I am Father Christmas who gave me my first bike
And my father who took the stabilisers off, 5 years later.
I am all the people who have sponsored me
And potentially the people who have said they will.
I am the wasp that flew in my eye in Lissycasey
I am the choc ices that reduced the swelling in my knees.
I am the American couple that wouldn’t talk at breakfast
And the Dublin volunteer worker who did.
I am a spitting geographer and an iPod charger that didn't work.
I am Denzil Gunner and I cycled Ireland south to north – challenge complete.
Being (a) on my own and (b) a bit tragic, every time I took a break from cycling I would replay the section of the trip I had just completed and jotted down all the thoughts I could remember thinking in that time. My intention was to use this as the basis of my Ireland report but I have now decided that these will be, unedited, the posts. I am allowing myself this act of incredible arrogance so that when I am the only person reading this (i.e. now) I have a pretty much contemporaneous summary of what was happening in my head during the challenge. The posts will be very long, even by my excessive standards but even then they are not thorough. I have not gone back and added thoughts that were recalled after the immediate jottings so it is missing my 30 minute rumination on whether any adaptations would be required to turn a horsebox into a cowbox and the analysis of Irish etiquette (all swear words are fine in any company but burping was not).
So the next 7 posts are extra-curricular reading, they will not count towards the end of year party qualification exams. The only relevant details are 415.5 miles cycled over 4 days and 3 hours at an average of just under 12.5 miles per hour. The rest is pure self-indulgence.
Tuesday 23 September 2008
Saturday 13 September 2008
The Tour de Ireland
The Olympics proved us Brits are good at cycling. It must be in our blood, which makes sense because that seems to be how most people have been taking on the Tour de France for the past several years. But I maybe had a transfusion because I cannot work out how exactly does one prepares for cycling about 100 miles per day for 5 days on your own from the most southerly to the most northerly point of Ireland?
I'm not sure you can physically and the logistics need to be flexible. I have a start point and a bed for the first night, an end point with a return flight booked and a map but no idea of the bit in between. As few clothes are packed as possible to still cover all eventualities (although let's face it, it will be wet). I need to take my bike apart to take it on the plane and don't know if I can reassemble it. This is a state of organised disorganisation.
But I want to do this. I wanted the challenge of a bike ride between a coutry's extremes. Lands End to John o'Groats was just too far for holiday entitlement to allow and Ireland is the perfect alternative. It has enough in common with home to be familiar and enough differences to be exciting. I have never been there before and my first experience will be the villages and towns that hug its west coast. I do not have to worry about making myself understood if I get lost or when trying to find dinner or a bed for the night and they drive on the left. I don't even need an electricity adapter. Am I convincing you or me here?
The big fear for me, over ad above the cars and mountains and wind and rain is that next week, for hours on end, I will be alone with my thoughts and I don't know where that will take me. I may discover a cure for all the worlds ills, I may come back with zen like serenity, I may come back mad. Most likely though is that the only changes will be physical - slightly bandier legs and needing a cushion with a hole in the middle.
I'm not sure you can physically and the logistics need to be flexible. I have a start point and a bed for the first night, an end point with a return flight booked and a map but no idea of the bit in between. As few clothes are packed as possible to still cover all eventualities (although let's face it, it will be wet). I need to take my bike apart to take it on the plane and don't know if I can reassemble it. This is a state of organised disorganisation.
But I want to do this. I wanted the challenge of a bike ride between a coutry's extremes. Lands End to John o'Groats was just too far for holiday entitlement to allow and Ireland is the perfect alternative. It has enough in common with home to be familiar and enough differences to be exciting. I have never been there before and my first experience will be the villages and towns that hug its west coast. I do not have to worry about making myself understood if I get lost or when trying to find dinner or a bed for the night and they drive on the left. I don't even need an electricity adapter. Am I convincing you or me here?
The big fear for me, over ad above the cars and mountains and wind and rain is that next week, for hours on end, I will be alone with my thoughts and I don't know where that will take me. I may discover a cure for all the worlds ills, I may come back with zen like serenity, I may come back mad. Most likely though is that the only changes will be physical - slightly bandier legs and needing a cushion with a hole in the middle.
