Stuart Dalby - Attentiv 24 Peak Challenge Training Walks

I am not an avid walker but have always enjoyed going for walks in the country. My taking part in the challenge was just that, a challenge to myself, an opportunity to support a good cause and a good way of increasing my general level of fitness.

I present here a diary of my practice walks for the challenge. Click here to read about how I found the actual event itself.

Sunday 21st August, Solo Practice Walk - Swainby Back to Top

Recovered from my day of bag-packing in aid of the NDCS at Morrisons in Huddersfield yesterday, this morning I set off really early heading for Boltby, near Thirsk for another practise walk. In retrospect it may have been a bit too early because on the way up, I must have turned one too many pages in my “50 Walks in North Yorkshire” book and ended up in Swainby, 8 miles North of Boltby! Anyway, I was there now.

Swainby looked a very picturesque little village as I walked in the glorious early morning sunshine alongside the stream uphill towards Clain Wood. The going was quite easy as I began walking along part of the well-used Cleveland Way National Trail. After crossing Scugdale Beck I began climbing Round Hill. The ascent started relatively gentle but became much steeper as I neared the summit. Excellent practice for my 24 peak challenge.

From the top of Round Hill the views were amazing. It was also absolutely covered in flowering heather. Very scenic but not very good for finding the narrow path through the heather initially and then fern bushes down to the woods overlooking Faceby.

After wasting a few minutes looking for something that even faintly resembled a path, I realised that a line of fern bushes which were only about 1m tall rather than 1½m must be it! 20 minutes later, after risking life and limb and absolutely drenched from barging through the dew-covered fern bushes, I found the more recognisable path along the top edge of the wood. Boy was it good being able to see the ground again!

I walked towards Faceby before turning left up into and around the perimeter of Whorl Hill Wood. I then walked through what’s left of the village of Whorlton with its partially ruined but still picturesque church and castle.

It was then only a short walk back along the road to Swainby.

Equal mix of woodland, moorland and road walking including plenty of gradients over approximately 7 miles in about 3 hours (because of excessive photo taking).

Saturday 13th August, Wet Weather Solo Practice Walk - Scar House Reservoir Back to Top

With the challenge now less than a month away the desire to get regular hilly walks in became a high priority. The weather forecast for this particular Saturday was for quite heavy rain, turning brighter as the day went on. I decided to see how I got on walking in the rain (The Challenge is in the Lake District in September so I figured this would be sensible preparation). I headed north of Pateley Bridge to the village of Middlesmoor with a walk planned to Scar House Reservoir.

		After driving through heavy rain showers to get there, at Middlesmoor there was no rain but looking up towards In Moor you could see low cloud. With waterproof trousers and raincoat on I headed up Moor Lane which looked more like a river bed ran an old road.

After about a mile, the frequently changing cloud base and I met and things started getting wet. Hood up I continued and was rewarded by turning a corner and seeing the reservoir and the impressive dam in the valley below. This was quite a sight but was made even better by being able to view a rainbow from above!

There was quite a steep decent to the dam itself and this was good walking practice. As I crossed the dam the rain really came down and I was soaked. The waterproofs kept the worst of the rain off me but I'm wondering if they were more shower-proof than rain-proof.

Not wanting to walk too far in this poor weather and the walk back to the car from here being sufficient hill climbing practice, I turned around. In total I'd walked nearly 5 miles in just over 2 hours in poor weather.

Sunday 7th August, Solo Practice Walk - Byland Abbey Back to Top

		Fresh from my US vacation I was keen to continue my regular walking. With my new "50 Walks in North Yorkshire" book in hand, I headed off early this Sunday morning to Byland Abbey near Thirsk. The sun was shining but it was still a little cooler than I'd become accustomed to in the US. I walked into the picturesque village of Wass and then headed north west uphill following the edge of the woods. The paths were a lot muddier and stonier than in the US but my new boots performed flawlessly. The previous evening's rain and the morning due made it a much damper trek. Many of the paths were quite narrow and didn't look well used and you had to barge your way through overhanging brambles and ferns. The bottom of my trousers quickly became soaked and I could have done with having on waterproofs.

Anyway, onward and upward and the book rather simplistically told me to "Follow the path to Oldstead Observatory". Now that would have been fine if I could see any signs to the observatory but I could see none. I did get a nice view of the valley below whilst trying a number of possible paths downhill but ended up trudging for about 20 minutes through woods looking for a path downhill. Eventually I found one and did consider walking back uphill to see if I could find this observatory but decided against it. At the bottom of the path, just as predicted by the book was a signpost to the observatory pointing back uphill. Oh well.

After a refreshment stop I began walking back towards the abbey through the village of Oldstead and past Oldstead Grange. I deviated from the official route a couple of times but since I could now see the abbey in the distance, the chances of me getting lost were much reduced.

Back at the abbey I enjoyed a look around the impressive remains before heading home. I'd walked about 5 miles in 3 hours. No injuries.

