24/06/2012 - The Sandstone Trail - The Last Big Training Walk

When we first designed our training schedule, we agreed we needed to do a final training walk longer than half the distance of Trailwalker and one which would test our Support Team fully. From an early stage we identified the Sandstone Trail as the perfect challenge as its 55km long, local and suitably hilly. We have trained extensively on parts of the trail recorded in earlier blogs notably the hilly sections around Peckforton, Kelsall and Frodsham but there are still parts of the trail we had yet to encounter.

This would be our first training walk with a Support Team too. As Lee's brother Neil lives in Kent and Simon was inconveniently having his eyes lasered (the things folk will do to get out of Trailwalker training) it was left to Mark's wife Kate and Martin's son Ted to support us all the way.

Given that England would be kicking off against Italy at 7:45pm and our anticipated 13hour duration, we agreed (yes, we did - it was unanimous) to bring the start time forward to 6am which, given that Whitchurch was an hour away from most of us meant a 4am wake up call - a time which should be banned on a Sunday (as Kate continued to remind Mark).

The weather in recent days had been atrocious with nearly 4 inches of rain dumped on parts of the North West and more had been deposited on Saturday night and was forecast to continue on Sunday morning then easing as the day progressed.

Setting off from Mark's house at 5am, Mark, Kate, Lee and Polly again questioned why it was we were doing this as Kate drove dodging the standing water in the country lanes and we wondered what might lie in store in the fields we would have to cross. Shortly after arriving, Martin and Ted pulled into the car park and as we began to kit up, Martin announced they had driven through torrential rain on the way and he'd forgotten his coat. Requisitioning Ted's coat, Lee then announced he'd forgotten his backpack which was apparently Polly's fault (cue discussion) though he had got his Camelbak which Polly hadn't (cue further discussion). This wasn't starting well. To add insult to injury, just as we'd got suited up, the heaven's opened. Joy.

Why are we doing this again?

After posing for a quick team photo at the sandstone arch marker in Jubilee Park marking the start/end of the trail, there was a moment of disorientation as we realised we weren't sure which way to go. Finding a path and identifying our first Sandstone Trail marker on a post, we set off through Whitchurch and soon picked up the canal which would take us out of the town with Mark and Martin walking ahead giving Lee and Polly space to continue their discussion about who had forgotten what (at least that's what we thought they were discussing).



The walk along the towpath was relatively easy going, a few flooded sections easily avoided and gradually descending out of Whitchurch until we eventually arrived at the sign which would take us off the towpath into the fields. Having never done this section of the trail before, we weren't sure what to expect though it wasn't long before our worst fears were realised as evidenced by standing water and mud. As usual this was made worse by cows and cattle in the fields. 

On entering one field we realised that it was full of bulls and they were taking a very unhealthy interest in us. Instead of moving off like cows, these guys were turning to face us and follow us. Noting the stile in the corner of the field, a steady pace was maintained as the bulls started to converge on us. Somehow Mark ended up at the back of his teammates (possibly because he was wearing red and carried a red backpack - nobody wanted to be near him) and on arriving at the stile turned to face the following herd with his walking poles raised aloft stating they were actually cattle prods (patent pending) much to the amusement of his now safe teammates and the confusion of the now stationary bulls.

We had arranged to meet Kate and Ted at a lay by near Hampton Green. When we were just a few km away, Kate's voice could be heard on the walkie-talkie requesting a progress update though it appears they couldn't hear us through our rain soaked walkie-talkie. As we approached Checkpoint 1 they cheered and we arrived to find chairs set up and the boot of the car open. A variety of drinks and foodstuffs were dished out to the team as water and snacks were replenished in backpacks.

Mark had once again managed to get his boots, socks and feet wet and in changing to a fully dry set, the zinc oxide tape, damp from the walk, fell off for the second week running. Not wanting to put the stop time in jeopardy, he decided not to re-tape a decision he might come to regret with 43km still to go. After our allotted 15minute refuelling we bid our Support Team goodbye and continued up the trail looking forward to the next stop which wasn't for another 12km in the middle of the Peckforton Hills.

As we walked along more fields doing our best to dodge large areas of standing water (which was becoming increasingly difficult), we crossed though Michael Owen's (remember that goal against Argentina?) little place for the breeding and training of race horses and started to climb off the plain and up towards Bickerton Hill - a welcome respite from the surface flooding but a sudden need to adapt to going uphill again after the long muddy slog on the flat.

There wasn't much time to enjoy the view at the top other than to remark that as forecasted, the weather seemed to be easing and the warmth was starting to sap energy levels given we were all still in waterproofs. We also noted on the far horizon the masts at the top of Kelsall and the hills above Helsby and Frodsham - they looked a long, long way away. As we descended into the village, Mark and Martin decided to make full use of a bench in the churchyard to remove all waterproofs and while recognising this would tempt fate, it would at least make the ascent to Raw Head a bit more comfortable and we were soon on our way up the road and the gradual incline.