Friday 12 September 2008
Cirrhosis of the River*
Rowing Regattas take place in the sunshine. Everybody knows that. Men in striped blazers stroll along the river bank next to women carrying parasols that maintain their English rose complexion. The races are the physical exertion equivalent to a sonnet, graceful, rhythmic and honourable. It is all very respectable but has sufficient underlying sexual tension to fill a novel, be made into a BBC costume drama and launch the career of a couple of plum mouthed thespians.
So, what was I doing just after 11am in the pouring rain kneeling 5th back in an adapted rowing boat (a dongola) wearing a light blue polo shirt emblazoned with images of alcohol and being glared at ferociously by the man who had just been thrown from his dongola into the Thames after it had cut directly across us whilst his crew claimed the crash was our fault?
Dongoling is a pretty simple concept. Think mini dragon boat racing and you get pretty close. Two or three crews of 6 people, at least 2 of whom have to be women, kneel behind each other on alternate sides of the boat and paddle with (in theory) powerful, well-timed strokes over a course of about 100 metres. The person at the front of the boat times the strokes, everybody else follow his lead and the person at the back steers when necessary. First across the line wins.
We were The Weekenders, from the front of the boat we were Paul, Jo, Chris, Kirstie, Denzil and Hal (our expert and captain). We had practiced. We had got somewhere towards the technique Hal had described. We had developed a rhythm and, I would suggest, almost achieved a level of adequacy. We had got a bye to the semi-finals. We had gone to pieces. We had lost our timing. We had been knocked out after our first race.
I can try to rationalise it - we were beaten by the eventual winner of the Regatta, when we had got our timing together we had been closing on them and those bastards cut us up – but it didn’t take away the frustration of losing. My participation in the regatta, my competitive dongoling career comprised maybe 2 minutes of (on my part) frenetic, talentless splashing and a crash. More “Spot Goes Dongoling” than “Dongoling and Dongolability”
Still, unlike the weather, the circumstances had a bright side. When you have written a day off for a regatta and nature cheats you and makes it cold and wet, when you have been knocked out of a regatta early in irritating circumstances but you planned provisions for the day, when you are with a good group of people and there is a pub just across the river…….I’ll leave you to work out the rest, your imagination is probably more reliable than my memory on this one.
*I can’t claim credit for this pun – it was the name of another dongoling team.
So, what was I doing just after 11am in the pouring rain kneeling 5th back in an adapted rowing boat (a dongola) wearing a light blue polo shirt emblazoned with images of alcohol and being glared at ferociously by the man who had just been thrown from his dongola into the Thames after it had cut directly across us whilst his crew claimed the crash was our fault?
Dongoling is a pretty simple concept. Think mini dragon boat racing and you get pretty close. Two or three crews of 6 people, at least 2 of whom have to be women, kneel behind each other on alternate sides of the boat and paddle with (in theory) powerful, well-timed strokes over a course of about 100 metres. The person at the front of the boat times the strokes, everybody else follow his lead and the person at the back steers when necessary. First across the line wins.
We were The Weekenders, from the front of the boat we were Paul, Jo, Chris, Kirstie, Denzil and Hal (our expert and captain). We had practiced. We had got somewhere towards the technique Hal had described. We had developed a rhythm and, I would suggest, almost achieved a level of adequacy. We had got a bye to the semi-finals. We had gone to pieces. We had lost our timing. We had been knocked out after our first race.
I can try to rationalise it - we were beaten by the eventual winner of the Regatta, when we had got our timing together we had been closing on them and those bastards cut us up – but it didn’t take away the frustration of losing. My participation in the regatta, my competitive dongoling career comprised maybe 2 minutes of (on my part) frenetic, talentless splashing and a crash. More “Spot Goes Dongoling” than “Dongoling and Dongolability”
Still, unlike the weather, the circumstances had a bright side. When you have written a day off for a regatta and nature cheats you and makes it cold and wet, when you have been knocked out of a regatta early in irritating circumstances but you planned provisions for the day, when you are with a good group of people and there is a pub just across the river…….I’ll leave you to work out the rest, your imagination is probably more reliable than my memory on this one.
*I can’t claim credit for this pun – it was the name of another dongoling team.
