Cumbria Way Non Stopper Attempt.

[Slogger]

Inspired by Micks C2C I am having yet another go at the Cumbria Way as a non stopper. Ive done it several times in both direction with an average time of around 29 hours. My last effort a few months ago failed due to my dodgy knee, this time I will be starting in Ulverston on Saturday morning 23rd July, around 9am. For anyone interested to follow my success or failure my 'live' tracker link is:-
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=00pCTN45bZKLmtzHLkKOquqVMX3YpR2SF

[bricam2096]

If it had been last week, you would have passed me on the Way. Have fun, I hope you know about the 2 diversions after Caldbeck?

[Slogger]

If it had been last week, you would have passed me on the Way. Have fun, I hope you know about the 2 diversions after Caldbeck?

I know about the one regarding Bell Bridge.

[Sarah Pitht]

I took a look yesterday morning when slogger was just setting off; then last night when he was going through Langdale. Now he is round the back of Skiddaw.

Looks like when he said non-stop he meant it! And fingers crossed he will finish it too.

[bricam2096]

I noticed that when he got to Skiddaw House and had to choose between the East (higher but shorter) or West (lower level but longer) he chose to go the longer way and do an extra couple of miles.

By that stage I think I'd have taken the easier option and not more miles, lol

[Ridge]

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised by how well he is going, having followed him on the Pennine Way in January then this should be a walk in the park

[tonyk]

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised by how well he is going, having followed him on the Pennine Way in January then this should be a walk in the park

 Not too sure how long this route is (70miles?) but its still a real slog when done non-stop.Probably like two of his sub 5-day coast coast days rolled into one.It looks like he might beat his best time for the route (29 hours) that he set when he was in his early sixites.

[Ridge]

Not too sure how long this route is (70miles?) but its still a real slog when done non-stop.

Don't get me wrong it is an amazing time.

[tonyk]

Don't get me wrong it is an amazing time.

 No problem.Whilst I have yet to attempt the sub-five day coast to coast I have done numerous walks of 50-100 miles straight off and they present different problems to doing say,25-30 miles a day on the Pennine Way.The body goes through various phases of feeling full of energy and then being totally depleted before going back to a feeling of being stronger than before you started.I often went through bad patches around 70-75 miles,kind of like my knees were being crushed in a vice and a feeling of despair only to come out of it around 85-90 miles and feeling like I had got a second wind and full of energy.I don't know if Slogger has had the same experiences but other long distance walkers and runners I have spoken to desribe similar experiences.

[tonyk]

 Looks like he has finished in roughly 30 hours.Not bad for a seventy year old with dodgy knees. Well done Dave.

[Slogger]

Im hope ot kept you all alittle amused, more to follow, it would be rude to do a report on this before Mick has spilled the beans on his epic. All I will say for now is, as Tony said, it started well, then went badly wrong (the body that is) and finished stronger as ever.
Dave.

[bricam2096]

Im hope ot kept you all alittle amused, more to follow, it would be rude to do a report on this before Mick has spilled the beans on his epic. All I will say for now is, as Tony said, it started well, then went badly wrong (the body that is) and finished stronger as ever.
Dave.

How did you get on with that first diversion, following non existent paths and heading over fields hoping to see a gate/stile at the other end or a waymarker?

[Slogger]

I ignored it and went by the landslip, it didn't look any different to a few weeks ago when I was also there. It was clear that many other people plus bikes had ignored it too going by the amount of boot and tyre prints. The second one at Sedbergham Bridge was just a matter of walking up the closed lane parrallel to the river to the missing Bell Bridge. The lane is no longer fully fenced off to allow foot and cycle traffic through.

[bricam2096]

yeah, I went up the lane even though the wording on the information sheet at the start of the diversion said it was closed to pedestrians as well.

I wish I had ignored the first diversion like you did rather than take the suggested route, most of it on invisible paths.