The Puddle Buckley round

                                           
                                               The Puddle Buckley Round

Its 2:45am I've just walked into a lake, I'm upto my neck in the water, the waters cold, and its pitch black. I start swimming. This is the start of an adventure that two weeks previously I didn't even know existed.

'There's a thin line that separates courage from stupidity - and that line is only visible in retrospect. If I'm successful, people will call me brave. If I fail, I will be called foolish. Let me do what I think is right.

Monday 13th October 2019

On Facebook I see that Martyn Price has shared a link to a website thats detailing a new challenge, 'The Puddle Buckley Round'. A forty-odd mile swim/run challenge in Snowdonia that takes in  16 summits and 4 lakes with no set route. You have to visit each checkpoint in order, the checkpoints are the individual summits and the swim start and finish points, the route you take in between is your own choice.
Over the next couple of days I look at it repeatedly, looking at the website I wonder if its achievable at this time of year.  The key is if I'd be able to swim across the lakes with the water being so cold,  I estimate at least one of the swims will have to be done in the dark and that's obviously not great.

Thursday 17th October 

I went out to the Lakes to try out all the gear I'll need for the attempt at the Puddle so late in the year. I've decided to have a go at doing the swimming bits using a drysuit with my running gear underneath, I'll tow all my other gear in a drybag while I swim. Once each swim is over, I'll roll the drysuit and drybag up and carry them in a 32ltr Omm rucksack along with spare clothes, waterproofs, bivvy bag, headtorches and food. Altogether its quite heavy. 

I swam across Crummock water then packed the drysuit away and headed up Mellbreak and across the tops from Starling Dodd to Scarth gap then descended to Buttermere, put the drysuit on and swim across. When I took the drysuit off it had leaked and my clothes were damp. I wasn't sure why but then the drysuit is fairly old! I headed over Rannerdale Knotts back to Crummock Water. 
In total I did 15 miles with 4'500ft ascent and it was decision made: When i got home that night i asked Angela if she fancied going to Wales for a couple of days the following week!

My original plan was to go to the Cairngorms but Angela had an appointment at Newcastle hospital on the Tuesday so I was now limited to a 48 hour get away. I then planned to go to Glen Nevis and have a go at the Tranters Round. On looking at the weather forecast Wales was looking better than Scotland, decision made I guess!

Friday 18th October 

I was at work, rang Angela and we decided to go to Wales, (she wasn't to ask twice!), taking Zack with us. Before I got home from work, all the accommodation and activities had been booked, while I ran they would go to Zip World. I got a map of Snowdonia and sat down with a highlighter and drew my route onto the map. Looking at the GPX route on the website it said it was about forty miles, But a lot of the lines were direct so I knew it would probably be further. At the pace I had gone the previous day I estimated the Puddle Buckley would take twenty hours or so. 

Wednesday 22nd October

The weather forecast is for it to be a dry, cloudy day with gale force winds developing later in the afternoon. We get up at 2am and go to the start, this is officially the large sword at the edge of Llyn Padarn in Llanberis.  But you can start anywhere on the route as long as you do the full loop. 
I chose to start at Gorsaf Ddu car park which is just across the lake, that way I can do the swim across Llyn Padarn first. 
I walk into the water its pitch black there's no moonlight, The waters cold, I start swimming, its the first time I've swam at night. While I'm swimming across I can see Angela pull up in the car park on the other side of the lake, I can now see to where I need to swim.  I'm also wearing a head torch so Angela can see where I am. Considering its the end of October,  the water is cold but its not actually that bad. Once I got out of the lake and changed Angela and Zack then went back to bed and I headed out of Llanberis.