Thursday 11 September 2008
Housekeeping
I've been more than a bit rubbish at keeping this blog up to date over the last month so there are quite a few outstanding bits and pieces to be dealt with. A barrage of posts are likely to be going up over the next few days but firstly I am going to deal with a few quickies - get ready for a hyperlink attack:
- 3 Men in a Boat Challenge - pictures now posted. Look how sunny it was, hopes were raised for a long hot summer. Now we realise that week was summer.
- Short Story Challenge - One I haven't mentioned before but back in April i entered a short story into an international competition. I got the result back recently and needless to say I didn't win but the challenge was completed by entering. Anyway, I'm going to tweak the story a bit and try again. If no luck then I might just try to find a website I can put it on and link it back to this blog - stay tuned (or even subscribe) and read my Chekhovian stylings.
- Article in the National Press Challenge - Turns out the article can be read online so if you were too tight/late to buy a copy read it here for free.
- New Qualification Challenge - I got sidetracked on this one as it requires a little bit of research, which I hadn't expected. The coursework will be finished in the next week or so then I just have to sit my exam and I will be sufficiently qualified to tell you exactly what bus route leads to my restaurant.
- Some new friends - two additions to the Wall of Gratitude: First up is Chris who has accompanied me on 3 Men and 3 Peaks. Not only has he parasitised these but also done some challenges of his own to raise money for Emma's Bubble Trust. It is a good cause and he has a justgiving page so click through if you want to support him. However, if I find anybody sponsoring him who hasn't sponsored me then I will get all huffy. Second is Laurie Lambrecht, a photographer who I had the good fortune to sit next to on my flight to New York. Not only is she a fascinating person who advised me on a lot of things to do whilst I was there but she is also a very talented artist. Check out the stunning Lake Trees collection.
- Triathlon - I apologise for the skimpy outfit I am wearing in the photos that are now up. You can also access a breakdown of my time and placings for the event in relation to overall, gender, category, discipline and whatever. It pretty much sums up what I already knew, as a general rule I am average. However I confess to being pretty chuffed with my my placing in the run (top 8% of all competitors including the elite athletes) and my division (9th out of 411 men age 30-34). And to end on a downer, it turns out the NY Triathlon had its first death this year. It was somebody in my division which makes it rather poignant for me, not least because he may well have been standing in the pen next to me at the start, I certainly didn't see anything ahead of me when I was swimming. Mind you my goggles were fogged up (sorry, I didn't want it to be too morbid).
Wednesday 10 September 2008
24 - Series 7 - The 3 Peaks
The following events take place between 3.15 and 7.28pm.
Denzil, Kelly and Chris are in the Ben Nevis Visitors Centre. They approach a bald old man not dissimilar in looks, voice and, as it turns out, personality to Private Fraser from Dad’s Army.
Chris - What’s the weather like at the summit?
Fraser - You’ll be best coming back tomorrow at 8am when we will have a more precise forecast.
Chris - We were planning on climbing it now.
Fraser - You have to give yourself 4 hours up and 3 hours back. It will be dark on your descent and you won’t leave any time to be rescued if you get injured. It is bitingly cold up there at the moment and visibility is no more than 10 metres. You really would be making a big mistake going up now – it would be different if you were doing the 3 Peaks…
Denzil - We are
Kelly - And I’m driving so won’t be holding them back.
Fraser - Aye, you got the short straw did ya? You won’t be smiling when you are driving down to Scafell and these two are snoring away. So it’s the 3 Peaks is it? You need to be up and down in 5 hours, any more than 5 and a half and you don’t have a chance but take a lot of water because below the cloud line it is hot and people yesterday were dehydrating and it was much less humid than today. You might want to rethink though because, to be honest, it’s shit up there. Have you climbed the mountains before.
Chris - Yes
Chris buys a map of the summit and they leave the old man to sell souvenir haggis to tourists.
Denzil - I’m willing to admit I’m quite scared now but we haven’t just driven all this way to not even start this. Have you really climbed the mountains before Chris?
Chris – No [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil cross a bridge, Ben Nevis looms in front of them. The official start time is 3.30pm. The path splits:
Chris: We need to go South East. Where’s the sun? [Looks up] Ok, this way.
