We hope that your training has been going well and that you are feeling prepared for the challenge ahead (if this is ever possible!).
Whilst it is extremely rare that we have to make any changes to the Fellsman route, we need to make a couple of alterations this year and we are sorry that it is at such short notice; this was beyond our control. As you will hopefully have seen from my posts on the website and from the handbook, we strongly discourage entrants from accessing the route prior to the event. This is for a number of reasons but, most importantly, to ensure that landowners are not troubled by their land being accessed to excess. Despite the recent ‘Right to Roam’ act being passed, the Fellsman must still negotiate access to land because we are an organised event and these are not covered by the act. Landowners are within their rights to withdraw permission/alter arrangements at any time and we are therefore at their mercy up until the very day of the event.
The land which the Fellsman covers includes National Park and National Trust areas, sites of Special Scientific Interest and also moorland where birds are nesting (especially grouse). The months of May and June are particularly important to game-keepers rearing grouse and, as a result of this, we need to make 2 checkpoint location alterations in order to avoid areas where ground-nesting birds could be affected. These changes are necessary and are made at the request of the landowners.
Whilst we appreciate that you may already have your route planned and/or are used to the Fellsman the way it has been for some years now, we must stress that there are now areas of land which we must not cross under any circumstances and therefore all entrants must alter their maps and navigation notes accordingly. The new checkpoint locations are as follows:
Middle Tongue
This has been lowered south to Yockenthwaite Moor to avoid an area we do not have permission to use
NEW Grid ref 906 803
Hells Gap
This is to be moved south
NEW Grid ref 936 818
The Fellsman is a grid reference to grid reference navigation event which relies on the good will of the landowners and farmers around the route. It is therefore essential that all entrants look at the map at the start / at Threshfield on the Friday evening and make sure that they are aware of the land which must not be crossed whilst navigating between the two checkpoints above.
Click on map to enlarge 
Once again, please accept our apologies for the inconvenience at such a late stage.
We trust however that all of our entrants will appreciate and heed the above points. In the meantime, we hope that the countdown to the weekend goes smoothly and look forward to seeing you all on Friday evening or Saturday morning.
ADDITIONAL POINTS TO NOTE:
Pre-kit check
Please note that a pre-kit check service will be available at Threshfield saving you valuable time on the Saturday morning at the start in Ingleton. Pre kit check will take place between 8pm and 10pm. Further details available at Threshfield on the Friday evening / on request.
Etape du Dales
This cycle event will also be taking place on the same weekend in the Threshfield area. The cyclists will be arriving and parking at the rugby club which is just down the road from Threshfield school from the early hours of Sunday morning through until Sunday afternoon. We ask all entrants to bear this in mind when approaching the finish; there will be 1,500 cyclists and associated staff / spectators so quite a lot of traffic to negotiate after 60+ miles! We will have marshals, as will the cycle race in line with our risk assessments but your green cross code will be essential as well! Parking at Threshfield will also be a little stricter than in previous years. When arriving at the school, you will be issued with a parking permit which must be displayed in your vehicle (this applies to all staff and entrants) to ensure that Fellsman and cycle vehicles are kept separate and able to leave the respective events safely. Please park only in the designated areas.
The Start
In an attempt to reduce queuing at the start in Ingleton, we will be operating a double check in route this year. All entrants who have had their kit checked on the Friday night at Threshfield will enter from one side of the community centre and go straight to collect their tallies whilst non-kit checked entrants will check in through another entrance and will then go to have their kit checked before collecting their tallies. Limited supplies of essential items will be available to purchase should you forget anything. Light refreshments will also be available.
Dogs
Please note that dogs are not allowed on the event, especially in moorland areas around the route and checkpoints. This is at the request of landowners, game-keepers and farmers. We thank you for your cooperation.
Spectators
Spectators are welcome at all checkpoints around the route (although the roadside ones are a bit easier to get to!). The only rule is that no assistance of any kind may be given to entrants. Please also park sensibly and legally around the route, especially in the area around the Hill Inn where North Yorkshire police have done spot checks in the past.
We hope you have a great weekend, whether working on the event, walking / running or spectating!
