3 Peaks Fell Race (Bollington version)

There is Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike. The 3 Peaks. Or, Pen Y Ghent, Whernside & Ingleborough. The 3 Peaks. I went to picturesque Bollington in Cheshire to do Kerridge Hill, White Nancy (pictured) and Nab Hill. The 3 Peaks. Bollington was almost impossibly pretty on a sunny Saturday in May, with a cricket match in full flow on the green and a lovely babbling stream beneath an impressive old viaduct. And a local Brewery, with it's own pub opposite. And some gorgeous woods, and...well, you get the picture. It was nice. To the race. The race started up on the viaduct which I'm assuming was once a railway line. Very impressive. We then worked our way onto a canal towpath before picking up roads and tracks. Most of the early running was flat and quite good to ease the stiff driving muscles into action, but soon we were climbing up narrow footpaths which brought us onto the first hill, Kerridge Hill. Once round the trig point, there was a steep grassy descent into the valley where I lost places as usual due to my lack of fell training. We were soon climbing back up onto the ridge though, we had to traverse a diagonal climb back up to White Nancy, where there was again another sharp drop to the valley floor. Once we hit the road there was a bit of roadwork through a housing estate before getting out onto Nab Hill. Round the trig, and the descent was fast and runnable, we also did a little more road work before getting back on to the towpath again and back to finish next to the cricket field. Came in just under the hour at 56.30 which was ok, I didn't push it much. Biggest issue was the blister I have rubbed on my right heel caused I think by my new fell shoes.