August Challenge: The Great Yorkshire River Run - Day 4 (Hull to Spurn Point)

Weathered on the road to Spurn point

My plan for the final day was for a shorter than the previous few days route of about 30-35m. I’d even run an extra mile yesterday to try and give myself a boost into the next day. After not much of, but a slight lay-in after the last 3 days start-times I was awake. But it took me awhile to get up. Perhaps the comforts of home made me more relaxed about having a later start today. But I don’t think even this would be enough. My body had pretty much had enough. And after breakfast and a few hours of stiffly limping around I agreed with Clare that I would cut some of today’s route down to make it twenty-something miles.

Such a decision didn't rest easily with me as I felt initially I was cheating – both myself and those who had sponsored me. But Clare made me realise that people most probably really wouldn't mind me not covering every mile I’d planned, especially if they could see what state I was in. As I slowly got ready I think I’d cut my planned mileage further down below twenty. As I struggled to even get shoes on my swollen feet – particularly my left foot with a hugely swollen big toe and feet that would barely flex – I decided I’d run from a village near to Spurn Point, to its end and back again. This would be less than ten miles. But I now figured it would be all walked. I guess I could have done nothing today, let my body recover and not risk further injury, but I wanted to get to Spurn Point, my planned end point. And, as the end of Spurn point was miles from the nearest road I’d also have to get back on foot.

From the north of Spurn Head its a long
way to the end (beyond the lighthouse)

As Clare drove me on the nearly hour long journey to the rural village of Kilnsea I changed plan again and asked Clare to get me as close to the “end of the road” to Spurn as possible. Which would give me an interesting 6m+ ‘out and back’ and Clare agreed to meet me at the same spot 2 hours 30 minutes later. Surely that should be enough time. I’d managed 4mph for days so this should be easy….right?

I said my goodbyes at the barrier on the road beyond which we’d have to pay to take the car (which for reasons I’ll soon explain is pointless for most people). And then off did I walk. Trying to set a good steady march to see me to the end of the ‘spit’ and back in good time. I was soon onto sand as a massive section of the road has been washed away by the massive tidal surge in December 2013. The spit has been breached regularly over the years and I think they’ve just about given up replacing the road now as there is something like 1/3 mile where there is now no road and only a 4x4 can pass and the head regularly now becomes an island at high tide.

All thats left of the 1/3 mile of road
washed away at the top of Spurn

Have a read on Spurn point it’s a fascinating place, a thin stretch of land poking out for over 3m from the mainland marking the end of the river Humber and the start of the north Sea. For example; there was once a significant town and port at the start of it, larger than Hull at the time – which was overrun by floods and eventually abandoned to the sea in the 14th century. To be walking through the sand seeing water a few hundred yards to my left and right was pretty amazing. I’m incredibly surprised I've never been here, it’s a special place and not that far from my home.

My march was briefly halted as I stopped to chat to an old man taking photo’s who seemed to know a lot about the area. He pointed out a massive grey rain cloud that had quickly built up and would soon hit us, how close the last tide was to breaching the headland, how to get to the very end of the point and what was there (beyond where the road ends) and told me how I’d just missed a huge ‘off-road’ military vehicle carrying a touring party "grounding" trying to get from this sand section back onto the track on its way to the end of the point – a tractor had been needed to get it moving again.

There's the lighthouse,
but where is the end?

I’d barely cleared the sandy section back onto a slightly raised bank with sand-covered hard-track, when the dark cloud loomed large – it seemed to have approached really quickly – and I was getting the waterproof jacket on. I’d been lucky enough not to have the waterproofs out all week, but now the weather was evening things up. In fact the rain came down so hard and fast I decided I would take advantage of one of the little shelter boxes, put there in case you get cut-off by a tide. I could have persisted on-wards and my smock would have kept me reasonably dry. But the pace I was able to walk meant I would have been cold and I didn't think I was in that much of a hurry.

In my strange, wood-built hut – like a fully enclosed bus shelter, but barely wider than a phone box, I saw off the worst of the downpour whilst munching on a big sausage roll Clare had bought me as a treat for today. By big I don’t mean long, this was one of those cross-sections of a larger roll, so about 3” diameter of sausage meat with pastry cover. There was so much filling I couldn't eat it all. I got back underway with hood pulled tight and only my legs exposed and made a good march on-wards. With the occasional short stretch of ‘sslog’ (my slog now degraded to slower than most peoples brisk-walk, but still advantageous in speed over my stiff walk).

