Alan's White Peak Walk
Hi Barry
Well, I've got more blisters than expected. Emma struggled and was in tears at Birchover....... but we both completed it. Our claim to "fame" - WE WERE LAST! . - apart from the retirees of course. 11 hours 21 minutes was the time!
A few "highlights".
WEATHER
When driving there, just before reaching Bakewell, it began pouring with rain and the skies turned black. The car radio automatically re-tuned to "Peak 107" and the DJ said "it’s pouring outside and the forecast says it’s going to be WET, and then WET....... and then WET with some Thunder". We thought “oh no” and to think we had been worried that, as in previous years, it was going to be one of the hottest days of the year.
In reality, when we arrived at Monyash, despite the forecast, it had stopped raining, but we heard other participants saying it had been raining a solid hour beforehand. However, the area had also suffered, earlier in the week, the same two days of heavy rain as most parts of the country. Therefore it was wet underfoot, and "ponds", that I never knew about, were seen for the first time. In some places, during the first hour, it was like walking a tightrope along 10 inch wide tracks between the tractor ruts that were full of water. The water also made it very slippy, especially on the rocky steps and surfaces during the later stages of the walk when the drizzle became more prevalent.
It's almost 10 a.m. and Amelia (left) and
Emma are waiting for the walk to
start.
SPECTACLE FIASCO
We parked the car, registered and we were
approaching the starting line outside the Bull’s
Head when we heard the starter say “10 seconds” and
then we were off. In the rush I realised that I was
still wearing my spectacles. I had intended to
leave them in the car as I felt that they could
become a hindrance. Should I run back to the car
(which was in the farthest field from the road) and
leave them there and then catch the girls up, or
forget it. I decided on the latter.
About 1 hour 35 minutes into the walk, when going
through Priestcliffe, the rain started again. I
took the glasses off, as they were becoming a
hindrance, and put them in my waterproof jacket
pocket. Later the sun came out and, with my jacket
round my waist, the items in my pockets were noisy
and hitting my legs, so I put my glasses in my
shorts pocket. I then forgot about them. However,
at Bakewell I put a hand in the pocket and a lens
dropped to the floor. I realised the frames had
broken. Oh well - it didn't matter at the time as
the experience of the walk was more
important.
(Have you seen the price of spectacles
recently?)
Maybe I should have taken a couple of minutes to
take them back to the car. It would now be more of
a “strain” when I returned to Nottingham
afterwards, followed by a drive to Weston Super
Mare for an afternoon garden party the following
day, before returning home to Winchester in the
evening. After previous experiences of spectacle
damage I had always intended to carry a second pair
in the car, but since getting a new car last year
had forgotten to put the spare specs in.
GENERAL PROGRESS
I had reckoned that we would complete the walk in
about 11 hours. However, I was erring on the side
of caution as I was hoping it would be 30 or so
minutes quicker. I felt that I was fitter than in
previous years by working out in the gym three to
four times a week. But weighing in at about 17stone
3lbs, I was still as heavy as I was when I last did
the walk in 1999. This is despite having lost just
over a stone in the last 6 months. I thought
Emma
(Alan’s daughter)
would struggle, but knew she would persevere to try
and finish it. Emma's friend, Amelia, who was also
on the walk, always seemed fit in the walks we did
in working up to this event and should have no
problem.
However, problems came of course with "pace". It
reminded me of the first time I went with you,
Barry,
(1995)
and trying to keep up with you. Despite stopping
for 20-30 minutes at Harthill Moor, to have my
blisters seen to, it was still my fastest time as I
did 80% of the route at your pace – although I am
sure you slowed down and were delayed by me even at
that rate.
(Know the feeling. Now it’s me trying to keep
up with the likes of Larry, Mick and
Peter.)
Well this time I felt that I could walk with Amelia
at around my pace, but we kept “holding back” for
poor Emma. Unfortunately I didn't check times at
each checkpoint but I know that, despite queuing at
stiles towards the first checkpoint, we went
through it (Waterloo Hotel on the A6) at around
11.20am, and at the 2nd checkpoint were told that
we were on target to finish around the nine hours
mark (7 p.m.). A likely story I thought, but the
brain was not in the slightest bit interested in
checking as to whether the statement was right.
Emma was a couple of minutes behind us climbing the
path to Monsal Head where we had our obligatory ice
cream,
(Are ice creams allowed when you are trying to
lose weight?)
and probably more like ten minutes climbing up
through Manners Wood after the golf course at
Bakewell. Here we lightened our load by eating the
packed lunch at the top. I told Amelia that she
could walk on if she preferred, although I said if
possible it would be better if we could all stick
together.
Amelia
(left) and Emma, enjoying the "obligatory ice
creams" after first "sting" at Monsal
Head.
