Shutlingsloe - Annual Christmas Run 2013!

This year, to celebrate my increased levels of fitness, I took to the hills above Macclesfield Forest for the symbolic fell run to Shutlingsloe – sometimes referred to as the 'Matterhorn of the Peaks'!
Surprisingly, it was snowy above the tree line with some ice.

Looking up at the forest ridge through a felled section

A view back down to Macc Forest

 

A view up to Shutlingsloe – with the characteristic profile

 

I took the path down the northern gully and saw tracks of hares in the snow!

This view is looking east from this track.

A photo looking up to Shutlingsloe peak

 

The climb to the top

 

Trig point @ 506m/1660ft

It just remained to slither down the snowy slopes to gain the open access path back to Macc Forest.

 

 

 Looking back down to Macc Forest

The top fell path across to the 'top' car park

 

The run was a great 1 hour of snowy exhilaration and challenging terrain!

Unfortunately, the slippery surface got the better of me on the last descent as I missed my footing and fell – giving an ungainly impression of someone falling on ski Sunday!

There was no-one around to see my nil-point floundering – though a cut and bruised shin painfully reminded me of the challenges of the fells!

Happy Christmas 2013!