Apart from the weather which to be honest was not great, Lucy has not been well over Christmas and as I write this, still isn't.
Indeed she spent most of Chritmas Eve lying down having almost passed out in the kitchen (and NO alcohol was involved before, during or after - genuine illness)
So, instead of Boxing Day walk I took the dog for a run to Cambridge. I say, to Cambridge, but that was not the actual intended destination.
My intention was to do about an hour.
Any more and Dawg needs a crane to get him in and out of the car.
Also, I still have this stuffed up nose, bloody, bloody, bloody, $%$&&ing, cold thing that I cannot seem to offload.
That might be because I keep going out running of course.
Anyway, we set off at 11.15 (that's me and dog) intending that Lucy would collect us on the way to her Mother and Father's house in Cambridge about 12.20.
I had not heard anything by 12.15, so I texted through for pick up point details.
"Olly not up yet, he's being a bit awkward (Teenagers). We will be at least 30 minutes.
Bugger!, I will carry on but start to head towards Cambridge.
Now, my route (there being a lift after an hour?, had taken me overland, away from Cambridge).
So at this point, I was still just under hour from Cambridge, at my rather pedestrian running pace.
I did not tell Jasper, because he goes all misrable hang dog look, and starts to snurkle about.
We gave it another 20 minutes and I rang to report location and check on process.
"Olly Not up yet, we are going to be at least 20 more minutes!"
"OK, I will go to Fulbourn and start heading to Cherry Hinton"
So at Cherry Hinton, I texted!
"At Tesco store will go slowly"
Reply ... "Olly only just in shower, at least 20 min"
Text Back "Oh Crap! Dawg and I are knackered big time!"
At Cherry Hinton (which to be honest, is only about 20 minutes away (if that) I did another check.
"Leaving in about 10 minutes!"
OK, you do the Maths!
We ran to Cambridge, and we got there first! By some margin.
Eventually Lucy arrived and all was good.
Apart from the fact that I was truly Cream Crackered, and the dog was dead on his feet (paws), Lucy was not well, and could not eat, and we had to get back to take the cat to the vet.
Did I mention the cat?
He had a bite on his tail that had become abscessed.
So he was off to emergency vet for extra expensive treatment, and was later to return home with a backside like a Baboon, but minus the dreadful abscess. (Nice).
Did I also mention being kept awake half the night as well, by the other cat that brought in 3 rats for us to play with from the fields at the end of the garden.
Anyone want to know the best way to drop kick a cat over the shed. (No I didn't ok, but I had evil thoughts at about 4.15am)
He'd make a good rug though!
TODAY! (27th) I did not get up until a bit later.
I reckon my cold is actually not a cold, but a Sinus infection, because my nose is not a nice place to be, and I would prefer it if it was not attached.
Enough of that.....................................................
Continuation of the Blues Theme
Buddy Guy - What Kind of Woman... Is This? - For Lucy .... because!
And the Boxing day Walk?
That's postponed for about a week.
I have to take my Mum's friend back to London. Olly and Harriet to London to spend some of their Chrsitmas Money. In all honesty they are now richer than I am.
To clarify those combined statements...
They are going to spend THEIR Christmas Money!
Then there is the New Year (when Maybe the New Year Walk if everyone is well enough)
Then back to school for them and Lucy, and also back to earning some money for me to pay for Christmas.
Thank God Al is planning and sorting out all the route and stuff.
Today, the weather around here being mostly crappy was spent being remarkably idle.
This is mainly the fault of the neverending bloody cold I appear to have.
Now, NOT one to learn the lessons opf previous misdemeanor's I attempted method 1 again the other day, and blow me down but by the time I got back I felt pretty damned good.
The following day I had to go and collect aged friends of my ageing Mother from Londinium, and blow me down if by the time I got back from there, I did feel a tad on the side of shit again.
Now this may have been the exercise from the previous day, or it may have been the drive down, or it may have just been London Lassitude, but whatever the case I did not feel 100%.
In all honesty I would have been impressed with 75% but I did not even attain that heady goal.
