English champs come to a head at Langdale
Simon Bailey
This weekend sees the last race in the English Fell Running Championships, taking place at Langdale on Saturday. The Langdale Horseshoe is a tough 14m affair with 4000ft of climbing – a race where lines and navigation mean everything…
In the men’s championship current leader Simon Bailey looks strong for a fourth title, though Pippa Jackson has the ladies champs tied up with a maximum haul of 128 points after wins at Stetton Hills, Half Tour, Tebay and Wasdale.
Some great chat about the event on the ever-lively FRA forum, with a nice post by BG Sec on lines and routes across Bowfell and the tricky Bad Step…
A few thoughts on this from someone who learnt the ropes at Ambleside AC in the
Bowfell descent
I have always used a line that goes straight on from the top. Most folk seem to reverse back down then peel away to the right to pick up the main path.
Going straight over the top is nasty at first, because the summit block is all rocks and if wet they are not worn and are v slippy. The key is not to get drawn too far right onto the top of Bowfell Links, the shitty gullies that line that side of the mountain.
There are plenty of grassy lines that can be linked and I recall a Flat Crags lookalike which is passed just before you join the main path immediately before it tips off down to Three Tarns.
A young Rob Jebb at Langdale
Crinkles
I have always used the traverse because I believe it is a faster line, though when dragging up the grass bank you sometimes can’t believe it.
To get on it, take the main path from Three Tarns and do a few hundred yards before heading right over to a distinct rock notch just below a small crag.
Bad Step
The ground before the Bad Step is much worse than it was when I started fell running; I wouldn’t fancy even jogging down to the Step now. There is also the risk of traffic from walkers coming up and/or delay by runners in front of you.
I prefer a line that allows you to keep running. So reverse a wee bit from Long Top and pick up the bypass path that heads W then SSE. After the bulk of the descent, there is a small climb where the path heads leftish back towards the main col. Avoid this by going straight down and then up to tie in with the traverse line which bypasses the final Crinkle. There isn’t any less climbing this way, but it is more direct and there is more grass underfoot.
All quite tricky when the clag’s down. Ask former British Champ Keith Anderson who once ended up at Cockley Beck in a bad year.
Legends Ian Holmes and Keith Anderson
Course if you are still a little unsure you can always buy a race route map from Pete Bland Sports!!
Full race details:
SAT.OCT 10. LANGDALE HORSESHOE ®. AL. 11.00 a.m. 14m/4000’ from the Old Dungeon Ghyll, Great Langdale (GR 286062). £6.50 pre-entry only by 4th Oct. on official entry form, available from website or with SAE from organiser, cheques payable to “Ambleside A.C.”. Limit 500. Teams free. ER/LK/NS/PM. Over 18. Records: 1.55.03 A.Styan 1977; f. 2.23.25 H.Diamantides 1992. English Championship counter. Share cars if possible. Details: Roger Bell, 11 High Gale, Ambleside, LA22 0BG. Tel: 015394 32730. Email: bell.roger@btinternet.com Website: amblesideac.org.uk
