Firstly let me say for the record:

I know, I have done a dozen posts like this over the years which have resulted in:

Objective not completed!

However, the intent is still there – although god knows why, but I still want to achieve the following next year:

 

The Anglezarke Amble – 17 miles route

I’ve done it before – in 2020 and to be honest preferred it to the longer version in terms of variety of terrain, difficulty and range of views. I’ve joked in the past that a Yorkshire Three Peaks success is good training for the full Anglezarke Amble! In truth it’s probably the other way round but nothing, not-a-thing, can prepare anyone for the slog up the tiny Great Hill – even on the shorter route. In addition the crossing of the Green Hill marsh and Longworth Moor offer no respites – this is a seriously tough route, ask the people who walk like their legs have been starched the day after completing this epic!
 

The Yorkshire Three Peaks

I have had more failures than successes with this. In 2010 I tried, via the anti-clockwise, conventional route and gave in owing to a lack of training / preparedness. The next time; we (Mark and myself) were successful and the next time after that I tried to be clever and missed the damn turn-off for Pen-y-Ghent (the reverse route). The final time in 2019 saw me bailing at Ribblehead again – owing to a lack of drive; if I’m honest. Well this time the drive, the desire to do them all is there for definite. I have the advantage of previous failure upon which to draw – and knees that are really not going to appreciate that drop down Whernside, so moving the start location to there makes all kinds of sense to me. I’m teaming up with Mark again, he’s my lucky charm!

Scafell Pike from The Old Dungeon Ghyll.

I’ve only ever summited the Pike the one time back in 2012 (yes – ELEVEN years ago!) and then I found the route from Wasdale Head to be exceptionally hard going. To be fair this was effectively my first real lake district mountain – and how well that showed, the terrain being much different from my Pennines walks and I’ll never forget that shale near the top! In its own way this route promises to be the hardest even though it is the shortest distance covered at eleven and a half miles, but in terms of terrain and altitude then this is the cream of the crop, it doesn’t get much harder than this without leaving the country.

 

Okay, so I’ve never declared that I wanted to do all three in one year before but I am now. There’s a couple more that I’d like to do / redo and I’ll add them  as and when.

So, last night (Tuesday 23rd May) I resolved to start doing some form of exercise in order to better ready myself – and to get into a more healthy shape as this heart is not going to hold out forever! I find the actual act of going to the gym abhorrent – I don’t mind the gym when I do get there and the exercise, although tough for someone with bad knees, is not what bugs me. No, what I hate is the routine of changing clothes, getting my water bottle (from wherever I casually discarded it last time), filling it with cold water, getting in the car, making sure I have my parking pass, driving to the gym – argh I really don’t like it! Going for a walk, a neighbourhood walk however is pretty much a case of changing into my scruffy trainers and y’know – walking. This particular evening’s walk is detailed below in terms of the statistics, the route itself is nice but well it’s not the Pennines or the Lake District! But, and this is a bit but, if I can just stick to doing at least this ( see below ) every night then I think I can give myself a better chance of getting fit for the walks planned and for life itself.

 

Night three was last night and for the first time in ages it was ‘three in a row’ with regards to the ten-thousand steps!

Woohoo!