The walkers arrive at Checkpoint 2

Arriving at Raw Head (the highest point on the trial) we were comforted knowing it was all downhill from here, apart from all the wiggly up and down bits in between and we pushed on towards Bulkeley Hill taking the opportunity to wind Polly up about "The Tramway" and the fact she was the only teammate not to have done it yet. Given we were passing the top of "The Tramway" that pleasure would have to wait for another day but on looking down it, Polly agreed that the photos don't do its severity justice.

Choosing to ignore the ropeswing and the fallen trees, we continued into Burwardsley, home of the Pheasant Inn a previous start and stop point, but on this occasion we had chosen the car park for the nearby candle factory for our second checkpoint. This time the walkie-talkie was working and our requests for food and clothing were ready and waiting as we were greeted by Ted and Kate and some odd looks from those heading into the candle factory as we sat in our folding chairs eating, drinking and changing damped clothing - 24km done, 31km to go.

Refuelling at Checkpoint 2

Our allotted time was soon over and once again we bid our Support Team goodbye and headed back up the hill to rejoin the Sandstone Trail and the descent which would take us past Peckforton Castle and Beeston Castle, over the Shropshire Union Canal and up the notorious boggy field which Mark and Martin had encountered previously. Once again this lived up to expectations as we zig-zagged round standing water and cattle churned mud. Having got this field over with, we became more optimistic though this was shortlived as we entered fields of wheat and barley where the clayey surface had become wet making traction difficult. To make matters worse, walking poles were inhibited as the crops grabbed at the poles making it necessary to carry them and hope we wouldn't slide in the mud.

Arriving at Checkpoint 3

Persevering with the conditions underfoot we trudged on and just within 2km of our Checkpoint 3 (a wide field gateway off a country lane), the walkie-talkie burst into life with Kate asking how far off we were and would we like a hot drink? Immediately three teas and a coffee were ordered and the the thought of a hot refreshing drink spurred us on and once again Ted and Kate were ready with the drinks just at the perfect hot drinkable temperature which was just what we needed at that point - 34km done, 21km to go. 

Perked up by our Support Team we set off in good spirits and soon passed the 37km/18km sandstone marker - one-third to go. As we gradually climbed up the fields we reached the point where on a previous walk, Mark and Martin had joined the Sandstone Trail from Utkinton after which we would all be in unfamiliar territory again. At this point a further curve ball was thrown at us. As we headed towards the gate it appeared a large herd of cows had preceded us and churned the ground up so badly the mud was too deep to get through without overtopping our boots - a bit annoying having only just changed to dry socks again.

Lee and Polly did at least remember the pasta salad

The terrain continued upwards which we took as a reassuring sign that we were at last leaving the boggy plains behind and as water runs downhill, thought we'd stand a better chance of keeping our feet dry(ish). Once at the top we recognised the point at the top of Kelsall where we have undertaken some of our night walks and knew that Delamere Forest and our final checkpoint weren't far now.

The welcoming sight of Delamere Forest must have hit the team with a degree of delirium. While Polly struggled on in silence with blistered feet and Mark with damp feet and a nagging pain in the hip area, Lee, having taken twice the prescription dose of hayfever tablets (after not reading the instructions) seemed in very high spirits and as Martin dug out his iPod and plugged in the external speaker, Lee started to Moonwalk to Michael Jackson. Martin then pulled out a bunch of 'Curly-Wurlys' as we climbed the hill and we found eating these isn't conducive to walking with poles.

Mark tucks into choccie ice cream at CP4

The mayhem continued through the forest as we received odd looks from people out for a Sunday stroll/dog walk/bike ride (delete as applicable) as Martin played DJ on the iPod but given we'd gone beyond 40km, we felt we had every right to misbehave. We managed to notify the Support Team of our impending arrival, though through the trees the signal was a bit broken and they were expecting us to come from the other direction but they were there, waiting with ice-cream from the Cheshire Ice Cream Farm - what a welcome surprise!

With 8km to go and still with Beacon Hill above Frodsham to get over the team were in good spirits and determined as ever to finish albeit with Polly suffering with her feet, Mark with a dodgy hip and what was now resembling 'trench foot' from the damp footwear, Lee away with the fairies and Martin gearing himself up to run up the steps to the top. 

This was now the 'Dead Zone' as so far, only Martin had gone beyond 48km on a  previous walk. As we approached the 50km mark on the odometer, Mark counted down the last 100m and there were handshakes all round - half of Trailwalker in 11hrs 15minutes and then we moved on knowing the job wasn't done yet.

Nearly there!

As we climbed, conversation dropped as we focused on this final ascent, one which we have done on several training walks before and knowing this would be the final climb before the descent into Frodsham. Approaching the '39 steps' (we're not sure how many there are as we've not actually counted them), Lee, Polly and Martin took off, leaving Mark to climb them at  a more sensible pace and we were soon at the War Memorial at the top of Beacon Hill and radioed the Support Team of our arrival at the top. Just another couple of kilometres downhill to the finish now.

