By David Williamson
On Saturday 5th July I set out to have a go at the Patterdale Beat the Bounds course.
This is something which has been going for 45+ years and is a route that follows the Patterdale Parish Boundary. It’s about 29 miles and advertised (more on that later) as 10,200 feet of ascent taking in “many famous Lakeland fells and landmarks including Raise, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywaggon Pike, Grisedale Tarn, Fairfield, Red Screes, Kirkstone Pass, High Street, Angle Tarn and Place Fell.” It’s also advertised that “on a good day there are stupendous views” (again, more on that later!)
My wife used to go to Patterdale School which is the start/finish and I wanted another decent run in the Lakes before taking on the Lakeland at the end of July, so it seemed a good chance to give it a go.
There’s a rolling start (between 5:30-9am) which you need to time right to ensure you reach the only Checkpoint at Kirkstone Pass between 11am-3pm. There’s a mix of people running and hiking the route, with options also available to do the first section (up to Kirkstone Pass), or the 2nd section from Kirkstone back to Patterdale, or even a shorter family route straight back down the valley from Kirkstone to Patterdale. So as we drove along from Glenridding to Patterdale at ~7am there was already a steady trickle of participants going the opposite direction as the first part of the route is to follow the Ullswater Way from Patterdale around to Glencoyne.
It’s pretty low key at the school for a kit check, pick up a marked map and to get your tracker fitted (whilst my wife Clare got a tour around the school from her old teacher) before heading off.
Despite a not very positive weather forecast things were looking okay as I climbed up towards Stybarrow Dodd with nice views back down Ullswater.
However after about the first 4 miles and towards the top of the first big climb, you hit the clouds and that was more or less that for the next 7+ hours until eventually dropping back down from Place Fell some 20+ miles later!
There were occasional movements of brief respite, but for the most part it was very limited visibility in the clouds, and alternating between ‘quite damp and light winds’ to ‘chucking it down and very windy’, which often made it difficult going as it was soggy underfoot and/or going over slippery rocks! Added to the ‘fun’ was that on occasion the route follows the strict parish boundary edge, which isn’t necessarily where the well trodden paths are.
The main relief was mostly at Kirkstone Pass where the Checkpoint was manned by Patterdale Church PCC and well stocked with homemade sausage rolls, cakes and a welcome cup of tea.
And then again at Angle Tarn where you could actually see more than 50 yards in front of you, and I picked up some company with someone in their late 50’s who’d run in the fells all their life and first did this round 30+ years ago so definitely had better navigation on some of the pathless boundaries. Which made the last climb up Place Fell before dropping back down towards the lake into what was at that level quite a warm and pleasant afternoon more enjoyable!
After drying out a little, some homemade soup and more tea and cakes than you needed back at the school, things were definitely improving.
It took me 9 hours 15 minutes and, likely due to my less than perfect navigation, my watch says I managed to rack up 11,358 feet of climbing to get round in what turned out to be 5th place from the 65 or so who set off.
All in all it was a bit of a shame the weather meant there were next to none of the “stupendous views” and at times it was more of a wet trudge/hike but it was an interesting route on some parts of the fells I’d never been on before. So would definitely recommend it and would like to try it again, when fingers crossed there might be some better weather in what is the middle of summer!
Derwent Valley Running Club 