Scary Moorland run

I have been at university all day, but here I am about to set off on an 18 mile run. The run I had just marked out using google earth, which would take me up and over Clougha Pike and down into Caton, where at the Crook o’ Lune I would begin heading back toward the city of Lancaster.

Its late evening now and I know that I will be heading up toward Clougha in limited light, however I could have not predicted the extraordinary events to follow!

Im at the Farm on the side of the 1,355 foot high fell, glancing at a sheep and her two young lambs, what a beautiful sight, and a very welcoming one, as I was heading up to scary territory. I find moorland really intense, with extremely large, open spaces, easy to get lost, footpaths barely exist and even when they do, they are invisible beneath the carpeted floor of heather and other moorland plants.

Clough Pike is large and is on the very edge of the moorland which called the ‘Forest of Bowland’, heads on for many, many miles, followed by North Yokshire, also in places just as empty and vast. From the top of clougha on a clear day, one can get a 360 degree view, from as far as Snowdonia, past Morcombe bay and even the Isle of man. Lancaster sits in the distance, with the Lakes to your right. Then you can see the rather large set of Howgills’ mountains. It’s a barren place however in itself, consisting of moor, and craggy boulders.

And it is here where the drama really begins.

On my way up the ever darkening hillside, I know now that I will have to use my head lamp anytime soon, its become tough to see the ground and before I knew it, I had venture slightly from the flattened bit of grass that is the path. I find it and head up the hill, straight for the top, its getting very still, eerily still. I look behind me in the dark blue atmosphere and notice that a slight fog is coming in, bringing with it rain. I have spent quite a while over the last couple of years out camping and in the outdoors in general and know how fast the weather can come and go. Its getting to dark now so I crouch and take off my backpack in the evening air, a cool breeze sends a shudder through my spine as my wet back is exposed. I thought I had forgotten my head torch for a second when rummaging around I could not grasp it. Ah! Thank god I had it with me, I put on my hat, one which I found on a run over mam tor in the Peak District, slip on my head torch and off I go running to a bit of Moby. I reach the top, little wind which is very unusual for one of the highest points for many miles around. I head off running again, beginning to feel a little uneasy with the venue I placed myself in the light I had… as though moorland isn’t hard enough to navigate any way, and I hadn’t brought a compass or my sat nav, silly I say to myself.

There I go, plodding and working my way through the undergrowth when out of nowhere I see a MASSIVE FLASH!!!

A primal feeling blistered through me, sending intense fearful shivers down my spine, I don’t stop to look, I am on the highest point for perhaps 50-100 miles around and I am right smack bang at the very top!!! I leap and dance like a mountain goat across the top of the hill, running as fast as I possible can over the rocky terrain, running, heart pounding, those shivers dancing around on my back, when all of a sunned FLASH!!!! BANG!!! The sky illuminated, I felt like an animal running from a very, very dangerous situation, I felt exactly the same as how a deep must feel at the sound of nearby gunshot. The bushes whip the sides of my legs, I feel nimble and agile but extremely fearful, and before I knew I t I had ran in a blind panic off course!! But this looked like a path and it lead downhill, the ONLY place I wanted to be right now where I would be safe, FLASH!!!!! BANG!!!! I crouch, running bent over trying to be as low to the ground as I can. I suddenly find I have ran out of path, in a extreme act of desperation I head in the direction I know will lead to the bottom of the valley, but then I remember there are cliffs below and no way down so I head back veering to the left. I stop, I know I should retrace my steps back to the top of the hill but fear tells me otherwise, its unbelievable how the body is capable of switching into cave man mode, practically running for his life, when something like this happens, the air was getting more humid, rain slowing, I knew what was coming next, to my right, much, much close to me this time, lightning flashes down, perhaps not 4 miles away, I was hoping it would just be sheet lightening and dreaded the fork kind! Im stuck out here, running along mazes of sheep trails, before I know it im stuck. The land im now in is boulder land! Boulders and rocks, I slip and fall many times, very lucky I didn’t injure myself, I realise I must head back up the hill when I saw sight of a sanctuary!!! Boulders that had fallen in such a way they left a little over hang. Very little it was indeed as I crawled into this very tiny hole, but I knew I would be safe from the lightening here, FLASH!!!!! Forks shoot down from the sky, blinding white light surrounded by a purple aura!!! I have never seen lightening like this, or this close, it was very much over head now. Water dripped down from the rocks into my hair and down my face, rain drenched my body, I curled up into a protective spoon agains the rocks, FLASH, BAAAANG!!!! Right over head, oh my god, the flash of fork lightening was not 50-100 meters away!!!! Right about where the top of clougha is where I had been minutes earlier, the lightening flashed, forks shot from the sky at a rate of around 2-3 a minute, and it stay like this for about 1 hour, in that time I felt very cold, here I was, up a mountain dressed in shorts and a fucking t-shirt, which I knew was mad, but thank god, I had my emergency bivvi with me, and long johns, I struggle with my wedged in body, sat in a position where my legs where as high as my neck, I had cramp as I tried to slip off my shoes, one leg in, now the other, two legs in, and I push myself up to get them under my buttocks. Now the bivvi, I struggle with me wet clammy hands, being rained on, to get it out, but when I do and get it on, what a relief!! It was very warm. There were of course drafts and cold spots over the next 1-2 hours as I lay there under those dripping rocks. I kept the music on for comfort whilst I witness a spectacular display of nature, flashing meters from me, right down to earth with purple white spears, blinding ly bright!! Im not scared which is a thing I am aware of. I know that im am part of this, im quite comfortable in the bag, I have music and water, though I haven’t ate for around 8 hours I KNOW that should I need to stay there all night, it within walking distance to help, or back to Lancaster.!!! I remember whilst im there, the house that’s not to far away in the valley at the bottom of the path, if only there be a break in weather, I can find a way to get to him, heading in the general direction, something which im VERY good at, and knock on his door, explaining that I know I have got myself into this situation but could he ring a taxi. I didn’t fancy running home anymore. I began to shiver violently, both from my lack of cloths and adrenaline. There I am, and there PAUL KIRTLEY, MEARS and the rest’ words of wisdom come into my brain… no one knows im out here. I live a very solitary life, my days are mostly spent alone, I go everywhere alone, and never tell anybody about it, partly because I go out so often that I feel it unnecessary to give word. Plus I know only students over here who wouldn’t know what to do anyway. I know all this, im very aware of the safety thing, but I suppose somewhere in my mind I feel strong enough to cope with anything alone. And usually I do, and this time isn’t any different.  I know this isn’t hard, and it could be much worse, I actually feel a sense of grounding, while up on that hill and I begin to feel very amused by the music that had been playing whilst I was running and sat in the cave, like this was all a big test, it was always going to happen and im now ready for this test and I swear to you now, the music was unbelievably accurate judging the circumstances ‘Born to be wild’ with such words as Get your motor running 
Head out on the highway 
Looking for adventure 
In whatever comes our way 