23rd July - 3rd August, Hot Weather Training in the USA Back to Top

Saturday July 23rd (and not July 22nd because I missed my flight) I headed out for a vacation in Baltimore, Maryland, USA staying with my brother who lives out there. I planned to buy a new pair of walking boots (see the Kinder Scout entry below for the reason why) and incorporate a few practice walks. My brother and I ended up walking pretty much every day clocking up a total of about 20 hours and 50 miles in temperatures ranging from 26C-38C (80F-100F).

A couple of hours after purchasing a new pair of boots, Richard was keen for me to get them dirty so we headed off to Oregon Ridge and walked approx. 3 miles on hilly woodland trails taking about 1½ hours. I was amazed how comfortable my feet where in my new boots. So much more comfortable than the old pair and the walk was completed without any injuries.

		The next couple of days were very hot and so not ideal walking conditions. We did manage try the woodland trails around Cylburn Arboretum but even in the shade of the trees, after about an hour and 2 miles, we decided to head for the air conditioned comfort of indoors.

On the Thursday temperatures had dropped to a more comfortable 26C (80F) and so we planned a day of trekking. First we headed for Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area. This consisted of mainly level/stoney trails with some woodlands. We walked about 4 miles in 1½ hours.

		After an obligatory coffee stop we headed south to explore the Patapsco Valley State Park around Avalon, Orange Grove & Ilchester. This was a very beautiful and interesting area with one of the first hydro-electric dams where the electricity generation equipment was built inside the dam, a swinging bridge and the world’s only curved viaduct. Before we reached the viaduct we took an un-chartered detour which you will never see on any tourist maps to the UMBC Technology Center for lunch. During the last mile of this second section an old acquaintance of a pain in the left knee started to make itself known. I had had this during the second half of the Kinder Scout practice walk but then it was the least of my worries.

After lunch we headed for the curved viaduct and a walk back along the other side of the river back towards the dam and our car. My knee slowed me down a little whilst walking on the level but I really struggled climbing the woodland trail back to the car. We had walked about 12 miles in 6 hours. Fortunately, I think the knee pain was just a tired muscle because the pain went pretty much overnight. Hopefully now it’s been exercised it will not present a problem in the future.

After taking it easy on Friday, Saturday we planned a more leisurely walk along some of the woodland trails around Loch Raven. We covered about 3½ miles in about 1½ hours.

Over the next couple of days we managed to fit in a few more relatively short walks. Some of these were woodland trails and some were more photo-taking opportunities with our fancy new digital cameras

The second Wednesday, the day of my return to the UK we were determined to fit in a fairly decent last trek. We headed for Little Gunpowder Falls in Harford County and enjoyed a pleasant 2 mile trek along hilly woodland trails toward the picturesque little village of Jerusalem Mill.

A short rest at the Mill to clarify the location of the covered bridge turned into a much longer halt when we met some of the Friends of Jerusalem Mill. We would have liked to stay with them longer but we had a lunch date and I had a plane to catch so the return leg to our car turned out to be a high speed trek back along the woodland trails. I swear we left a dust cloud behind us.

Anyway, we got back to the car (no hint of any recurrence of knee pain), back to the house, showered, suitcase packed and met our lunch date (only 30 minutes late) and I easily caught my flight back home. A very enjoyable vacation and plenty of well-needed hiking practice.

Sunday 10th July, First Team Practice Walk - Kinder Scout Back to Top

Having my bicycle stolen whilst in York during Royal Ascot week was a setback to my preparations for the challenge. Apart from the occasional swimming session and a single session on a friend's elipical cross trainer, I was keen to take part in our team's first practice walk. This was to be an approximately 10 mile walk around Kinder Scout in the Peak District.

The five of us set off from beside the Snake Inn on the A57 between Glossop and Sheffield at about 10.30am on a glorious Sunday morning. The temperature was already about 24C. Fortunately as we begun to climb towards the Kinder Scout peak with Fair Brook a mere trickle to our left, a thin layer of cloud sheilded us from the full force of the sun and the temperature dropped a little.

1¾ miles into our walk we only had a short steep section to climb beside what would usually be a waterfall, in order to reach the plateau at the top. This certainly slowed everyone's pace but the view from the top was well worth it.

After a brief stop for refreshments and official photos we began walking along "The Edge" across the top of Kinder Scout before stopping for lunch at about 1.30pm. It was about this point when a few aches in my legs were calling to me and I was beginning to think, "Yes, this is nice but time to start heading back" but oh no. Turning back now would have meant only a 7 mile walk. We were preparing for 2 days of walking 15 miles each!

Fortunately, the planned route ahead had the attraction of a pub stop so we set off down from the top of Kinder Scout across Mill Hill and Burnt Hill. After the initial steep descent, the route became relatively easy however the majority of the path comprised of roughly laid stone slabs which punished your feet and required you to watch your step. By just after 2.30pm we arrived at the Grouse Inn for refreshments.

Leaving at about 3pm, we began our long walk back. For the first mile we had to double back on ourselves across those horrible stone slabs again before turning left at the crossing of the Pennine Way and Snake Path back toward the Snake Inn.

