Darwen Dashers

 Summer Fell Races

Diary Archive January - June 2006

Aggie's Staircase - Thursday 22nd June 2006

Clougha Pike - Saturday 17th June 2006

Two Lads - Thursday 15th June 2006

Paddys Pole - Tuesday 6th June 2006

An excellent turnout of 15 Dashers enjoyed the late spring sunshine at Fell Foot near Chipping for race 6 in the Dashers Fell Championship. This is quite a tough course with a very steep start, a steady climb to the top of Fair Snape Fell then a fantastic run off the top with a view across towards Longridge Fell and Pendle, and gliders sailing over the valley at hill top level.

Danny produced a top class performance again to finish 7th in a strong field, beating Mark in 11th by half a minute. The two leading Dashers arrived at the top of the first steep climb neck and neck but Danny pulled away after picking up the pace on the runable section behind Parlick. The lead stayed the same to the summit of Fair Snape but grew slightly as Danny stretched out on the long downhill. I got past Derek Ashcroft on the initial big climb and stayed ahead throughout, though I could make no impression on Mark or Danny, and Simon Fox came in 5th Dasher after tracking Derek on the climb.

Isle of Jura - Saturday 27th May 2006

Seven and a half minutes slower than my previous best for this race but I could put that down to thick mist and strong wind on the tops. It was a map and compass job for the first 5 summits but the cloud lifted a little towards the end. A great day as ever though, and I needn't fear the prospect of any other race this year after getting through the challenge of Jura.

Stanhill - Tuesday 24th May 2006

Danny shook off the early challenge from Derek Ashcroft to tighten his grip on the 2006 fell championship with a third victory from the three races he has completed. Dashers men have won the team prize in this race for the last two years but we were knocked off our perch and in to the middle of next week by Bowland who named this in their club championship for 2006 and had four finishers in the top 6 putting Danny's top 10 finish into perspective as an excellent performance. The team of two ladies won for Dashers; I let Rebecca collect the prize despite my own result being published, hilariously, as first lady in the provisional results on the night. Sadly I missed out on the record by a few seconds. This was the best attended Dashers Championship race so far and Dave Moir has the distinction of being the only Dasher to have scored less than 100 points in any race. Serves him right for beating us at football.

Mearley Clough - Tuesday 9th May 2006

Great route, good pub, lovely bright evening and a good result for me in a race with 142 finishers - what more do I need to say. I loved it. I don't know why this race is such a well kept secret amongst the Dashers but I can heartily recommend it for next year.

Belmont Winter Hill - Saturday 6th May 2006

Great Hameldon Hill Race - Sunday 7th May 2006

Race four of the championship series, with Danny away for a second time, saw Mark France taking first Dasher for the second time. He led from the start and gradually opened the gap as the race progressed, finishing a creditable twelfth overall, seven seconds slower than last year. Derek Ashcroft, Simon Fox and I arrived at the summit of Hameldon Hill within ten yards of each other and although Simon slowed a little on the descent, my battle with Derek continued all the way to the finish field - Derek gaining steadily on the flat and uphill sections and me re-establishing my narrow lead on the steep descents. Four seconds separated us at the finish, compared to only one second last year, but I don't think I have ever worked harder for my Championship points. Derek was competing in his first race of the Fell Championship series, as was Dave Naughton in fifth Dasher, and Jacqui Shaw who finished as first lady Dasher. Not enough to pass Rebecca in the Championship table though, this being her second race, which she completed in just over the hour.

Caw Fell Race - Wednesday 3rd May 2006

Following my relatively good run on Caw in 2005 and being in decent form at Coniston at the weekend I thought I would have another go at getting into the veterans prizes. Sadly my legs just wouldn't play along and I ran considerably slower than last year. Still a great race though, and I did hold the lead for about five seconds, about half a mile in, as the leaders seemed a little unsure of the route. Not as unsure as they would have to have been to leave the way open for me however.

Three Peaks - Sunday 30th April 2006

Coniston Fell Race - Saturday 29th April 2006

This was only my second attempt at the Coniston Race and I certainly hope it won't be the last. There is a long climb up Wetherlam early on, followed by another, shorter but steeper climb on to Swirl How. The descent from the top of the Old Man is classic fell running with steep, rough ground and a choice of routes from the tourist path on the left, to loose slate and quarries, and the elusive perfect grassy line to the right. I opted for the shortest route through the quarries and loose stuff, managing to maintain my lead over Danny which had opened up on Swirl How. He started quickly, running much of the initial steep climb but Danny's run in the London Marathon the week before soon took its toll. For my part, I knocked more than three minutes off my previous time, set in 1995.

Rivington Pike - Saturday 15th April 2006

Wardle Skyline - Saturday 8th April 2006

The third race in the Fell Championship turned into a hard fought battle for first Dasher between me and Mark France, in the absence of Daniel Headifen who didn't compete at Wardle. I got away on the first climb and led for most of the race but Mark reeled me back during the descent to Shore and overtook at the beginning of the track back to Wardle.

Pendle Fell Race - Saturday 1st April 2006

There was a lone Darwen Dasher awash in a sea of, largely, Clayton-le-moors Harriers. The watery analogy is an apt one as Pendle was saturated after the recent heavy rainfall. Long fingernails were a distinct advantage in clawing up the Big End which resembled a semi vertical Somme. The final descent across the sodden fields meant great faith was needed in the ability of fell shoes to both grip in the ankle deep slop, and for them to actually remain on your feet.  Simon Fox.

Half Tour of Pendle - Saturday 11th March 2006

The omens look good for Danny - first Dasher for the second time in two races, with the 2005 champion Mark France well behind as second Dasher and the 2004 champion Gary Taylor further back in 4th. Danny took the lead on the run out along the track, before the first climb up Pendle and stayed ahead of Mark  throughout. I got past Gary on the climb only to be overhauled by Simon Fox just before the summit. Simon faded on the long run down to the Nick of Pendle allowing Gary and me to get away but it took until the second big climb up Spence Moor for me to put any distance between us. Simon made up ground on that climb too but couldn't find the speed to catch up on the final run home through the fields. Sixth Dasher was Jamie Dowdall, then Don Ashton, Kevin Smith, Gary Mitchell and George Thompson. Mark Walsh and Nigel Barnes were both unable to race because of injuries but it was great to see them out supporting on the final climb. Perhaps it will take one of them to knock Danny off the top spot as the season progresses but for now it looks like there can be only one winner. Well done to Danny then, but it would be remiss not to mention Paul Thompson's fantastic result in second place overall, second only to Ian Holmes, great run Paul.

Coniston Coppermines YHA - Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th March 2006

This was another brilliant weekend away with the Dashers, made all the more exciting by the snow which fell on the Friday, preventing us getting our cars up the mile long track to the hostel. I am sure that this will be written about elsewhere in the Dash but here are a few of my pictures of the Sunday walk up Coniston Old Man.

Left to right, they are - Luke racing to be first to the top, Mark and Sue with Wetherlam in the background, Lusanda above Coniston Lake and Village, Katie and Charlotte, then Thomas on the way down to Levers Water.

Bleasdale Circle - Saturday 25th February 2006

After the struggle round Winter Hill two weeks earlier, this race was a breeze for Dave Shorrock and me. Breeze would not be the word to describe the conditions on top of Fair Snape Fell though, which was lashed by a strong and bitterly cold wind. The day was bright and clear and I am sure that the views would have been lovely if I had dared to lift my eyes from the ground, but with the buffeting from the wind, the downhill section required serious concentration. The buffeting carried on in the hall after the race in the form of meat and potato pies served with mushy peas and a cup of tea, perfectly rounding off a quintessential fell race.

Winter Hill - Sunday 12th February 2006

What a tough start to the 2006 Dashers Fell Championship. Mark France opted not to compete in the race, leaving the championship table open to Daniel Headifen who took the first Dasher spot by less than a minute from Mark Walsh. The first and second placed runners in last year's championship missed Winter Hill and the third and fourth placed wished they had done the same. Dave Naughton is absent from the results altogether, although I know he set off because I ran part of the race with him, so I presume he withdrew after the long climb from Belmont. Come to think of it though, I haven't seen him since.

I felt terrible throughout, perhaps due to the previous weekend's double run, perhaps because of the terrible conditions, but primarily because of my poor preparation. I found myself running alone in the latter stages and ended up making a complete pig's ear of finding the stream junction on the River Douglas. When I decided to take a proper look at my map and compass, after drifting about on the flanks of Noone Hill, I discovered that I was running 180 degrees off course. There is a trod to follow somewhere in the area, as Don Ashton well knows and it must have been there that he got past me. Duncan Nield and the others were already well clear. Nick Murphy also struggled through to the end, closely followed by George Thompson, and Dave Shorrock braved the conditions for more than three hours.

Ashurst Beacon - Saturday 14th January 2006

The 2006 season has kicked off for me with a race I have never done before, over a cross country type course making use of the very last hills before you get to the flat coastal plain of West Lancashire. It turned out to be an inverted sort of fell race with the downhill first and a long uphill to finish.