So on Friday afternoon I get a text......"are you doing anything tomorrow evening ?".......this sounds ombinus, my response is cautious, "why ?"........."Bob Graham Leg 1 !!".
So of course I say yes and at 9pm on a very wet Saturday evening I find myself at the Moot Hall in Keswick. It was all a last minute decision, hence not much support. Nina arrives at 8.55 and we set-off at 9, full waterproofs on but the cloud is lifting, the wind is dropping and the rain is easing.
We are joined by Richard too and head up Skiddaw, We are only in the mist at the summit and are there 7 minutes up on schedule. It's gloomy and darker before it should be at this time of year. We hit the trod to Hare Crag and once at the track put on headtoches.
Good progress is made up Great Calva and we play safe and follow the fence line down to the track and then to the River Caldew; fortunately not too deep or fast flowing today.
I take a bearing for the next leg and at the top of the trudge hit the trod and follow this to Foule Crags. All is going well, Nina is strong and we are still up on schedule.
The summit of Blencathra is grim, misty, wet and windy and I need a bearing to get us safely from Foule Crags to the summit. We agree that Doddick would be an easier and safer descent tonight and I lead carefully from the summit so as not to miss the start of the ridge.
We pick it up easly and make a quick descent on the much better terrain of this ridge, longer but more straight forward. It eats into out time though and we arrive at Threlkeld at 01:02, a few minutes behind but not too much to worry about.
From here it is just Nina and Richard, I head home for much needed sleep. I was pleased the leg went well, navigation was testing in places but got it spot-on.
Sadly Nina pulled out at the end of Leg 2, they got lost and timing went badly behind. Hopefully she will attempt again soon.
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