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Contents : PENNINE WAY       Introduction Day 4 Day 9 Day 14   Prep and Planning Day 5 Day 10 Day 15   Day 1 Day 6 Day 11 Day 16   Day 2 Day 7 Day 12 Day 17   Day 3 Day 8 Day 13 Prep Runs                     NATIONAL TRAILS GUIDES UK - DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS & GALLERIES           Preparation and Planning           Finding a Partner This was probably the most difficult aspect of the preparation; I was continually frustrated by people letting me down; some rejecting me outright and some agreeing to run but not being able to.  I started training with my son, Dale, who was then aged 12, but I had not fully realised the enormity of the task for him.  Dale wanted to come, or so I thought for quite a time, but in actuality he just wanted to please me and the running became very difficult for him.  He was running, each week, up to 10 miles with me. I was eventually resigned to talk closely with Dale (after prompting from my wife) and was able to see the lengths he was prepared to go and the sacrifices he was making to please me.  I appreciated this very much, but it was simply too much to demand from Dale and I resolved, therefore, to run in future either alone or with another running partner.  The time I did spend running with him, however, was stimulating and joyous for me. No one else was interested – I wonder why! I casually mentioned my proposed run one day to my sister, Carol.  I couldn’t believe it.  She wanted to run with me and was presently running in and around her hometown (Horspath, Oxfordshire) on a regular basis.  She was interested and was able!  I did not have to ask her – she immediately volunteered and began running with me once a month (I was running every week and still trying to cajole other friends to fill in the missing weeks – Carol was too far away to run with me every week). My nephew, Ron, (Carol’s son) also ran with me regularly, although he began to have problems with his knees and had to refrain from running too often.  Nevertheless our runs together were both enjoyable and beneficial. In the main, however, most of my weekly runs were on my own and although they were less enjoyable I soon became used to solitary running.  This did not stop me from badgering and pestering my friends to accompany me on weekend runs, but they soon became expectant and had their excuses ready made.  It was quite wrong of me to expect others to run. A run of between 10 and 16 miles every Saturday in the mountains and moors in every kind of weather was not everyone’s cup of tea. I would not advise anyone to run on their own in the mountains and moors. It is dangerous and foolish. Carol could only run with me for the first 8 days; after that I would run on my own. I realise this was foolish but I was determined to complete the run.           Booking the Accommodation Carol’s administrative skills came in handy once it was time to book the overnight accommodation.  My job was to find the accommodation and Carol’s to book it.  I would then remit the deposits and obtain confirmation of the bookings. Finding the accommodation was elementary.  I simply instructed my Internet search engine to look up “Pennine Way”.  I was then bestowed with a vast complement of pages to view.  One page provided me with a number of alternative bed and breakfast accommodations at each of the key places where I would be stopping overnight.  There was sufficient information to calculate the approximate cost and facilities available.  I next composed a route table with tabulated details of where I would be running from each day, where to, the distance covered and a summary of the bed and breakfast accommodations in the nearest town to where I would be sojourning overnight.  Over the next few weeks Carol telephoned each of the bed and breakfast accommodations and made the bookings.  I followed this up immediately with a letter of confirmation and deposit and awaited hearing from each of them. The bookings were made about 6 weeks before the run. Easy!           Maps Obtaining small scale maps of the Pennine Way was not too difficult. I managed to do so quite easily by purchasing over the internet from Elstead Maps.  I then highlighted the Pennine Way route on them for ease of reference during the run, colour coded to distinguish day 1’s run from day 2’s, etc. When I began running the sections in Durham, Westmoreland and Northumberland it soon became apparent that the standard  1¼ inch to the mile OS maps and Pennine Way guides were inadequate.  The scale was not large enough and I could never rely on the detail in them for accurate navigation, particularly when running in mist. Whilst pondering this problem over a period of weeks I thought of my OS County A-Z atlases of Derbyshire, Stafford and Cheshire.  They covered rural as well as urban areas and not only provided street names but also names of rural features such as rocks, cloughs and moors.  The scale was 3” to a mile, which was vastly superior to the OS maps I had purchased. I used the Internet to check whether I could purchase them for each of the counties straddling the Pennine Way.  I was able to order them for Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Durham.  Even though I could not order them for Northumberland, Westmoreland and Cumbria those that I did order were of substantial benefit. I next had to copy the relevant A-Z pages covering the Pennine Way and convert the copy pages into my own Pennine Way guide – an enormously detailed one.  I would use this on my final run.  I continued to attempt to obtain 3” to the mile maps of the remaining areas but I was unable to do so.  