This was a new one for Melanie and I, but not for many of the runners we met there. Everyone we met had done it several times and one person had done it every year for fifteen years. This tells you something about the event and the countryside you run through is just beautiful.
Near the end a path took us right through this field of poppies and that was just one of the highlights
The route has hills but they are not as steep as the hills we did last weekend, which was a bit of relief as we did not think we were fully recovered from the
Hardmoors White Horse.
The start took place this side of this strange gate which was a bit like revolving door but with only one entrance and exit.
There were a couple of runners we had met before from various marathons and it was a very laid back start, no announcements or briefing. Probably about half the field were runners and the event had an eleven hour cut off so there was no pressure on the walkers.
The route description was a list of checkpoint grid references and suggested points to go through. I had plotted a route on our watches, then looked around the internet for other people's routes I found one and amended the one I had drawn. However, when talking to one our running friends who we met there, the suggested points to go through were not compulsory and you could go any way that you liked between checkpoints as long as you stayed on roads or footpaths. In the Village Hall, which was Race HQ, there was a suggested route which differed in two places from the one I had drawn. We were a bit undecided and although we had a physical map and OS maps on our phones, we knew it would be easier to follow the route I had drawn (now on our watches). Anyway it would a few miles before we had to make some choices so we decided to leave the decisions until later (or so we thought).
The route started in the outskirts of Chatsworth House grounds, which are enormous. So big that there was another running event starting about half a mile away. They started at the same time but did a different route to us. Our route took us down past Chatsworth House
and after crossing a bridge we followed signs which took us off the route I had drawn ! This could have been very interesting, but after about half a mile we joined back up again. It was strange, some of the route was well signed, some not signed at all and in both cases runners were going off in different directions.
There was a fair bit of gentle climbing with lovely views once we had reached the top.
The weather had been cloudy and warm at the start, but after three miles it started to gently drizzle which was lovely and cooling.
Through woods and on to the first checkpoint. Shortly after this we chose not to follow my drawn route as the path we were going to go down was heavily overgrown with nettles.
On to Haddon Hall and then a climb through fields to Over Haddon
and then on to Sheldon where the route undulated a bit. We also went through a field where a farmer was muck spreading. My sense of smell is not as good as it used to be so this wasn't too too bad for me, but Melanie really did not enjoy that !
We past what was left of Magpie Mine.
We made a minor error but soon got back on track. At the Sheldon checkpoint we were advised that the suggested route in the Village Hall was a bit steep and slippery so we decided to stick to the route on our watches and go down into the lovely Deep Dale.
On into Monsal Dale, following the river
then up to the viaduct in the picture above and along an old railway line before leaving it to head towards Cressbrook Mill.
We past close to the weir at the Mill
before moving on to Cressbrook Dale where it was quite technical underfoot in the woods. The woods soon ended and it got easier
Through Foolow and on into Eyam. Here my route design went wrong. There was a road which was the direct route, but when I looked at it when designing the route, I assumed we should stick to footpaths, so that is what I plotted. Sadly the route I designed took us up a fairly big hill and then down the other side back to the road. The road did not involve any climbing and even better was closed for vehicles, so we could have run along it very safely.
Here is Melanie almost at the top, before she had realised this wasn't a hill we needed to have climbed....
On to the outskirts of Froggart and a lovely run alongside the river before we came to our next decision point on which way to go. We could go along the river to Calver Mill (which was the route on our watches) or go straight up a big hill straight into Calver. Again this wasn't a difficult choice, the path going straight up was completely overgrown with nettles, so on to Calver Mill and then into Calver.
From there we had the steepest climb of the day up to Bramley Wood. At the top there were rhododendrons which were lovely and some of them had had their flowers blown onto the ground.
We could see Baslow in the distance but still over two miles to go
Some attractive views of poppy fields
Then downhill towards Baslow we went on a path though an entire field of poppies, which was just gorgeous
Back to the Village Hall for pie and peas
followed by fruit salad and cream and tea. A lovely way to end the run
As usual in these events, we had a certificate and badge to take away
I think we may well do this one again, we loved it !
