimum of food. Sure, this is 3 days longer than the TPT cycle, but I'll be using a 20L pack, and only plan on carrying extra's from that trip to the tune of a change of running gear, more food, more maps and numerous sachets of powdered energy drinks. Oh and I definately won't be needing an innertube!