Dropping down into the streets of Frodsham, we probably looked a right rag-tag bunch with muddy boots, gaiters and trousers and with it being quite a nice evening there plenty of people about and drinkers outside pubs preparing for the England game. The final point of the trail is a sandstone obelisk conveniently located outside the Bears Paw. Once again Kate and Ted were there to greet us and capture this finish and even better  - there waiting was a celebratory pint for each of us - great support.

This is the end - 55km - 12hrs 32minutes.

As we sat downing our pints, rubbing our sore and aching area sand stretching, we contemplated the fact that on Trailwalker, we will still have 45km to go which was basically turning round and going all the way back to Checkpoint 1. Food for thought.

We would like to thank Kate and Ted for being a great source of motivation throughout this walk and we couldn't have done it without you. The route is here.

Things learned from this long team walk:

1. Lee and Polly need an equipment list,
2. Mark needs better zinc-oxide tape,
3. Polly probably needs to use zinc-oxide tape,
4. Martin likes Ted's coat better than his own,
5. You can never have enough dry socks,
6. Its amazing just how much punishment your body can take,
7. Painkillers are useful when your body can't take much more punishment,
8. Walkie-talkies are very handy to communicate with the Support Team,
9. Checkpoints become a very welcome sight,
10. Nice surprises are quite motivating.

19/05/2012 - Plains, Trams and Watery Fields

Lee and Polly were off to the Yorkshie Dales this weekend for a friends birthday - but no doubt they would be getting some miles in. It was left to Mark and Martin to hit the trails locally this weekend. 

The weather forecast wasn't looking great for Saturday. Mark had planned two routes depending on the weather, one on the Clwydian Range (not great in poor weather) and another on the Peckforton Range in Cheshire (not great in poor weather - but better than being exposed on the Welsh mountains). Both walks were anticipated to be 7hours of walking (excluding breaks). We opted for the Peckofrton Range as the forecast was showing rain into mid-morning and the 34km planned route was logged into the Garmin.

Driving through persistent drizzle on the way to rendezvous at The Pheasant, did not bode well for today's walk. Mark had fully filled his 3Litre Camelbak and thrown in two bottles of Lucozade Sport for good measure, a handful of Clif Bars, a tuna and cucumber sandwich, two pairs of socks, a mid-layer fleece as well as all the usual navigational paraphinalia he carries - seldom had his pack weighed so much. In true F1 style, we agreed on a two stop strategy of not more than 10minutes to try and start preparing for being supported by our crew. The plan was to stop after 2.5 hours and 5 hours leaving us a 2 hour walk to the finish.

The Tramway from the bottom

We set off from the Pheasant at 9.10am and headed off for the trail which would take us to the now infamous Tramway (see our previous blog on this). Now Mark had yet to experience the Tramway. He had heard the tales of those who had gone before him and survived to tell the tale. "How hard can it be?" he asked himself having previously survived The Cloud cliff path and Shutlingsloe Hill. On approaching the bottom of the Tramway - he soon had his answer.

The vision of two parallel lines disappearing and curving upwards was enough to turn the legs to jelly even before we got started. Martin explained there was only one rule - no swearing on the way up. A few gulps of water and and a with a wry smile from Martin they set off. Mark was soon regretting tackling this early in the walk with a full backpack. The 'no swearing' rule was quickly broken and Mark was not even half way up before the burning sensation in the calves started. 


Step by gruelling step we climbed, the mud in between the sleepers slippery underfoot, the distance between the sleepers making it a further to reach than climbing steps and as we got further in, it began to fell like a ladder - Jacob's ladder perhaps, we're ascending to heaven, we must be dead - Mark began to hallucinate as the sound of his heartbeat pounded in his ears and Martin decided to film it so that it could be enjoyed posthumously by others who thought to attempt the Tramway.

The drizzle keeps on coming...

At last we reached the top, legs completely jellified and looked back down the track now looking more like a descent into Hell than a Stairway to Heaven. Other than that - we  can thoroughly recommend it! Gradually descending Bulkeley Hill with heartrate recovering we headed gradually down the back and round Bickerton Hill. 

As we began to climb towards the summit, we realised we'd taken a slight wrong turn and were meant to go down to the bottom again before taking a trail up the face. Retracing our steps we were soon looking up the face of Bickerton Hill but the marked path was nowhere to be found until we spotted what looked like a trail running straight up the face. 
"That must be it" we decided so started on upwards only to realise that this was probably a route cleared by badgers as the undergrowth soon closed in on us. With the Tramway only a recent memory, we found ourselves once again heading steeply upwards on not so much a trail as a stream bed carved out by rushing water. Eventually we returned to the trail at the top which took us round the top fo Bickerton Hill as the drizzle beagn to ease and we began to descend once more.

