Fred Whitton Challenge and Scafell Pike hike

This is last weekend's trip, just got round to writing it up.

Last year when I was really fit I thought it would be a great idea to enter the ballot for an entry to the Fred Whitton Challenge.
This is a sportive ride in the Lake District of 112 miles but more importantly 3900 metres of hills. It's dubbed the hardest sportive in the UK!

I thought about cancelling my entry again and again because I wasn't anywhere near fit enough to make it round the course, but going out with Kingston Wheelers and lots of rides with my cycling friend Ian just about got me to the start line.

The trip up there was late, I had work that Saturday and left mine at about 5pm.
A last minute decision by Gary and Ian to both come with me was great. So much better with company! 

We got to the hotel about 11pm and tried to sleep. Inevitably the more I tried the more elusive sleep was! I ended up getting 2 hours before the alarm went off at 4.30am.

Down to the race start, registered and was on the start line at 7am. Gary was going out for an unplanned ride and Ian would take a couple of shortcuts but do the bulk of the FW.

I left them and headed out. The road very soon started going upwards, the first real hill, Kirkstone Pass was about 400 metres of climbing at about 12%.

On the descent the other side a poor guy had crashed and although the ambulance service were there, he didn't look too good. Bike snapped in half.
I slowed down after that.

Up, down, up, down and then up a particularly steep hill.
'Rusty!!' Gary's voice recognisable above the screams of my legs complaining. I said hello but unfortunately it was too steep a hill to stop.

When I got to the top we were all stopped while the air ambulance took away another badly inured rider.
Gary soon joined me in the cafe.

I stopped at the first official food stop at 50 miles ish then carried on and saw Gary again half way up Newlands. Stopped for a chat then carried on to try to catch Ian.

They were ahead although I'd started first because they weren't following the course.

Text messages were taking an age to get through and it seemed like Ian was quite a way ahead.

The spectators were absolutely fantastic and made us all feel like heroes. A very welcoming community.

In contrast, I got to the top of one long climb and a guy looked at my Tourmalet cycle jersey and said
'Ah!! Tourmalet!! Your mate says you're a pussy and he's whipping your ass!!'
I'd just enough breath left to laugh and ask how far ahead he was. They couldn't remember.

Randomly a bit later I stopped and Ian cycled up from behind me, he'd just been in a cafe.

Rode the second half of the ride with him which really helped with moral.

Unfortunately at one point Ian made a mistake and ended up crashing into a soft bank. As he was laughing I decided the best thing I could do was to take a picture.

The last two big hills are stuff of cycling legend and nightmares. Hardknott Pass and Wrynose both have gradients of 30% and are almost impossible to ride up.
As they appear around 100 miles into the course your legs are already lifeless.

The guy in front of me started up and wobbled before doing a spectacular wheelie which then put him on his back and his bike went over his head.
He was unhurt and I managed to avoid him although he rolled completely across the road!

I think I managed to get about 100 metres up the hill before getting off the bike. Importantly this was about 1 metre further than Ian, although on the next hill the situation was reversed and Ian won by a metre!

This is me :)

The end of the ride I was happy to let Ian drag me home in his slipstream. Arrived at the finish line to a very low key celebration of some clapping. No medal or finishers t shirt here, just the knowledge that you did it.

So obviously I bought my own finishers cycle jersey, at a cost of £65! The red pattern at the top is the profile of the hills on the course.

That night we ate well (check the calories burned above) and set up our tents ready for the next days challenge.

We got up and after a good breakfast we hiked 13 miles up Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain.

It was a fabulous day and the views were spectacular.

I got to test my new Sawyer mini water filter in a stream, nobody was ill so I'll call that a success.

It turned out Gary had a hidden talent for hillwalking and was the first to the top, and the first back down again.

9 hours after we set out we were back at the camp. 

Quick dinner, drive home via Stafford to drop Ian and Thorpe to drop Gary.
I got home at 3.45am Tuesday morning, a bit later than planned!

Totally shattered for a couple of days after but it was well worth it. A really good weekend.

Cheers guys!

Kayaking the Wey Navigation

So a few weeks ago I was reading Grand Adventures by Alastair Humphreys and got to the section on river based adventures. Within 5 minutes I was on Amazon and added an inflatable kayak to my basket. 

Met some friends in the pub a bit later and told them all about it. Clive asked to see it so I passed him my phone, 30 seconds later he passed it back and the screen said 'thank you for your purchase'!!
Cheers Clive!

So yesterday I got a train to Godalming with a bag which resembles a laundry bag, with the intention of paddling 18 miles down the River Wey, onto the Thames and along to Walton Xcel where I parked my car.

It was only 200 yards from Godalming Station to the river bank and in 10 minutes I had the kayak pumped up and ready to go.

I'd not been in a kayak for years so very carefully got in and immediately found I was stuck on the bottom. I'd put it in next to a land drain and I was sitting on a silt mound! A few pushes and I was away.

At the first lock I got out and carried my kayak around. Portaging they call it. 

There was a shire horse towing a narrow boat out of the lock which didn't like the look of my bright green vessel.
I waited until they were under way then I paddled past without any fuss from the horse.

It was a beautiful day, sunshine and a slight breeze. Lots of families of birds out for a paddle alongside me.

Godalming is the furthest southerly navigable point of the Wey Navigation and  there was a lock every mile or so, mostly there were easy places to get the boat out and safely back in again for the whole journey.

I stopped for a sandwich in Guildford after 6 miles or so and then again at The Anchor in Pyrford for more food and a beer.

Started to feel quite weary after about 12 miles but kept on paddling.

Got down to Thames Lock in Weybridge, where I worked as a teenager. This is where the Wey joins the River Thames.

I had the biggest challenge getting back into the kayak here, the drop to the river was about 18 inches which seemed a perilous undertaking, but happily I stayed dry and retained my dignity by not falling in.

Out into the Thames and just a couple of miles along to the leisure centre in Walton and back to my car.

Passed some mad canoeists coming along Desborough cut, there were about 10 of them side by side sprinting past, but leaving no room for me! I paddled to the bank as they steamed past, faces gritted with determination and not even a glance in my direction.

It seems the etiquette on the River Wey is to say hello to everyone on the river or on the towpath, but on the Thames you avoid any eye contact. Bit of a contrast!

Altogether my trip took 9 hours including stopping for food. It was 22 miles in total and my arms are like jelly. 

Total cost of this adventure was £60 for the kayak from Amazon and £8.40 for the train ticket.

Great day out!

Russell :)