Long Tour of Bradwell - NE Derbyshire at its best !

Yet again, met by warm sunshine. Not too hot and with nice cool breeze this was perfect running temperature for the hills. This time of year is stunning in the Peaks with the heather becoming a vivid purple colour that suddenly brings this moorland into spectacular colour. So this is a tough run, elevation from the start which doesn't let up bar a short stretch on the old construction railway from Ladybower and a brief follow of the river near Hathersage, until the end. The sting in the tail being the descent into Bradwell. I remember it well from last year.

So the running has not being going particularly well of late, so this was started very much with the idea that in all probability it wouldn't be finished, however as it weighs in at about 56k ish (with the deviation due to the closed Bamford Clough) as long as I completed the marathon distance I would be happy. Especially with this elevation!

The initial climb up through quarries is not the greatest running really and is just a dull drag but as soon as this tops out the fun begins and the fantastic views start with dropping straight into a great descent down into Castleton following Cave Dale. This descent is excellent whether you're on 2 wheels or 2 legs but its not for the hesitant and the faint hearted. Its steep in places, its wet in places, its loose in places and the bits that aren't loose are polished to a shine. To enjoy it: ya need to beast it. I've come off a bike twice down here, once smashing my helmet into a spike of limestone and once smashing my knee into a chunky of limestone, but I put these down to my errors! I like downhills, no effort just let yourself go and hope for the best! Strava has a link to the segment which shows it having been run about 140 times in total. I was pleased to get an overall 4th place on it and more importantly overtake a lot of the people who had overtaken me on the previous hill.

After pottering through Castleton its straight on up to Hollins Cross before another great descent down into Edale via the affectionately known descent (on Strava) called the Ankle Snapper. Here out of 160ish descents I managed a creditable 3rd overall place! I was enjoying this. Fell/Trail running is great apart from the uphills! Then its on up to classic Dark Peak Moor climbing under the might Ringing Roger up to the Druids Stone before dropping like a stone back to the road and heading back up to the ridge.

This climb up to Back Tor is a ball ache and just goes on and on, too steep to run and not enjoyable, but once there you're met by amazing views on the way up and down Lose Hill. Again straight over the road and up and round Win Hill. I came a cropper here on the right camber on the traverse into the Plantation. (The old ankle does not like rightward cambers!) Ouch. It then took a long time to get down to the old railway line at Ladybower and a meet up with the family, who had given up hope and we starting to head off along the Dam. I had a little sit down but after some stern words from the Wife, something like 'man up and stop messing around' and one of my sons saying 'daddy why are you sitting down when other people are running?' and the other one saying 'you need to tell the marshalls if you're going to stop running' I changed my top and did indeed 'man-up' and cracked on.

The next section was flat and pleasant and gave my ankle the rest it needed to then go up and down some more hills. I helped a few runners with navigation around the altered route out of Bamford and headed on up to Dennis Knoll and headed up the freshly laid Stanage's Long Causeway. Here I almost got run over by a fat aggressive quadbiker who was caning it down. After abusive angry shouts from him in keeping with this type of selfish b@astard and me gently pointing out that he was actually wrong and he was not in fact meant to be on this route due to the temporary TRO whilst repairs were carried out and then a permanent TRO would come into force, we parted company, him to destroy more of the Peak and me to enjoy the rest of the climb satisfied with my smugness.

It was a windy traverse of Stanage before dropping down to Fiddlers Elbow and the long descent down to Hathersage. Here after a long painful descent on my ankle and about 46k I decided to chuck the towel in and do the 1k home. Happy with my day out and looking forward to running a bit more frequently this week. What a great day, on a great route in a great part of the World. I feel privileged to live and run here. Without a shadow of a doubt this run was head and shoulder above any I have done this year. Quite simply stunning. I probably should have been running a bit harder than I was, but I was enjoying the views too much.

Shoe Choice: New Balance 101's
Stats. Distance: 47.2 km  Elevation: 1.58 km  Total Dist: ?? km  Total Elevation: ?? km