Later I was able to purchase 2 ½” to the mile maps direct from Ordnance Survey.           Transport Support Planning the distance to run each day was largely governed by the ease of access to and from the Pennine Way.  The average distance to be covered each day was 16 miles.  My brother-in-law, Ian, kindly volunteered to provide transport support to and from the Pennine Way each day, to and from our overnight hostelry, and to provide us with clean running clothes. However, Carol was to run for the first 8 days only because of holiday limitations, which also meant that Ian would not be available as back up for the remainder of the run.  My eldest daughter, Rachel, came to my rescue, white-knighting me beyond all expectations, and provided the transport support for the remainder of my run. My sister and I would sleep well each night and eat heartily.  We would need to.  As Ian was sacrificing his summer holiday for us we decided to start early each morning so that we could spend part of the afternoon and evening with him.  Running 16 miles on the Pennine Way would take far longer than running the same distance on road – I soon discovered this while running my weekly preparatory runs, which I ran at an average speed of 5 miles per hour.  On the road I would cover 8 miles per hour quite easily (still a slow speed compared to most long-distance runners). We would start running each morning at about 10 a.m. and would stop to eat and drink after covering about 10 miles and would then resume.  We would allow 4 – 5 hours for the run and Ian would be waiting at the agreed rendezvous at 2 p.m.  Thus, we could still enjoy time together for the better part of the afternoon and evening.           Yoga Breakfast would be preceded by a 40 minute Astanga Yoga workout each day, and this would be repeated immediately following each day’s run, but for only 15 minutes.   I considered it essential to remain supple and flexible throughout the running holiday in order to reduce the risk of injury to muscles, ligaments and tendons.           Compass and Route Cards My orienteering experience and knowledge was sadly lacking.  I knew it and those who advised me knew it.  I turned to Ian for help.  Suddenly he was in his element.  This was something he knew very well, having given courses on the subject many times.  He taught me how to take compass bearings on the map, how to make route guides and how to use a compass in the field.  He did more than teach me; he endowed me with a new Silva compass of high quality and checked several of my route guides to ensure I had made them correctly.  He also purchased his own set of maps and guides and advised me on many matters.  One example of his advice was the finding of the escape route from the Pennine Way to Cocklawfoot at the end of Day 1.  This was something he was looking for and expected to find.  I had already noticed it but had not realised its significance – until working out each day’s run in detail! Even as late as 4 weeks before the main run I was making serious errors of judgment, mainly due to lack of preparation.  For example, On 4th July 1998 I ran 17 miles, having deliberately chosen a bleak and boggy area of the Pennine Way and knowing there was a substantial likelihood of mist.  I took my compass and my Pennine Way Guide but  I forgot to pack my OS map.  I neglected to take compass bearings before leaving home and thought it unnecessary once I had started the run, as I was following a good path – Doctors Gate to Crowden and back, and then to Mill Hill and back to Doctors Gate. All was fine until just below Bleaklow Head.  I then found myself swathed in mist at a point where the path faded.  I strained my ears – I could hear voices.  The path I was following was not too clear and I decided to follow the voices instead. I found myself at the Wain Stones talking to two hikers who were obviously confused themselves, thinking they were on Bleaklow Head. My error here was not fatal – we could just about make out Bleaklow Head during a momentary thinning of the mist and I ran to it and then down to Crowden – the path from here was easy to follow.  On the return the mist was clear from the top and I found Bleaklow Head easily.  I had assumed, rather foolishly, that the Wain Stones were actually on the path – but they were not.  I could see mist beginning to roll in and I ran quickly to the Wain Stones, not looking for any other path.  By the time I reached the Stones the mist had blanketed the area and I chose the wrong path – in fact, not a path but a grough, which soon became very difficult to follow.  In all I spent the next hour repeatedly running down from the Stones and back to them once realising I was not on the path, continuously seeking for the Pennine Way, but having to return to the Stones, they being the only point of reference I had. All of this could and should have been avoided.  There was no longer any need for mistakes like this.  I was competent with the compass and map, although perhaps lacking experience and faith in myself.  By this juncture in time I should be navigating in mist with confidence and ease. I decided, following this run, that in future I would be more than adequately prepared – with route bearings, maps and a compass each time, and to have them accessible.  To assist me in this endeavour I purchased a waterproof map holder, which contained room for a partly opened OS map, my route cards (which I had designed to fit into the map holder) and my compass.           Clothing and Shoes I learned what clothing to use as I went on.  In the beginning I ran in ordinary training shoes, ordinary thin socks, shorts and a sleeveless vest.  