I passed the lighthouses – which from the start looked near to the end of the spit – but still had a good distance to go. The rain receded a short while, but the smock stayed on as the wind was cold. As I approached the end I found the small community of the point. Which consists of station and of housing for a ‘full-time’ RNLI lifeboat crew – only crew of this type in the UK, an ABP Humber Vessel traffic service building and housing for its staff. I ran through the remote village, which as well as having current housing had ruins of old buildings dotted around. These also looked to be at the end, but in fact there was still about another half mile.

On-wards and my path was blocked by overgrown vegetation and dunes so it was onto the beach to find the rough end of the point. As another fast moving dark cloud loomed to the west I turned back and realised it had taken me significantly longer to get here than I thought. And I would have to get on with it on the way back. Clare wouldn't mind if I was slightly late, but if I was very late I ran the risk of getting cut-off by the tide.

Here comes the weather!

So as the sky turned dark grey and the rain came down again I pulled my hood tight and tried to get a forward momentum and rhythm going to sslog the last few miles of my big adventure. I only really stopped to take a few pictures to capture the stunning surrounds and unusual cloud formations in the ‘big sky’. I covered the ground back to the barrier in  just over an hour and five minutes at probably the fastest pace I could maintain beyond a walk, which equated to just over 3mph and was barely enough to keep me warm. Clare pulled up just before I hit the barrier and my adventure was complete. The final shortened day measuring 6.7m and taking me 2hrs30 minutes (2.7mph).

There was and additional pleasant surprise at the end of the run beyond Clare and my son Isaac to greet me, as my dad and brother had also journeyed out. I’ll forgive them the pub meal they all had whilst I was running as they took me to a nearby caf for a hot drink and delicious homemade cake!

Getting close to the end.... just some foliage to get past

Going further or faster today would have been a severe challenge and at what cost to my own health and ability to live a normal life for the next week I don’t know. My ‘real life’ meant helping to look after my son and returning to work on the Tuesday following this Saturday (I was glad of the bank holiday Monday). As it was my whole body was pretty battered - from pain in back of neck, to stiff shoulders, back, legs, swollen ankles and feet, blisters and two blackened big toenails – one of which now lifted off the toe by a blood blister beneath. That toe also hurt a lot just to walk on and would for over a week – despite a visit to doctors the day after my last run who diagnosed infection and gave me a two week antibiotics course. The blister drained and toe stopped hurting, but the toenail has subsequently bid me goodbye.

Epilogue -

Aches recede, wound heal, but perhaps the unexpected effect is the mental one this run had on me. It was a great experience, with real highs at times. It was also a challenging experience. More so as the days passed I had moments I felt I could call it quits. But I would remind myself of the privilege of being able to do this and that many in the world would not have the option (including those I was raising money for) and that would keep me going till the emotional roundabout swung me around. Life goes on since this challenge, but for awhile it felt like I was missing something. And, being honest I think having done this it impacted my motivations for some of lifes more mundane tasks at times since. I question whether perhaps this makes me a selfish person having exercised this fantasy lifestyle for a few days and then missing it so since that I have days when life just lacks an edge.

Maybe so, but this is me, I don’t claim to be perfect, and I know for any selfish desires I also try to do good when I can and particularly for those who are most important to me. I read a post recently where a runner described the Spartathlon event as their ‘crack cocaine’ – this is something I can completely understand. I finished the year with my final four long monthly challenges, running the High Peak 40 in September, Yorkshire Marathon in October and then the Hardmoors 26.2: Roseberry Topping and another 40m North-Wolds Challenge run in the Wolds just after Christmas (more on these later). None of which as big as the GYRR, but all fun and challenging in their own way. I know there will be another big challenge not far away. Not just because I want there to be, but also because I’d be happy enough but somehow incomplete without it.

