Tag: hiking

Lakes in a Day (LIAD),  11th October 2025

by woolerrunning

Rose, Saul, Emma & Kay pitched up to Ambleside on Friday evening for this event in mid-October. 

Despite recent bad weather, Saturday dawned calm and settled.

Saul started in Caldbeck, on the northern side of the Lake District fells. At 8am the route started up and over High Pike in early morning cloud before descending steeply for the pleasure of a cooling wade across the River Caldew before then climbing across the boggy backside of Blencathra. 

The reward for this early effort was a fabulous cloud inversion view from the summit before then picking a way down Hallsfell Ridge and running into Threlkeld to the first checkpoint. After a quick helping of refreshments there, it was out and across the valley to work a way up Clough Head. 

Back in cloud here, the route now progressed all along the ridge line, climbing as it went via the Dodds, Raise and White Side to reach Helvellyn. Somewhere along that route we reached above the clouds and enjoyed that cloud inversion again before the day warmed up enough to dispel the clouds completely. 

After Helvellyn there was Nethermost Pike, Dollywagon Pike then the steep stony step descent to Grisedale Tarn. And the reward for reaching there was then to climb steeply back up to the top of Fairfield.

Feeling Ambleside could not be far off now, we negotiated Hart Crag, Dove Crag, our second High Pike followed by Low Pike, and, with some rock climbing necessary here and there, made it finally to the track to Nook End Farm and the lane into town. 

The day had heated up by now and I was quite dehydrated as I arrived at the second checkpoint that was also the start point for the rest of the Wooler team’s LIAD Half. After kicking their heels all morning, they had finally set off at 2.30pm, 90 minutes before my arrival, cheered on fabulously by the hordes of travelling Wooler supporters in the form of Janet, Mitch and Phil. 

After about a litre of flat coke and two slices of pizza, I tumbled onwards south down the western side of Windermere following a different but overlapping route to that of The Lap a month before. Nauseated and exhausted, I found company in the form of Luke from Nottingham and in the end, we stuck together to see our ordeal through to the end. 

Night fell as we descended towards Finsthwaite, the final checkpoint. The route from there seemed interminable in the dark, with us endlessly wondering if we would ever see the lights of Cartmel. Eventually we did, and sped up with excitement, only to realise that the end was at the school at the far side of what was a bigger village than we had initially thought. That finish line came just in the nick of time. We finished seconds over 13 hours, Saul being 3rd in his age group and 36th overall.

The rest of the team had sprinted that southern half of the course it seemed. Kay was 6th female and 2nd in her age group with a time of 4:13. Rose came close behind, being 8th female and 1st in her age group with a time of 4:23. Emma was 36th female and 10th in her age group with a time of 5:05.

Huge thanks to Phil for his selfless and patient taxiing all weekend, he deserved the biggest winner’s medal!

The Lap Anti-clockwise, 13th September 2025

by woolerrunning

It is a Friday afternoon in September, autumn barely underway. 

Picture a large meadow on the south west aspect of Windermere, gently sloping down to stone wall that separates it from another lower lying meadow, a few trees and a footpath, then the lake itself. The grass has been cut but left long to aid drainage and grip: this is car park, campsite, registration. It will be the start and finish too but that is for tomorrow.

Then the rain comes, in heavy cloudbursts pushed by westerly winds. Initially there are gaps, respite, but this does not last. 

We pitch our tent in one of those last respites and dinner is huddling under a shelter eating a gyro while registrants soakingly queue. When those who are not camping try to drive away, chaos soon follows as the designated routes out of the meadow become all-nigh impassable. The event pickup is called in to help tow vehicles out of the mire but it soon gives way to a tracked mountain rescue vehicle – effective, but slow. We give up watching and go to bed.

Our tent remains waterproof but by 4am the noise of monsoon landing a few inches above causes us finally to give up and get up. We try to make ourselves have some breakfast hiding in the back of our van in the dark.

By 6am the rain has stopped and the sky looks brighter as the bell is rung to start the race. We hang back, not planning to win. The start loops us round and down the lakeside path. A long queue soon forms that, like a motorway tailback, is sometimes stationary and sometimes moving but is always simply a capacity mismatch. 

And the paths were waterlogged. Everyone at some point had to decide that mud between the toes would be today’s normal.

The first checkpoint at Finsthwaite, coming down from High Dam, marked the point at which it was finally possible to run unhindered. 

From Newby Bridge crossed below the lake and up through forestry en route to Gummer’s How with its lovely view up the lake. From there via more forestry to Moor How and on to Bowness with a heavy downpour on the way. 

Skirting the edge of Windermere, we headed up onto Applethwaite Common before descending steeply to Troutbeck and a checkpoint with shoe drop and pizza. We ate plenty of pizza and changed socks but did not bother with changing trainers. We were a little past half way now and it was just past lunchtime. 

Climbing steeply, we summited Baystones then traversed to Wansfell before descending to Ambleside, running through town to climb steeply up to Loughrigg.

By now there was only a half marathon to go as we descended steeply and started south down the western side of the Lake. We were stiff and sore and it took an increasing effort of will to break into a trot after negotiating uphills. The way was still relentlessly waterlogged but wading had become the new normal. 

Cheekily, we were taken up Latterbarrow but pretty dusk views were the reward before a steep descent down a stony beck into forestry. We reached the final feed station at Far Sawrey just as the light finally failed. Warm soup on offer and yet more cheerful kindness from the event team.

 Head torches on, we headed up the hill from there, over and down eventually to the lake. It felt strangely like the end would never arrive: close but never quite in view. And then there it was, after 47 miles, tape leading us up through that lower meadow back up to the start. 

We made it in a little under 15 hours. After a few minutes of recovery time under the roof of a farm shed, we booked a hotel room for the night, packed up our tent, miraculously navigated the van out without getting stuck in the mud, and even made it there in time for a delicious beer. A medal, a t-shirt, a hot shower, dry feet and a pint: result!

Emma & Saul Miller