So yesterday in the lead up to some important retail festival, I went and fought my way through the millions of people who were panic buying lest they starve to death for the 48 hours that the shops are shut.
I was behind one family in the queue in Sainsbury, clutching my 2 items, whilst they bought just over £450 worth of food. Mind you, they did look like it was their evening meal, but we will not go there.
Recently I have also followed Alan's blog for 3 episodes of tangential thought patterns.
I was being a bit blond at the start, but I think I have wrapped my dwindling collection of brain cells round it now. Whatever the case I want some of the stuff he's taking.
Yesterday I also had to take Olly to 'M&S' to do the Rugby Club packing thingy.
By the time it got round to going to collect them, I could not get back due to the ridiculous congestion on the roads around Cambridge, and they had to walk across ton to meet me on the outskirts.
OK, they could have cycled, but it is difficult with 7 buckets full of money.
Are you following the theme of this?
If so let me know what it is please!
Today I fitted a new security light to the front of the house.
The old one has been broken for some time, and Lucy was concerned with security and lack of illumination on her front passage.
I am assuminmg she was talking about the security light, otherwise I may have missed a moment there.
Anyway, the NEW light is excellent, assuminmg that was what she meant.
So, by the time my Mother had come over to drop of stuff, and forget to take home her Christmas present, it was time to take the dog out with Lucy, and we had managed to miss the last of the good weather.
This picture has absolutely NOTHING to do with anything!
Later that same day........
Since my daughters friend had commented on the rather pitiful state of our Christmas lights, (all 20 of them), I dug about in the loft and found the old ones.
These I managed to rig up eventually, amidst driving rain and gusts of wind, fought my way through the jammed garage door, plugged them in and voils! Bugger All!
"Did you not think of testing them first?" said Lucy.
"Did you not think to tell me to test them first?", I didn't say that!
Maybe tomorrow!
So anyway, what has this got to do with walking and blogging?
I didn't do any of it for once, and I must say it was most relaxing.
I have seen the route of course and IT IS 'AN ABSOLUTE CRACKER'!
But enough of that, because IF I divulge any of it I will have to kill myself.
AL is too far away to kill me so I would have to do the honourable thing.
However I can tell you a bit about it.
We will be starting on the West coast on Fri 11th May somewhere and finishing on the East Coast on Thu 24th May somewhere.
So anyway, I had fought off this £^cking cold for about a week now, but it has got me in the end.
I felt a bit crock on Thu & Fri last week and decided there are two ways to get rid of a cold.
Method 1 ...... Plenty of Rest
Method 2 ...... Plenty of Exercise
So feeling much better on Saturday, I decided to employ Method 2.
Jasper was feeling a bit neglected, what with dark evenings, too many hours spent working before Christmas, and I needed to go out, so we went for an 8 mile run.
Anyway, method 2 does not necessarily work, so after spending yesterday standing by the side of a Rugby field watching Olly, by the time I got home I felt to put it bluntly $hit!
Testimony to this was the fact that I slept all the way back in the car, then most of the evening on the sofa and then the whole night in bed (normal practise that though).
In fact I was a bit late getting up today, but after a few drugs (medical) I spent a day working,
(as you do) and actually today I feel ok. Not great but OK.
I am thinking that Method 1 seems to be the better method, and I leave that as advice.
BUGGERS WHO GO TO WORK WHILE SICK!
Now I have waxed lyrical about these %^*&ing martyrs before.
You know the ones, bloody people who struggle in germ ridden, snorting their germs over everyone, (and before you say HYPOCRITE, I was NOT coughing and sneezing today, I just felt a bit rough)and causing about 20 working days loss through illness when if they had stayed at home then only 1 person would have been ill for maybe 2 days.
And while we are on the subject bleeding open plan offices and communal air conditioning.
Then you add in the fact that we are a generation now of over cleansing fanatics (not our house I might add), three generations down the line kids will have no immune system.
AND BREATHE!
Anyway, last week I had to run a training session.
The people on it were very pleasant. BUT! One of them (I will not name them, NOT because I do not want to, I have just forgotten who they were - apparently this is an age thing), had a dreadful cold and a cough.
