Can I make it up Winnats Pass?

No..got as far as the salt tub, about half way up - more, if you include the approach to the cattle grid - which I was already in granny cog well before! Had got up early especially to avoid so many cars. Actually could've done with being earlier, by the time I'd had the all important tea, and gone to Hope and back on the Pindale road to warm up - did what I could remember of Cyclowarm in 5 aswell. Back on the Pindale road has a couple of steep sections - but not too long. Again,  it was my lungs more than my legs that gave out on Winnats...but I was quite pleased with how far I got - that is until I was coming back up Mam Tor hill back from Edale - I'd managed the bit up to top of Mam Tor hill after Winnats fine - then the fantastic fast descent to Edale - I was going to carry on round along the valley - but thought no, you didn't make it all the way up Winnats, but you know you can get up Mam Tor hill - so I turned round and up I went. I'd forgotten how hard it was! And one particularly steep section seemed to go on for a long time - which made me think what I'd done of Winnats wasn't any harder and I could keep going here - because I knew I'd done it before - so I ought to beable to get up Winnats too. My sister assures me Winnats is alot steeper though...which is what the signs say too. Was fun going back down it though - much less scary than the last time I did it. 

Later in the day I did a short but challenging run up Cavedale - didn't go as far as I'd wanted as I'd put a chicken in the oven - and realised it'd take longer to go where I'd planned. But it was still a steepish tricky climb up, a fastish flatter bit, then a steep drop the other side f the castle back to Castleton. I felt surprisingly springy!

Thursday 6th August 09

steep hilly bike, 8am, about 13 miles - to Hope and back on Pindale road (short 12%, bit longer 14ish %), up Winnats pass - managed to about half way, somewhere between 17-20%, up to top of Mam Tor road (10% ish), (felt ok), down MamTor road on other side to Edale - then back up again - 10%, but felt harder in sections, about 1.5 miles of hill, back down Winnats.

hilly run, 5.45pm, 40mins ish - up Cavedale as far as signpost - right on path that leads back to castle, steep drop down back to village. Felt energetic! It didn't seem as much of a struggle as usual to get up cavedale.