I've been intending to do the Killer for a good few years now. Having done the Dozen a couple of times it seemed like a logical thing to do. No, Edale isn't a million miles away- and neither is Fairbrook, but I just couldn't even be bothered to drive the 20 minutes to the bottom of the Naze to start.
No. Considering how close we are to Kinder, why not just run there, do it and come back? Again, nothing too crazy about this, but I never seemed to have the psyche to actually get on and do it. Too hot, too cold, not enough time, bracken too high, something better to do, etc. etc.
Last Wednesday I decided it was time, and planned to head out early on Thursday morning. Until someone pointed out that Thursday was going to be the best day weather-wise in the next week or so. Much better to do a bikeride on a glorious day and a run on a not-so-glorious day later in the week.
So I opted for a decent day out on the bike. Again. the "something better to do" excuse.
Saturday rolled around, and there was still the need to get out and do something. The weather was not exactly lovely- a strong Westerly/southwesterly with drizzle interspersed with patches of heavy rain. Standard fare for this bit of the world. It was pretty late by the time everything was got together and I rolled out the door at 10am. Ridiculously late in comparison to previous forays, but the cats needed feeding and playing with, and again, it very nearly became another of those "something better to do" days.
Nevertheless, the route up to Mill hill via the Shooting Cabin was chosen as the best line onto the route- certainly not a "standard" starting point at all- which took me nigh on an hour to get up there. Jacket on/jacket off was a theme that was going to take up much of the day. Without the rain, it was pretty warm. With the rain, a jacket was definitely needed. At this point, heading down to Kinder reservoir in a clough it was sheltered enough not to need it. Stripped the layer off and then lapped my watch as I hit Mill hill and descended into William Clough.
The initial problem with the Killer route is that much of it is on paths- and well used ones at that. There were about 7 or 8 groups of walkers, soggily trudging up William clough as I ran down it, and the second theme of the day became clear. A group of walkers would see me, clock me heading towards them, and then bow their heads and carry on trudging, feigning surprise as I got to them within 10 seconds, quite often hacking off the path and through rough ground to get around them. Not a complaint, you understand, simply an observation.
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| The Gates of Mordor... Oh. No, just the river Kinder |
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| Kinder Downfall. Falling Down, would you believe?! |
Down to the bottom of the clough, and I was feeling pretty good. Everyone feels good at the start, don't they?! Then the first long climb up the river to Kinder Downfall. The route is fairly well trodden, and quite runnable for a while, but it soon became overgrown with head high bracken (one of the problems with doing anything on Kinder in the summer) and progress slowed. I decided to go up the trod rather than try scrambling up the rocks in the streambed- which is normally pretty fun, but the amount of rain in the last 24 hours meant that the river was in spate and solo, that probably wasn't the safest idea at this stage. All along the river there were plenty of Dippers and Yellow Wagtails to keep me company, but thankfully no nesting Geese like last time I was here. (Nesting geese are a hazard in the spring months, and although they are less troubling in terms of stopping forward progress than Bracken, they are somewhat more vicious).
Up to the top and a bit of a fun scramble up some very wet rocks got me to the top, where a vicious wind made me put my jacket on again (it had already been on and off twice so far), and a pause to eat a baked egg that nearly choked me out. Then off along the top- a portion of the Pennine way where, of course, even on a day like today, there were a load of people.
Luckily the route carves off to the right just after Red Clough and heads off through Cluther Rocks and over to the 3 knolls, which is still one of my favourite running routes around here. I dropped below the cloud and had a fabulous time across and down towards the bottom of Kinder Low End, before joining the Bridleway up to Edale Cross and the craziness that is Jacobs ladder. Luckily I was going downhill at this point, so passed everyone else slowly making their laborious way up it in quick time, splashed across the ford at the bottom and immediately started up the steep climb up to the Woolpacks and Crowden Tower.
It was another of those - too hot, jacket off and stow, and 2 mins later- rain. Dammit, jacket on again. I was certainly getting slick at getting it out of my racevest and on over everything=- -and then stowing it again! The trod is not a path on the map, and so I was the only person here. The first of 3 climbs on the south side of Kinder, and the first of 3 in quick succession if you don't start in Edale, it was a decent thrutch up to the top- and an immediate descent down Crowden Clough towards Upper Booth- to the next ascent.
