Three Peaks (Yorkshire)

Members present: Joe Flynn, Dave Shotton, Phil Ramsbottom, Iain McCallum, Sue Brooke, Bob Kelly.

Guests: Katy Flynn, Sinead Murphy, Sam Cooke, Mike Preece.

 

Even my marketing spiel which predicted rain couldn’t have prepared us for the torrential downpour that we endured. After staying over in the (very noisy) 3 peaks bunkhouse the night before, together with 40 other people also doing the 3 peaks challenge, we had an 8am start. We were joined at the start of the walk by Phil and Sue.

Phil had suggested that we take an alternative start at Ribblehead viaduct, so that we got a 4 hour start on the hordes of people. Great advice as it turned out there were 300 doing the challenge for the Red Cross and 180 for their own amusements with Merseyside venture, plus all the independents like ourselves. My daughter Katy had recruited some university friends to join us: Sam and Mike used it as training for Kilimanjaro... which after this walk will seem easy!

On the very wet and windy decent from Whernside we encountered a lone Ian McCallum who summited, and then reversed and joined us. Thanks for your valuable support and encouragement. Ian returned to his car after Ingleborough, not before buying a round of teas from the farmer’s barn cafe.

Fortunately the sun came out as we hit Horton. Mugs of tea and a few rays of sunshine rejuvenated aching limbs and lifted spirits. Any thoughts of jumping into the car that was parked there were dismissed, with the observation from Sinead that we’re all soaked anyway and if we don’t finish it we’ll have to come back another time. And none of us could face that!

The ‘A team’ (Bob and Phil) went ahead, and we didn’t see them after the first tea break. This meant that we missed the incident of Bob disappearing up to his oxters on the muddy track from Pen-y-ghent to Ribblehead. They decided to stick to the ‘popular track’. We however, being aware of it’s boggy reputation and that fact that 500 people had walked it that morning decided to use the Pennine way and Langstroth lane, so avoiding the quagmire.

Congratulations to the whole team who successfully conquered the 3 peaks. Phil and Bob in 10 hours, and the rest of us in 12 hours. Thanks to Dave for taking the photos in the rain and putting them on the club website (must be a waterproof camera) and to all for coming (I’ve learnt my lesson and invested in some seal skinz waterproof socks for next time).

Joe Flynn