By the time we had reached the bottom of the hill we were bang on 2.5 hours and searched for a convenient perch for a pitstop. Martin managed to make a bus-stop magically appear so the opportunity was taken to take a load off, scoff a sandwich, Clif bar, down a bottle of Lucozade and change socks (well for Mark in anycase). All managed nicely in 10 minutes and we were off again pleased we could manage it in the allotted time.

Looking out from Raw Head

The quick re-fuel stood us in good stead for the ascent to Raw Head, the highest point on the Sandstone Trail and this was quickly dispatched as we headed back towards The Pheasant to mark the first half of the walk and bottom part of this 'figure-of-eight'. At 3hrs and 45minutes for the first half of the walk (the hilly bit) with a stop thrown in we were quite pleased with progress knowing the next half was out onto the Cheshire Plain and other than the ascent at the end should be quick. What we had failed to take into account however was that water runs downhill, off mountains and into fields.

The Cheshire Plain unfolds in front

Passing first Peckforton then Beeston Castle and over the Shropshire Union Canal, the Sandstone Trail  became a tad boggy underfoot. This was nothing compared to what was to come. The route took us off the Sandstone Trail on a public footpath towards the Eddisbury Way.

As we approached the point we would leave the Sandstone Trail, there was no sign of the footpath as the farmer had recenlty tilled the field. Nothing else for it but to plough on (pun intended) across the field gradually picking bits of it up on our trail shoes as we progressed and feeling steadily heavier with each step. Finally reaching the stile in the corner of the field we hopped over to find a field full of thigh deep (waist deep on Martin) wet grass and no desire line where the path should be. A quick glance at each other and across we went boldly going were others seemed to feared to have tread. At least the grass had cleaned the mud off the shoes and we expressed relief we had yet to remove our waterproof trousers. This was proving harder going than the hilly section.

Beeston Castle

Climbing over a stile-bridge-stile combination, Mark managed to slip and plant his left foot briefly into a pool of stagnant water - not pleasant but merely preparation for the next field. An electrified fence guided us along the boundary of the field until we reached a flooded section of ankle deep water. Nowhere to go other than over the electrified fence and round it. 

We soon found however that the field was perhaps more suitable for the growing of rice. With each step we found water deeper than our boots would permit and after several attempts at trying to find dryish spots, we decided to embrace our watery fate and just went for it. 

Once again we broke the 'no swearing' rule as we splashed through the flood knowing not even the miracle of GoreTex would be capable of preventing the inevitable squelchy trudge that would follow.

After clearing what we hoped would be the worst of the fields and reaching the Eddisbury Way and concluding this must be better- because it has a name (though I won't share the string of expletives we called the preceeding footpath) we decided to at last have a well earned pit-stop after 5hrs and 45minutes. Again setting aside 10 minutes, Mark demolished his other sandwich, a Clif bar, downed another bottle of Lucozade Sport before changing his socks and retiring a fairly sodden pair to the backpack. It was also welcoming to ditch the waterproof coat and change the sweat-soaked T-Shirt (a big welcome relief). As Martin's change of socks were waiting at the car, the best he could do was tip the surplus water out of his boot and then we were off down the Eddisbury Way which was mildly better than the 'Footpath-now-known-as-a-string-of-expletives'.

Having damp feet and soaked boots raised the increased possiblity of blisters as the skin softened, but there was little choice than to press on. As we did so we came across several groups of DoE teams and not wishing to look like a pair of guys, who are walking this way because they've already done 25km and have soaked feet, we set about overhauling the whipper-snappers and by the time we came to climb Peckforton Hill, we had overhauled three of the teams. Feeling chuffed, we hit the hill with gusto and hit the magic 33.33km figure at 7hrs 20minutes - one-third of Trailwalker! Mulling over what time that might translate to over the 100km we hit the next obstacle, a series of stepped plateaus created with logs, each one seeming to get higher than the preceeding one. It was good to see after this length of walk we still had enough in us to climb and then we were descending through the grounds of Peckforton Castle and out of the gate.

Martin then reminded Mark we still had to go up through 'that field' and it dawned on Mark the climb wasn't yet over and worse still, the field had also just been tilled, meaning another long trudge over freshly turned soil. At last coming over the final hill and descending to The Pheasant, we realised how much our feet were aching and mulled the prospect of having to do it another two times to reach Trailwalker distance. As we reached the cars and began to deposit our gear, Martin removed his socks and wrung out a trickle of water from each and after a quick change into dry socks and trainers, we walked like a pair of gunslingers into the Saloon of the The Pheasant and downed a pint of Weetwood's finest. Never has a pint tasted so good or been drunk so eagerly (well except perhaps in Ice Cold in Alex).

The walk turned out to be 36.53km with 706m of climb in 8hrs 8minutes and thankfully we were blister free.