AND.......Coughs and Sneezes DO spread diseases YOU ARSE!
So where was I? Oh yes, the routes in and we now await the deliberations of the wonderful Vetters.
Lisa Gerrard - Sacrifice One of my favourite pieces of music of ALL Time. JUST CRANK UP THE VOLUME, CLOSE YOUR EYES & LISTEN!
If this does not make your spine tingle, you have no emotions!
This woman has a stunning voice!
The picture below is for James Boulter who I had the great pleasure of walking with during our Ingleborough debacle
Just to show what the Fens do have to offer in terms of fantastic scenery (just joking James )
And if Lisa Gerrard is NOT to your liking then this is also a brilliant track, and may well be appearing on a future Blog.
Aynsley Lister - Need Her So Bad Just click on this and listen to the Blues!
Once upon a time in lands far to the South four fearless bloggers looked Northwards and mused on what might lie in those grey lands. They pondered and mused on how they might head to this land and conquer it's mighty hills (walk up). Plans were formed and an army amassed. I say an army ............ And lo with time it came to pass that the same four headed north on a quest to Austwick. By many different routes they did travel North, those from the East travelling together. Eventually all four intrepid travellers arrived at Austwick and it was time for the great adventure to begin.
Well, Alan was already there, and James had arrived at some time slightly earlier on the Friday.
Martin and I arrived about 11.30 after a quick circumnavigation of the village and a call into the Post Office for directions to the house.
Undeterred by this lack of navigation, we were still prepared to risk life and limb in our quest.
Our journey North had been full of sunshine and brightness, and only 40 miles further south, the sun had shone with an uncustomary summer like brightness.
But shortly after as we entered the realm of the great greyness, this was displaced by a monochromatic dull drizzle like vision, and we knew we were approaching the realm of the great northern grey lord. We were undeterred at this point and drove on.
At last our journey came to rest and we entered the castle of Rick and Lindsey.
I say castle, but it was actually a house.
A mighty fine house I might add, and the hospitality was wonderful.
With hindsight we should have stayed there, but that is not why we came.
So we had a cup of tea and prepared to head off.
Pete (aka Grumpy), you know, that dreadful man from the message board ,
and Avril were there. LOL
And after a brief chat, and a change of gear, it was time to head off.
It had stopped raining (briefly).
Getting to grips with Camera!!!!!!
My old camera eventually died just after the challenge. The replacement I had bought several years ago is with Lucy, because hers broke so I gave her my camera (sweet). Thus I now have an Optio WG1 GPS, it being waterproof, and pretty rugged, and hopefully open to a bit of abuse. This is it's first outing, and I will report back later how I get on, but since I am a bloke, I have NOT read the manual on how to get the best out of it, and this is my excuse for the quality of the photos. Also, it is why about 6 of the photos I took never came out at all. I have now figured out how long I need to press the bloody button for to actually take the photo. This is not the cameras fault, but because I am a BLOKE and so obviously just know how to NOT use my camera.
Back to the story/adventure
We left Rick and Lindsey's and began our walk for a moment the rain had stopped
Opposite Rick & Lindsey's house
It was looking like rain, but we made the most of the moment.
Now, I would have put a picture of everyone in here, had I pressed the button to take the photo.
We headed up the road out of Austwick amidst, rain and rather stinging SLEET. Undeterred, we had a mission to complete, and even having read the forecast, we were going to go up that Bl00£y hill.
I was not looking at the map, and to be honest I have NO idea of the route that we took.
It is sometimes nice when someone else navigates.
I would have looked at the map had I been able to remember where I put it.
Later I would find it when unpacking at night 1 camp.
I say night one, I mean ONLY night camp, but we will come back to that.
So minus map, or locations, here are a few pictures on route.
I will leave it to others to fill in the where's!
Alan and Martin with cameras I think.
A rather grey distant view of Pen-y-Gent
James pretends to not posse for the photo
The gate by the lunch stop. Well, it was a late lunch, but thanks to Al we did have Port
Al arrives at lunch
A couple of Moody sky shots
Just after pitching Camp.
It is getting dark and a bit colder.
