Oooo, a New Path, Thanks Kathryn!

After Monday's frustration at not getting out for my canal run with Kathryn, we had a much more scenic run today as Kathryn was off work and I was working from home so we went for a morning run in the hills, which more than made up for Monday.

Kathryn came round to mine and we ran straight up to Two Lads.  As you know, I'm rubbish as ascending but today I was even worse than usual.  Kathryn, on the other hand, was really shifting.  She left me for dust on the climb to two lads and stopped at the water tanks to take some pics of my climb...

From Two Lads we ran down to the mast road, crossed over and then ran towards the farm, leading out to Coal Pit Lane.  After running along the road a bit, we turned off through Roscoe's Tenement and out near the shooting hut where we then started to run back up to Winter Hill.

Kathryn commented that there was a path somewhere along this way which was used on the Winter Hill Fell Race route but that she wasn't sure exactly where it was.  We soon found it though and decided to run along it, as I have never been on it before and it's always great to find a new path.  I was still really heavy legged though and found running up it really difficult, even though it wasn't at all steep, must be having an off day.  It was pretty boggy and icy and it's always slightly unnerving when you hear the ground cracking underneath your feet.

The path brought us out on Counting Hill where we paused to admire the scenery on such a lovely morning and I took a piccie of Kathryn...

We then ran up towards the mast and, as usual, Counting Hill was a mud bath although, because it was icy and hard, it made it much easier to run along than usual, but there were moments when the ice cracked and you ended up with a foot and ankle full of mud and cold water.

We then ran down the mast road to the mast and turned off on the right for the cross country route back to Two Lads.

Then came the best bit - downhill from Two Lads to the kennels followed by downhill through the field opposite the kennels.  Yey, descents!!!

Thanks to Kathryn for 1) showing me a new path and 2) putting up with my ridiculously slow ascending and 3) managing to make me look better than I felt in those photos!


Total distance - 6.6 miles

https://www.strava.com/activities/240891361