Paddy Buckley update

A fruitful weekend was spent recently up in north Wales recceing some of the Paddy Buckley. I joined Julie Gardner and Kirsty Hewitson on Sat 26/03/11 to recce some of the Northern Moelwyns and we recce'd a decent sized lump of the Moel Siabod to Nantmoor legs.

(Kirsty with 'Gollum')

It proved a valuable recce for me as I was able to finally find identifyting points en route for the tops on this leg which I'd been niggling over for some time. For example:

    Tiny post = just before bear right for Cerrig Cochion

Posh post = just before bear right along heathery terrace and then diagonally SSE to top of Moel Meirch:

Conifer near top of Moel Mierch.

Then there's 4 posts on the hilltop (only just visible in photo) near Ysgafel Wren with a small tarn seperating that and the next top; Mynydd Llynnau'r Cwn which has a beehive shaped cairn on top.

(Beehive cairn of Mynydd Llynnau'r Cwn )

We weren't sure of the exact location of the unnamed summit but thought it was more than likely to be this top:

Both Julie and Kirsty have been recceing the PB to death this year and when I bumped into them again in Wales on 23/24th April they reckoned they'd been up around 14 times already this year. I hope both of them try and get round as they certainly deserve it as does Ant Bethell (another Leek lad) who is planning to have a bash on 04/06/2011. The best of luck to you all. I still hope to help out on your last leg Ant if I can hobble over to Ogwen on the Sunday morning after the Welsh 1000m Peaks race.

I've been up in wales several weekends recently to recce odd bits of the PB but my ability to commit to regular recces has been scetchy recently. Sarah and I recced the Eifionydd with the Nantle ridge the other weekend and I've been over the Carneddau and Glyders in recent weeks too.

I recently heard that I've now got a place on the Lakeland 100 at the end of July and am now unsure wether I'll be able to fit a PBR attempt in this year. I may put it off till spring 2012. We'll see. I already have quite a full diary over the summer with the Old Counties Tops coming up on 21/05/11 followed 2 weeks later by the Welsh 1000m Peaks, then the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon the week after that, then the Kinder Trog follwed 3 weeks later by the 10 Peaks Challenge and the Lakeland 100 at the end of July - not to mention all the local short races in between.

In September the plan is to go for a sub 12hr on the Bullock Smithy Hike or the Lake District Mountain Trial and possibly if not the LDMT then maybe a solo Rab MM entry.

Hopefully if I complete all that lot (along with the Staffs Moorlands Summer series for a bit of much needed speedwork) I'll then be provided with a decent fitness base and might not book any more in till the following spring and concentrate on a PBR for May 2012. I think to leave it too late in the year this year will mean too much bracken and not enough light. I'm also not fit enough at the moment and would need the summer to prepare. So looks like an early 2012 attempt is more likely than late 2011.

On another note - am looking forward to the Old Counties Tops in two weeks time. I feel this will be a tester and both Clare and I have some worries about making the cut off times, and generally getting round at all. Have wanted to do this for a long time and glad to finally get round to having a bash. It usually clashes with the Fellsman being a week apart and normally time constraints and knackered legs don't allow both so Clare and I have opted for the Old Counties Tops instead of the Fellsman this year - although it was a bit of a spur of the moment decision a few weeks ago.

Held in May, The Old County Tops Fell Race is a 37 mile/10,000ft. event (distance and climb dependant on whether you go the right or wrong way). The Race starts in Great Langdale and takes in the tops of Helvellyn, Scafell Pike and Coniston after which the survivors are fed and watered.

One of the appealing things about this one is that it appears to have the feel of a superlong fell race (like the Fellsman) and features a large percentage of rugged fell terrain much of which is off the path, with big climbs and descents. Hopefully we'll get round each stage within the cut off times and complete the whole thing (Being a sucker for punishment I've planned to then walk the 26ml Leaden Boot with Sarah the day after.)

I completely stopped boozing about 2 months ago and have felt much fitter since then but seem to be picking up bug after bug at the moment. Only 2 weeks to go and have picked up yet another virus which has left me very weak and unmotivated - hope to shake it off over the next few days and really want to be ok for the OCT (pass the guiness).