Denzil looks at his compass, nods and follows Chris as they climb the steep but well defined path up Ben Nevis in near silence. Chris leads at an impressive pace, they sweat profusely in the late afternoon sun. Cut to Kelly sitting outside the Visitor’s Centre planning the drive to Scafell Pike. Fraser walks up to her.
Fraser - I know the 3 Peaks route well, the first service station after you get on the M6 is perfect to stop at late at night.
Kelly - Are you from around here?
Fraser - Aye, I like walking in the foothills but I hate the mountain.
Kelly - Have you ever been up it?
Fraser - No
Chris and Denzil are now above the grass level, a stunning mountain lake is just behind them. A helicopter buzzes over head, they look up to see it is mountain rescue headed for the summit. The path has become loose shale and there are fewer people around. [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil are on the plateau at the summit. The cloud is thick. Sheer drops are on either side of them with cloud rising up from the edge.
Chris - That’s 5 Finger Gully. On the other side is the North East Face. You can see how close the path goes between them. That is why if the cloud comes in too much you can easily walk over the edge but visibility is good enough for us to stay on the path. [5 minutes more walking on the desolate and lifeless plateau] There’s the trig point, we are at the top. Although that hut over there looks higher.
Photos are taken and they sit on the trig point.
Denzil - I reckon my view is more than 10 metres, maybe even 30. I’ve driven on Motorways in worse conditions.
Chris - And it’s not too cold. I don’t mind people giving you bad news but they should at least be honest and not try to scare you.
Two slower climbers ask Chris to take their photo and then Chris and Denzil dash down the mountain – skidding on the scree.
Elderly tourist sitting by the path to her husband as Chris and Denzil pass: That’s how you should do it. A hop and a jump.
Denzil speaking into his mobile - Kelly we are 15 minutes from the meeting point.
Kelly - I’ll be ready.
Kelly keeps her word and as Chris and Denzil return to the car they see food and water waiting for them. Within minutes the car leaves the car park.
…………………………………………………
The following events take place between 7.29pm and 2.06am.
Denzil sleeps in the back of the car whilst Chris directs Kelly. The discussion is unheard (I was asleep) but probably about the poor taste each has in music. The car stops at Gretna for a break. Denzil and Kelly step out the car for a break, Chris dozes in the front. Back in the car, Denzil sleeping in the back, Chris directing. As they enter Cumbria a torrential downpour takes place. They turn down a country lane and ease past numerous sheep sleeping in the middle of it. There is no light except the car head lights. They pull into a grass car park with no life. Chris and Denzil leave the car.
……………………………………………………
The following events take place between 2.07am and 6.05am
Chris has a head torch shining the way, Denzil has nothing and is scrabbling around trying to stay more or less behind Chris. It is pitch black and incredibly humid, they sweat even more profusely than in the Ben Nevis sunshine. In the distance they hear a car alarm, it stops and starts again.
Denzil - All the descriptions of the route said the path up the mountain was very clear. I’m not sure we are even on a path.
Chris - The GPS is very unhappy, we aren’t moving quickly enough for it to get its bearing properly.
They are struggling over rocks and through boggy scrubland. Every now and then torches can be seen in the distance but these vanish.
Chris: Let’s aim for those sheep, they often lie in short grass by paths.
Chris and Denzil are back on the path walking past ghostly images of sheep. [Cut to commercials].
Kelly is trying to sleep in the car. The car is parked near a wall, men keep going up to the wall and urinating. Denzil and Chris are still meandering in the dark.
Denzil - We’ve lost the path again but I think it’s beginning to get light. We’ll be able to see properly soon.
Chris - We’re also above the cloud, the humidity has dropped. The GPS says that way but I suggest we steer clear of that. He points and within metres of where they stand is a cliff edge. They walk away from it and to a grass bank with a very steep rock face rising up from it.
Chris - We are close to the summit height now. We just need to get up this rock face.
Denzil - I am certain this is not the correct route but it’s a lot lighter now, let’s go for it. He looks around. Wow Chris, look at that.
Behind them as day approaches you can see the top of the clouds with mountain peaks poking through. They pause to take in the scene and then start to free climb the rock face for about 30metres. About 10 minutes later they pull themselves over the edge and see some other people heading down the mountain on a well defined path. Chris and Denzil get on the path and walk to the trig point. They pause for photos but it is still to dark for the spectacular backdrop to be seen properly.
