The Trombone Trail

For run 57, we (Pat and I) decided to take to a route that we know as the "Trombone Trail".  The basic route is to start at Dove Stone Sailing Club, run up to Chew Reservoir, over to Laddow Rocks, and along and over Black Hill, ending the route on the Isle of Skye Road by the "Snoopy's Big Bite" van.

This involves some serious logistics - dropping Pat's car at Snoopy's, and me taking Pat in my car back down to Dove Stones to start the trail, and so on.

It came to be named "Trombone Trail" in honour of Raff, the trombone player in Innviertler Wadlbeisser, a fantastic Brass Group, who my Father in Law promotes in this country.  They came over last year for a series of gigs in Huddersfield, Marsden and Diggle. Raff was keen to come out on a run with Pat and I.  We did this route, however took longer than we thought and knew were on a tight timeline to get Raff back to play a lunchtime gig at the Conservative Club in Uppermill.  It turned out that we got Raff back to the Con Club, sweating and stinking and he hopped out of the car, grabbed his trusty trombone and started straight away with the group, after running 9 miles on the fells, still wearing the "five-fingers" shoes - what a trooper!

Innviertler Wadlbeisser are a great act - and should be seen whenever you get the chance. Check out their website at http://www.innviertler-wadlbeisser.at/ or take a look at the clips on You Tube - you will not be dissapointed!  So Raff - the route has a name in your honour, Sir!

That's Raff, 3rd from the left

We made good time up to Chew Res and made very light work out of Black Hill, Pat set a good pace and he got the first round of pepsi's and teas at the van back at Dove Stones.  Cheers Pat!

Sailing Club at Dove Stones

Chew Res

Laddow Rocks

Black Hill trig point

Snoopy's

Tea in the Carriage House later...

Today's run, for Emily Brown was 9 miles

Carolyn makes "Go Faster Food"

Looking out of the window this morning, I knew that if I either stuck to the bare minimum of 6.2 miles or ventured further I'd get soaked to the bone.  Pat sent me a text this morning with news direct from a weather app on his iphone that at 2pm it would be "sunny".  I met him at the agreed 2pm out side the Diggle Hotel, and yes, it was sunny.  Breezy also, but none the less, it was sunny.

We ventured up the boat lane, up to Standedge cutting, and took the Pennine way route along the "Diggle Skyline" and picked up a favourite route of ours, The Cotton Famine Trail - an ancient transport link that was built to give folk jobs due to the "Cotton Famine" during the American Civil War.   It's an impressive view,  one that gives you the immediate feeling that you  are as far away from civilization as it is possible.  The rain lashed us as we made the way back over the moors and headed back towards Diggle.  Soaked to the bone, we completed 9 miles.  Thanks Pat for the company and for setting the pace - a good run.

After showering, I thought Carolyn was out walking the dog, however she was busy baking some energy-boosting treats from Kate Percy's recipe book "Go Faster Food".  What a nice surprise - really thoughtful and they taste great.  Honey, Lime & Ginger Oaties and Chocolate Biscuit Cake.  The oaties can be eaten anytime, however the chocolate biscuit cake is designed to send energy into tired muscles.  Thanks Carolyn!

Kate Percy's book



Oaties and Cake - just what a runner needs!


Does that mean the more I run, the more of these I can have?

Today's run - 9 miles on the nose