Yeah, darling 
Gonna make it happen 
Take the world in a love embrace 
Fire all of your guns at once and 
Explode into space 

I like smoke and lightning 
Heavy metal thunder 
Racing in the wind 
And the feeling that I'm under 

Yeah, darling 
Gonna make it happen 
Take the world in a love embrace 
Fire all of your guns at once and 
Explode into space 

Like a true nature child 
We were born 
Born to be wild 
We have climbed so high 
Never want to die 
Born to be wild 
Born to be wild 
 READ IT! Look how relevant!!

Also chasing pavements by adele, I was kind of chasing paths. ‘should I give up or should I keep chasing pavements, even if it leads nowhere’ ha ha,

The song by Adham Shaikh- through the looking glass had an extremely primal feeling!! The music made me panic, and feel the vulnerability on that hill, ‘you’ll have to run the other way you know’ where words in it!!

Some lyrics And if you want to get 
Where you want to go
You have to run the other way you know

And if you want to get 
Where you want to go
You have to run the other way you know.

Run Faster Alice
The wind in your hair
Run Faster Alice
You haven't gone anywhere’

Infact after hearing this, I took it as a sign and ran the other way, which lead me to the safety of the rocks right before the lightening came crashing meters away!!

Last couple of songs by Akon

Lyrics while sat in the rocks

‘’ (Dont Let it Get To You, No Baby)
Girl I Know you're fed up but things gonna get a lot better
(Dont Let it Get To You, No Baby)
Don't wanna see you give up, whatever you do, don't let up

Girl i Know that things are hard now
And you're feeling like you're all alone’

And of course, LONELY by Akon, just made me laugh.

Anyway, after a couple of hours, of constant lightening, it gave up and blew away, the next hour I spent with the blanket wrapped round me, whilst I made my way around the baulderous cliff till I came to a wall, I was so happy to find an object of man, I followed it, step by step, for about 2 miles over the moors, I felt great every time I saw a stile but I didn’t want to leave its safety, lightening began coming behind me, whilst the stuff from before was flashing over north Yorkshire now, I just wanted to be off this mini mountain now, I followed the wall over deep bogs and through chest high plants, falling frequently on the slippy rocks. I actually nearly crush a frog with my hands on a rock. I was happy to see life!!

I eventually made it to the black road, I knew it was only 5 miles or so from here and I felt pretty decent so I ran home, past woods I’d slept in before, fields where I had stroked and fed horses, I felt very comfortable as I looked back 3 miles and saw the dark, dark silhouette of clougha in the distance, I was up there hiding under a rock not 2 hours ago!!

I have come back stronger from this event. My mouth was dry with all the fear. I happily sipped water on my way home.

Ok, so I KNOW about all this, I had always said fell runners were mad, I knowingly went out without a jumper and knew very well the places I would be running. Stupid then I may be? But I don’t think so, I believe that I trust myself enough that should something like that happen, I would evolve my attitude to match the scenario and be ok. I was… however, im aware how close a shave it was!! I suppose im one of those kinds of people that doesn’t spend my life thinking about the what ifs in life… I know and am aware of them, but I just don’t give them my time. And this event has only altered my thoughts in that I know I can cope now in such a stressful situation, I know I can relax very well in such times, and sort through the mess. I will however from now on carry a jumper and I wont flipping go running on my own at night in the fells. I’m aware its very unnatural and not built into our evolved forms, to go running in the hills at night. I will now take my gps as back up if I go out, and I will prepare more for what I actually need in an emergency, and not go up there empty handed or with all the kit and kaboodal that is over the top.

I can now look back and it doesn’t seem quite so bad, I got out safely… however the reality was very harsh and could have very easily gone bad… I am a wiser person for it, should it not have happened…well I would have missed out on such a valuable experience…

home safe and sound

Thanks for reading.