August Challenge: The Great Yorkshire River Run - Day 3 (Selby to Hull)

Selby Abbey

After a good sleep to try and recover as much as possible it was about 5.30am and time to get up and get prepared for the day ahead. Despite the tiredness and stiffness associated with over 100 miles – mostly run – in less than three days there was an immediate positive to start today, a cooked breakfast. My B&B option here in Selby had a fantastically early breakfast start time of 6.30am. So after taking time to get dressed, bag readied and feet patched up – yesterday’s blister plasters were mostly off so I took great care to adhere more “moleskins” to the sore patches on the balls of my feet – I was downstairs at just after 6.30. And I wasn’t even the first down in the breakfast room!

Cereal, fresh orange and then scrambled egg on toast really filled my tank up nicely, without stuffing myself. I then paid my bill and I was off at 7.16am. I walked at first through Selby to gently ease stiff joints into motion, before breaking into a ‘slog’ (how it felt at times and an my ongoing abbreviation for 'slow jog') down the main street and over the Ouse bridge. My choice route on the river-side, transpennine trail cycle path out of town was off-limits as blocked by works on the railway bridge. So a detour through industrial Selby followed, before meeting the river about half-a-mile out of town.

A quiet boulevard in the
south M62 'empty land'

I now followed hard, stoney track or flood embankment top path for the following few miles tracking large bends in the river, which really made the route far from direct today. The legs didn’t have much speed today, but by running long periods with much shorter walk-breaks I was making faster than 4mph progress as per yesterday. The bounce of harder surfaces was faster, but the softer embankment top path was kinder on swollen feet, on the condition that the path was even and didn’t aggravate the blisters!

After some more fun with cows, much as per yesterday pre-York, I arrived at a place called Newhay and was greeted by an aggressive dog at a path junction, where I was unsure of the correct path. The grumpy owner came over from his front garden after making some snide trespassing comment - despite me being at the path junction still – gave me some less than cheerily-toned guidance. I got back on my way, a bit upset/wound up by this as the map wasn’t conclusive. My last word on this should I see the man again would be, if this happens enough to bother you then why not aid the long-distance walkers, runners, cyclists who frequent this route with a helpful sign? I would.

Long straight roads and passing skies

Back onto the embankment path down the Ouse and at Barmby tidal barrage I decided to deviate from my planned route along the river and go through Barmby towards Howden – conscious my route today had large sections of little civilisation and I really could do with a shop before not too long to top-up water and maybe get some lunch in for later. If not my next “sure thing” was Brough where I wouldn’t be until potentially hours after lunchtime. Barmby didn’t offer much, but it was a gimme few miles along a straight road before I hit Howden.

I only skimmed the southern edge of Howden and I looked like not hitting a shop. Should I deviate further into town as surely there would be a shop? Or do I push on and make do with the water I have and snacks I have until Brough? I decided on the latter and it worked out well enough as I came within only a 100yard detour from a garage on the way out of town. I put my money to good use snapping up a meal deal; a big chicken Caesar wrap, crisps and water. I topped up by bottles and packed the wrap. I wouldn’t be able to stash the crisps in my relatively full pack without crushing them so I had a mid-to-late morning snack on-the-walk as I undertook one of the only climbs of my day to rise a few dozen feet over the M62 on the road bridge.

Goodbye Ouse, hello Humber

Heading south of the M62 between Goole and South Cave took me into the large super-flat and not unpleasant (on a sunny day like today), expanse of farming land that I think of as a little step back in time every time I visit. I would now have miles and hours of quiet roads and paths and would probably see as many transpennine trail cyclists as I would cars in this time. Such an experience may not be unique in our country, but would more likely be experienced in the upland areas of the UK.

I passed through Kilpin and Laxton before winding my way closer to the river through Yokefleet and then joining the bank at Blacktoft. I decided to run atop the flood bank again here for a while so I could try and photograph the end of the river Ouse as it spilt out into the Humber Estuary. After so many miles and so many of them on road my leg motion was very restricted by tiredness and stiffness, so even running on the relatively-even grass bank top was slow going. So I slowed to a walk to eat my wrap and try and recharge my batteries.

Outside the village and I was back onto quiet minor roads as regained a stiff jog. My overall pace today was marginally faster than the previous two days, the slowest being the first day. But on the first day I tackled more off-road and hill and seemed to walk a fair bit more as I gabbed with Mark. Day two had seen a preference for road, but some off-road that was far more challenging than today. Today I simply had to ‘slog’ most of the time, otherwise I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere fast.

