Tour of Pendle Fell Race.
Results 2001.
There was no race this year, access to Pendle and most fells was closed due to Foot & Mouth disease. This year’s race was scheduled for the 17 November and on the midnight of the 16th the ban was removed and access opened, basically down to the roads and tracks around the hill, the farm land on the other side of the road still retaining the restrictions.
So Saturday morning found me on Pendle doing my usual, picking up the Tour at the Nick and running it to CP11 in Ogden and then back over to the Nick. It was typically under very low dense cloud, well below all check points. Climbing from CP9 I came across the farmer and his son moving sheep, he was not pleased to see me and was not aware the ban had been lifted and his parting shot was “I hope you are right and the ban has been lifted”.
Just for the record Fiendsdale opened a few weeks before Pendle and I had some fun getting lost over there sorting the best way round that race. Pendle is not the only hill that gets dense cloud.
Kieran F. Carr
20Jan2006