28/04/2012 - Training Walk #17 - Training on The Tramway

The Red Harrow’s latest team walk consisted of Lee ‘Red Leader’ and Martin ‘Ballast’; due to other commitments by Mark ‘Red Navigator’ and Polly ‘Pace Setter’…   The route took us off the Cheshire Plain in a figure of eight around Bickerton Hill, Burwardsley, Bulkeley Hill, Peckforton and Beeston with the Sandstone Trail forming the main background. A more leisurely rendevous of noon was set to meet up at the Pheasant Inn at Burwardsley.



The Tramway

With ‘Red Navigator’ being absent on a top shelf training night time manoeuvre, it was decided to abandon the Garmin and navigate old school. With a break in the weather Lee opted for the shorts & gaiter look and we soon hit our first problem having taken a wrong turn within 200m of the start….. A quick conflab and review of the map was undertaken and it was decided we would do the figure of 8 in a different direction! We deliberated if we should own up to this navigational error or just keep it to ourselves…. The only issue in doing it clockwise was that the tramway would come into play early on before we had had time to warm up.

We referred to the tramway in our earlier blog for Training Walk#9. This is a section of track which was used to build the reservoir at the top of Bulkeley Hill and was left in place. It rises some 100m from the bottom of the hill over a distance of about 250m - a gradient of 1 in 2.5. 

We attacked the tramway with enthusiasm (or stupidity) and soon with calves burning, the task which lay ahead looked even more daunting than ever. On reaching the top with a sense of achievement and hearts pumping, we were both disappointed to find no welcoming reception when we reached the top!! We headed off through Bulkeley Hill descending down Copper Mine Lane heading towards the Bickerton Hills, through the village of Bickerton.

Nice gaiter and shorts combo Lee

Not knowing of our earlier navigational faux-pas some DofE teams asked for our assistance and we duly obliged. Soon back onto the Sandstone Trail noting Maiden Castle, the first of 3 castles on the walk and settling a good pace with views out over the Cheshire plains and even being able to pick out the skyline of Liverpool, talk turned to the topic of the tramway again, could we, should we do it again??? We continued around Raw Head, lunch was the next target so a good pace was maintained as we headed back to complete the first part of the figure of 8. A suitable location was found and we set aside a 10 min break, Lee produced a smoked mackerel fillet and fresh rocket sandwich…..with crusts on, Martin however refuelled with Ginsters Pasties (note plural) and Malt loaf. The 10 mins soon passed and we pressed on with the second part of the loop as the skies darkened, passing closely by the Pheasant Inn and talk of a cheeky beer was dismissed as we headed off to the Peckforton Hills via the Haunted Bridge and the Peckforton Castle Estate. Afternoon tea seemed an option at this point but we turned it down and pressed on.

Lee about to be crushed by an overhanging rock

With Beeston Castle (the 3^rd Castle) in the foreground and text message Premier League score updates, conversation turned again to the tramway and the suggestion that we could do it for a second time (the pain of the first time now a distant memory). However in the distance Friesian cows could be seen and they stood between us and the tunnel under the railway. Now as we've discovered, Martin isn’t keen on cows and the underlying theme that teammates are gathering is he’s not keen on animals in general! With cowboy Lee outstaring them we were soon under the railway and onto the canal tow path and turning for the final leg back to Burwardsley and the Pheasant Inn - food and real ale! During the next 20 minutes the re-occurring theme of the tramway continued and it was decided that we had enough time before our table reservation at the Pheasant Inn where we were due to meet up with Kate and Ted (Martin’s wife and son - a member of our support crew) and we would add the extra little loop and attack the tramway for a second time!! Time passed and conversation dried up - silence - the calm before the storm as Lee and Martin contemplated the task ahead and mustered the energy.

With the double challenge in sight we set off with a steady pace digging deep, expletives a plenty, calves burning, heart pumping, the top was reached non stop this time, but disappointedly there was no reception committee again, feeling pleased with the days achievement we headed back to the Pheasant Inn in time for beer and food and to retell the tale of the tramway not once but twice.

We completed what turned out to be 31.70 km in 6hrs and 24 minutes including 788m of climb. The stats for this walk are here. You'll note that Lee managed to max his heartrate out at 193bpm - not bad considering his maximum should be about 185!

This weekend the team (minus Martin 'Ballast' but including Support Team member Simon 'Dog Whisperer') are heading for the Trailwalker Prep Session at Queen Elizabeth Country Park after which we're going to take on Stages 6 and 7 of the Trailwalker course.

25/04/2012 - Training Walk #16 - A Wet and Muddy Evening Stroll and a Giant Leap for The Red Harrows

Tonight it was our fortnightly night walk, though perhaps evening walk is more of an accurate description given that since the clocks went forward and nights have started to shorten, the vast majority of this after-work-yomp is now in daylight and twilight with the last 10 minutes or so in darkness. We proposed to do the same route as our first night walk which takes us from near the Belle Mont Pub at the top of Frodsham, past the golf course, into Delamere Forest and back round the top of Frodsham along Beacon Hill.