By this time I was really beginning to struggle. Since coming off the top of Kinder Scout we were back in full sun and temperatures in the high-twenties. Even at this stage I wasn't so much lacking energy but my left foot had obviously developed a blister and I was also running out of water. Also, the snake path was not as inviting as it had appeared whilst looking down from "The Edge" three or so hours previously. We were walking on narrow paths over rocky outcrops one minute and through muddy hollows the next.

Fortunately the other members of our team were much better prepared than I and the donation of an isotonic drink and plenty of encouragement, we all arrived back at the Snake Inn at about 6pm. Boy was I relieved.

Back at home I counted 3 blisters on my feet but nothing else that a good night's sleep wouldn't fix. A new pair of walking boots, couple of pairs of walking socks and a water carrier/hydration system are now on my shopping list. I'm so glad we did this practice walk as it's been the best preparation so far for the challenge and there's still time to sort out my feet.

Sunday 5th June, York Cycle Sprint Back to Top

Since moving to York I frequently go for Sunday morning bike rides. I prefer to get up early and cycle around the country roads near my house before heading into town and basically, nosying about, see what's happening before the big crowds flood in later in the day. I have to admit though that these rides are best described as leisurely rather than anything approaching a workout.

Today this all changed as I set out on a time challenge. Roughly a 10 mile route planned out I aimed to cycle it as fast as I could.

The first three or so miles were ok. A few gently inclines but I kept up a good speed. Little traffic on the country lanes so I could concentrate on avoiding the puddles after the early morning rain. There are few significant inclines around York and those there are are only bridges over either roads, rivers or railway lines. Fortunately I had only two bridges on my route and I didn't loose too much speed going up the first. Also, the advantage of inclines caused by bridges is that you are usually rewarded by a nice descent on the other side. Through a quite country village and a whizzed past an old guy on a bike who must have thought my bike had an engine on it! I was about half way round by now.

Few more miles no problem, I had got into a good rhythm. My speed had dropped a little. I was pedalling at about the same rate but was in a lower gear. My legs were beginning to ache. The final challenge would be another railway bridge. This was a little steeper than the first and previously had always required first gear. Today I was in third and was determined to power up it. Gripping the handlebars firmly and swaying side to side, I was up it in record time but my only reward was cramp in both legs. Not wanting to stop it was a case of just sticking my legs out in front as a freewheeled down the other side. Must have looked a sight but the stretch got rid of the cramp.

I have to admit the final mile back to my house was at a more leisurely pace so that I didn't encourage the cramp to return. Obviously my neighbours would see the same casual return to my house as usual unaware of today's sprint.

I hadn't accurately recorded exactly when I left the house but I think the route took me about 50 minutes. I was happy with that but next time I will have to beat it.

Monday 23rd May, First Solo Practice Walk - Dalby Forest Back to Top

My first "proper" walk as preparation for this challenge wasn't a planned event. An impromptu day off work, the purchase of a new digital camera and my eagerness to try it out resulted in me driving up to Dalby Forest near to Pickering, North Yorkshire this sunny but windy Monday afternoon. With only my walking boots, a thick pair of socks, raincoat and camera, I would be travelling light.

I parked in the lay-by overlooking the Hole of Horcum on the A169, Pickering to Whitby road. After taking a few photos of "the Hole" I walked about 50 yards up the road towards Whitby and then turned right onto the footpath which takes you east, at first across open farmland and then after a while along the Western edge of Dalby Forest.

Walking away from the main road at a brisk pace, the noise of traffic was soon replaced by the roar of the wind in your ears. My raincoat had been taken for protection from any rain showers but it turned out to serve a greater purpose as a wind shield. My toes hurt a little in boots which had not been worn much in the many years I'd owned them but not so much to be distracting.

The sheep and lambs in the fields to my right were very uncooperative when I tried to take a nice photo of them but I did manage a few along with several of the beautiful landscape.

I did not have a route planned but I was pretty sure the footpath would take me to a scenic overlook called Crosscliff. I hoped I could reach there before turning round and heading back. Just as I was starting to think Crosscliff might be out of my reach on this first walk, I arrived after about an hour and a half. A signpost indicated 4 miles back to Saltergate which was where I'd started from. It had taken me an hour and a half. I was happy with that.

I set off walking back hoping to break the one hour 30 minute outward leg even though my legs were starting to ache a little. Not stopping every few minutes to take another photo helped but the last mile or two up the slight incline had me desperately hoping that the ice-cream van parked in the lay-by when I arrived would still be there. I was also trying to outrun a rain shower beneath a large dark cloud which was heading in the direction of "the hole". The race between us turned out to be a draw and after an hour return trip I was able to escape a drenching whilst removing my boots in my car.

I was surprised to see that part of a sock had changed a bright red colour. I must have incurred a slight injury during my walk but it couldn't be too serious as I couldn't really feel anything wrong. [Back home I found out the source of the blood was a small cut in the side of one of my toes caused by the long nail of the toe beside. I guess that taught me the first rule of walking is make sure you cut your toenails regularly.]

Ice-cream treat purchased and consumed, I headed back home content of my first "proper" walk. 8 miles on relatively level ground in a total of 2½ hours. Not bad for starters.

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