Leg 1 Llanberis to Llyn Gwynant

There are five summits on this leg, straight out of Llanberis you head up Moel Eilio and across another two hills to Snowdon the highest point of the round. The first three summits are quite rounded and grassy and are similar to the Dodds on the Helvellyn range. It started raining and the cloud was down, on the top of Snowdon the mist reflected in the light of my head torch made it hard to see where I was going - It was fairly grim. I descended to Cribau Tregelan then down the ridge to Cwn Llan where it started to get light and I could see where I was going. Much better.
The start of the swim is at Elephant Rock at the side of Llyn Gwynant so it was dry suit on, rucksack packed into drybag and across the lake.

Leg 2 Llyn Gwynant to Llyn Mymbyr

This leg is the shortest leg with only two summits: Carnedd Cribau and Carnedd Moel Siabod.

 
Over Carnedd Cribau there seemed to be a few different trods and route choices, the cloud cleared over Moel Siabod, after i reached the summit i knew the shortest route down to Llyn Mymbyr was pathless and direct. This made it really enjoyable, just running downhill trying to find the best line.

I could see down to the corner of the forest where I needed to access the lake. The swim across was okay but cold; it was easy to see where to get out by some boulders and a wall heading up to the road. but getting from the lake to the path was very overgrown. Taking my drysuit off I realised I was cold - the suit had let in water and I was soaking. I was carrying spare clothes but decided just to pack the suit away and get moving instead of getting changed. 

Leg 3 Llyn Mymbyr to Llyn Ogwen

On this leg you head up the valley and then turn onto Pen yr Helgi Du where you follow a grassy ridge to the summit; a narrow ridge then links this to Carnedd Llewellyn. As forecast the wind was now gusting to about forty miles per hour but the cloud had lifted and the views were impressive. I followed the ridges to the summits and after summiting Carnedd Dafydd I rang Angela and arranged to meet her after the next swim at the bottom of Tryfan. Daylight was now fading and it would get dark shortly after I finished that particular swim. The next leg is the most technical and with it being windy and getting dark, I knew that if I was wet after the next swim I would struggle to get warm. I could change into my spare clothes but that would then mean I wouldn't have any spare dry clothes for the last leg.  

After the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen it was a steep descent on a path which was mainly loose rock down into the Ogwen valley. On arriving at the side of Llyn Ogwen I could see Angela & Zack across the lake, that gave me a lift. Drysuit on and into the water, it was quite choppy and I was swimming into the wind, this was the only time I wasn't happy in the water. I don't know what the temperature of the water was but it hurt everytime a wave went in my face. 

Getting out I got to the van and took the 'drysuit' off, I was completely soaked. I took my time, got out of my wet clothes, left my swimming stuff, and packed everything I needed for the next leg into a race vest, then set off on the last leg. 

Leg 4 Llyn Ogwen to Llanberris

Tryfan in the dark was quite an experience, The scramble up to the summit was good but I had a bit of difficulty getting off the summit. It was now pitch black and the light off my headtorch was reflecting off the mist, which made route finding quite hard. There are some big drops either side of the route down and I was careful to make sure I was scrambling down in the right direction. After descending Tryfan the route goes over the  Glyders to Y Garn, ascends Glyder Fach by the path alongside Bristly Ridge. Its technical terrain, especially in the clag and no moonlight! it was slow going but enjoyable, there's something about running over mountains at night on your own that I like. After loosing height dropping off the summit of Y Garn I was now out of the clouds.

The last summit on the round is Elidir Fach. When I started descending my phone went and it was Ange saying that she could see a headtorch and asking if it was it me - She was waiting in Llanberris. I texted back confirming it was and I wouldn't be long - I just had get through the slate mine and I would be at the finish. Trying to descend through the old mine workings was a bit harder than anticipated - it was like a maze! 

I got down and finished in the car park next to Llyn Padarn where I'd started just under 22 hours earlier. In total I'd done 46 miles with 15'700ft of ascent. 

The route is pretty good. In my opinion it's a tougher day out than the Frog Graham round, but I think it will definitely become as popular. I really like how inclusive these Swim-run challenges are, there is no time limit and if you need to use a support crew to complete it you can. The level of support you use is completely your own choice, if you want to go solo or if you want to have a day out with people it's up to you, either way its an adventure. 

