Harrogate Ringway -20 miles in beautiful rural North Yorkshire

Hi there peeps! For a change I am adding a walk from England which I did recently whilst staying in Knaresborough at the Teardrop Cottage B&B (more of that later) The route is a 20 mile circular walk around the outskirts of Harrogate & Knaresborough and is mainly through wooded areas and on the borders of housing estates. TRIP ADVISOR - HARROGATE RINGWAY WALK

  

We picked up the walk just a few minutes from the B&B across the other side of the river heading North and anti-clockwise around the route. Quick piece of advice here ....if you normally wear double socks for a snug fit in your boot, DON'T only wear one pair when you are walking 20 miles! But DO go back and add second pair it's worth 5 minutes walk instead of blood & blisters & holy socks! You would think somebody who has done as many walks as I have would know better....oh well on with the walk :-)

The route is generally well signposted although there are a couple of sections where a map is useful for confirmation, but you could manage pretty much without. The walking is pretty easy although there are a couple of steeper sections within the woods which could be a little slippy in wet weather.

Like many walks you stay close to a river for much of the walk, which is always a handy reference point for keeping on track and for scenic views such as above. You follow the route along the Nidd gorge, where you reach the weir (pictured above) keep following the Nidd Westwards until you come to the Nidd Viaduct

View from the top of Nidd Viaduct

Once you reach the viaduct the path deviates away from the river across to the back of houses on the Northern tip of Harrogate & South of Killinghall where you have to cross the A61 and the path starts to turn Southwards past a couple of farms towards the A59. Somewhere along the route (can't remember exactly where) you come across a delightful cottage sat just across a bridge next a closed ford crossing.

After you have passed the A59 you head down through the house and along the main road in Jennyfield, there is a handy Co-op for a drink or snack along the main road, then you continue down until you reach a footpath off to the right where you pick up the route along Oak Beck through more woodland & after this there is a straight stretch that takes you further South passing beside a country park. A little further along the route you reach the unforgettably named pub the "Squinting Cat" which is a welcome sight and a large pub with beer garden and plenty to eat & drink.

After you are suitably refreshed you follow the path through some cow inhabited fields (with caution!) It seems to be increasingly common these days for cows to show more than a passing interest to visitors to their field. And although of course you have a right of way through their field, I am not sure that all the cows are aware of this. Not for the first time as we were making our way quietly through the field a cow (followed by others) made towards us with intent and if we had not have speeded up and reached the style quicker than was anticipated it might have got a little messy! Be warned keep an eye out........

The path reaches it Southern most tip and up through Burn Bridge and up into the suburbs of Harrogate & back across the A61 before heading across the railway line at Oatlands before picking up Crimple Beck for a short while. The last section takes you South besides the A661 before heading across some open farmland  & back towards Knaresborough. 

Here is the link to the OS map that I used and is useful as back up should you need it -

 Section of OS map for the walk

LDWA - HAARROGATE RINGWAY LINK

All in all an excellent walk and would recommend for reasonable fit walkers, and of course you are never far away from the suburbs, bus routes & train if you decide to cut it short or divert into either town.

As I mentioned at the beginning we stayed at "Teardrop Cottage" a fantastic B&B right next to the river and town of Knaresborough. It's a delightful well decorated, well run establishment where Mike the owner will really look after you and serve you a very tasty breakfast full of variety & local produce. 

http://www.teardropcottage.com/

Well thank you for joining me on the Harrogate Ringway walk, we are looking at a wee trip North soon so I am sure there will be another Autumnal blog soon

Oh & btw it's nearly time for the Glasgow Half Marathon again, and at the moment the legs are holding out so all being well (touch wood etc) I will be running on October 6th aiming to beat last years 2.05hrs and get under the 2 hr mark.............watch this space!

BEN LOMOND

Hi there.........as promised here is a quick post on my ascent of Ben Lomond (my 5th I think)
The start of the walk is from car park at Rowardenan at the end of the road, acessible via Drymen and Balmaha (try to avoid on busy summer weekends as the road gets very congested)
Another way of reaching Rowardenan is via the ferry from Inverbeg on the West banks of Loch Lomond (pictured below) but make sure you check return times as it is a very very long walk around the loch to get back to Inverbeg.