More of that ugly, cross-eyed bloke

I moved onto a gravelly track and then as that swung north and off-route to a village I followed straight on to a path marked on the map. Which was really now a mostly chewed-up field edge between a ditch and dried-mud plowed fields (very uncomfortable on blistered feet). Even running bits I slowed massively here and motivation nosedived. I was glad to eventually get a grassy track to a farm and – after trying to figure my way out of the yard for a few minutes – another grassy flood embankment in the land between riverside marshes and lots more fields.

This was quite a good surface for progress, the natives, 100’s of sheep had beat nice trod along the flat-topped bank. And running through the numbers of these gentle creatures cheered me up simply because they weren’t aggressive cows for a change! And also reminded me of my little boy at home whose favourite toy is his fluffy sheep ‘Bah-bara’. At the edge of Brough a different emotion was stirred as my path passed the Humber Yawl club. I choked up a bit as I had in the past picked up my late-mother from here after she’d been sailing with members of the blind/partially-sighted activity group she supported.

Better than Cows!

I was back to civilisation, in the large village/small town of Brough. Which had shops, cafes, pubs, you name it…. But I just wanted to get on with it and all I needed was a water top-up. Before that though, it was a sure sign I was back in familiar territories as I ran into a friend of my dad’s, who was taking on a gruelling challenge of his own, landscaping the garden of the house his son had brought. I stopped to chat and tell him of my venture and got some more sponsorship.

I got a bottle of water to fill my bottles and a ‘for goodness shake’, which I stashed in the bag for after I finished today. And then headed out of Brough via the only slightly hilly section of the day through Welton, Melton and then over the A63 to Ferriby. I then headed back downhill to the riverbank and stiffly-jogged along the riverside path towards Hessle. After a brief stop to picture the outlines and plaques of the historic “Ferriby Boats” to add to my collection of journey memorabilia. 

Old boats....

How old you ask?

My path now followed a fine line of solid land between high-reeds and marshy land by the river and the A63 dual-carriageway, the central artery between Hull and the outside world. Still mostly beating out a slog with my swollen, sometimes painful feet I rounded the old overgrown and dilapidated docks which sandwiched the St Andrews Quay retail park with my first view of “jewels”  of civilisation such as Starbucks and McDonalds since York.

The Humber Bridge

The sun was out this afternoon so I passed numerous people out walking the river and further family groups as I headed into the shaded paths of the country park. From here I climbed the short section of steps from the old quarry and followed the raised path with great views under the vast Humber bridge. As I skirted Hessle and rejoined the river at the edge of Hull my thoughts were now “last leg”. I used to live in Hessle and would sometimes run to work in Hull centre so I knew it was little over 5m using the most direct route. However my riverside path weaved a bit more so it could be more like 10k left today.

Under the bridge....

I was now journeying back into the old-industry areas of landscape that fill many of my midweek run miles each week. Leaving St Andrews quay I got lucky that although the old dock-buildings to the east had started the process of being demolished since I had last past not that long ago, I could get through and didn’t have to take a detour at this late stage. One more ascent and descent as I passed over the raised walkway built over the Albert dock warehouses (which I always thought a pleasant, unusual an theatrical way for this path to enter the city, but it’s good for a city panorama).

Rising above the docks...

It was then across the lockgate of the marina and through the old fruit market area before crossing the river Hull – dividing the tribes of east and west – on the millennium bridge, around the dramatic deep building at Sammy’s point and onto the path along the riverfront of the Victoria dock village. I’d contacted Clare at 5pm and maybe 3.5m ago to arrange to meet me at about 6pm at the end of the village. Which meant I had little respite from slog-speed if I wanted to stop at the shop and collect a cool drink to sink at the end. In fact, just as I ran up the road to the roundabout, Clare who was driving up, spotted me. In a rare event me and Clare were both a few minutes early! 10hrs40 and 43.2m today.

Past the tidal barrier....

It was great to see Clare and Isaac, who I’d missed so much (this being the longest I’d not seen Isaac for in his 20mths). I got home and I was able to relax that little bit more than previous days. Although, relax isn’t in Isaacs vocab yet, so I also had to offer some low-key playtime. After a bath we got a takeaway Chinese from our great local and I think I was asleep not long after.

