So a while ago I put out a post talking about the New Glossop Fell Race AL, which was all well and good. It was a great day out and much "fun" was had. On that post I alluded to the "Old" Glossop fell race AL as well.
It isn't call the Old Glossop race for the reason that it goes from Old Glossop- the New one goes from Old Glossop as well. I think it comes from the fact that it was the original "Glossop" fell race, but had to be changed due to permissions, and hence to distinguish it from the newer route, "old" and "new" nomenclatures were used.
Anyhow.
It's a fair old route with some fun lines to be taken. I've done it 4 times now, maybe the fastest took me 3:24, so faster than I managed on the "new" route. (there was a heck of headwind on the way back as well). It doesn't make it "easier" by any means, but it definitely gives you a decent run out from Glossop. With optimal lines you're looking at somewhere around 30k and 1400m ascent.
Your checkpoints are as follows:
Old Glossop (I think it originally started from Manor Park).
1- Pond at the bottom of Ashton Clough
2- Higher Shelf Trig point
3- The Cottages at the shooting range. (I'd suggest that you use the stile over the wall onto the Trail as your CP here).
4- Ruined hut at the north end of Crowden Little Brook
5- Top of Laddow Rocks
6- Gate on Pennine Way
7- Lads Leap (not sure if this was actually a checkpoint)
8- Car park at Didsbury Intake
9- Bottom of Torside clough
10- Ruined hut on Glossop Low
11- Bottom of Lightside
End- turning circle.
Technically you can take any line between these points. There are obviously optimal, and somewhat suboptimal ones, depending on your strengths.
This is a view of the route I took:
The start is pretty obvious- from Old Glossop along the Drs. Gate Bridleway out past Mossy Lea Farm. There is a bog just after the "big" bridge which is pretty unavoidable. Up the hill, and along- the pond itself is off the Bridleway, down to the left- don't miss it- that's the checkpoint.
Cross the stream, and now it's the first of the choices- which way up to Higher Shelf? The "race line" would trend up the nose to the right of Ashton Clough. When I did it with Jules we decided to scramble up the Ashton Clough line... it really isn't a decent race line, but it makes it fun.
Bang up to Higher Shelf Trig Point and then- well. How do you want to get to the North side of the moor? Personally I headed over to Wainstones via Hern stones- then the Wain, and then- well, bash north trying to not get caught in the drainage too much. There is NO ideal line across the moor, no trods going over there... so if you don't know the area, get a compass bearing and run.
Getting off the moor at the north end is a little more fun- whatever you do, DON'T fall off Lawrence Edge. It can be a little dodgy getting down there. Best line seems to be to "skiers left" of the crag, down and round to the right and then off. There are a number of lines off- some good, some bad, some ok. Take your pick.
Off to the East of the old Clay range, and down to the stile in the wall that goes over onto the Trail. Now, at the moment the path across lower than the dam and over to Crowden is closed (has been for... oh, 3 years now?) I took the route direct across the dam and crossing the road on the dodgy corner - if you do this- its totally at your own risk (as is everything really), and then up the cobbled trail past the old chapel, then left below the quarry until you hit the track going up Crowden Little Brook.
From here- easy blat up the path to the northen end of Crowden Little Brook- or at least- where the brook takes a sharp eastward turn- cross the brook to get to the ruined hut- Checkpoint!
Make sure you've been taking in food up til now, coz it's about to get fun.
You've got to get from here to Laddow rocks- and there are any number of ways to do this. You have to go over Bareholme moss somehow- I've done this quite far North (ending a bit south of the Meteor wrecks) and onto the Pennine Way, quite a bit south, and then down pretty much the Holme moss race route and then up the Steep way to the top of Laddow, and I've also headed across and through the Castles- which is pretty fun, because you don't often go through the castles- and then up a steep slope to get to the Pennine Way. (don't get sidetracked onto the Old Pennine way which is quite a lot lower on the hill).
Once on the Pennine Way (this might take a WHILE) its a simple matter of hitting the top of Laddow rocks and then head south until you get to the gate above the YHA, then hang a right and go up the Lads Leap climb. Something that seems easy enough when youre on an AS, but after more than half of an AL it's a bit of a slog. Up and over Lads leap, down to the top of the Tintwistle Knarr track and bash down the forest track, and down to Didsbury intake back to the A628 and a bit of a gnarly road crossing.
With these 2 road crossings- and the ever increasing number of cars on the road, you can see why these 2 races have gone the way of the dodo. It's not fun to cross a road in any race, let alone a major A road with large volumes of heavy traffic.
From here it's whack a gel down, hammer across the dam and up the Trail til you get to Reaps, and then crawl up Torside and up to Glossop Low cabin (Checkpoint!) before the run off down to Glossop.
But not so fast! It isn't a simple run off, you've got to go via Lightside. You could hack across the top of Shittern Clough and down lightside, or you could go down past the quarry workings and a direct steep line off into the bottom of Shittern and to the gate at Lightside- before a run off to the final bimble to the end of the trail and the turning circle.
And relax.
It's a great route with some superb rough running. Not one to race nowadays, unfortunately.