Chris – Let’s head back. We can see the path now. [Cut to commercials]
Chris and Denzil are now racing down the hill. They overtake the group who reached the peak first.
Chris – We must have been flirting with and skirting around the path for most of the way up.
They reach a field with a style near the bottom. Denzil confidently points the way to the car park. They reach a dry river bed.
Chris – this isn’t the way we came in. The car park is about 700m that way.
Denzil – it all looked the same in the dark.
They follow the river bed and get back to the car. Kelly is sleeping and they wake her by knocking on the window.
Kelly - I had a hell of a time trying to sleep. Men kept using that wall as a toilet and I could not lock myself in without setting the car alarm off.
…………………………………………….
The following takes place between 6.06am and 10.49 am.
Chris is lightly dozing on the back seat. Denzil is navigating but dozes off frequently. The conversation is in hushed voices as though respecting the early morning. Chris wakes up to help get them to the Snowdon car park and points out a village Kelly could visit whilst he and Denzil are climbing.
Kelly – when I was reading about this one it said you have to jump out quickly at the car park because it is always full and the attendants complain if you stop at the entrance.
…………………………………………….
The following takes place between 10.50am and 1.58pm
Chris and Denzil jump out the car and wave to Kelly.
Denzil – this way. He walks through a gate next to somebody’s house.
Chris – the mountain is that way. They walk in the opposite direction. They walk through the car park and through a gate that is not next to somebody’s house.
Chris: This is the Miner’s Trail. It starts low, follows the lake and then gets very steep to meet the Pyg Path.
Denzil – a flat section is good for me, my legs have stiffened up quite a lot.
They walk past a large number of tourists on a very obvious path. They skirt two picturesque lakes before the path suddenly becomes a climb up a fairly steep rock face. Tourists are scrambling up and Chris and Denzil join the queue. [Cut to commercials].
Chris points to a cloud covered part of the mountain above them. – that is the peak up their. We’re on the final push.
Denzil – good I’m reaching my limit. I can’t believe how many people there are on this mountain.
They keep climbing, overtaking numerous panting tourists. They reach the summit plateau, covered in cloud, and follow the railway line to the trig point. They sit on the trig point.
Denzil – these flies are really annoying. They are everywhere.
Chris – yes, and so are the tourists. Let’s get a photo and go.
They get a stranger to take a picture and then head off.
Chris – I’m not sure my knees can take the pounding of climbing down that steep slope – let’s follow the Pyg Track back. [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil are almost running down the path as the end of the challenge approaches
Denzil – I don’t like this path so much, I’m glad we didn’t come up it. They pass a man sitting by the path.
Man (in strong Geordie accent) – is it far to the top lads?
Chris – maybe 45 minutes and there is nothing to see there.
Man – well maybe I’ll stop here then. He surveys the lake below him.
Chris – You’ve certainly got a nicer view. I’m not sure I’d bother.
Denzil: I reckon we have 25 minutes left. I’ll call Kelly.
They go around a blind bend and lose sight of the mountain but can now see the car park. They are soon passing through the gate that leads to it and signifies the official end of the challenge. Total time is just under 22.5 hours. Kelly arrives, parks and they get a photo and some very poor quality tea from the car park café.
Kelly – this is disgusting. Let’s go.
Denzil – If traffic is on our side we should be back in London for dinner. Who wants curry?
Denzil, Kelly and Chris are in the Ben Nevis Visitors Centre. They approach a bald old man not dissimilar in looks, voice and, as it turns out, personality to Private Fraser from Dad’s Army.
Chris - What’s the weather like at the summit?
Fraser - You’ll be best coming back tomorrow at 8am when we will have a more precise forecast.
Chris - We were planning on climbing it now.
Fraser - You have to give yourself 4 hours up and 3 hours back. It will be dark on your descent and you won’t leave any time to be rescued if you get injured. It is bitingly cold up there at the moment and visibility is no more than 10 metres. You really would be making a big mistake going up now – it would be different if you were doing the 3 Peaks…
Denzil - We are
Kelly - And I’m driving so won’t be holding them back.
