Well with Tuesday being the second day in a row that I couldn't get the car out I decided to do another training walk this time via Tansley, Lea, Holloway and back over Riber once more. It was a glorious sunny morning but the glare off the snow made me rapidly regret not taking my sunglasses. Snow blindness is not a condition we suffer from hugely in the Derbyshire dales but was sufficient excuse to need to find a darkish location for relief from the glare and the Jug & Claret at Lea sufficed after three miles of hard work through a somewhat powderery snow.
With eyes adjusted and suitably fortified by some lunch I emerged to find the overhead conditions had reverted to derbyshire type i.e. grey cloud cover. While I could now see where I was going this didn't help the navigation hugely because all paths were obliterated by snow. T
his required some detailed map navigation which seemed somewhat ironic being only five miles from home. After a fair amount of backtracking I did find my way over to Upper Holloway not normally an isolated hamlet but today feeling totally cut off probably because realistically it was. (see route in). My only contact with other people was a mother and son carrying small amounts of grit from the bins at the side of the road on shovels in a vain attempt to clear their access to the house. It certainly didn't appear the most efficient operation I had ever seen but at least the council had deigned to fill their bins... as you have probably guessed grumpy old man is not happy about the lack of grit in the bins on our lane.
his required some detailed map navigation which seemed somewhat ironic being only five miles from home. After a fair amount of backtracking I did find my way over to Upper Holloway not normally an isolated hamlet but today feeling totally cut off probably because realistically it was. (see route in). My only contact with other people was a mother and son carrying small amounts of grit from the bins at the side of the road on shovels in a vain attempt to clear their access to the house. It certainly didn't appear the most efficient operation I had ever seen but at least the council had deigned to fill their bins... as you have probably guessed grumpy old man is not happy about the lack of grit in the bins on our lane.The walk from Holloway to Starkholmes was via a path through a wooded hillside with the snow
over a foot deep in places, good training but seriously hard work. I am assuming I followed the path but for long periods I had no idea if I was on the correct route. Eventually I got to Riber where kids were sledging down the steepest slope you could imagine. Seriously scarey fun but the danger was shown later when I heard about the teenager killed at Rother Valley country park near where I work. Just about managed to get down the hill without landing on the previously mentioned large posterior, pausing only for another pitch inspection from high up which resulted in the phone call that evening to postpone Wednesdays game. Not many refs can say they have held pitch inspections from 2 miles away.
over a foot deep in places, good training but seriously hard work. I am assuming I followed the path but for long periods I had no idea if I was on the correct route. Eventually I got to Riber where kids were sledging down the steepest slope you could imagine. Seriously scarey fun but the danger was shown later when I heard about the teenager killed at Rother Valley country park near where I work. Just about managed to get down the hill without landing on the previously mentioned large posterior, pausing only for another pitch inspection from high up which resulted in the phone call that evening to postpone Wednesdays game. Not many refs can say they have held pitch inspections from 2 miles away.By the end of the walk I had done over 11 miles which was pleasing but I certainly felt the effects of the snow. Hopefully in May that shouldn't be a factor. On the kit front I need to either find my gaitors or invest in some new ones. While the boots held firm and dry the socks and trousers were well covered in mud which cunningly disguised itself beneath what appear solid snow. Typically organised when I got home I got distracted by the equipment websites and ordered a new ultra lightweight mattress instead.... doh.
After todays exercise the obesity meter still appears stuck on fat which is not pleasing but I am definately getting fitter. I intend to structure my training as the weeks appear to be reducing at a rate and I need to plan a couple of overnights as well in April. That is likely to be cold but I do need a full trial in the new tent.
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