And 'The Deep' and I'm nearly done today.

It was great to be home, but there was still significant mileage and possibly a challenging riverbank route tomorrow taking me out of town from where I’d stopped today through miles and miles of mostly deserted reclaimed farmland to my eventual challenge endpoint at Spurn point. It wasn’t a mileage or route that would usually phase me, but my body had taken a battering already. The damage seemed to have been accelerated today. As well as a general stiffness and achiness, my legs were almost seized up now. The blisters weren’t really any worse, but my feet were now really swollen and my big toes in particular had taken quite a battering.

August Challenge: The Great Yorkshire River Run - Day 2 (Ripon to Selby)

Greetings from Newby Hall

Another, just after 5.30, start. Slightly groggy, mild stiffness, but pretty good for having done over 61m in the last two days. I spent a bit of time looking at feet, some swelling and a large blister under the ball of each foot, almost to toes. Not an easy spot to put a compeed and make it stick. I did my best, but I didn't feel they would stick. Mild relief that no more blisters or other problems really.

Tranquility of the Ure, south of Ripon

Mark was up not long after and we had breakfast; tea, cereal and toast for me. Mark was also kind enough to knock me up a ham sandwich for the road Mark would also be joining me for a cameo for the first few miles today, but then would be heading back home as he was going out for the day with family and would also need to retrieve his Car from Garsdale.

At about 7.15am we were out the door and walked down the windy road out of the village. The pack felt ok, if anything it would be fractionally lighter today as I'd eaten some food from it yesterday. Onto the main road into Ripon, past the race course and we had a jog, before hitting the Ripon canal towpath and passing Ripon marina. This is a nice pleasant section of running on gravelly path, which after a few miles brought us to the junction of the canal and river Ure.

History to swell my brain, but not as
much as the roads swole my feet!

We followed the now, easy flowing, widening river along wet grass paths - rain overnight - and through some slightly overgrowing foliage, which meant that pace was slowed down to walking again. Feet felt a bit sore and uneven footplants seemed to tear at the bottom of my feet. Again I tried not to dwell on the distance remaining today and over the week with already breaking feet.

We reached the river bank section across the river from Newby Hall and took some pictures of the great view of river, gardens and hall. Then I said my thanks to and we said our good byes as Mark was now heading back and I had a day of about 40m still left. I thought it would be interesting to see how I coped with my change in status to lone runner. I don't do too badly in solitude and have done challenges all alone before, but after having a sociable long run yesterday the format was now quite changed for the remainder.

Rural Toll bridge over the Ure

Onwards and following the river bank, more wet grass and foliage, but a really pleasant river bank section overall. I also managed to have a 'comfort' break, which was something else that had been bothering me the last few miles. Before not too long I'd passed through Roecliffe and onto road, crossing under the A1 before entering Boroughbridge. A bit of road helped ease my foot worries as I could rely on more even footfalls and get a move on, which was desired as with a shorter day today I hoped to finish a good few hours earlier and have more time to relax tonight.

More toll bridge action...

Through the roman town of Aldborough and I now enjoyed a couple of faster miles on quiet lanes. There was a brief interruption from a "farmed over" footpath crossing field and overgrown field edge top get me wet and tear at my feet. Then respite on road through a small village to join a nice firm and trod field crossing path to bring me into Great Ouseburn and nearly 14m in the bag - moving along nicely at over 4mph and legs feeling pretty good.

Through the village and a left turn to follow a fast-trafficked road and cross the Aldwark toll bridge over the Ure. I think the traffic moved fast along this road knowing that the bolted wooden-decked bridge was single track and the one guy taking tolls wasn't exactly in a rush.

A grassy carpet near
Benningbrough hall

Along another quite-fast trafficked b-road I rounded the RAF airfield before entering Linton-on-Ouse. I had also just passed a bend in the river where the River Ure became the River Ouse. I stopped to enjoy my sandwiches and nibble on a posh trail mix - from Poundland - including chocolate covered peanuts and raisins. Today would be a bit of a split-lunch day as fancied this now and would be passing through York later where there should be plenty of options for a top-up.