At this point, Wendy is looking happy
View from Camp
Everything is looking Good
Martin's Trailstar.
As it happens, it really is bullet proof,
Actually all the tents were OK apart from poor old Wendy
After pitching camp, we had a wee dram or two, and then the weather turned rapidly for the worst. It started to rain and sleet. Within no more than 10 minutes, there was a layer of hail on the ground and spindrift building up on the tents.
It was getting time to get into the tents.
This brings me to the major problem with Wild Camping in Winter.
Not the weather as you might think.
No, the ridiculous number of hours you have to spend in your tent.
Now OK, often, you can walk for quite a time in the dark and then pitch the tent.
But on this night, with the weather closing rapidly in, it meant the best part of 15 hours of darkness, and that pretty much meant 15 hours in the tent.
Maybe it is time to invest in a Kindle.
As it happened I had some food, a few more drams of Abelour 10 year Malt (that's the one Al £20 at Tesco at the moment), and then turned on the Music.
Luckily I had packed a backup MP3 player, because the main one had decided to die,
and my phone, a Galaxy S2 as brilliant as it is has absolutely SHIT (sorry but it is the best way to describe it) battery life. I reckon 24 hours MAX unless you turn it off.
It was to be a night of broken sleep and buffeting winds.
Wendy rocked and rolled, and that was with the extra support internal stays.
Luckily despite the buffeting she held steady, and all in I had a lot of good sleep.
Well, until about 6.05 WHEN.............................................................
That is the Pole that snapped
Wendy has a nervous breakdown
All too much for her after a stressful night
And not much room inside anymore
Looking at the weather and based mainly on the wind, I decided that it was time to rapidly vacate the tent, and take everything down, before the wind decided to destroy it all together.
It also seemed a good idea to get it all packed away before it started to rain.
So after a rapid decamp I then sat inside martin's Trailstar.
Now I was not a big fan of Tarps, but I have to admit, that this was pretty much bullet proof, and the footprint inside was huge. I would have to give one a proper test before I took the plunge on buying one, although I know that many rave about it.
Not sure I would want to take one to the Monadhliath tick fest without some sort of high sided bug net (which you can get), but I was pretty impressed with it.
So if anyone out there has one they are not using for 3 months, I am the man.
Alan's shorter 2C also stood the test as did the Scarp.
I am pretty impressed with the Scarp as well, although I have got used to the cavernous nature of Wendy and think I would find it slightly small now. But James's Scarp was rock solid.
Ok, everyone else's tent was fine OK.
James packed up as well, so we were just waiting for Al, who was still inside in his sleeping bag.
Now remembering back to the Challenge and the amount of stick I got, I could have been a vindictive man and made a comment.
But I am not like that at all.
YES I AM!
About 8~8.30 it was time to head off.
It had not started to rain yet, although it would and we made our way down the hill to head over to Horton in Ribble.
Looking across to where Pen-y-gent ought to be and bearing in mind the wind velocity, it was decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and that
'It would not go'
The path down is quite straightforward, but the amount of wear and tear and erosion caused by thousands of feet is very very noticeable.
There are however on route some fantastic examples of the Limestone Pavement.
Fantastic to look at but in the wet a nightmare to walk over.
Grey and overcast but still an amazing bit of Geology
Al and James performing some form of ritual
We headed down into Horton via the railway station in light drizzle, although not too bad at this point. It was decided that we should make for the coffee shop that is the sign out for the three peaks.
To our horror, it was shut and not opening until 26th Dec.
In all honesty that was too long to wait and so we headed for the pub.
Sadly this was not open either, and it being a bit past 11, and the pub not open until 11.30 we decided to wait
I think pictures taken without being posed tell the best story, although looking at James's eyes I am not sure whether we want to know what the story is.
Eventually the pub opened and we went in to grab some lunch, liquid and otherwise.
At this point, as we sat in front of the warm fire, the heavens opened, the wind picked up and the outside world looked like a false rain scene from a movie. The rain travelling somehow horizontally. many a dripping and wet walker arrived or should I say dribbled into the pub.
