Sorry no photo's this week, due to being too tired to waste energy on taking photo's!
The first test already on the minds of these brave souls, the descent into hell!
slowly entering Caterans Cave with no light, yes folk ! NO LIGHT! 'Killer Karl' is followed by ' a rumble in the jungle Rob' then ' John the Panther Pringle' and 'Kenny nae shit Young'
just as their eyes get a little used with the darkness , suddenly Rob screams out! what the fxxx!!! it goes quiet.
"RUDDY" shouts John, get back here !
Was it Ruddy Rob just felt rub past his leg or was it something else.. we will never know and never want to know!
We finally get to the bottom of this 'Pit of Satan' to find our reward, this ancient artifact, this colorful prize!.. so ancient and powerful i cant even type the name of this trophy , in fear of being subjected to the bloody curse!
The next 45 miles running were a very subdued and quiet, as they new what lay ahead...
As they approached 'Bird Bath Ditch' thoughts were of what kind of animals had used this ditch as a toilet, just how much blood and crap flowed from the dead sheep 3 metres up stream and how much would they swallow when they put their heads under the water to prove their manhood in this ultimate test of Alpha Maleness ( suddenly hill reps up Hells Path seemed like a walk in the park!)
The only real winners are those who didn't take part and the losers are the wife's who have to wash the kit!
Where can you appreciate the hills without actually running in them? answer... from the tops of other hills!
I set off from my back yard with the aim to run to my parents house in Ford without running on Tarmac, so it was up on to Weetwood moor, along St Cuthberts way and drop down to Weetwood Bridge, Past Weetwood Hall and then its a long pull up to Dod law. After dodging a few titleist Balls followed by a crack with some friends who also like climbing all over a hill and wearing strange gear all in the name of sport, it was into the quarry and up to Wrangham .
It was here i thought i had better check the time as i was getting picked up from my parents at around midday. Dam! my battery was flat on my timepiece, never mind i thought lets look at the sun! mmmmhh its not quite directly overhead but not far away... bugga, i am not going to make it to ford for midday! best make my way back to Wooler and either phone or just go back home.
So down to Fenton House and through fields, down to Doddington Dairy and along the cycle route. By this time i was thinking this is rather a good route i must do this again sometime. Anyway with the sun Beating down on me and the river to the left it was off with the t-shirt and innov-8 's and huge splash into the water!
As I climbed out of the river and started to stride into the final few miles, i wondered where my taxi driver would be, at ford? at the house? or maybe combing the back roads looking for me?
and then within my final mile my taxi pulled up along side me, and there were two girls both smiling ( mustn't be in too much trouble!)
I looked at the clock in the car....... 11.00 am !!!!!!!!!! somebody had told the sun the clocks went forward two hours instead of one by mistake i think!
we knew it was going to be a good day to run from the start after seeing the young and sprightly legendary Cheviot Fairies at the foot of Skirl Naked, warning us of traps on the paths.
Starting at Carey Burn Bridge our route took us up onto Brands Hill , along to Middleton Crags, into Threestoneburn Wood to the Druidical circle for a quick sacrifice of the nearest virgin, then on through the wood up to Cunyan Crags. These crags are well worth a visit as the views from the top are just amazing, with deer louping from heather tusk to heather tusk.
From there its up Dunmoor Hill before making the ascent up the back of a very cold and bleak Hedgehope hill, stopping only for a second at the top to speak to a very wrapped up walker who by the look of his attire , was about to walk all the way to Everest Base Camp.
Brakes off for the descent of Hedgehope and a steady run back to the team minibus back at the Careyburn Bridge. ( 13.79 miles)
i would like to share with you a song/verse that suits our Sunday morning jaunts perfectly if i may?
Merry men and rovers free!
Far and Wide we tramp the heather,
Sing and shout and laugh together,.
North Northumbrians all are we!
Happy North Northumbria
Hail to Thee and hip hurrah!
Land of battles song and story,
Loud we sing thy deathless glory,
North Northumbrians all are we!
Over moors and hills we wander,
Mount the mighty Monarch yonder,
Wake the glens where alders quiver,
Boys, the cheviot hills forever!
North Northumbrians all are we!
W.F Robertson
K and K managed 14 hard miles this morning, running up the Harthope valley over the spectacular landslides to the very top and up onto Auchope Cairn down the College Valley around the base of Cheviot and onto Dunsdale and Goldscleugh and back into the Harthope valley via Hawsenburn.
I managed THREE quite spectacular falls, its really weird running along a wooden boardwalk and every so often that boardwalk dissapearing into 6 foot of ice cold snow!
i could not believe the size of the blackbirds up towards the Bizzle crags, they are as big as them blackbirds that guard Lizzy's crown jewels!
three words WET, COLD, DEEP
three more words BEST TRAINING RUN EVER (sorry that's four!)
p.s sorry about the heavy breathing on the video, it just seems to happen when i am around a mobile phone!
"Its quite hilly" Kenny said, "its 10 miles" Kenny said, our faces did well to keep the look of "its Sunday morning its cold and its going to snow" off our faces.
Now do not get me wrong, it could have been worse, Chrys Murphy could have been there shouting "high knees!" "bum flicks!" and "do that all again!", but thats still two days away, and we will deal with HIM then.
So myself John, Rob and Kenny plus two mountain snow dogs took off on , what turned out to be a fantastic training run, followed by a well earned cup of tetleys and a blue riband biscuit back at kennys Training camp H.Q
p.s anyone wanting to join our Sunday morning jaunts please come along, just ask Kenny, John or myself.
For a good bit of historical Chevy reading check out Peter Whewells blurb on the N.F.R web-site
Eleven weeks five days and 19 hours until the Chevy, and Cheviot is experiencing a mini ice age
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Recent Comments
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Baggy said:
Oh dear, your epic run makes the Alwinton Fell Race, ( 3 milesish ) seem like a toddler group fun... read more
on Kenny's six summit special -
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NIXDOWN said:
Wow. To pack six in on a Sunday morning is fantastic. Is that the same as a six pack? read more
on Kenny's six summit special -
Was the red puffy face Karl's? read more
on Cindy-on-harelaw