Llanberris

The spine race 2017

This was the fourth year of me being involved with the Spine race. In 2014 I'd done the Challenger then in 2015 I did the main race. During this year the race had to be halted at Alston for twenty four hours due to bad weather. I was one of only twenty one people that finished the full course that year. In 2016 I was meant to do the race but my father had passed away the previous September and I had stopped training so I went and supported runners along the course. Last January I hadn't done any training for over four months, put too much weight on and was drinking far too much which resulted in me being totally unfit. Knowing I was going to start this years race I started training. Having completed both races for me there was no point going back to the race just to complete it, I was going to see how fast I could do it. Throughout the following months I was running building a decent level of fitness During the summer I did the West Highland Way race, the Lakeland 100, the Ring of Steall Sky race and at the end of September I did the Bob Graham Round. As well as running I'd also been doing some weight training and seeing a physio regularly so that any niggles I had didn't become injuries. Towards the end of the year I started getting out on the Pennine Way mainly around Cross Fell and Hadrians Wall.  Then in November I met up with some other Spine racers and we walked upto Gregs Hut from Dufton. My last big training run I did was to run to Keswick and back from Carlisle along the Cumbria way a distance of sixty two miles.

sorting gear

      The week before the race I started packing my gear and taking note of the weather forecasts, the race started on the Sunday. I was doing the race supported, so my brother Chris would be meeting me along the course with anything I needed and I would sleep in the van. We set off on the Friday and drove down and had a look at some of the places we planned to meet up. Friday night we stopped at Glossop then on Saturday morning we drove upto Snake Pass and watched the Spine Challenger runners go through. Then we went to Edale and got registered, kit checked and attended the safety briefing. After that we went to the Rambler and met up with David Dixon who was also doing the race. We were  looking round at everyone else there the plan was to finish the race on Friday (5 days). With the amount of decent runners on the start list we were going to have to do well just to get into the top twenty.  The Spine race is becoming well known internationally with competitors from twenty two different countries setting off.

The start.

Edale to Hebden Bridge

The start was meant to be 8am but there was an issue with the trackers so it was put back half an hour. On the start line I got near to the front. Then we were off. We ran through Edale then things settled down. The first climb was up Jacobs Ladder then we were at Kinder Downfall which is a waterfall which you cross the stream above. There was that much snow melting that the stream was a river which was too deep to cross at the normal point. I went further upstream looking for somewhere to cross, eventually crossing a couple of hundred metres from the Pennine Way. This was the start of probably the toughest section of the race. underfoot the ground was boggy and the paths were streams.  What snow was left made finding the path hard at times. The next stream I crossed was waist deep! I slipped and ripped my Goretex trousers. I couldn't believe it on the 2015 race I wrecked three pairs which at a hundred pounds a pair wasn't good! And here I was a couple of hours into this years race and I'd already destroyed a pair. On Bleaklow Head the cloud was down and finding the path was a nightmare.  I ended up on the wrong side of Torside Clough and had to cross a stream to get back over to the path which again was fast flowing and was waist deep. Once back on track it was downhill to Torside Reservoir I was soaked from the waist down, covered in mud, it was raining, and I was smiling to myself thinking this is ace, I'd waited a year for the Spine race and this was it. From here it was fairly uneventful over Black Hill and Standedge to the M62 where I met Chris. After that you go over Blackstone Edge to the White House pub then past Warland Reservoir heading for Stoodley Pike. The mist was that thick that you couldn't make out the monument on the top of Stoodley Pike until you were twenty feet away. A few mile further on and I got to the first checkpoint at Hebden Bridge. I checked in and left straight away.