The memorial at Rowardenan

 

The Ben is 975m/3200ft and is a steady climb for most of the way and the path is very clearly visible as it is one of the most popular walks in Scotland. Initiallly you climb out of the forestation across some muddy gullys and across tree roots. Once further up the path it becomes a well defined path with well formed rock sections to climb for most of the way. As you climb behind you you start to get some great views of the Southern end of Loch Lomond and the many small islands

 

 

As you climb the views get more and more impressive (depending on the weather of course)

The ascent is generally a pleasant one although some people find the ascent a little tedious and streneuos. Once you climb nearer the sumit the views open up across to the East and the path becomes a little more spread out before you reach the ridge and the summit

 

 

 

The views Northwards up Loch Lomond and across to the Northwest

On the day I went up Ben Lomond it was cold and there was still a reasonable amount of snow on the summit with a few small flurry's of snow. I think I will give it a miss for a while now as there are plenty of more challenging Munro's out there to be climbed, all the same one of my favourites and of course closest to Glasgow.....................see you next time

 

 

 

 

 

Edinburgh Half Marathon Withdrawl

This weekend was the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, but after months of training runs unfortunately I had a problem with my leg/ankle in the week leading up to the race and had to pull out at the last minute. Not sure yet what the problem is but hopefully it will be short lived and I can get back out on the road again (not a happy bunny)

Here is a link to the EMF site who are now taking entries for 2014 races
Edinburgh Marathon Festival

Ben Lomond in Spring

I will post a full blog on my recent walk up Ben Lomond soon ...but as an appetiser here is some video footage from the summit. Not a brilliant day weather wise but at least it stayed dry until my final descent.

 

Enjoy the views and I will be back shortly ..................................

KILOMATHON UPDATE 17/03/2013

Just a quick update on the Kilomathon in Edinburgh last month
It was a cold damp morning in Leith but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm for 800 + runners
Couple of pictures below from finish at Murrayfield

The course is almost entirely run through parks and pedestrian paths, so no traffic to dodge, but it does make it a little congested at times in the narrower sections.
I managed a good pace and acheived another personal best time of 1hr 7 mins and finished 255/800
So now 6 weeks until the EMF half marathon back in Edinburgh and I am up to 15 miles on my training runs................all we need now is a bit of sun!

Running & Walking season looming..........

Well I have just realised that I haven't posted to my blog since before the Great Scottish Run last September........I am delighted to say that I surpassed both my running target and my fundraising target and completed the half marathon in 2hrs 5mins and raised over £625.00 for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity :-) ..............

 

The Yellow start in George square Glasgow

 

2hrs 5mins later a well deserved drink of water!

 

A fantastic result all round......and now I have the running bug and targets and goals are dropping like flies around me. And so far in 2013 I am set to run half marathons in both Glasgow & Edinburgh along with the Kilomathon 13k in Edinburgh and possibly another couple of races tbc ...............thereafter my target is the big one ...the London Marathon 2014 (If I can get a place)

Here are a few links for those of you who may be interested in going me on the road :-

 

https://www.edinburgh-marathon.com

http://www.greatscottishrun.com

http://www.kilomathon.com/?scotland

 

I am not going to be fundraising at all events, as this is too much of a drain on people's finances but I will be fundraising for the Royal Marsden again for the Great Scottish Run in September/October .......you have been warned! 

 

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Not to be outdone my wife Karyn and my mother in law Margaret are in training for the Kiltwalk ..26 miles from Hampden Park stadium to Loch Lomond to raise money for children's charity 

 

http://www.thekiltwalk.co.uk/main/

 

 

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So it's full steam ahead for 2013 and a sub 2hr half marathon nae problem :-)

 

See you again soon ................

 

  

 

 

ONLY 5 DAYS TO GO ..........TO THE GREAT SCOTTISH RUN :-)

Well race day is nearly upon us and hopefully all the training over the last 6 months will pay off
Only a couple of short runs during the week and some yoga and stretching excercises. I have really enjoyed the experience and it seems like a lifetime ago that I was running in the Guernsey half marathon in 1986 & 1987.

