The return

We finally arrived back at Pissou yesterday afternoon after a looooong journey which started at dawn Sunday morning when we left Dorset to catch the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. Both vehicles were fully laden with items that we have kept from the house in Sheffield and miscellaneous other bits and pieces that it is impossible to take back when flying. Fortunately, the weather for the drive back was perfect and the overnight stopover with one of my hosts in central France facilitated a battery recharge before the final 5 hour push down to the Pyrenees - jeez, it's a long trip! We arrived back to clear blue skies and rapidly melting snow - hard to believe that a week ago, the ground was covered with over 50cms of the white stuff!

The house was cold, very cold, which was to be expected after a month of lying empty. But the woodburner downstairs and the petrol heater upstairs quickly brought us some welcome warmth - a year ago, before we renovated the ground floor, it would have taken days to warm the house because of the awful damp that penetrated every room. But today, a comfortable temperature was quickly reached.

Today has been a full-on day of post-holiday catching up, sorting through the mountain of Stuff that we have brought back with us, getting 2 loads of washing on the line etc. But more importantly, I have tackled Potager Matters. I am very conscious of the unstoppable march of time and of the fact that, as yet, I have not sown any seeds for the summer's produce. So, in my new heated propagator, I have sown three varieties of tomato, some chillis and some beetroot. I have also sown two varieties of squash and some baby sweetcorn. By the weekend, temperatures are due to reach 20 degrees so I shouldn't have any problem with germination this year. This afternoon, I also lifted the remaining parsnips which amounted to a fair few kilos!
I have stored the majority in a jute sack in the barn but also have half a dozen stored in the fridge and will also be freezing a couple. Later in the week, I must have a potager day and get the French beans and early carrots sown, keeping a cloche or two handy to protect the sowings in case temperatures dip again in April. But I am hoping, just hoping (yeah, I know, the eternal optimist!) that Spring is now knocking at the door.

Tired

I have covered quite a few kms over the past 2 weeks and pounded up numerous hills whilst absorbing the beauty of the Lake District and the Peak District but my poor little legs are tired now. I had planned a longer outing today but as I started the climb up to Lose Hill from Hope it was obvious it was not to be. 'Oi!', my body shrieked as I asked it to run up the incline, 'No Way! Nope! Not Today!' I didn't have any choice but to listen to it, so rather than treat the outing as a training run, I took it easy and just enjoyed being out in the lovely weather, taking in the views towards Edale ...and back towards Lose Hill from Mam TorThe reward for the slow, steady climb up to Mam Tor was a fun run back down along the edge, a fast scoot along the good paths below Lose Hill and a final spurt back to the car. It was a 10km outing with some steep ascents and I was out and back within 1 hr 30 mins. Tomorrow, a local walk possibly, before we leave the Peak District on Saturday morning to start our journey back to Pissou. I really hope I can keep up the running momentum when I return and that I will be on good form for the Trail des Citadelles in just over 3 weeks time.

Peak running

My run this afternoon was one of those that just makes you feel 'YES!' The training is paying off and the good conditions underfoot enabled me to do a PB on the Whitescar, Froggat, Curbar, Baslow Edge 14km circuit of 1 hr 30 mins. I knocked 6 minutes off my last recorded run around this particular circuit which was in 2006 when I considered myself pretty fit. Today, I finished the undulating circuit feeling strong and could have carried on. I had no aches or pains, no discomfort, despite having pushed hard, so time to crank up the distance with hopefully a longer run either tomorrow or Friday before we leave the Peak District on Saturday.

Timeless

Bakewell, a quintessentially English town. The melodic peeling of the church bells on a Sunday morning, the clippety clop of horses hooves along the road, the Sunday papers... it's all rather, I don't know... decadent?