Although it wasn't really dark, it was wet and boggy in places particularly as some of the paths are bridleways and our equine friends do like to cut these trails up in a big way. Our previous time for this walk was 2hrs and 57minutes and we weren't really expecting to beat this, but set off at a good early pace as the second half of this walk gets a bit tricky in the woodland and along the cliff edges so care is needed.

It was drizzling from the off so the first real chance to test our waterproof gear and backpack rain covers. Mark having broken in a pair of Merrel Ventilator Refuge Pro GTX (not fuel injected or turbo charged but do keep your feet dry) at the weekend opted to break in a new pair of Merrel Moab Mid GTX for this one and is happy to report they performed very well given they were immersed up to the ankle on several occasions.

You may recall the first time we did this walk, Mark made an attempt at a gate vault - something he hadn't done since he was knee-high to a grasshopper (not that he ever was) and given we were doing the same route and in celebration of the team achieving the revised fundraising target of £3,000 (more on this later), he decided to give it another go on the same gate - judge for yourself....

Triumphantly the team carried on towards Delamere with the pace still well above our previous walk. The drizzle stopped briefly and the clouds started to break and we began to convince ourselves that was our lot for the evening, though as we started the ascent into the woodland above Frodsham, the failing light combined with the breeze picking up and more drizzle making things a little difficult underfoot. We had decided to forego the headtorches as we convinced ourselves our night vision would see us to the finish which perhaps was a little over ambitious as the path began to deteriorate to 'bog' standard and Martin missed a tree root in the darkness causing a comedy sideways stumble, though the resultant injury to his hand was no laughing matter. Okay, it was a small scratch - we're blokes and prone to exaggeration but Martin assures us it hurt like hell (well a bit) and would need alchohol as an antidote.

Reaching the cars in 2hrs and 44 minutes (later corrected to 2hrs 47minutes by the Garmin), the team were pleased with the result and departed for the now traditional post walk Fish 'n' Chips and pint of real ale. The walk stats are here.

We are also delighted to report that we have reached our £3,000 fundraising target and we would like to thank our recent sponsors - Ben, Suzanne, Sarah, Jenny B, Hannah Freakes, Hilary, Martin Mowforth, Anonymous, another Sarah, Caroline, Adam and our fellow Trailwaker Team - The Dorset Dawdlers for helping us get through our target! We're delighted to have got this far so soon and it has exceeded our expections so we can now focus on the training which is great.

This weekend, Martin and Lee will be off for a 6hr, 27km walk in the Peckforton Hills while Mark is away at a wedding and Polly is stuck up North. Look forward to the blog chaps - hope it stays dry for you!

15/04/2012 - Training Walk #14 - The Return of The Croker

With Martin recovering from the disappointment of the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool (Liverpool won 2-1 incase you didn't know) it was left to Mark and Lee for this weekends training. Having spent all week in Scotland with Polly mountain-biking and completing an epic 43km walk in the highlands, Lee was driving straight down to what is rapidly becoming a base for the Red Harrows - The Knot Inn at Rushton Spencer.

Unfortunately, one of us (OK it was me and yes I am fallible) forgot to bring the camera for this walk which became a source of frustration as today was probably the brightest and clearest walk we've had yet (I promise to continue to beat myself up about it) so sadly no pics in this blog. If you want to refresh your memory, this is the same walk we did at Training Walk #6 - only in the opposite direction tackling The Cloud first.

You may recall that when we last attempted this walk at the beginning of March it was at the time a bit of leap for us (well actually more me). It was a first introduction to doing two 200m climbs back to back over an extended distance - and I don't mind admitting we nearly cut the walk short at the time after it took us 5hrs and 30minutes to cover the 20.7km with 570m of total climb and Lee thought I was having a heart attack.

Since then, training has been going well and my fitness which was virtually zero before starting Trailwalker training has improved dramatically (this week I recorded I'd lost a stone in weight - believe me, I needed to). On the back of this, we had set ourselves the ambitious target of completing this in 4hrs and 30minutes - a full hour quicker than previous.

We set off towards The Cloud gradually climbing through fields full of new-born Spring lambs who seemed totally unfazed by our presence and soon reached the sapping steps to take us to the summit. There was a reasonable group of people enjoying the view today as we reached the trig point in 52minutes (we had targeted an hour) so were pleased to be ahead of schedule.

Descending the steep side we gradually dropped down towards Bosley reservoir and reached our halfway point in 2hrs 6minutes (out target was 2hrs 15minutes) so took the opportunity for a quick energy bar before contemplating the ascent to the top of Croker Hill. This was a sapping climb but this time, there was no need for pauses to catch breath and we reached the summit in 2hrs and 45minutes a good 15minutes ahead of schedule which we were happy with knowing this was the highest point and it was generally downhill from here.