Hebden bridge to Hawes

On leaving Hebden Bridge I carried on for a few miles to Ponden Reservoir where I'd arranged to meet Chris. My race plan was to sleep every night, I know quite a few racers don't sleep at all the first night and go right through to Hawes (108 miles) before sleeping. This wouldn't work for me personally. I got to the van got my kit sorted and got into my sleeping bag and Chris set his alarm for two hours. On getting up I had some breakfast and was off. From Ponden its pretty much rolling countryside to Gargrave.  I met Chris at Gargrave which is seventy miles in. This is where the Pennine Way starts to get a bit more interesting as the first seventy miles were pretty boring, featureless moorland and waterlogged farmland. After leaving Gargrave and crossing a few more fields I arrived at Malham. At Malham Cove you have to ascend a few steps to get to the top of the cove and then cross a limestone pavement. I met Chris just after here it was still daylight so I didn't hang about as I wanted to get to the checkpoint at the tarn, then get as far on up Fountains Fell as I could before it got dark.  Just after leaving the checkpoint Simon Beasley passed me. This was the way it would be for the rest of the race and highlights the difference between the supported runner and unsupported runner. I was doing the race supported and Simon was unsupported.  Everyday Simon would pass me on the trail, then he would stop somewhere for something to eat and I would pass him,  then he would overtake me again then I would meet up with Chris get in the van and go to sleep, where as Simon would sleep at the checkpoints, so I would set off earlier and be ahead again. We laughed about it during the event as exactly the same thing had happened during the race in 2015!!  Being supported you can be far more efficient if done correctly as you don't have to waste time in checkpoints waiting for stuff and trying to sleep in dormitories with people making a noise. The navigation over Fountains Fell is pretty straight forward and this stretch was enjoyable, no bogs just paths. Soon I was back on the road and then over Pen-y-Ghent, which was no problem, the cloud was down and it was dark, but quite warm. After that I was soon down at Horton in Ribblesdale where I met up with Chris again and got some warm food before heading for Hawes. Heading up out of Horton there was a couple of lads out running supporting Spine racers they stopped and walked with me for ten minutes offering tea and coffee. It was good crack. I had pretty much been on my own for the last hundred miles and enjoyed the company. As I got to Cam High Road another two lads who have done the Spine were there with a camper van also supporting runners.  I stopped and had a cup of tea with them then continued onto Hawes.  On the descent into Hawes I followed a foreign runner and didn't bother looking at my map, only to realise I'd followed him down a road off the route. I checked my gps and regained the route where Dave Dixon caught me up and I did a couple of miles into Hawes with him. On this stretch of the route was the only time during the whole race that I was with anyone. I spent most of the race on my own. I arrived in Hawes eight hours quicker than I had done in the 2015 race. I'd planned to stop here and had three hours sleep.

