7.45am and I
arrive in Pooley Bridge. ‘Right, shoes on, shoes!
Where’s my
shoes?’ ‘Mmmmmmm at home on the door step!’ Fortunately, I
have a spare pair, unfortunately, they are the ones that hurt my
feet! 8am and we are off, 8am and 10 seconds and we have gone down
the wrong path!
The next 4½ hrs
to Dunmail go ok but it is very cold (cag, balaclava, gloves tights
cold!) and there is an annoying rather than debilitating head wind
but fortunately the forecast is for it to ease in the afternoon. At
some point around Rampsgill Head, I looked to the west and can see
Great Gable. It looks a long way away!!
At Dunmail, I am reunited with my comfy shoes but my feet are already
sore. The next bit to Rossett Pike is horrible, with lots of flat
running and boggy ground which I don’t really like. Going up
Bowfell, I have my first wobble but a peanut bagel and a bottle of
coke and I am ok. Esk Pike, Great End, Gable and Kirkfell come and
go but I do have a bit of a slip going down Great End resulting in a
sore arse bone. Going up Pillar, my second wobble and my first
admittance that I am tired, but a sit down for a minute and more coke
and I am off again. My legs are sort of ok but my feet are pretty
sore by now which is making me quite slow on the descents.
Up to the end of
the wall on Scoat, en route to Steeple, I am glad that is the optimum
route as even though it was on my timing card I sort of forgot Scoat
was one of them (like on a BG) but I am sure James would have kept me
right had we missed it. Up onto Haycock, then it’s all downhill
from here apart from the bugger that is Seatallen (I am sure it only
takes a minute to come off there in the Wasdale!!) Middle Fell and
then it really is all downhill to Greendale where I am met by Joss
which was great, I hadn’t told him I was doing it, he must have
seen it on Instagram or Twitter!!!!!
I then promptly
spewed up approximately 2 litres of coke narrowly missing Joss’s
brand new adidas pumps. To be honest, I was hoping to go under 10
hours and am sure 9.45 is possible given the right conditions with
maybe a nice Easterly, a bit better route choice in places and above
all someone who is a bit better than me.
 |
| Greendale Bridge |
Many thanks to
Jim, Phil, Andrew, James, John and Sharon
Scoff
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