Mosedale, 25–26 October 2025
On the last weekend of October, the OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) takes place in England. Yasha and Lova have run it six or seven times and have even come first in their category a couple of times. This year, Yasha was running with Sonya, and we were their support team. They ran course B: 23 km with >1 km of ascent on the first day, and 18 km on the second. It is a kind of a long-distance orienteering course, a bit like a rogaine, but they carry all the gear for an overnight stay. On Friday evening we arrived at the event campsite, pitched our tent and turned in for the night. On Saturday morning the racers set off, and we went out for a hike. We were very lucky with the weather: it was sunny on Saturday, though the strong wind made it quite cold. On Sunday Yasha and Sonya set off early in the morning and managed to finish before the rain came.
The red and blue lines show our route from 25 and 26 October. Shift-click a track link to open it in nakarte.me.
The campsite and the start line for the first day were set up on a farmer's field next to the ruins of Shap Abbey, in the foothills of the Lakes.
Almost nothing remains of the abbey now, apart from the western tower of the church.
On this hill you can see the remains of abandoned farm buildings.
Small farms and pastures are scattered along this valley.
We descended into the valley and followed it to its head, where the pastures end and the hills begin.
The path climbs up by the waterfall to reach the ridge.
The stream runs over bare rock, so waterfalls alternate with rocky pools, probably perfect for a dip in summer.
We are enjoying a few minutes of sunshine.
We crossed another ridge and descend towards Haweswater. We often walk in this area, but always on the other side of the lake. This year's summer was very dry, so a small island with concentric circles became visible. Despite a wet autumn, the reservoir still hadn't filled up.
We are at the Wrengill quarry.
We spent the night at Mosedale Cottage, an old farmhouse converted into a simple bothy. There are quite a few of these shelters scattered around the mountains of Britain, especially in Scotland. The cottage had a stove and bunks for sleeping. We brought a few logs with us, and a few other walkers stayed there too, which made for a pleasant evening by the fire.
There are plenty of deer in this part of the Lakes. The previous day we saw a large stag with impressive antlers, and in the morning we could hear stags “calling” to each other: a wild, echoing roar that sent shivers down the spine.
We had about ten kilometres of boggy ground to cross to reach the event camp. We were hurrying to make it in time, otherwise we might have stopped to pick cranberries. They are quite a rare find in England.
A lone tree on the hill.
Meanwhile, Sonya and Yasha were running their course. On the first day they had 15 checkpoints to collect.
The sea is visible in the distance.
Morning at the overnight camp.
The traditional morning wake-up.
At the finish line.
Sonya and Yasha came second in their category, and first among the mixed teams. The winners were a pair of young boys, while third place went to a veteran team from Sweden. We took a photo on the podium before the awards ceremony, as we had to leave - Yasha was flying back to Sweden that evening.
