Football for Good Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, 11th October 2015

This was for Charity Challenge, again. The participants were from the charitable foundations of various professional football clubs, raising money for their respective foundations' charitable activities.

We camped in the car park at Horton in Ribblesdale, the one on the other side of the River Ribble from the pub.

Because of having less than 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, we set out hideously early, when good folk are still a-bed and only bakers and burglars are about their business. The early morning weather was much warmer than it had been the weekend before, and the cloud cover that had caused that suggested cooler day-time conditions, which is how it turned out. I was assigned to look after all the participants from one charitable foundation, and to keep them walking together as much as possible through the day.

There were no major events or epic happenings, except for one young woman having to be very brave on the scramble up Pen-y-Ghent (and later with another leader, on the scramble up Ingleborough) as she faced down her fear of falling off – well done to her.

Again, I ended up at the back with the slowest walker, a young man who a year or so earlier had been in a stationary car which was shunted at fairly high speed by a driver yakking on his mobile phone instead of paying attention to the road. That kind of thing makes my blood boil! Anyway, the young man was basically fit and strong but had problems caused by the impact, so he kept going as best he could, and I kept alongside him, right the way to the finish line.

Checking the time when we arrived showed that he had actually done the whole route in less than twelve hours, which is a good rate even for an uninjured walker.

We finished well before dark, as planned.

I was the last leader off the hills, for my last event of the season. I felt very pleased with my work that day and of the summer as a whole, and when I arrived at the hostel at Malham to stay the Sunday night, I treated myself to a pint of Black Sheep ale, relishing every drop and remembering, as I drank it, all the hardships and achievements of the season.

By about half past eight I was so tired that I just had to go to bed, so unfortunately I missed out on being in the pub with my colleagues, which I had been rather looking forward to.

For the record, the three peaks of the route are:

1.   Pen-y-Ghent (694m)

2.   Whernside (736m)

3.   Ingleborough (724m)

Congratulations to all the participants, especially to those that I looked after.

Red Eye Alzheimer's Society Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, 3rd October 2015

This was for Charity Challenge, again. The participants were all from a company called Red Eye, raising money for the Alzheimer's Society.

We stayed at the YHA in Malham, a place which has become something of a home-from-home for me over the past eighteen months or so.

Because of having less than 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, we set off from Horton-in-Ribblesdale at about seven in the morning while it was still dark, to make sure we could finish while it was still light. There was frost on the ground, but an indication of almost perfect weather for later. I was assigned to the middle of the group of about 40 participants.

During the approach to Pen-y-Ghent the soles of one participant's boot came asunder. I provided gaffer tape for him to repair it with, but it ruptured again, so he made his way alone back to Horton (a route he knew well) – in the afternoon, he re-joined the walk wearing a pair of brand new boots he had managed to buy in Skipton.

It all went well until the ascent to Whernside, but by then it was hot, with not a breath of cooling breeze, and I was suffering from having eaten too much lunch too quickly, which seems to be a hazard of this kind of work when timing is tight. Everybody was happy and relaxed at the top, so we continued our merry way around, without any major incidents that I can recall.

As often happens, I ended up at the back with the slowest walker. Providing support to walkers to are struggling seems to be what I am best at, rather than surging ahead with the fast walkers who really don't need that much support.

We finished well before dark, and returned to the hostel for a jolly good meal.

It was my third time of leading on this route, but first time I had actually walked every inch of the way.

For the record, the three peaks of the walk are listed here.

1.   Pen-y-Ghent (694m)

2.   Whernside (736m)

3.   Ingleborough (724m)

Congratulations to all the participants, especially to those that I looked after.