Anyway, back to the nitty gritty, and an excellent run with Ayshea this afternoon in glorious weather .... clear blue skies but with a definite chill in the air. Aysh has only started running again recently after having her 2nd baby in early November. "I won't be running up any of the hills, you know", she cautioned me. "That's fine by me!" I replied. But Aysh is a super-motivated and determined lass and, as I expected, she ran up ALL of the hills ... that was 400m of ascent in total! Go girl!The route took us from Grindleford, up Padley Gorge to Surprise View car park, up to Higgar Torwith views towards Stanagealong to the head of the Burbage Valley then back down the track, along to the Longshaw Estate and a return back down Padley Gorge. 14.76km in a time of 1 hr 46 mins. Despite the crowds out enjoying the Sunday sunshine, it was a thoroughly enjoyable circuit and I felt strong all the way round. I love running in the Peak and hope to up the distance in the course of the coming week. Bring it on!

Moving on

Yesterday afternoon, Andy and I had a mooch up the Langdale Valley from Chapel Stile, taking advantage of the clear blue sky and beautiful sunshine on our last day in the Lakes. It was rounded off by a swift half of Black Sheep ale at the Old Dungeon Gill - sweet!
Today, we are back in the Peak District. The house is now totally cleared and the keys handed over to the solicitor. I have shut the door on Huntingtower Rd for the last time. Although I have many happy memories, collected over a period of 17 years, I am actually very relieved to have sold the house. Letting it out to tenants was more hassle than it was worth. Time to let go and move on.

We are now in a lovely little cottage in Bakewell for the next week. That's the beauty of being self-employed and having a business that can be run from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection - no pressing need to return home! I intend to enjoy the coming week in the Peak District, running on the gritstone edges and the peakland moors and catching up with some more friends. But at the end of the week, I suppose we really should consider a return to Pissou.... maybe :-)

Above Grasmere

Beautiful weather here again today.... clear blue skies but with a real chill in the air. My current drug of choice, a run in the fells, was calling me. I needed to get my fix whilst we are still in my favourite part of the world. I found what looked like a lovely circuit, starting at Grasmere, heading up to Easedale Tarn, on up to the ridge that looks down to Stickle Tarn and a descent to Codale Tarn before returning to Grasmere.

The run up to Easedale Tarn was generally snow free but the tarn itself was sporting an icey coat. My route would take me up to Blea Rigg, the ridge in the distance...which I reached within an hour. The view back down to Easedale Tarn and Great Rigg in the distance was quite special.On up some gentle, consolidated snow slopes (zero avalanche risk here) to the ridge that looks down onto Stickle Tarn with Pavey Ark on the right - this could be the Ariège, don't you think?!
Taff was enjoying his outing
Then it was time to descend back down to Codale Tarn which was also under iceWe then had a steep descent (not entirely planned, but I took the wrong route from Codale Tarn!) back down to the north of Easedale Tarn and a trot across the bogs down in the valley that leads back down to Grasmere
I felt strong all the way around the circuit which turned out to be another 14km outing, a couple of kms less than if I had taken the correct descent off Codale. But the going had been harder and the ascent from Grasmere steeper than my two previous outings, so I was pleased with how I felt. Tomorrow will probably be a less energetic day but hopefully I can get in one last long outing on Thursday before we leave this special part of the world.

Up onto the fells

Kentmere is a special place, nestled at the head of a valley, surrounded by beautiful scenery The lack of parking space at the head of the valley ensures that the hills will not be overwhelmed by people at this time of year. I was looking forward to having a run up onto the high fells and hoped to tick off the Kentmere round, an appox 20km circuit taking in the major peaks above the valley. The only factor that could thwart my plan was snow on the higher fells

Up to the Garburn Pass and en route to The Yoke, the hillside was windblown and the snow didn't present a problemThe view started to open out as I gained height and the Western fells revealed themselves in their full gloryThe pooch and I made good progress and quickly reached the Yoke and pushed on to Ill Bell and then Froswick. From there, I could get a good view of the second half of the round that runs up to Thornthwaite Crag, on to High Street and then Harter Fell and Kentmere Pike with Kentmere Tarn down in the valley. It was very white. If the pooch had not been with me I would have gone for it but I could not risk arriving at the head of the valley with an exhausted hound and and having to backtrack the way that I had came. So I turned tail and retraced my steps back towards Ill Bell....
... back down to the Garburn Pass and to the valley below. I had covered a total distance of 14.5kms with 635m of ascent. It had been a cracking outing but the Kentmere Round is still Unfinished Business. It would be good to complete it before we leave the Lakes on Friday. We'll see.