Our Keswick shop manager tells the story...
Sometimes you get a crazy idea and it just keeps coming back. If you're like me and always looking to fit your outdoor hobbies into any remaining slot in your busy day you may have discovered the cycle commute or even a run commute is a great outdoor fix.
Well, I hate running on the road (no offence if you're a roadie) so I decided I would run home over #Skiddaw. Only, that wouldn't quite get me home, so I stashed my Bike at a secret location near Bassenthwaite, and from there I would ride the last 8km home. Sounds far fetched, I know. But on Tuesday night that was my #MegaCommute.
The term 'Mega Commute' is used in America for the six hundred thousand commuters who travel at least fifty miles and ninety minutes to and from work. Wow, that sound like hard work...
I got away from work later than planned because I was faffing with my gear choices. It may sound silly but I was a bit nervous and quite excited too. I had been scheming this little adventure for a while but never quite got round to doing it.
The ascent of Skiddaw on the Keswick side is steep, once you climb past Latrigg it gets a bit painful. The steepest bit hit and I dropped to a walk. It was a beautiful moon lit night. The Mountains to the south west faded to blue with wisps of cloud, the almost full moon high over Clough Head shone bright. The steepest part ended and I started to run again. It's a great feeling running in the mountains. Passing behind Skiddaw Little Man the red sunset disappeared. Should I get the headtorch out?
Swinging around to the pass behind Little Man the view opened up again to the last red of the sun to the west, with the twinkling lights of Keswick behind. Breathtaking. Pulling on an EDZ Merino Tube in headband mode I pressed on into swirling cloud coming and going over Skiddaw summit ahead. By the time I was on the summit ridge it was fully dark, but every time I went to grab the head torch the cloud would clear and a massive moon lit the ridge line in front.
Its always windy on top of Skiddaw. I have run here a lot in the last few years and refuse to believe anyone who has been up there with no wind or cloud! Windshirt and Headtorch well overdue I battled against the wind to pull over a Pertex jacket, Merino gloves, and to swap headwear for an EDZ Thermal Helmet liner (they make a great no nonsense hat).
The cloud closed in proper now, so had to run with headtorch held low to stop the glare. Found the descent path to Carl Side (tricky to find sometimes in the dark and the mist) and we're off! apart from a couple of exposed bedrock steps its pretty fast down to Carl Side. By the time I got there I had warmed back up so stripped back to my Merino Baselayer. I love the dynamics of the zip neck: open zip to cool off, zip back up when you cool down, sleeves up/ sleeves down.
The path along Ullock Pike is very runable, with switch backs to avoid the craggy bits. Out of the cloud now the views across to the coast with all the street lights and the blue tones of Bassenthwaite Lake below. It was a great evening to be out, and a privilege to have the mountain to myself.
By the time I joined the road I was 20mins behind what I had anticipated. Never mind that, I had ran out of water and was feeling a bit of cramp in my left calf. The road was easy and fast though and I was in Bassenthwaite village before I knew it. Bike retrieved, Pertex shell back on, flashing lights fitted...
The ride home was slow and hard though. It's up hill all the way, gradual enough to make it hard but flat looking enough to doubt how hard it feels... and I felt sick from eating a chocolate bar on the run up the road, with no water to wash it down. The cramps were getting worse and I had no choice but to plod along in an easy gear. And that is what makes a mini adventure like this so great: The real high moments and the struggles.
I got home to my wife's bolognese (yum), and wondered what my next Mega Commute will be. "I think I might drive tomorrow"...