"We'll just wait a bit longer until it eases off eh.."
Wishful thinking.
It had absolutely NO intention of easing off, maybe ever.
So, with one tent down, and James feeling the worse for wear, it was decided that we would head back to Austwick and Rick and Lindsey's.
It was a brave effort, but the forces of the great northern grey Lord had beaten our quest. We would raise a new army and come back in the spring to fight again.
Provided we got back to Austwick.
It was getting near 1.30 and time to go.
The weather was not going to get better.
It was going to get a lot worse though!
There will be no more photos from this point.
We headed back via the railway line, back the way we had come to pick up the track back to Austwick.
We set off via Moughton Scars, and then took the left hand track near Crummock.
This looked on paper like the bigger track. In reality, it was a muddy narrow foot and MTB mangled muddy track/stream/puddle.
Eventually back onto the main track though it was a wet walk back. By now we were on the wet side of moist. For wet, read very wet!
Gloves, heads, (and for some rather more body parts) were soaked through.
I will not mention names, nor parts for the sake of decency.
By about 3.30 we were back at the fantastic hospitality of Rick and Lindsey's, and with some warm dry clothes, a cup of tea, and a bit of home made sponge plus good company, it was time to head home.
Well, Al was staying over, but James had to get back, as did Martin and myself.
Indeed I had to get a train from Kings Lynn back to Cambridge at 8.30.
So a long drive and many conversations later plus a short train journey I was home.
It had been interesting, the weather entertaining, the wind exhilarating and for Wendy destructive, but most of all, the company had been excellent.
It is always important where you go and what you see, but just as important is who you go with.
Despite Wendy's problems ,and having to finish a bit early, it had been a great couple of days.
We must do it again properly next year.
.................................................... and then
BEFORE
AFTER
Not a heap of room inside now
I believe it is not meant to look like that
It had been a breezy night just below Ingleborough, but despite the rather buffeting winds, Wendy had done well until about 6.05 that is, when a huge gust was followed by a loud crack.
Being half asleep I did not notice until I looked up to find she had been truncated and collapsed.
A look outside (not nice), showed that the rear pole had snapped and foreced itself through the pole sleeve.
Wendy was in a bad way, and I had to get her unpacked and down before the wind got worse and really did her in. BLOODY LUCKY it did not happen at 1.30am.
Anyway, Warmlites are NOT bullet proof!!!!!!!!!...Oh No!
In her defence I would say that Wendy is a wonderful tent, and I WILL get her repaired, and she WILL go on the Challenge.
However, unlike the 2C, the 2R has no extra stays attached to the rear pole, and I believe that this design flaw was the major cause of her demise due to the extra flexing in the turbulent wind.
I will be sending her off the have these attached and also have the tear in her sleeve repaired quite soon I hope.
I will also (and actually have already), emailed Stephenson's to try and get a replacement pole. I will keep you informed of the progress of this, and also on Wendy's convalescence.
That's all for now, the awful truth of Four Go High in the Dales will be reported later today or tomorrow, with graphic detail.
By the way, is it me, or is this new Editor in Blogger really rubbish?
I am sitting here, it is Friday and it is 19 days since the TGO draw I think. Lucy is at a school sleepover with 30 tiny children. (Well that is what she tells me). She was there at 10 anyway. I am hoping next week (actually, next Friday) to go mad in Yorkshire with Sloman and a bunch of other like minded folk (degenerates). That is assuming I can get over this mild calf strain, that has been bugging me for the last 10 days. OK, OK, maybe going for another run the full length of Fleam Dyke again today was not the ideal bit of recovery training. To add to that the dog, who was fine on the run, was so old and crippled when he got out of the car, that I had to lift him out. Poor bugger couldn't walk for the first 10 min, 1 hour, 4 hours, he's still limping. BUT, Rymadil (no idea how it is actually spelt) is a wonder drug for dogs. If it worked on humans, I would take some on the Challenge.
Which is the real reason for this Post.
