Coledale Run

heading up Barrow - feet in the clouds

rounding the corner to climb up to Barrow

My wife is at work this afternoon so childcare duties meant that I only had the morning to play out on the fells today so we planned an early start.  I had a few little aches from yesterday's run but nothing that a few Nurofen couldn't handle.

I met up with Jonathan and Andy at Cockermouth and then we jumped in one car to go through to Braithwaite, parking just below the scree on Barrow.

Barrow is the fell that you see driving west from Keswick, it looks very triangular.  When you drive east towards Keswick, you can see the wide grass path up the nose of it.  I always think that this path looks really inviting.

Catbells and Derwentwater - going to be a nice day

There was a bit of rain as we set off but before long it warmed up and we were taking jackets off.  There was some lovely cloud around, dancing around the peaks.  We even saw Brocken Spectres as we headed up to the summit.  We didn't get any more rain but there was a bit of snow on top of Causey Pike.

I have a new strategy for getting up hills.  I used to run as far as I could, then stop, completely knackered and walk the rest of the way.  Now I break the slope up into manageable chunks, which today were 30 seconds.  I would run up for 30 seconds, then walk for a bit until I was ready to run again.  It seems to pace the slope much better and I am enjoying it a lot more. 

Barrow just touching the cloud

 

Grisedale Pike through the cloud

 

Brocken Spectres

come on Andy

Skiddaw behind us looking more snowy than yesterday

 

near the top, first view of Causey Pike which would be our last fell today

top of Barrow, the fells behind us would be our course today

From Barrow, there is a nice run down to an area called Barrow Door.  It was a bit boggy at the bottom but quite runnable really.  We then moved on to climb Stile End.  Initially, I though this was the climb up Outerside but I realised after a while that it wasn't steep enough.  Coming down from Stile End, Jonathan managed to get his shoe stuck in the mud (minus the foot) so we waited for a bit while he hopped around and then started the climb up Outerside proper.

looking back up to Barrow after the descent- here climbing to Stile End

Jonathan and Andy running up to Stile End.  I originally thought this was Outerside but realised it was too flat

there's Outerside

Outerside summit

 

From Outerside, there was a nice run down before we started to climb up to the col between Scar Crags and Sail.  We turned left at the top of the col and climbed the rest of the way up to Scar Crags and then enjoyed the nice run all the way along to Causey Pike.

one of my favourite sections of the fells to run

The climb down at the end of Causey Pike.  I had been a bit worried about this because if it had been icy or snowy, it would be very difficult.  It was fine today though, the rock was more or less dry.

From Causey Pike, after dropping down the rocky section, we veered off to the left and followed the winding path, back across the beck and around the shoulder of Barrow.  I picked up a track which gradually rose up Barrow.  I didn't know when I first got on it but soon realised that it would take me onto the scree.  Only one way down from there.  I sent Jonathan down first to take videos of Andy and I descending, then we made him climb back up so we could get him on video.

Jonathan running down from Causey Pike

and me

and Andy

the track we were on on the right and the track we wanted to be on on the left

Jonathan didn't bother trying to stay dry across the beck

 

neither did Andy

my run down the scree

Andy

Jonathan

7 miles - nice route this.