This week I have been helping with Duke of Edinburgh for GWC in the Northern Pennines, based at
Ninebanks YHA.
I arrived late on the Wednesday night and only Jamie was still up when I arrived at Ninebanks. After a brief bit of banter and a catch up, we headed to the bunks for a good nights rest. The next morning I met my group for the first time; a Gold Qualifying group of sixth year lads - a nice bunch. The weather that morning was rather dreich; perfect for some micro nav so we set out from the hostel over Mohope Moor. We spent the morning 'finding' various features in the landscape using the 1:50k map. The boys quickly discovered that fences and walls are not marked on these maps... and that there are a lot more of them about down here compared to Scotland! Usually in the D of E groups there is one pupil who is the navigator for the group, so I was keen to try and get them all up to speed and not just be relying on one person all the time. We also looked at pacing and different types of bearings and how to use them. After messing around, we met Jane and her group for lunch on top of Hard Rigg. After a bite to eat, we gave both groups the challenge of leading us all safely to Alston for some afternoon tea. A gentle first day.
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| Looking South down the track towards Townhead, Pennines |
On Friday, the lads left around 9am and the mist was still down. They were heading to first but not across the moor this time. I took the opportunity to grab a cooked breakfast in Alston before seeing them through the village safely - their spirits seemed high, despite the drizzle. Once through Alston, their route took them South and then West, over the river to Leadgate. Here, they joined the A686 for a short time before turning off and heading South along the Maiden Way to Townhead (Camp 1). I saw them join the main road at Leadgate, and then I drove round to introduce myself to the farmer at Townhead. Once I had established which field the lads were to camp in, I dropped off the jerry cans and headed up Muska Hill. By now the mist had all burnt off and it was a glorious sunny day so after Muska, I headed over to the summit of Brown Hill to see if I could spot the lads coming towards me. However, as I gazed across Srony Rigg and along to Melmerby Fell, there was no trace of the group. A little puzzled, I pushed on to the summit of Melmerby to look right along the Maiden Way; but still nothing. Even more confused by now, I re-traced my steps back to the campsite and waited in the car for a while. Just as I was starting to get a little anxious, the lads appeared coming up the road in front of me: the complete opposite way to what they were meant to be doing. They looked shattered, but smiled broadly as they greeted me. After a quick chat, and helping them put up tents, it transpired that they had come down off the ridge too early and ended up in Melmerby - but they understood where they had gone wrong and found their way to camp without difficulty. Pleased by how they were performing and that they were now settled, I left them to it and headed back to Ninebanks for a late supper and a good sleep.
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| Looking up at Brown Hill from Townhead, Pennines |
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| Nearing the top of Muska Hill, Pennines |
On Saturday morning I left swiftly after breakfast to check the campsite and to collect their rubbish - all was well and they had left me a route card to let me know that they had left on schedule. After the farmer had kindly let me fill the jerry cans, I headed up the road to Dufton (Camp 2). After introducing myself to the campsite warden, I drove up towards the radar station on Great Dun Fell. I parked the car at the side of the road, just behind Knock Pike, and set off along the side of the tarmac road. I found this road walking pretty tedious so I hopped over the barrier and contoured up through the gully above Knock Ore Gill - an interesting and very loose scramble! I passed swiftly around the edge of the radar station and joined the Pennine Way to Little Dun Fell and then on to Cross Fell. I was surprised to find a large, multi-sided drystone shelter on the summit, but made good use of it for my lunch stop as I waited for the lads to arrive. It was another fabulous day, with clear views South to The Dales - spectacular. It wasn't long before the lads arrived for lunch and by the look on their faces: didn't expect to see me up there waiting for them. A couple of them were covered in mud and they told me that they had encountered a rather large bog on the way up from Kirkland. I din't hang around long and I left them in good spirits to head back over the ridge to the car. When rounding Great Dun Fell for the second time, I spotted Jane coming around the other side. We walked on a little and had a natter, and then Jamie wandered casually around the corner, coming across the ridge from the other direction - what a coincidence! Jamie said he was heading back to his minibus and I said I would give Jane a lift back down to Dufton. When we arrived there, Tam's group were already at the campsite and all set up. Jane and I grabbed a quick coffee and a cake in the Pub across the road and watched for my lads coming into town. They were bang on schedule and after a quick 'hello' I left them to it and headed back to Ninebanks for the evening.
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| Radar Station on the summit of Great Dun Fell, Pennines |
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| Great Dun Fell from Little Dun Fell, Pennines |
Sunday was a real dog of a day, but not surprising after a glorious two days of sun - it had to break sooner or later. The lads were following the Pennine Way for most of the day but I was a little concerned about them navigating their way through to Cauldron Snout in the thick mist. Tam said he would check the campsite for me in the morning, so I took another opportunity to grab a cooked breakfast in Alston. Afterwards, I went and introduced myself to the farmer at Dale Head (Camp 3) and dropped off a couple of jerry cans for the lads. I then headed down the road to Cow Green Reservoir and parked up at Cauldron Snout. Now it just so happened, that I had my mountain bike with me on the back of the car; and I was very glad I did. I had tremendous fun tearing along the track to Birkdale farm. But if anyone wants any advice for the next bit... be prepared for you lungs to burst! It was a steep and technical climb up a single track with rather large stones to negotiate. Once onto the open ground, there is a nice wooden walkway over the worst of the bog. However, this soon ends and the terrain becomes pure bog and is not cycle-able. I accepted defeat at this point and waited here, hoping that the lads would appear out of the thick fog at some point - I could just about see my hand in front of my face! I had only been resting there for a couple of minutes when I heard singing coming from somewhere in the mist; it was the lads! I was quite pleased to see them and I could tell that they definitely did not expect to come across me there in the mist, much to my delight. They were in good spirits but clearly finding the conditions hard, but they were pleased to now be on the home stretch. I left them and cycled off into the mist ahead of them and back to the car to get warm and to dry off - unfortunately the lads had no such luxury. I grabbed a quick coffee at Langdon Beck before seeing the boys into their final camp and then headed back to Ninebanks.
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| The lads leaving the summit of Cross Fell, Pennines |
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| On The Screes of Cross Fell, Pennines |
Monday was the final day and all the groups, including mine, were to finish in Alston in the afternoon. We all went for an assessors breakfast in Alston before going our separate ways to check on our respective groups. There was no trace of the lads at their final campsite; only their bag of rubbish and the empty jerry cans. I headed back towards Garrigill, hoping to spot them from the road - but visibility was poor and I saw no sign of them. At Garrigill I bumped into Alan waiting in his car for his group to pass through. He then told me rather casually that the lads had pasted through 'ages ago' and I thought that they should be finished by now. A bit gutted to have missed them, I headed back to Alston. I found them all in the cafe happily munching on all-day breakfasts. Once fed and watered, we had a bit of a debrief about how everything went. It turns out that they had decided to get up really early and just get the last few km over and done with. I didn't have a problem with this, it was just a bit of a shame that I wasn't waiting for them at the finish to congratulate them properly. Despite this, I was very impressed with them as a group and I told them this. Sometimes I DO get the good groups after all...
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| Looking South towards The Dales from Brown Hill, Pennines |
All of the other groups finished safely without any drama so all they could do was sit around and wait for the coach to arrive and take everyone back to Edinburgh. I headed home buzzing after a very enjoyable few days in the Pennines and I couldn't wait to go back - what a place! On the drive home, my thoughts turned to Torridon: where Emily and I are heading tomorrow!