Near Malham

Hawes to Dufton

On getting up I got sorted and was away while it was still dark. Its a long drag up Great Shunner Fell. As it got light I still couldn't see a lot as the cloud was so low.  Going up here and all the way to Keld a foreign runner followed ten metres behind me using me for navigation as he kept going the wrong way! I'd been stupid enough to follow him the night before on the way down to Hawes not realising he didn't have a clue where he was going. It took from here until the A66 to loose him. On the way up to Tan Hill I started having problems with my feet, I had to stop and take my trainer and sock off. Two of my toes were blistered which had burst and the skin was broken I dressed them then when I got to Tan Hill a medic had a look at them and cleaned and dressed them for me. I set off with dry socks on but need not have bothered as ten minutes after leaving Tan Hill I was knee deep in bog on the way down to the A66 underpass which is about half way. After that I made good progress to Middleton, I think I got there about 6pm. On arriving I met Chris, had something to eat and had a look at my feet which were now not looking very good. They had been wet pretty much the whole time since leaving Edale. I left Middleton and was looking forward to the next bit to Dufton, its quite flat as you pass Low Force and High Force and then you follow the river upto Cauldron Snout then head for Cumbria and High Cup Nick before dropping down into Dufton. I was making good progress past High Force then tiredness hit.  I was trying to concentrate on moving forward but became aware that I had started hallucinating and my vision at times was going blurry. To make matters worse a couple of miles further on I started to fall asleep standing up. With hindsight I should of stopped at Middleton for longer but I'd gone too far to turn back. As I got to a gate I wedged myself against it and rested my head on the top of the gate and went to sleep. I'm not sure how long I was asleep it could of been seconds or it could of been minutes, all I know is that when I woke up I'd been dreaming. I set off again and started eating food to try and sort myself out. I'd only had a maximum of five hours sleep since the race began and was just tired, it was here I started thinking about doing things which could of ended my race.  I thought about bivvying out but had no phone signal so couldn't inform HQ that I'd stopped which your are required to do if you stop for more than one hour. If I had got in my sleeping bag I would of probably slept for longer so couldn't risk it. I just carried on, the food seemed to bring me round a bit, the path by the river was hard going then it was a scramble upto Cauldron Snout, where Ben Taylor was with a camper van, as part of the safety team. A few mile further on from here I got it into my head that I wasn't moving fast enough. So I put my head down and really powered on using my poles, after a while I started to feel it on my legs, the ground was getting steeper and steeper but I kept pushing on. Then I looked up, I wasn't on a path anymore and didn't have a clue where I was. I'd veered off the path and marched a couple of hundred metres up the fell. I sat down totally confused as I didn't have a clue where I was. I blamed this on the effects of sleep depravation, I was making bad decisions and behaving erratically. I got my gps and map out, worked out where I was and got myself back on track and got round to High Cup Nick. On getting to Dufton I got in the van and went to sleep straight away for three hours.

Dufton to Hadrians wall.

When I got up my feet were a mess, I went to the village hall where there was a small checkpoint. My feet were now swollen and I couldn't get my trainers on. I got them dressed and put some bigger fell running trainers on, my feet were now two shoe sizes bigger than they normally are. After Dufton you go up over the fells to Alston, summiting Knock, Great Dunn and Cross Fell along the way. This is exposed high ground that really gets the weather but on the day there was little wind just low cloud and light rain. I made good time up the hills and enjoyed it. Just after the summit of Cross Fell you come to Gregs Hut, which is a mountain bothy that during the race a couple of the Spine safety team stop at. 

Getting warm in front of the stove at Gregs hut. Photo John Bamber

John Bamber and Paul Shorrock are now part of Spine legend, both of whom are men that you can sit down and have a good crack with. On arrival you are offered noodles and tea or coffee and the stove is on so the place is warm and cosy. Paul had posted some pics of Gregs on social media the week before and I'd commented that I'd see him on Wednesday and to kick me out after five minutes!  Its too easy to get comfortable. I stopped and had a cup of tea and was on my way. Its a good track from Gregs down to Garrigill so i got a decent jog on. 

Leaving gregs. Photo John Bamber

I got to Alston checkpoint in daylight so didn't hang about wanting to push on and make the most of the daylight. Next stop was Slaggyford, I met chris and my girlfriend, Angela, came out to see me. I was close to home so it was easy for family to get out to see me.

Looking tired with Angela at Slaggyford.

This part of the route was as bad as the southern part of the Pennine Way, bogs and muddy farmland. You go over Blenkinsop Common just before you cross the A69. Blenkinsop Common isn't a well known place in Cumbria and doesn't deserve to be, its known as a shithole! It was now dark and finding the path over the common was hard, spending most of the time knee deep in bog it was slow going. After crossing the A69 I passed through Greenhead and was now at Hadrians Wall. At the first car park I met chris and my sister in law Emma and niece Amy had come out. So after getting sorted out it was now well into the night so I got into the van and had three hours sleep.