Still a little way to go on the fundraising to reach £500 target, and donations can be made right through to end of September too after the race.http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelWard10
Good luck to all those of you taking part on Sunday, see you at George Square!

 

I will be back with some regular walking blogs very soon before the weather detiorates futher into Autumn..............keep on running/walking :-)

26 Days to go and training going well

Just a quick update on the half marathon training
Now have 3 circuits on the go and will extend again later in the week - Currently doing 6.2 miles around Jackton and Lindsayfield and will add Auldhouse and Langlands too, which will take it over 8 miles.

Fundraising currently at £375 and will give it another push tonight to reach the £500 mark by race day

I'm raising money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity by taking part in 2012 Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run 10k & Half Marathon. Please sponsor me at www.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelWard10 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelWard10

Great Scottish Run Training & Fund Raising Update

Hi Folks

Just 35 days to go to race day, and the Olympics are under way too and should be an added source of inspiration for my running.I Have just done the weekly weigh in, and have lost 10 kilos in total so far :-))) and still dropping. I managed to fit in a few nice runs whilst on holiday - under the shadow of the Austrian Alps, along the tow path of the river Wesser in Bremen and around the lovely town of Badenweiller in the black forest.

I also enjoyed a few swims courtesy of Hilton hotels and even a shot in the gym (totally previously unheard of). In addition there was many hours of walking the streets of many beautiful european towns and cities. So the refreshing news was that despite 2 weeks of chomping away at mussels, bavarian ham, czech chips and currywurst, and downing copious amounts of weissbier I still hadn't put any weight on  :-))

So now it's full steam ahead with runs getting longer every day and stamina building ................if only the fund raising was building as quickly. So this is where I need your help to reach my target of £300 online by sponsoring my chosen charity ROYAL MARSDEN CANCER CHARITY.
Follow this link to donate online http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelWard10

Well that is the latest blog over for this week, just a couple more pics to share with you from hols in Germany at Schwangau.

25 Years Later! - The Great Scottish Run

Well it has been 25 years since my last half marathon and I have finally decided to get my running shoes back on. I will be running the BOS Great Scottiish Run on Sunday 2nd September in Glasgow and I hope that you will support me in doing so.

I will be running the half marathon in memory of my father "John Ward" who died of cancer 14 years ago, and I will be raising money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity as this is where he had his treatment and also where he spent his last days.

I appreciate that there are many demands on you to support various worthy causes, but those of you that know me well will know that I don't often get involved in fundraising events. So I ask you to dig deep on this ocassion. Every penny will be greatly appreciated by both myself and the Royal Marsden Charity.

So thanks for visiting my page. Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and donations will be quickly processed and passed to the charity. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on a charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for this. I really appreciate all your support and thank you once again for any donations.

Many Thanks
Mick

Royal Marsden Fundraising link

You won't be able to miss me in my running vest!

                                       THE TRAINING SO FAR

Greenock Cut & Shielhill Glen

This is another walk taken from the pathfinder guide Glasgow, Clyde Valley, Ayrshire & Arran book (walk 24) The walk is 9 miles - and listed as 4hrs 30 mins but it is a fairly easy walk and can be done in a lot less.
It starts at the Cornaless Bridge Vistor Centre next to Loch Thom and the Reservior, with ample parking and a handy cafe & toilets for the way back. It seems that the reservoir is quite a popular fishing spot (permit only)
and you start climbing the hill next the reservoir past rows of fisherman. The road leads uphill towards a further 2 small reservoirs before running back downhill towards Greenock (this is the only slight incline until you get to the Glen towards the end of the walk.

Once you get closer to Greenock you get a great view of the local area and further afield out towards Dunoon and the islands. The path throughout the walk is very starightforward and easy to follow, you just have to negotiate a large number of kissing gates along the way. After you have descended past the small reservoirs you come to the Waterman's cottage and the cut, at this point your turn left to follow the run of the Greenock cut for over half of the walk. You may think this is boring but in fact it offers some great photo opportunities and some great views along the way.

