Field Notes #5

Weezing on the shoulders of giants.

Route. Greendale Horseshoe

Distance Walked. 7 Miles.

Total Height Gain. 2486 feet.

Wainwright Fells Climbed. Middle Fell. Seatallan. Buckbarrow.

Wainwright Tally. 166 climbed. 48 remaining.

Conditions: Hot, dry and virtually wind free. Hazy sunshine with scattered slow moving high cloud.

Number of times I questioned my intentions/sanity. 7

Camera Equipment: Covered in sun cream and dead flies.

Notes: “It will be cooler on the top”. No it won’t actually. On the way up the vicious slope of Seatallan what little cooling breeze there was vanished. Two thirds up it becomes a mental challenge. The closest I have come to binning the walk and heading down. Progress is painfully slow and breathless with frequent stops.

Fell runners! Are you fucking kidding me! It’s the annual Wasdale Fell Race. Shortened today from 20 to just the 9 miles due to the excessive temperatures. It still takes in some devastatingly steep Lakeland summits of course. Tom Spencer triumphs on the day with a time of just under 3 hours. Which is frankly insane. As was local shepherd Joss Naylor. Joss was instrumental to the race's identity. He won the inaugural race and claimed the title a record ten times. He ran the race 56 times. The man was extraordinary.

• Age 50: Completed all 214 Lake District Wainwright peaks in 7 days, 1 hour, and 25 minutes

• Age 60: Ran 60 Lakeland fell tops in 36 hours.

• Age 70: Ran 70 Lakeland fells, covering 50 miles and 25,000 feet of ascent in under 21 hours.

• Age 83: In July 2019, he successfully ran and completed the 18-mile Lake District Mountain Trial. This was a piece of "unfinished business" from 1962, when terrible weather and severe cramps had forced him to drop out.

• He was still actively out running on the fells at the age of 85.

Joss died at the age of 88 in 2024.

"After exertion, nothing is better than a good cup of tea, followed by a pint of Guinness later."

Joss Naylor

Joss leading the pack. Photo © Dave Woodhead.

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