On an easier part of the walk between Calton Lees
and Rowsley (walking alongside the river) we all
seemed to be coping well and walking at the same
pace and enjoying conversations. (Surprisingly
enough on driving back to Nottingham after the walk
Emma said she found only one part of the walk
"boring" and this turned out to be it).
"Around 2pm after perceived toughest climb of walk
though woods after Bakewell (golf course). Time for
a twenty minute break for lunch. Nearly half way.
Coincidentally the man I asked to take the photo
was the "sugar daddy" who turned up later on in the
story. I sensed when he took the photo that his
thumb or finger (or something) may have been over
the lense - and now the evidence is
there".
Whilst
enjoying a cup of tea at the checkpoint at Rowsley
I heard one of the organisers saying there were
twelve more people to come through.
The walk from Rowsley across Stanton Moor to the
next checkpoint at Birchover is perhaps not the
most difficult part of the whole walk, although it
is almost a constant uphill climb between
checkpoints. Just before Stanton Woodhouse Farm,
Amelia and I stopped for Emma and, as she was
drawing close, we commenced walking again. Emma
suddenly snapped "What about my rest - you start
again when I get to you".
(Know the feeling. Hope Larry, Mick and Peter
make a note of this)
About ten minutes later, as we're nearing the road,
I mentioned to the girls that most people go across
the Moor but we would go the road way today as all
other walkers in sight were taking that route. I
quite innocently added that next year we would go
across the top of the moor as it was more
interesting. Emma responded aggressively "I am not
doing it next year or ever again. I hate it"!
Amelia and I stole a glance at each other but were
speechless and walked on.
About half a mile before Birchover, the family
turns up. Brother Graham and his daughter from
Nottingham, Wendy
(Alan’s wife)
& David
(Alan’s son)
were in Graham’s car coming towards us as we were
walking up the road. My brother had, the previous
evening, offered to be "on call" to pick anyone up,
if it was necessary, as it could be a long wait if
anyone finished early and had to wait for others. I
think the emotion, when the car drew alongside
Emma, who was probably about 50 yards behind Amelia
& I, was considerable. My brother turned the
car around and said they would meet us at the
checkpoint a few hundred yards ahead. It’s a
strange experience really as, although I was
suffering myself with feet & toes aching and
what felt like blisters forming, I started to feel
a lot worse with my legs trembling and calf’s
throbbing as I walked down the hill to the
Birchover checkpoint to see the family,
(It’s a strange effect that Wendy has on
Alan!!!).
As I refreshed myself with squash at the
checkpoint, the family talked to Emma to try and
offer help - if she wanted it. The "staff" on the
checkpoint were fantastic suggesting she had done
19 mile, broken the back of it, it was only 1.5
mile to the next checkpoint at Harthill Moor and
that she should just commit to one checkpoint at a
time, and by the time she gets to the next point
she'll have done over 20 miles etc.etc. Some humour
was thrown in by the St. John's Ambulance man who
offered to look at her blisters and pop them.
Another couple of walkers also helped tremendously.
We had already spoken to them a few times earlier
in the walk, as we were walking about the same
pace, or maybe they were a little faster but we
were catching up on any steep climbs or steps. They
offered to walk with Emma saying that they had no
races to win etc.
We all decided to carry on. Graham said they'd hold
back and meet us at the next checkpoint to see how
Emma was. As we walked through Birchover I
mentioned the shop where I normally get my second
"obligatory" ice cream.
(No comment!)
It was still open. However, with Amelia going a few
yards ahead and the fact that we were now with
another couple, and the weather was suddenly
getting cold - it dropped about 7 degrees in about
five minutes - I thought perhaps it would be better
to carry on.
We saw a few of the walkers drinking in the pub a
little further down the main street and made jokes
about the temptation.
(And you didn’t
succumb?)
I had not really noticed that Amelia had strode on
ahead of us, but when I did I thought that we would
probably see her at the next checkpoint, if not
before. As we steadily walked down the steep hill
towards the bottom of Robin Hood’s Stride one of
the walkers, who we had seen in the pub, said
“Excuse me” and literally ran past us down the
hill,
(Oh to be young and
fit).
The gate at the bottom of the Stride reminded me of
the 2nd time I did the walk in 1996 when I got
cramp climbing over the stile. After holding up a
growing number of people, one lady gave me a
wonderful calf massage for what seemed like about
five minutes - it was probably 60 seconds. Then a
gentleman just opened the gate at the side of me
and the growing crowd suddenly rushed through, and
the lady quickly patted me on the knee and said
“you'll be alright now” and rushed off through the
gate leaving me to carry on. But at least I’ve
registered the experience!
(That lady was Jill (an ex colleague), or one
of her cousins, who also remember the
incident.)
We could see the family waiting at the Harthill
Moor Checkpoint. Emma was brighter at this point.
