My First Lake District Mountain Trial. Sep 2014

For several years I’ve wanted to try my hand at the LDMT event because it’s one of the premier navigating tests in the fell calendar. I actually entered in 2013 only for it to be cancelled for the first time in its history. Not a good omen.

For those who don’t know about the Mountain Trial here is the introduction from the organiser’s website.

The Mountain Trial is a severe test of fellrunners’ mountaineering ability and stamina. Competitors are required to traverse difficult and often dangerous terrain, rapidly but safely. Navigational skills and route choice have a direct bearing on each competitor’s safety. Evolving from a race organised by the YHA in 1952, it is run on orienteering principles and is the longest established event of its kind in Great Britain.

(Note, entry information:

Classic Trial: around 16 miles and 7000ft climb. Estimated winning time = 4.5hrs). 

So to 2014 and I get my entry in, and find that Tim Culshaw has also entered so we head off up to the Lake District on Saturday evening. We stopped the night in the nearest YHA that had room at short notice – Arnside – look it up!.  Next morning we head off too early for the hostel cooked breakfast so munch on some Sheelagh lembas wafer and tea before driving to Patterdale for 8am. We meet Jasmin and Conrad at the start, see Joss Naylor pottering about but otherwise recognize very few competitors. Probably too elite a field for us?  My start time was 9am, Tim’s was 10am. This came back to bite Tim later on.

Time arrives, I’m all kitted up with loads of water and food in a rucksack. Noticed a lot of entrants only had small bumbags. Mental review, have I packed too much kit?. The minimum plus an extra layer in case – I think I would be unwise to dump anything.

At the start in the field we are realeased in 1 minute pairs and must follow a flagged route out of the village so that we have to go out towards St Sunday Crag. Map collection is 500m in, I got passed by two other runners before I reach my map. (Based on Harveys 1:40,000, quite small for the route area).

Up a good path, pretty steep going.  CP1 is at the head of Deepdale south of St Sunday Crag, While walking  I plan my route to contour round the highest point and then traverse down to the sheepfold.  Jasmin passed me running like a gazelle and was a small dot within 10 minutes.

Shoes start biting ankle bones during traverse to CP1, a bit worrying after only 45 minutes.

As I reached CP1 I noticed for the first time that every CP has a cut-off time printed on the map. This was absolute time, not related to your start time. I reached CP1 with 1hr8m in hand.

(Remember Tim’s starting time was an hour later!)

Steep climb out of Deepdale west and due to concern over shoes rubbing decide to use path to Grisedale Tarn then down Grisedale past Ruthwaite lodge then long climb 450m up to Hole in the Wall. Brutal climb, passed by maybe 10 faster runners including Dark Peak’s Rhys Findlay Robinson who asked if I’d seen a Hunters Bog Trotter. I gasped I wouldn’t know one if he’d jumped on my back. Turns out Rhys finished 2^nd to Hector Haines.

Time in hand now 45m. (Tim got timed out here – partly cos he was still not fully recovered from his 75 mile epic)

CP3 was about 4 miles away in a stream on Birkett Fell, I chose to go down and across Red Tarn to a path and down Glenridding Common, north between Stang and Sheffield Pike up another steep climb by the disused mine then contoured round head of Glen Coyne before climbing up and contouring to CP3. Met Danny from Scarborough and shared thoughts on tough terrain, we were gasping up a steep tussocky hill at about 1mph. I took a slightly better line and found CP3 before him and was very happy to see a lady last seen pulling away from me in Deepdale!

Time in hand still 45m.

West to CP4, legs beginning to hurt with another long climb through wild tussocks. Bad choice of trod round south of Green Side (later found this hill is called White Stones on OS map!) when should have gone across country to north, heading for Stybarrow Dodd. Lost 15 minutes :((. Joined another bloke on paths across Watsons Dodd and caught Danny again on long descent to CP4. Marshall offered a gel even though against rules!

Time in hand now only ~20m

CP5 only 1.5m traverse but again through rough tussocks and groughs and ascending ~100m, expected time in cutoff list for this leg is 15 minutes!  Now with Danny and other bloke. Really very tired now. Reached CP5 2m outside time but marshals let us dib.

Another bloke from Threlkeld passed us here with great determination to make up time so we all redoubled efforts to climb (again) up tussocks heading east  to near Wolf Crags. On descending the next valley I get cramp in left quad, first for years. Salt sachet helps. Push on make CP6 bang on time.

Next section longest leg over Great Dodd and South to a crag just short of Red Tarn Beck. Legs trembling and cramping on 320m ascent long tussocky drag to Great Dodd. Only Danny and I now last runners on course, both suffering and we knew we couldn’t make the next CP in time. (allowance was 1h15m, 2^nd man took 1h7m! Looking at splits results only about 15 men and Jasmin managed this leg in the allowed time).

Anyway, I tried to eat some more but throw up on Great Dodd. Can't manage more than one gel after this. Jog paths across the Dodds to Raise, Danny pulls away by a few minutes. More cramp descending to CP7 so walking sometimes now. Taken 30 minutes too long and finally timed out.

Jog slowly heading for Patterdale past china dragonfly exhibition, Finally make worst nav decision by taking wrong turn into Glenridding and miss CP8 which wasn't there any more anyway. Had to stagger back to Patterdale by road.

9 hours, 26.7 miles 8900 ft ascent. Unbelievably tired, couldn’t stomach any food until later at home.

Reflection:  I bit off more than I could handle, but one excuse was the published entry information very misleading. On the map it stated 30.1km and 2025m ascent. (18.8 miles and 6600ft). It seems most people took similar lines and ran about 25 miles and probably similar ascent as me. Later it was stated that the stats are based on the direct line between checkpoints, so be aware if you enter this event it underestimates the true challenge. It seems many acknowledged the route this year was tougher than usual.

Footnote: Hector Haines finished shortly after I had left checkpoint 3.

John Stephenson