The views as we descended the ridge from Golden Hill were spectacular. We could see Beeston Hill and the Peckforton Hills where we walked last weekend and beyond that The Clwydian range all the way down to Breidden Hill some 50miles away atop which Rodney's Pillar sits. Gun Hill and The Roaches looked dauntingly spectacular in the near distance where we have a 6hr training walk planned in a few weeks time.

We made it to the Knot Inn in 4hrs 24minutes a good 66minutes faster than the last time we walked this double-header. So we celebrated in typical fashion with a couple of pints of real ale and were sooned joined by Mark's wife and support team member Kate and The Junior Red Harrows for sunday dinner. A good way to end the day.

We have no training walks scheduled for this weekend as this Saturday we have been invited to train with the Queen's Gurkha Signals at their barracks in Nuneaton. We're looking forward to it with mixed feelings. It will be good to meet the Gurkha's first hand, share their insights to help us prepare and to meet some of the other teams taking part but we're a bit apprehensive nonetheless!

25/03/2012 Training Walk #9 - Sandstone, Castles and a Rope Swing?

One of the many sandstone outcrops on the trail

We had agreed to meet up at the Pheasant Inn at Burwardsley at 8.30am. This prompted an early start given that Mark and Lee were a good 50minutes away and with the clocks going forward this perhaps wasn't the best of ideas. Given the weather forecast, we had decided it was definitely shorts weather though we were somewhat taken aback to see the car's thermometer read 4 degrees as we drove through Nantwich.
 
Amazingly we all managed to get to the pub on time though sadly they weren't open yet so we'd have to go training instead.


Our first hill of the day was Willow Hill though it probably ranks at 'molehill' compared to some we've been up recently. Descending and crossing a field full of cows (yes, these had udders - we checked) and passing a house with several ferocious sounding dogs, we started the gradual ascent to the top of Raw Head part of Bickerton Hill.

Lee and Martin looking imposing at Raw Head

This was a relatively gentle gradient to the summit which having touched the trig point noted the sign which informed us that at 227m, this is the highest point on the Sandstone Trail - useful to know given this trail will feature heavily in our training.

As we continued along the top and onto the gradual descent we noted the steep sided gorge disappearing away to our right and ideas of a night walk up here were soon put to bed.

Leslie Wheeldon's wife Kitty

We were soon ascending Bickerton Hill (Part 2), an area of land acquired for the National Trust with the help of funding from a Mr. Leslie Wheeldon in memory of his wife Kitty so that everyone could enjoy it.The stone has poems written about her on each side. Quite something.

A view of Raw Head from Bickerton Hill

Descending the hill we passed a point marked 'Mad Allen's Hole'. Unfortunately there was no sign of 'Mad Allen' or his 'Hole' so we pressed on towards Park Wood, another molehill before crossing back on our 'figure of eight' and ascending Bulkeley Hill which is a bit more than a molehill.

The Old Tramway

As we reached the top of Bulkeley Hill there were a lot more people about enjoying the views and one of the points of interest is the old tramway. On top of Bulkeley Hill is a covered reservoir used to store water abstracted from the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer. 

Apparently the old tramway dates back to before the Second World War and it was used to carry construction materials for the reservoir and the 27 inch aqueduct linking it to Audley. 

Lads the GPS definitely says this way

The old tramway now seems to be used as a makeshift set of steps for ambitious runners. Rising 100m over a 250m length with the last section rising 60m over 90m it clearly would present a challenge to any nutcase wishing to attempt it. It was at this point that Lee decided this tramway would feature in a future training walk. Its always nice when he shares his ideas - even if they are going to inevitably result in pain. 

Pleased with himself, Lee decided to enjoy a nearby rope swing after the team joined in with other passers by, traversing a fallen tree - well we are supposed to be having fun after all.

After the brief respite we descended the hill and crossed through the Peckforton estate and then skirted Peckforton Castle a beautiful and popular wedding venue which has re-opened following a devastating fire caused by disgruntled groom. Not the best way to start your marriage with a 6 year prison sentence.

Beeston Castle

Continuing round the edge of Peckforton Castle, the stunning hilltop of Beeston Castle came into view.

The castle is looked after by English Heritage and no doubt will form part of a future training walk.

A quick hill climb later and we dropped down to the Pheasant and the waiting pint of liquid refreshment.

The stats for this training walk are here. 

22/03/2012 - Proper Training, A Man Down and Lies, Damn Lies and Statisitics

Proper Training

This week marks the start of 'Proper' Training for the Red Harrows. A bit like the FA Cup for which earlier rounds don't really matter (given Liverpool are in the semi-finals after knocking out Man Utd some time ago) and while this would suggest that we've merely been playing at it for the weeks since January, this time has been used usefully to equip ourselves, test kit and get us to a point where we are comfortable walking 4-5 hours with out really stopping other than to briefly take photos and grab an energy bar.