Graham updated us with Amelia's whereabouts saying
she was steaming through "with her sugar daddy".
Apparently she was walking with some older
gentleman who knew the way etc. (We found out later
that this "sugar daddy" was the gentleman we saw in
the pub in Birchover, who later ran passed us down
the hill before Robin Hoods Stride).
Emma advised us of her intention to continue and my
brother and family confirmed their plans to return
to Nottingham as “dinner was waiting”.
On walking up the steep path from Bradford Dale
into Youlgreave, my mobile rang. Shock horror, it
was my brother advising that Amelia had phoned. She
had pulled out at the last checkpoint (Long Rake)
and wanted to be picked up. Apparently she was
short-of-breath, anxious and mentioned a knee
problem as well - something she suffers with from
time to time. Graham went on to say he was twenty
minutes away as he had been driving back home.
After leaving Harthill Moor, my brother had decided
to drive to Youlgreave to see if they could see
Amelia, which they did, still with this man. It was
noted that other walkers were taking a different
route at the bottom of Moor Lane. You can imagine
our worries. We were suddenly very concerned about
Amelia.
Half way up Moor Lane
(the road between Youlgreave and Long
Rake)
my brother and family drove passed Emma, me and a
couple who were walking with us. My brother phoned
about ten minutes later to advise that they'd
picked up Amelia, that she was okay, and they were
on their way back to Nottingham. With hindsight, I
realised that we should have all stuck together no
matter how "tiring" it is to hold back for a slower
paced walker. After all, the girls are only
fifteen, had never done the walk before and did not
know the area. Amelia had walked with an unknown
man and found herself on her own with him and
nobody else was in sight. Furthermore we were the
only people she knew and we were at least a mile
away.
When my brother passed us in Moor Lane (it was
drizzling at this stage and for most of the rest of
the walk), I wished I’d asked him to wait with
Amelia until we caught up. We were now only 20
minutes away from the checkpoint and Amelia. I am
not sure whether she could have changed her mind
about retiring but she hadn’t broken any of the
rules about getting into a car or anything. I know
Amelia could have finished it.
Amelia’s “knee problem” has not been mentioned
since. I think it was more anxiety than anything
else. Both Emma and I are still suffering and
Amelia appears to be as fit as ever and has
certainly no signs of damage or blisters etc.
Emma and I followed the other couple into Monyash
Village Hall at 9.21pm. The walk had taken us
11hours 21 minutes. It was quite amusing because
after the welcome applause died down, one of the
organisers said "That's it then”, and appeared to
end what he was doing. Emma asked "Are we last
then?". It was affirmed. We smiled. It must be
better to be last than two from last... mustn’t
it?
(No comment).
We've made it, and we've got the certificates to
prove it.
The pie and mushy peas, fruit salad & cream and
cup of tea were most welcome and enjoyed more than
ever before. I jokingly asked one of the helpers as
we were finishing off eating whether I would still
be able to get the car out the field. He acted
surprised, but assured me that it was okay (I
really didn't think that it wouldn't be).
As we left the Village Hall to walk back to the
car, it was still drizzling. My teeth wouldn't stop
chattering and yet I couldn't stop laughing. I
think that I was in a state of temporary madness
and I felt as if I was freezing.
(A number of people I know think it’s mad to
walk 26 miles. Does this prove it?)
We hobbled to the field where the car was parked.
As it was dark, initially I thought a farm vehicle
was blocking the gate, but fortunately the vehicle
was next to it. But low and behold the gate WAS
closed. Fortunately I was able to open the gate and
someone from the building next to it opened their
window and looked out. I told them I was just
collecting the car and would close the gate after
me. Although it was drizzling and we were cold,
Emma & I stripped off our top clothes in the
middle of this dark damp cow field to replace them
with something warmer. I then eased off my muddy
boots and tried to force on my shoes (unfortunately
I had forgotten my trainers). It was no good; I had
to take the thick socks off as well. The purple
blisters underneath my toes and blister at the
bottom of my heels showed that despite preparation
I was still suffering. In fact Emma & I later
compared blisters and I can claim fame again in
that my blisters are worse than hers.
Just going back to a bit earlier in the Village
Hall, as people left someone said to me "see you
next year". Emma reaffirmed that she'd never want
to do it again as it was much harder than she
thought it was going to be. I was not sure whether
I'd ever return. However, less than 24 hours later,
on returning home to Winchester (after hobbling
around the garden party in Weston Super Mare),
David stated that he wants to do it next year (as
he will have just turned 15) and he brought to me
the 2005 entry form that he has just printed off
the website.
So there you have it. I'll be back for another
slog. I must get some better shoes though. How do I
stop those blisters?
(Vaseline)
Well I had only intended on giving a short résumé.
But I hope it gives you a flavour of what it was
like for me this year.
Best Wishes
Alan