Following the large bends of the Ouse I was back on grassy trail on a path around Benningbrough hall, then into rough and muchly overgrown paths for a few miles. The path widened and became more foliage free after awhile, but this couldn't stop a 'bad patch' as I had to negotiate cows on thin strip of land between fence and river, which meant the damn things kept running along with me. It also started raining a bit.

On the way into York

This annoyance and my general cow-phobia when running tired meant I came off this path and took a sneaky detour through a farmyard (naughty) to cut through the village of Overton. Then when through the village I followed a track to rejoin river which had bent around to meet me.

I now followed the Ouse on a short section of hit and miss paths before getting closer to York where I joined the 'cycle trail 65' which links to the transpennine trail and assured me the option of solid path and easy running into York. It was quite nice to run into the city this way and see 'people' and activities along the riverbank.

Into the city centre and I detoured my smelly-ass into the shopping 'maze' of York and well-dressed shoppers. I grabbed a Greggs (again) sandwich and cola as well as a water bottle so I could top-up my twin bottles of chia charge and water with electrolytes. I probably looked odd hunching at the edge of the street filling up bottles placed on the floor with water and strange powders and tablets!

Whats all this "selfie" craze? people go on about it as if its a trendy new thing. But,
anti-social, long distance runners have been doing it for years as they often have
nobody to take pictures of their ugly and tired - to a state-off-almost-cross-eyed-ness - mugs!

Back to the river and I crossed to the east bank whilst eating and walked/ran along the tree-lined path beyond the millennium bridge - another rain shower started - and turned off to pass the old Terry's factory with its iconic clock tower and then around most of and across the race course (taking marshalls advice crossing track as it was a race day).

The Terry's factory

After crossing under the A64, this led me to a cycle path on an old railway line offering tarmac much of the way to Selby on a long and fairly straight section. Good for progress, but the lack of variety might well do my head in. But now the sun was out and there were distractions such as a scale 'solar system' with the sun statue at the start of the path and then planets located along the next 10k to mark the scale of the galaxy - the inner planets all being a few hundred metres apart, then outer ones being km or more.

Sol to Pluto in 10k

 Harder surfaces, which had been respite for the blisters were now presenting their own issues though as my battered feet and lower legs started to feel more-and-more swollen throughout this day. Where possible I'd take a parallel softer path or run on the intermittent softer bridleway alongside this cycle path.

Modern sculpture on an old
railway bridge over the Ouse

The footpath hit the A19 at Riccall and my route took me through here. In fact my planned route now detoured me east across the river again and through a few more villages. But with extra miles already in the bag I decided to follow the more direct route paralleling the A19 on a grassy path, then taking a road off and riverside path (on flood embankment) as it followed a few more bends towards Selby. These remaining miles of trail were mostly unchallenging terrain, not ripping or battering my feet and the river soon delivered me past industrial works and into Selby.

The Ouse, nearing Selby

As the day cooled into the evening I walked through the town centre, grabbing a milk drink to keep hunger at bay a bit longer and located my B&B for the nights stop. A spacious room was much welcome so I could spread out my kit and lay down awhile whilst I went through my mental list of what I needed to do. It was nice to be finished earlier in the day after 10hrs58 on the go and 44.2m covered. And not far off 3 hours earlier than yesterday!

Industrial monoliths on the way into Selby

The rest of the evening consisted of shower, dressing in spare kit and hobbling down the road in the cool evening air to the Wetherspoons I saw on the way through the centre. A pint of cider and double-Mexican burger with chips really hit the spot and I had a bit more time this night to catch up on calls, messages and other normal things.



A good, but different day to the last, mostly flat, more hard surface and as such my feet and leg joints were definitely more stiff and swollen than 24 hours ago. But, undefeated I was able to relax into sleep.

August Challenge: The Great Yorkshire River Run - Day 1 (Garsdale to Ripon)

Good morning Wensleydale!

For this first big day I was up just after 5.30am, which isn't that much of a shock as I'm up at 6 most days. As Mark and I would be setting out before breakfast the owners had left cereal, OJ and milk in fridge. I got some granola down and got packed up. 7:02 out the door. It was a cool start, despite sunny spells I was in thin baselayer and wind-jacket at first. Nice opening section undulating along the north-bank of the fledgling river Ure on an often faint path in the rugged western bit of Wensleydale amongst the higher hills of the dale.