Having not been up this bit before, I followed the trod, but lost it at the top and ended up bashing my way through a fair amount of tussocks towards the top. I was pretty sure there was a decent track around somewhere, but it was not until the gate that I looked back along a lovely grassy sward that I most certainly did NOT come along which would have made my life a whole lot easier. Ah well, touch the cairn and then off down Grindslow knoll down the old Trigger route and into Edale, where there was nary a pause before heading straight back up the clough again.
Classic massive footpath. I had a gel and continued bimbling my way up- and at one point, I have to admit that I became a bit impatient with the people in front of me, hopped across the river and went up the other bank- only to discover that the route I *thought* I could take was really really not an option. I ended up scrambling up a horrendous heather bank and across and down some equally hairy shale scree before rejoining the main path. Idiot. Be more patient.
Up the clough- and even through the water that was being sprayed off the gushing river I was climbing up, you could sense the weather was coming in. Again- jacket on, ready for the inevitable topping out, heavy rain and strong breeze. Out and along the main southern edge path towards Ringing Roger where I had my first and only spill of the day. Must have been getting a bit tired here as the left foot caught the right leg and I ended up sprawled across a couple of rocks and some sandy ground. A bit of food, a bit of "pull yourself together, you haven't been out *that* long" talking to, and back on around the top. Another minor incident at Ringing Roger where I ended up turning my ankle on some innocuous bit of ground. Fairly annoying, which made me walk for a few minutes before knowing that it was ok to carry on.
Up to Druids stone before the nightmare descent into Lady Booth Brook. ALL Bracken and heather, virtually no trods and certainly the worst line I have taken into (or indeed out of) that clough. Managed to find a decent spring where I could fill up my water bottle, before descending through the dank vegetation at the bottom of the clough, ready for the run around to Jaggers.
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| Jaggers |
Feeling pretty tired by now, and it isn't flat to the bottom of Jaggers- it undulates a fair bit- but Jaggers clough is one long Bracken bash ALL the way up. There was a tiny bit of a trod to vaguely follow, but nothing really that made it easy going. When it wasn't raining, the bracken held a lot of water, so it might just as well have been. It was now that I realised this was taking me a bit longer than I anticipated, and the climb up the clough was not going to be a cake walk. Oh well, I still had a couple of gels and 3 more bits of flapjack to get me home.
After eventually getting to the top, the immediate run off was a delight, if only because of the lack of people. From this point on, I barely saw anyone at all. Down to Crookstone barn (ish) and then a run to Rowlee Bridge and Upper Ashop before another horrendous bracken bash along the North slopes of Kinder, trying not to gain too much height- it was evident that the next point to get to was the bottom of Blackden clough. Head high bracken, and the only saving grace was that from this point, I knew pretty much the rest of the route home. It did significantly slow me down though.
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| ...Head high Bracken. Spot the trod |
Bottom of Blackden to the top- a delightful scramble, with the river in spate- so being careful not to do anything silly. There are a number of places where you can dip a foot in the water, and in normal circumstances, nothing will happen. The water was flowing crazy fast today. Definitely a be sensible, be careful kind of day. The run along the Northern edge was fine, as I'd taken on a gel on the way up, as was the descent into Gate Side.
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| Blackden |
Fairbrook, at the bottom of Gate Side was a wide torrent. Even where you can normally ford it, it was deep and fast. The boulders you can normally hop across were deep under water. Dammit. I didn't really want to bash up the Eastern side of Fairbrook Clough. So I managed to find a bit every so slightly narrower than the rest, took a run up and- on rather fatigued legs- made a jump for it- and got across.
Now down to a final gel and a piece of flapjack I went up the clough on the footpath for a goodly way before taking on the gel and beelining up the Naze to the mushroom stone. Again, more bracken to contend with, and I was moving pretty slowly by now. But still moving.
All that was left was a stumble along the North edge of Kinder (I don't think I've ever really done it in a state where I was fresh!) and a drop down to Mill hill where I lapped my watch again. 7 hours and 10 (or so). Stuffing the final flapjack down my throat, I went off the hill down Turf Pits, and just as I was about 3k from home my watch gave up the ghost and stopped recording- 8hours and 3 mins since I started recording. (for a watch that is meant to go ALL day, not great, but there you go, it is pretty old now).
So I stumbled home and proceeded to eat EVERYTHING.
Great day on the hill. If you're thinking of doing the Killer or the Dozen, don't do them in the summer when there is a LOT of Bracken. Watch out for Geese if you're going to do them in the Spring. If you prefer a more runnable route, the Killer is more runnable, but there are LONG sections of uphill walking. The Dozen has a LOT of uphill and no flat, but the ascents are shorter (and much more brutal).