According
to the weather people yesterday, after starting dull and overcast,
would brighten up by late morning with long sunny spells in the
afternoon. On that basis I had an early lunch and then set off for a
run over a bit of the Pennine moors. As I set off to drive the short
distance to Belmont it was still heavily overcast even though it was
past noon; by the time I reached Belmont it was drizzling and ten
minutes into the run I was enveloped in moderately thick clag. So
much for the forecast! Still, it was good to be out, at least it
wasn't windy for the first time in ages and the lapwings were singing
somewhere above. The familiar run up the east side of Winter Hill,
then I took the middle path down to Belmont rd and on northwards over
the 'river' Yarrow onto the west side of Anglezarke moor. I didn't
have my compass out and after coming round the second woods I must
have gone too far NW instead of NE because after a short while Round
Loaf was visible, whereas I'd intended going over Hurst Hill. A
change of direction and some running over tussocks without a trod to
ease the way was required.
The
night before I'd consulted my newish map of the West Pennines and
decided to try a new route over Wheelton, Withnell and Roddlesworth
Moors, through Tockholes then up the NW side of Darwen Moor to the
tower before heading back to Belmont. I'd never been over these moors
before, largely because they looked rather flat and uninteresting,
but having now covered most of the higher moors it seemed like time
to at least visit these lower ones once.
I
didn't take the map I'd consulted with me since I knew I had another,
older, smaller one already in my running bumbag. Now, having crossed
Hurst Hill and heading further NW I decided to get the map out and
confirm that the stone wall I was contemplating using as a handrail
(still no trods) down to Black Dean Brook was in fact the one
intended (I'd only been over this section of moor once before and
that going in the opposite direction and with thick snowdrifts
changing the appearance of the landscape). It was at this point I
suddenly discovered/remembered that the map I had with me only
reached about one third of the way up the new moors I intending
running over!
Well,
the stone wall was indeed the one I expected and I followed it down
into the clough debating as I ran whether to head over the new route
regardless. After all, I simply had to head north for a while and
then west. But if the paths were difficult to find that might mean
crossing long stretches of rough tussocks and if they got so
deep/high as to be unrunnable it could get frustrating. Having
crossed the brook I opted instead to run up the clough then climb
onto the main track leading up to Great Hill. By now the clag had
dispersed and the view was reasonable, which actually made me glad
I'd been forced to change my route – Looking north from Gt. Hill
over the three moors I'd missed they looked every bit as
uninteresting as I remembered (from this lofty perch at the compass
wall) and the map suggested. Far better this run over the tops. So I picked up my familiar path eastward down into the valley, over the main road and up the west side of Darwen Moor, looping north past the tower before taking a different path south and west, dropping down Turton Moor and along the side of Longworth Moor back to the car. And by now a hazy sun was finally pushing its way through the clouds.
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