That and the report that all is ok on the lump in the groin saga. So, luckily, no photo's of that then. It is a fatty lump and no problem, unless it becomes a problem. (????) The main point being, that unless it is really really really irritating, rather than just mildly annoying, then best to leave it be. That and the fact that due to assorted hernia operations, I have so much mesh down there, that it is like having a kevlar vest in my groin area, and would be a nightmare for any surgeon.
OK, TOO MUCH information I know! (bet you are even more glad there are no photo's eh)
SO, I know, you are wondering. Where are the pictures, and the music and the..... You should have heard the music about NOW anyway.
Oh yes, by the way I AM IN'The Challenge' ,and as by now you may be aware, I am accompanying Mr Sloman. I say accompanying, but really I am his 'CARER'.
He tries to cover this up, but social services have insisted this time round. Fortunately, they did not look too deeply into my CV, and we have apparently got away with it.
We just need to get Dave (Blisters) Wilkinson some decent shoes and socks. We told him last time, that thin 10 denier cotton socks and stiletto's were no use but he is very independently mined is Dave.
Anyway F*$£ing A, we are in!
More soon from Yorkshire, and TGOC 2012 Route plans.
Now this next bit has nothing to do with the title, but explains the rather long pause between entries on this blog.
It has been an odd month, what with one thing and another.
Firstly with my Uncle being in hospital and then taken into care and then sadly passing on.
My aunt needing a lot of support.
Olly (no one son) damaging his medial collateral ligaments on his left knee playing with Northampton U16's and then my mother falling over and bashing knee and not being able to get about.
She thinks she is still in her 30's so finds it annoying when recovery is a long old process.
The fact that she will be 87 in December has somehow slipped from her knowledge.
She only finally owned up to trying to hop on one dodgy leg while putting her trousers on in the bathroom when the Dr asked exactly how she fell (kids eh).
Oh yes, in in between all that lot there is work and stuff!
Still all that behind us now, and as long as they find nothing nasty in the irritating lump near my groin that has appeared since the hernia operation in July, all may go well for the future. There will be no accompanying pictures of this (YET).
So no new kit on the horizon and pensively awaiting notification good or bad of placement in the next Challenge, I have actually managed to get out a couple of times in the last few weeks.
Locally only but worth the odd picture or 3 maybe.
And thus we come to the title.
As horrid as the image is, I am at this point straddling said Dyke.
It's a nasty view and I do need to loose about 12kg. I haven't done anywhere near enough recently.
The start of Fleam Dyke
Although flat hereabouts (well most of hereabouts to be honest ) there are a couple of very nice Dykes near by. Devils Dyke and Fleam Dyke. Fleam Dyke being the shorter of the two but still a goodly distance for a run with the dog, even with the accompanying groin pain. I'll stop going on about that!
It's a nice walk or even run, on a pleasant day, and Jasper hound, despite his ageing years and dodgy right front leg had a great bound along it.
Jasper just the other side of the A11 Bridge
Near Bedford Gap
The route back is along the Dyke, but there is a very pleasant detour available through the nature reserve at Fulbourn, parts of which are soon I think to be flooded and walkways put in, in the same way that they will be flooding the area beyond Tubney Fen.
AND A SMALL DETOUR WALK
You know how you know where you are going and then you are wrong!
Well, the other day, Lucy and I took the dog for a short walk from Upware round parts of Wicken Fen and then back along the river to the car.
The weather was fantastic, indeed the only $h1t month was August (during the so called holidays).
Spot the deliberate mistake
I have been this way often on the bike, via Burwell fen, so when we got to the bridge at Burwell Lode, just passed Priory Farm, I insisted (as I sometimes do), that there was an excellent walk up the left side of the river rather than the right.
This was indeed true, apart from the fact that at the point marked OOPS!, there is no way across the river other than a boat or swim.
But there is this Fabulous little pond!
So anyway, went back to the bridge.
That's Lucy heading back that is! The dog was not impressed either!
But we all lived happily ever after (more or less!)
And just as a final image of the wonders of the Fens
This was the fantastic view 2 days ago along Quy water whilst with the dog.
He is a black dog, so obviously you will not be able to see him.
Let me know if you can, because I couldn't
This is the final sentence! Well not ever of course!
