(21-07-2014, 09:25 AM)glaconman Wrote: Andy, we went to a fell race in Meltham the other week. Decided to cut down Scapegoat Hill into Slaithwaite (pronounced Slough-It for the rest of you). And afterwards we had a pint at The Sair in Linthwaite. Followed by dinner in Huddersfield. Not been that way for a while and I'd forgotten what a beautiful part of the world it is.
Ah. For those who don't know i.e. everyone else, I spent best part of a year living in a ramshackle house on top of said Scapegoat Hill. I was lodging with 2 adults, 3 children, 4 dogs and 7 owls. Yes, owls. And
the Sair in Linthwaite (pronounced Linfit) is one of the greatest of Yorkshire boozers -- or used to be. This legendary home-brew pub is also on top of a steep hill -- another one. There are quite a few of 'em in that county. I hope that "Enoch's Hammer" is still on tap, the beer whose name commemorates the blacksmith whose hand-crafted tools were used to smash the machines that threatened to sweep away the weavers and artisans in what was the epicentre of Luddism.
I remember going into the pub one Sunday evening to find the landlord drunk and unconscious. He was propped up on something, sitting behind the bar with his arms draped around the handpumps as if in a heroic attempt to protect his beer from the hordes. Fortunately one of the locals (probably not for the first time) had stepped in to save the day and would pop round the other side of the bar whenever someone's glass needed recharging. And yes, money *was* demanded, and it went into the till.
(24-07-2014, 12:34 PM)glaconman Wrote: How good a descender am I? Snowdon Race: 176th at the turn. Finished 257th. That's 81 people going past me in 25 minutes. Or 3-4/minute. Oh well. If Cesare Maestri (the winner) is the Jack Kahuna Laguna of mountain running I guess I am somewhere between Patrick and Squidward. Not very good and grumpy with it.
The anitdote to Snowdon this evening was the Riddlesden Hill climb. About 3 miles uphill to the top of Keighley Gate. Abit hot to be a perfect night for running. But fine views over pretty much the whole of West Yorkshire at the finish line. And a nice jog down to free food, good craic and good beer on the taps.
Glass half empty? I presume you must have taken out at least a similar number on the way up. Anyway, superb effort as usual. How people can tear down rocky hillsides at a rate of knots, without crash helmet and Michelin-man-style protective padding, is beyond me. Just reading the descriptions in "Feet in the Clouds" was enough to induce palpitations. Same thoughts about cyclists. I work at the top of a v steep hill, nearly 4,000 feet above sea level. I have to be careful driving down it, but I'm frequently overtaken by cyclists bombing past me, heads down, wearing grimly determined expressions. I guess self-confidence is all.