Hadrians Wall to Byreness

It was still dark when I set off. The route over Hadrians Wall is quite tough, lots of short steep hills.  This was the only part of the race when the sun came up, I could see for miles and it was quite spectacular. After ten miles the Pennine Way heads north through Wark forest. Normally some of the worst bogs are here but this year I didn't think they were that bad. Just past the forest I came out onto the road at Ladyhill. My mam, Angela and Chris were waiting there. I stopped and had something to eat and chatted for a few minutes then carried on. After Ladyhill its mainly farmland to Bellingham.

Ladyhill

When I got to the checkpoint at Bellingham it was still daylight. I stopped and a medic had a look at my feet which were now blistered and broken skin between my toes. I cleaned them and got them dressed, dry socks on I was good to go. After Bellingham its across farmland until you come to a place called Troughend Common which is open moorland, the path is little more than a trod and is hard to find. I remembered having the same problem in the 2015 race. After there it was forest road to Byrness.

Byrness to Kirk Yetholm.

I met Chris at Byrness, I was tired when I got to Byrness, so I got in the van and slept for forty minutes, then had something to eat and went into the checkpoint, checked in and a medic had a look at my feet. Simon Beasley and Gwynn Stokes were here, so I talked to Gwynn for a bit while I got my feet sorted. They had now been wet for pretty much since the start of the race and were painful. After Byrness there is nothing but open fell for twenty seven miles until you get to the finish at Kirk Yetholm, apart from two mountain refuge huts about ten miles apart. Its easy to get complacent so near to the finish. But the last stretch has caught a few people out during previous races and isn't to be under estimated. The mountain bits of the Pennine Way are for me the most enjoyable sections.

I set off at a decent pace up Byrness hill. As usual as soon as I gained height the cloud was down and reflected off the beam on my headtorch making it hard to see the path more than a few metres ahead. At times I lost the path entirely and had to follow a compass bearing and use my gps to see whereabouts I was.  I wasn't too concerned about this as I knew I was heading in the right direction. it was just hard going over rough ground. I was pushing on as hard as I could and kept eating, trying to keep my energy up.

Hut 2 with Michael Stevenson

I got to Hut 2 just before dawn, here Michael Stevenson whom I'd met on the 2105 Spine race was there as part of the mountain safety team. I had a quick cup of tea with him, looking at the time if I could get to Kirk Yetholm in under an hour and a half I would finish the race in under five days. So I told Mike I was off and took off running down the hill as fast as I could. This lasted for about two hundred metres, I couldn't handle the pain in my feet! I was laughing to myself what a knob, I'd bigged myself up that I was going to run in and it had lasted about five minutes! The last bit took me nearly three hours! and it seemed to go on forever. They were long miles. I was happy though, I jogged the last hundred metres and touched the wall of the Border Hotel. Finish time was 5 days 1hour and 21 minutes and I was 10th place overall out of 114 people that started.

The End with Angela and Chris.

 Conclusion

This years race was a lot different to last time I did the race in 2015. There were gale force winds and a lot of rain in that race and the race had to be stopped at Alston for twenty four hours, this year the weather was mild and I enjoyed it. The conditions underfoot were bad I spent the whole five days of the race with wet feet. After a couple of days my feet swelled up and I had to wear bigger trainers for the duration of the race. I got blisters on both feet and the skin broke and became infected. The race medics gave me antibiotics and when I got home I got a prescription off my doctor and the infection has cleared. My feet took a few days for the swelling to go down and I couldn't walk properly. Other than that the only other thing was that I was tired. Thankfully I didn't have to go back to work until the Thursday after the race so I slept in an afternoon when I felt like it and haven't woke up in the night sweating or any other side effects. I also lost nine pound in weight during the race. I only do a few races a year because of work and family commitments. Angela's doing the Bob Graham Round in June and I'm doing the Lakeland 100 again in July and in September the new Ben Nevis Ultra. So that leaves the back end of the year free to train for the Spine again if I want to. Next year is going to be the worst winter for 50 years! As usual this will be probably be announced in Daily Express in October and I've got some snow shoes to try out so I might just be on the start line in 2018!!