Our training plan from here on in, is to walk for about 1.5 hours twice in the week on a Tuesday and Thursday evening and alternate this every other week with a 3 hour night walk on a Wednesday with our long walk at the weekend. The plan is to walk for 4-5 hours at the weekend on varying terrain (more on this later) for the first six weeks and gradually increase this to a couple of weeks before Trailwalker where we plan to walk the entire length of the Sandstone Trail non-stop (55km and 1200m of climb/descent) with our support team meeting us at checkpoints along the route as practice for the event.

On Tuesday night Mark and Lee kicked off the schedule and set off on a local flat walk of 8.5km completing this bang on the expected 1.5 hours. The route took us across level fields in the dark (getting spooked by a low flying military transport plane in the process) and onto the Trent & Mersey Canal before joining the Macclesfield Canal and then home. Most of this was completed in the dark though as we get lighter evenings this should be an enjoyable quick training walk. The stats for this one are here.

Tonight's walk was the hill training walk for which Mow Cop and its famed 'Killer Mile' is ideally suited. At 200m from bottom to top it is ideal for the worst elevation change Trailwalker can throw at us (see Stage 7). We were hoping to complete the estimated 7km in 1 hour 30 minutes but managed to shave off 10 minutes for what turned out to be 7.2km so we were pretty pleased with that albeit a bit breathless at the top. The stats are here.

The proposed training route for this weekend is a scenic walk around the hills of Beeston and Peckforton along a section of the Sandstone Trail which will give us 19km and about 480m of elevation change. The planned route is here. It will be Lee, Martin and Mark tackling this one, speaking of which......

A Man Down

Sadly we report that we have lost a team member. No, we didn't leave him behind somewhere and forget to go back for him, he didn't get abducted by aliens or fall off a cliff during a night walk and shuffle off to the great Trailwalker route in the sky. After long hard consideration, Julian has decided to stand down from the team as he felt he could not commit fully to the training programme that Trailwalker demands and felt this would not be fair on his teammates. We want to thank Julian for his contribution (and forthcoming donation!) to the team to date and no doubt his continued support.

So currently that leaves us with a gap in our foursome. We currently have a couple of options from people who are interested and we hope to announce soon who our new team member is so we can happily train as a full group once again but for the moment it's just the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (we'll leave you to work out who is who) in training.


Lee, Martin and Mark - not necessarily in that order.

 Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

Mark being a bit of self-confessed spreadsheet geek has been assessing the team's performance, the Trailwalker stages and our training routes. The initial purpose of this was to replicate as far as possible the likely terrain on Trailwalker given that geographically we aren't exactly well located for a quick jaunt down the South Downs Way.

The simple way of doing this is to look at Trailwalker, the distance of 100km and the climb of 2500m divide the one by the other and get 25m of elevation change per km or what we're calling 'elevation change rate'. Taking each stage separately gives us anything between 19m/km and 35m/km so quite some variance along the trail. This has led us to a form of classification for our training routes:

Green - any route less than 10m/km - single climbs no bigger than 50m
Yellow - any route between 10m/km and 20m/km - single climbs between 50m and 150m
Red - any route above 20m/km - single climbs above 150m (Trailwalker-esque)

Using this as a tool has given us some idea of ranking the difficulty of Trailwalker Stages:

Stage	Ascent	Descent	Distance	Ave m/km	Biggest
7	330	-130	9.4	35.11	200
10	136	-80	4	34.00	125
1	300	-210	9.6	31.25	93
6	210	-270	10	21.00	170
5	280	-220	12.5	22.40	140
3	190	-175	8.3	22.89	120
11	130	-90	5.8	22.41	105
8	190	-230	6.9	27.54	85
2	290	-390	10.4	27.88	75
4	180	-300	9.3	19.35	105
9	264	-325	13.8	19.13	50

It's easy to see why stages 5,6 and 7 claim most victims and force people out of Trailwalker. These three stages are beyond where most teams will have walked in training so you'll be fatigued, will more than likely get tackled during the night when your body wants to sleep and they rank highly in terms of difficulty. This where teams will need their teammates support the most.

To add to this, we've also been comparing our average speed with 'elevation change rate'. This is a measure of how well the team is improving through training. It stands to reason that on flat level terrain where the elevation change rate is near zero, you can really go for it in terms of speed but when you hit an incline this will be tempered somewhat.

So, comparing speed with elevation change rate, we get this relationship:

The points are added from our table as a scatter graph and Excel kindly drops in a linear 'line of best fit'. The intention is add each new training walk and hopefully the points will fall above the line to show we are infact improving. It is interesting to see that the points below the line are earlier training walks so the expectation is that the line will move gradually upwards as we improve and ultimately we'll remove the earlier walks to give us a more accurate prediction of how long the Trailwaker stages should take us given distance and elevation - at least that's the theory!