I carried a small bottle of water and a Pennine Way guide map (the only sensible item on the list!). When I first began running the Pennine Way in sections it was during a very hot and dry summer.  The first item to be changed was my sleeveless vest.  My arms and shoulders were getting burned and the runs became increasingly uncomfortable.  I replaced this with a very thin and light long sleeved T-shirt and over this I wore a short sleeved T-shirt on the colder days.  This combination of  T-shirts provided considerable warmth, trapping pockets of air between the two garments, which would be warmed by the heat from my body as I ran. With the exception of very sunny days I stopped running in shorts and started wearing tracksters.  These really were ideal for mountain running; they provided warmth when the sun was in hiding and in the colder months I wore two pairs, which again trapped air between them to provide additional warmth.  Because they were very light and stretchy they were ideal for coping with the varied terrain which often required high leg movements. They also provided protection from gnats and mosquitoes. My running shoes were replaced with two pairs of ASICS ‘Gel Dorado’ with sorbothane insoles.  These shoes were very comfortable to run in and provided excellent grip.  My previous running shoes were not designed for running on moorland.  Running downhill in the wet had been extremely difficult because it was so easy to slip.  I could not afford a leg or foot injury.  I tested my new shoes during the first week of purchase and  found them ideal. My socks were changed to the padded type in order to give protection against blisters.  I acquired blisters more frequently when running in dry conditions, particularly on stony paths.  I formed the practice of carrying small plasters with me to cover any blisters – blisters were one of my chief worries for the main run, but the skin on my feet was fast becoming hard, thick and leathery. During the preparatory runs I ran with a thick fleece wrapped around my waist, just in case the weather turned hostile.  I had always done this – it made me feel more secure and I have taken advantage of it on more than one occasion.  I did not, however, do so on the final run, although where I thought it necessary I carried one in my back-pack. I had an uncomfortable moment on one of my runs in early Spring 1997.  I had under-estimated the weather.  I knew that snow was expected but when I set off it was dry.  Fortunately I was not alone.  Whilst running toward Cam Lane from Horton-in-Ribblesdale, John (my running partner that day) and I were set upon, without any warning whatever, by a snow blizzard.  We had reached the summit of Cam Fell and the halfway point of our run and were about to turn back.  We saw a white sheet of snow driving hard towards us.  John immediately donned his spare jumper, balaclava and gloves.  I had become bitterly cold but thought that I would quickly warm up if I continued running and descending.  As John was the stronger between us I ran ahead while he changed, although he caught up to me within a minute or so. The snow was driving at us from our right as we descended.  My body was warm but my hands were bitterly cold and my throat and neck had become numb.  I was more than a little frightened and was afraid that the extreme cold on my head and neck might cause me to lose consciousness, and I pathetically ran with my hands on my neck, trying to spread warmth. My neck did recover some feeling, but my hands became so icily cold that they had entirely lost their feeling.  I had been stupid and I knew it.  I had gloves with me in my bum-bag but had not put them on as John sensibly had.  My hands were now too numb to do so. It was fortunate John was with me and that he had protected himself while he had the opportunity.  I now had to rely on him to get my gloves out and fit them to my hands.  I mention this episode now because I learned a number of long lasting lessons from it.  From that day I never under-estimated the weather, and I always carried warm and waterproof clothing and a space blanket.  I vowed to don them immediately, if the need arose, rather than wait and take a chance.           Water Bottle Carrying a bottle was awkward.  I was advised by my friend, Nick Lindesay, to purchase a running bottle – a plastic bottle that was designed to be easily carried and which could also be strapped to a belt.  I obtained a small one and over the months decided this must be changed for a larger one. I eventually changed this for a much larger plastic bottle which I carried in my back-pack.           Back Pack and Bum Bag I purchased a small bum bag, mainly to carry car keys, money and plasters but this quickly became inadequate and I replaced it with a much larger bum bag. I used this to house my digital camera and spare floppy discs.  I was able to find a small back pack that could be carried high on my back, to house my waterproofs, maps, water, space blanket, torch, whistle and emergency food.           Route Cards The route cards that Ian advised me to make contained detailed references to each landmark and turning on the Pennine Way.  It took me a full month, working for several hours each day to make these cards and to mark compass bearings on my 2½” OS maps.  A separate card was made for each day of the run which indicated where I was running from, the next point of reference, its compass bearing and the approximate time it would take me to travel to that point of reference. Copies of the route cards were given to my wife, to Ian and to Rachel, so that if I became lost anyone looking for me would know where to look.                   Introduction Day 1       Author - Roy McKee Copyright © Roy McKee 2006