Two bits of information; firstly, my strained heel from last week’s Ouzelden caper was still being nursed and, secondly, in about three days’ time, the Club Championships were due to take place. Whilst the proposed Slow Warts’ outing from Strines over the moors to Cakes of Bread and Howshaw Tor, could have been suitable heel physiotherapy, its sometimes random and extreme nature might be beyond any current professional medical guidance. Secondly, in the rather vain hope that tapering down training before a big event, would enhance race performance (fat chance!), I decided a trip to Back Tor and back would be more suitable. I was fortunate that John D also decided to join this breakaway so we departed the very inviting glow of the pub in the dark and damp to the smooth surfaced Foulstone Delph road.
Even reaching this road had its own jeopardy as we were faced with, and followed by, the 17.00 rush hour traffic (yes!). Our relatively feeble head torches were little protection from cars coming around the Strines blind bends. However, we survived and started our road running session into the now thickening mist. It is a curious anomaly that the brighter the torch, the less can be seen because of the reflected glare from the fine water droplets. As always, it seems that other people’s torches are more effective than your own and so it was with John’s, whose superior beam did save the night later.
Our surrounding torchlight “bubble” was reminiscent of those giant translucent balls used in water parks, where however fast the occupant runs or walks in them, little or no progress is made across the water. The drift into such speculative and sunny thoughts can only be ascribed to a meandering mind needing to see some sunshine and dry weather. We were awoken from such dreams as we crossed the cattle grid by the game keeper’s house which also had a welcoming glow. The road now became a track which required our full concentration. As Pete G later remarked when he returned early from his outing with the Slow Warts, it is OK to fall in the heather but rocky tracks are less accommodating.
Ploughing up the everlasting track, we remembered the Back Tor and Back race started by Pete Kohn and then continued by Howard Swindells, which was speedier than our efforts in the mist. Suddenly though, the stone pillar marking the junction with the edge path, appeared, so we thought a quick turn to the right will bring us to Back Tor. Well…. yes and no. We followed the flagstones, saw some rocks on the left went to them, repeated the process a couple of times until John’s torch picked out the white spectre of the trig point above our heads. I told you he had a superior torch!
We didn’t go the same way back; we were adventurous, so this time we didn’t divert from the flagstones at all from Back Tor to the path junction. But, for the rest of the descent, we picked our way over the rocky track to the smooth of the road and back to the still welcoming pub. We were surprised to see the early arrival of Pete G who in trying to put more clothes on near Cakes of Bread, had become entangled in his chest torch and so had become detached from the Slow Warts who seemed to have abandoned him. All returned, though the promised short Slow Warts run of 90 minutes had extended to about two hours.
Mist, rain and wind (not the personal stuff) together with the Club Champs race course took us some time chew over but we all left feeling better for this night’s entertainment. Splendid!
Graham
Route taken by the real Warts, stolen from Clive’s Strava feed:
