By Nigel Aston
After the Wuthering Hike ‘short’ opener in March this was my second chance to have a run out in the unfamiliar Pennines. Normally it’s training and races in the nearer Peak District. As a 34 mile ‘medium’ in the Vasque series, the Calderdale Hike seemed like a good race to tackle next. So I plotted the checkpoints on to the same map as the Wuthering Hike and ended up with a splurge of red circles and overlapping connecting lines. The situation wasn’t helped as I needed two bits of map as I’d trimmed down the OS South Pennines to just enclose the Wuthering Hike route. So I was hoping the race would have a large field and therefore the opportunity to ‘follow’ rather than route find.
Coming up the M1 on the morning of the race the fog and temperatures of 3C were deceptive in terms of the day ahead. By the time the start location was reached at Sowerby Bridge the sun shone brightly and the temperatures were rising. We were warned by the race safety officer that the pre-race kit check should have included sub-cream! Thankfully I had applied a double layer. At the start I recognised Phil (Hodgson) who lived locally and had guided me part way round the Wuthering Hike – hmm, could be good for doing the same around this route I thought. So the starter gave a simple “Okay you can go now”, and off we trudged like a flock of quiet sheep.
It’s a straightforward trot down the road to the canal – but a few of us make an immediate mistake in trying out a short cut and have to retrace steps – only 25m lost. Back on route, we easy into race pace (a jog) along the canal bank with a few of the fast starters dropping back. I note that Phil is ahead and am pleased to catch him around cp1 as we weave our way up paths and tracks joining the Calderdale Way, and take the first good short cut to drop us down over fields to Jerusalem Farm. We say our hellos to walkers on the short course (25 mile route). The first chance for water – fill bottle and drink it, nibble some Kendal Mint cake and fudge. Its Calderdale Way, then golf course, to the Ogden Reservoir cp, more water, more nibbles.
A chap in tracksters and long red sleeved top goes by quickly – maybe he is just doing the running short course. Anyway he’s soon off into the distance.
Reflecting back on the race this next section was my favourite part of the whole route. Still feeling relatively fresh we are out on a beautiful sunny clear day, with few people around, travelling quickly over the open moors. I am in a bunch with three others – Phil the navigator, Mick who needs a lead to keep him from straying and Ozzy and it more or less stays lack that until the last climb of the day. Thornton Moor Reservoir soon comes into site and then a quick stop – no refreshments here – at Delf Hill cp. Down into Oxenhope with some fiddly navigation – well done Phil – and onto a section of road. The road feels hard after the moor tracks and my Vasque Hardrocks are keeping my feet reasonably comfortable – although on such a dry day road shoes would probably have been adequate.
At Lee Lane there are serious refreshments so we make the most of bananas and biscuits – and of course – more water. I also gobbled down a mouthful of my mainstay of KMC and fudge which seems to be working well in providing the energy to keep plodding along.
Suddenly ahead of us is the chap in red top and tracksters – still travelling fast. Presumably he took a wrong short cut. Mark Hartell comes past us followed by another chap in a Calderdale Vest.
From here its head for Top Withins and the Wuthering Hike route. Still going well and feeling good as we travel over the moors. I need a pee and stop briefly - my companions open up a gap – so my focus for the next ten minutes is then to close the gap, which I eventually do. We travel along the undulating roads to Widdop cp. Quite busy here with Joe public’s cars as we find our cp van at the back of the car park. Water + biscuits: picking out those with choc chips for extra energy. At this stop we take our time to drink and replenish water bottles as the course info says no refreshments for 10 miles. It’s also a chance to give our legs a brief rest bite from the road plod before track and cross country route to Reaps Water cp at the Grouse Butts.
On the moors Phil picks a good point to turn south, although Mick has gone on ahead – as he seems prone to do with his extra energy – and has to cut back. At the cp there is a tent - well done to the marshals for getting up here – no vehicle access. We leave them quickly, heading along the Clegg Foot stream – which we use to cool our heads. From now on we make the most of any such streams – although we don’t risk any drinks. Sun cap and sunglasses are working well for me, and the double layer of sun cream is avoiding any burning. My Hele sleeves are rolled right up – I must get a short sleeve version. A full bum bag rather than small rucksack I feel was the right choice as my back is able to ‘breathe’. I down the bottle of water carried from Widdop plus a few more chunks of KMC and fudge.
Hoare Side Moor needs a tweak on the direction finder to give us an optimum route and it’s soon after this that we see chap in red shirt and tracksters and the Calderdale vest approaching from the opposite direction – hooray for a good navigator. At the double back to the Sportsmans Arms cp at Keb Bridge we see hardly anyone at first and then its seems we bunch up, with the four of us becoming eight. Now we have Hartell, Red top, Calderdale vest and another. Somebody’s navigation is going astray! I’m surprised to be jogging at the same speed as Mark so assume he’s recovering from some epic or injury.
It’s getting hard work. Although the Eastwood road is level or gently downhill my left foot is cramping making the stride difficult. I try going a bit faster and that seems to help – which pushes me ahead of the bunch of eight – even Mark Hartell for a minute or so. We are at Great Rock – the marshals spring into action as our bunch rounds the corner, except for Margaret who’s manning the water and engrossed in some women’s magazine. However, she’s soon up to the task and dispensing her goods to gasping men. This is a bonus as we hadn’t expected refreshments here.
Route choice – we follow Phil. He opts for an off-road Calderdale Way deviation rather than road which we three all agree to and others follow. Field, style, field, style, working from memory Phil takes us efficiently and confidently to New Bridge. We are all glad to follow his optimal route. So where’s the cp? We go to the main car park – no cp, we go back down and check again and ask – no cp, we check instructions and find the cp is at the topmost car park. Oops, back up we go. Coming away from the cp is Hartell and Calderdale vest! Take on more water, a quick biscuit and banana.
Heads down now as we do a steep ascent though woods and fields before more road then more fields as we go round Chiserley and up on to the moors. We catch some welcome breeze. I’m flagging and struggling to keep up. Mick has to be called back again as he’s missed another turn off, but he doesn’t seem to mind – or at least we are too far away to here his expletives. He can always put it down as extra training for his July BG attempt. Goodbye to Mount Skip cp as we rejoin the Calderdale Way around Midgley moor to the Scotland Quarries cp. It’s now a blur as I know we are closing in on the finish – in fact we have seen St. Peter’s church across the valley from way back – but the plodding continues. Gentle descent down road and more road – struggling to avoid cramping left foot and unable to go faster to alleviate it as there’s nothing left in the tank. I pick whichever side of the road offers shade like Nigel Mansell cooling his wet-weather tyres at Silverstone as we bottom out at Luddendenfoot cp. I am pleased there are other competitors around as I would not have realised the car park and cp were over the main road.
It’s the last cp, and now we head for home. There is no spring in my step, but the canal side is cool and it’s only a short way before we see the creepers dangling over the left of the canal and leave it to the right for the 1:7 climb up to Beechwood. St. Peter’s seems a long way off and I’m amazed to see three of our bunch actually trying and succeeding to jog up this hill. I can’t even keep up with Phil and Ozzy who are walking up the hill. Eventually the gradient slackens and we all make it from bottom gear into ‘shuffle’. This time Mick does not need to be called back – he has sniffed the finish line and gone for it. As we pass the pub by the church a drinker with beer in hand shouts out – “Come on – get those legs moving. You’ll never get fit just walking. Don’t be so lazy”. There’s no need to say anything after 34 miles – give me the quiet open moors any day. I jog on my own now, the last few hundred metres to the cricket club house finish. In the building, register as finished, scissors come out and I’m snipped free – hooray!
Outside a dozen finishers litter the grass in various poses – mainly flat out. Spyke stands around in his changed clothes – presumably he has warmed down, showered, eaten, had sleep etc. He is now able to discuss the finer points of the optimum route. I think I’ll leave that to Phil. Mick and Ozzy identify which parts of their body they’d like massaging and trump each other with number of pain-killer tablets taken during the race. After the longest hottest runs I’m often feeling sick, so its pleasing to feel okay today. I decide to try some of the food on offer – a jacket potato with various fillings. First it’s a wash and change – that’s better – then its food which goes down well – a good choice by the organisers. In fact the 24th Pennine Calder Scout Group need to be praised for manning each check point and their well running of the event.
Phil contemplates his Joss Naylor round attempt in two weeks time; “perhaps I’ll put it back a week”! A few minutes later in comes chap with red top and tracksters – he’s certainly been round the houses.
Nigel Aston