Fraser - Aye, you got the short straw did ya? You won’t be smiling when you are driving down to Scafell and these two are snoring away. So it’s the 3 Peaks is it? You need to be up and down in 5 hours, any more than 5 and a half and you don’t have a chance but take a lot of water because below the cloud line it is hot and people yesterday were dehydrating and it was much less humid than today. You might want to rethink though because, to be honest, it’s shit up there. Have you climbed the mountains before.
Chris - Yes
Chris buys a map of the summit and they leave the old man to sell souvenir haggis to tourists.
Denzil - I’m willing to admit I’m quite scared now but we haven’t just driven all this way to not even start this. Have you really climbed the mountains before Chris?
Chris – No [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil cross a bridge, Ben Nevis looms in front of them. The official start time is 3.30pm. The path splits:
Chris: We need to go South East. Where’s the sun? [Looks up] Ok, this way.
Denzil looks at his compass, nods and follows Chris as they climb the steep but well defined path up Ben Nevis in near silence. Chris leads at an impressive pace, they sweat profusely in the late afternoon sun. Cut to Kelly sitting outside the Visitor’s Centre planning the drive to Scafell Pike. Fraser walks up to her.
Fraser - I know the 3 Peaks route well, the first service station after you get on the M6 is perfect to stop at late at night.
Kelly - Are you from around here?
Fraser - Aye, I like walking in the foothills but I hate the mountain.
Kelly - Have you ever been up it?
Fraser - No
Chris and Denzil are now above the grass level, a stunning mountain lake is just behind them. A helicopter buzzes over head, they look up to see it is mountain rescue headed for the summit. The path has become loose shale and there are fewer people around. [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil are on the plateau at the summit. The cloud is thick. Sheer drops are on either side of them with cloud rising up from the edge.
Chris - That’s 5 Finger Gully. On the other side is the North East Face. You can see how close the path goes between them. That is why if the cloud comes in too much you can easily walk over the edge but visibility is good enough for us to stay on the path. [5 minutes more walking on the desolate and lifeless plateau] There’s the trig point, we are at the top. Although that hut over there looks higher.
Photos are taken and they sit on the trig point.
Denzil - I reckon my view is more than 10 metres, maybe even 30. I’ve driven on Motorways in worse conditions.
Chris - And it’s not too cold. I don’t mind people giving you bad news but they should at least be honest and not try to scare you.
Two slower climbers ask Chris to take their photo and then Chris and Denzil dash down the mountain – skidding on the scree.
Elderly tourist sitting by the path to her husband as Chris and Denzil pass: That’s how you should do it. A hop and a jump.
Denzil speaking into his mobile - Kelly we are 15 minutes from the meeting point.
Kelly - I’ll be ready.
Kelly keeps her word and as Chris and Denzil return to the car they see food and water waiting for them. Within minutes the car leaves the car park.
…………………………………………………
The following events take place between 7.29pm and 2.06am.
Denzil sleeps in the back of the car whilst Chris directs Kelly. The discussion is unheard (I was asleep) but probably about the poor taste each has in music. The car stops at Gretna for a break. Denzil and Kelly step out the car for a break, Chris dozes in the front. Back in the car, Denzil sleeping in the back, Chris directing. As they enter Cumbria a torrential downpour takes place. They turn down a country lane and ease past numerous sheep sleeping in the middle of it. There is no light except the car head lights. They pull into a grass car park with no life. Chris and Denzil leave the car.
……………………………………………………
The following events take place between 2.07am and 6.05am
Chris has a head torch shining the way, Denzil has nothing and is scrabbling around trying to stay more or less behind Chris. It is pitch black and incredibly humid, they sweat even more profusely than in the Ben Nevis sunshine. In the distance they hear a car alarm, it stops and starts again.
Denzil - All the descriptions of the route said the path up the mountain was very clear. I’m not sure we are even on a path.
Chris - The GPS is very unhappy, we aren’t moving quickly enough for it to get its bearing properly.
They are struggling over rocks and through boggy scrubland. Every now and then torches can be seen in the distance but these vanish.
Chris: Let’s aim for those sheep, they often lie in short grass by paths.
Chris and Denzil are back on the path walking past ghostly images of sheep. [Cut to commercials].
Kelly is trying to sleep in the car. The car is parked near a wall, men keep going up to the wall and urinating. Denzil and Chris are still meandering in the dark.
