I
chose to repeat the JNLC to mark my 60th
birthday. An Achilles injury prevented the intended June crossing
necessitating a postponement until September. A promising forecast
heralded the intended day and a starry sky for the 5am start boded
well. Head torches were discarded before we reached Arthur’s Pike
and dawn arrived as we traversed the grassy tops of Loadpot and
Wether Hill. A beautiful blue sky was lit by a huge orange sun as it
crept above Cross Fell. Small herds of deer scattered as we danced
across the tussocks and stones towards High Street. It was great to
be alive and to share this experience with attentive friends.
The
sun was well up by the time we reached Kirkstone and its brightness
was allowing the late summer fells to appear at their best. Friendly
chat made time pass quickly over the screes and on towards Fairfield
where an abandoned tent was the only blemish on what was developing
into a perfect morning. I descended carefully down the rocky, eroded
path towards the base of Seat Sandal as I didn’t want to take a
fall this early in the day. The temperature rose making it even more
important to drink little and often and my old familiar kit was
starting to get very sweaty!
At
a bright and sunny Dunmail my support team was waiting, headed by my
wife Susan (another JNLC completer), and I was pleased to be over
half an hour ahead of my sub 16 hour schedule. A change of top and a
little too much food consumed and it was off up the forbidding
steepness of Steel Fell. A new support team ensured the best line was
taken across one of my least favourite sections to High Raise. Clouds
started to develop from here and so the heat was no longer a problem.
However, the tops stayed clear and not a drop of rain fell all day.
The food and drink consumed at Dumail was lying heavily in my stomach
and it was sometime before I could manage anything else. This was
disappointing as I like to ‘graze’ and so didn’t feel 100%. We
continued to make up minutes here and there on the schedule as we
traversed the rockier ground after Rossett Pike. The fells were
packed today with holiday makers and charity walkers on the last
weekend before the end of the school holidays. Nonetheless there were
few people on the descent to Sty Head from Great End and we arrived
there 42 minutes ahead of schedule.
There
were lots of my supporters here and it was nice to see old fell
friends and other friends not known for their ‘fellgoing’. I was
confident now that I would come in well under 18 hours but could I
manage a sub 15 hour round? Time would tell. A steady climb up Gable
was eased by my pacers’ conversations while a good line off the top
and fantastic views from Kirk Fell made everything a joy (well
almost!) The cloud started to disperse and a welcome warmth returned
making the usual slog across Pillar less of a trial. Steeple was
fantastic with its lofty views and its heralding of the approaching
finish. Some compass work off Haycock found the scree shoot – a
rocky escalator to the bottom! No time to empty stones from shoes as
that sub 15 hour crossing started to beckon. Only the steepness of
Seatallan stood in my way and all those rocky miles already traversed
were starting to take their toll. I had to stop a couple of times on
the ascent but still got to the top within the scheduled time.
Perhaps it was on? I still hadn’t fallen all day and managed to
maintain this on the steep grassy descent of Seatallan.
On reaching
the final top of Middle Fell I was told “you’ve 27 minutes to get
to the bridge if you want to get under 15 hours - easily doable for a
man of your calibre!” And so it proved, as 19 minutes later I was
shaking Joss Naylor’s hand on Greendale Bridge and enjoying the
plaudits of my friends.
 |
| With Joss on Greendale Bridge |
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