The 'wild' west of Wensleydale

We crossed the river and main dale road at Thwaite Bridge and followed farm tracks and more undulating grassy paths. A first nervous moment passing cows with calves but no other issues. Jacket was off before Hawes as the sun came out. Grabbed a pasty in Hawes bakery for brunch. Then north along road passing big bends in river and joining a b-road part way up the north-bank of the dale and following west. All good so far and a lovely sunny and slightly cool day. We joined the old railway bank path to Askrigg. Through the pretty village (think 'All Creature Great and Small' from 80's) and we moved further up north-bank of dale to follow a higher-level track through old lead mine and a generally scarred area of mid-dale, still some big hills enclosing us but not the same scale as where we started and slightly more populated areas in dale below.

A lonely postcode

This path took us to Castle Bolton and Redmire - where the Wensleydale railway ends (line used to go a lot further west into dale). Now moving into the wider and lower-hill flanked east of dale we followed decent tracks through working plantations, woodlands, passed grand houses into Wensley. We bypassed the larger settlement of Leyburn and crossed the Ure at 'tower flanked' Middleham bridge.

Askrigg

Into Middleham and its lunchtime. loads of pubs (for all the stable lads and lasses to relax in this race-horse town), but not great for on the go food is our first impression. I got a pretty dry packet sandwich from a shop and a fizzy drink and some water to top up my bottles. I only noticed nice sandwich shop on the way out of town (DOH!).

We passed impressive Middleham castle ruins. A little walk to get going again, legs pretty good for over a marathon done. If anything just a little stiff from plod mode. A few hotspots on feet though, not good! Over some grassy land and along River Cover for awhile, which then feeds into Ure. Some nice riverbank running on what has been a greatly varied route so far. Good track passed Jervaulx abbey. Then a few slightly frustrating miles trying to follow little used paths through farming land over small hills.

...need I say more

Hitting the A6108 into Masham, for first time in day I'm feeling a little fed up as still many miles to go and feet are worrying me. A pick-me-up for me and Mark in Masham as we get to append our meagre Middleham lunch with salty chips in the fish and chip shop which opened at 4.30pm as we arrived. Washed that down with a fizzy drink from co-op.

Being buoyed by the food was almost outweighed

Middleham Castle

by a feeling my feet were probably blistered and still quite a few miles to go today. Taking the road out of a Masham we were now well out of the dale and the surroundings had changed to agricultural and quarrying. We took roads and a few field crossings through several villages. When the route took a field-crossing footpath it was a lottery in this section whether it would be ok running, or a ploughed field, or the gates/stiles in field would be overgrown or not visible. One such stile was invisible at first as completely overgrown by a huge solid plant which was hard to push through and covered us in those sticky, spiky things. But either side of 'the plant' the field footpath was obvious and looked used? These kind of areas can be nearly as tough as hardcore trail moorlands in their effect on tired bodies and time took to pass.

The rivers getting wider...

I was slightly cursing my decision to dog-leg into this area when I could have taken us a shorter southerly route to Ripon. As the day was starting to look like it would finish well into darkness and closer to 60m - than the  initial plotted 54. Which would cutdown on my recovery time quite a lot. But I had a reason to come out this way and it was to visit the tiny village of Sutton Howgrave where my late mother - who I was doing this in memory of and whose charity my fundraising would support - was brought up. Whilst in the village I took a walk around and tried to imagine it in her day.

Sutton Howgrave

After a few more tiring fields and a small detour adding more distance I realised there may be a more direct route for the remainder. And Mark confirmed from his local knowledge that there was. I'd done enough that day not to worry about not visiting a couple more on route villages for no particular reason. So we followed a mostly straight road-based route south to get to Copt Hewick (small village outside of Ripon) and Marks house minutes before darkness at 9 pm and having covered 53 miles.

The spicy Thai curry that Marks wife served up was most welcome, as were a few beers for hydration purposes and a bath. I didn't dwell too long on my blistering feet, deciding to sort them in the morning and try and get some restorative sleep. Overall a really good route for the first 2/3 of the day that I'd recommend to any touring off-road runner.