Denzil - We’ve lost the path again but I think it’s beginning to get light. We’ll be able to see properly soon.
Chris - We’re also above the cloud, the humidity has dropped. The GPS says that way but I suggest we steer clear of that. He points and within metres of where they stand is a cliff edge. They walk away from it and to a grass bank with a very steep rock face rising up from it.
Chris - We are close to the summit height now. We just need to get up this rock face.
Denzil - I am certain this is not the correct route but it’s a lot lighter now, let’s go for it. He looks around. Wow Chris, look at that.
Behind them as day approaches you can see the top of the clouds with mountain peaks poking through. They pause to take in the scene and then start to free climb the rock face for about 30metres. About 10 minutes later they pull themselves over the edge and see some other people heading down the mountain on a well defined path. Chris and Denzil get on the path and walk to the trig point. They pause for photos but it is still to dark for the spectacular backdrop to be seen properly.
Chris – Let’s head back. We can see the path now. [Cut to commercials]
Chris and Denzil are now racing down the hill. They overtake the group who reached the peak first.
Chris – We must have been flirting with and skirting around the path for most of the way up.
They reach a field with a style near the bottom. Denzil confidently points the way to the car park. They reach a dry river bed.
Chris – this isn’t the way we came in. The car park is about 700m that way.
Denzil – it all looked the same in the dark.
They follow the river bed and get back to the car. Kelly is sleeping and they wake her by knocking on the window.
Kelly - I had a hell of a time trying to sleep. Men kept using that wall as a toilet and I could not lock myself in without setting the car alarm off.
…………………………………………….
The following takes place between 6.06am and 10.49 am.
Chris is lightly dozing on the back seat. Denzil is navigating but dozes off frequently. The conversation is in hushed voices as though respecting the early morning. Chris wakes up to help get them to the Snowdon car park and points out a village Kelly could visit whilst he and Denzil are climbing.
Kelly – when I was reading about this one it said you have to jump out quickly at the car park because it is always full and the attendants complain if you stop at the entrance.
…………………………………………….
The following takes place between 10.50am and 1.58pm
Chris and Denzil jump out the car and wave to Kelly.
Denzil – this way. He walks through a gate next to somebody’s house.
Chris – the mountain is that way. They walk in the opposite direction. They walk through the car park and through a gate that is not next to somebody’s house.
Chris: This is the Miner’s Trail. It starts low, follows the lake and then gets very steep to meet the Pyg Path.
Denzil – a flat section is good for me, my legs have stiffened up quite a lot.
They walk past a large number of tourists on a very obvious path. They skirt two picturesque lakes before the path suddenly becomes a climb up a fairly steep rock face. Tourists are scrambling up and Chris and Denzil join the queue. [Cut to commercials].
Chris points to a cloud covered part of the mountain above them. – that is the peak up their. We’re on the final push.
Denzil – good I’m reaching my limit. I can’t believe how many people there are on this mountain.
They keep climbing, overtaking numerous panting tourists. They reach the summit plateau, covered in cloud, and follow the railway line to the trig point. They sit on the trig point.
Denzil – these flies are really annoying. They are everywhere.
Chris – yes, and so are the tourists. Let’s get a photo and go.
They get a stranger to take a picture and then head off.
Chris – I’m not sure my knees can take the pounding of climbing down that steep slope – let’s follow the Pyg Track back. [Cut to Commercials]
Chris and Denzil are almost running down the path as the end of the challenge approaches
Denzil – I don’t like this path so much, I’m glad we didn’t come up it. They pass a man sitting by the path.
Man (in strong Geordie accent) – is it far to the top lads?
Chris – maybe 45 minutes and there is nothing to see there.
Man – well maybe I’ll stop here then. He surveys the lake below him.
Chris – You’ve certainly got a nicer view. I’m not sure I’d bother.
Denzil: I reckon we have 25 minutes left. I’ll call Kelly.
They go around a blind bend and lose sight of the mountain but can now see the car park. They are soon passing through the gate that leads to it and signifies the official end of the challenge. Total time is just under 22.5 hours. Kelly arrives, parks and they get a photo and some very poor quality tea from the car park café.
Kelly – this is disgusting. Let’s go.
Denzil – If traffic is on our side we should be back in London for dinner. Who wants curry?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