The Greenock Cut was an aqueduct constructed by Robert Thom and opened in 1827 to take water from the reservoir to Greenock, providing both power and drinking water to the town and local mills.
Not all the reservoirs currently have water in them though, as you will see

Along the way there is an abundance of wildlife and an awful lot of sheep, and of course from May an awful lot of cute lambs too.

As you continue westwards along the cut the views open out and you loose the house of Greencok in the distance. Along the way there are also a lot of attractive stone bridges which come in useful as a place to stop for a rest or lunch and offer protection from the wind too.

Unfortunatley the cut is strewn with beer cans and bottles which detract from the natural beauty, but this aside it would be interesting to know what lurks at the bottom of the silt. The next building you come to is Shielhill farm, at this point cross the road and continue along the cut behind the farm for about 300 yds. At this point you turn right and head downhill into Sheilhill Glenn. This is a delightful change to the last 5 miles and the Glen enchanting.

And of course once you reach the bottom you have to come back up, the way back up is over a series of boardwalks which make it steep but easy going.



Once you get to the top of the boardwalks you reach Kelly Cut built in 1845 as a supplement to the Greenock Cut. Turn left back towards the starting point and more sheep!!

A thoroughly well deserved cold drink and ice cream finished off the walk nicely..........on a Baaalmy day!



Chatelherault - Green Bridge Trail

Good afternoon from a very cold and windy East Kilbride - Spring what Spring!
For those of you waiting for the walk at Ben An this will follow shortly

In the meantime I want to take you round the Green Bridge trail
There are 6 trails to choose from at Chatelherault, I decided to choose the longest route which is listed as 8km and 3 hrs in reality most people wouldn't take anything like that long. It took me a couple of hrs and that was with numerous stops for photo opportunities. The other trails are 2km & 3.5km

The route follows the Avon river down to Green Bridge, but most of the walk is at the top of the gorge on either side and only briefly on the river itself.

Starting off from in front of the Visitor centre follow the signs left towards green bridge and just keep on following the Riccarton path for about a mile with the golf course on your left, until you reach the turn of for White Bridge, however ignore that path and follow round to the left still towards Green Bridge underneath the electricity pylons.

The path now becomes the Claybank Braes path and continues to edge the golf course on the left and woods on the right. When you start to descend towards the bridge the steps are steep and muddy so take great care on your way down, and avoid being run over by bmx bikers as you go. Once at the bottom you are greeted with a fantastic view up river and the steps to Green Bridge directly ahead. Off to the left is the path to Fairholm Bridge which you can see in the distance. Cross the bridge and take in the views both up and down stream. 

Looking down from the bridge you can see the river bed through the peat tinted water and if you are lucky some of the trout swimming by, it is also a popular fishing spot. Once over the bridge, you turn right up the other side of the gorge, this path is a little steep but soon flattens out again. The gorge and the river are frequented by various wildlife, but not always very visible, but I did come across a rather large piece of funghi.

Carry on until you reach Divoty Glen (A lovely name I thought) and take the path down and back up again and admire the beautiful surroundings. Therafter you reach the turn off for the White Bridge again, but ignore the turn off and continue on towards the Cadzow Oaks which are coming up ahead

The Cadzow Oaks are as old as 500 years and lie just South of the Duke's castle and several sit on a small mound just along the Oaks path. They are an impressive sight to behold although some are clearly not as mighty as they once were. Also along this route there is a carved log (see picture below) which bears the inscription "As soon as we take one thing by itself we find it hitched to everything in the universe"

Just beyond the oaks we come to the Cadzow Castle and Duke's Bridge with the high line of fir trees on either side and the drop down to the river below. Unfortuantely like most histroic buildings the castle is under repair and unsightly scaffolding surrounds most of the walls, however part of the castle can still be seen from the bridge. Once over the bridge the path bears left back up to the Visitor centre and a welcome cup of tea and cake in the cafe.

After your well earned rejuvination it is worth a look at the front of Chatelerhault in all it's spleandour and particluarly the Duke of Hamiltons plaque behind the circlular gate. The building was built over 250 years ago for the Duke of Hamilton as a hunting lodge and summer house, it also offers great views out across Motherwell and the Lanarkshire countryside.

http://www.visitlanarkshire.com/attractions/child-friendly/Chatelherault-Country-Park/