The New Lyke Wake Club
Crossing Report (West to East) – Friday 9th / 10thOctober
6 knees and 30 toes started – 5 knees and 28 toes finished
The Dirgers are –
Andrew Laird
Warren Mayers
The Witches are –
Michelle Cruikshank
Having seen an aborted crossing in February due to weather and another planned crossing early June abandoned due to lockdown restrictions, finally managed to arrange a smaller group crossing this weekend going west to east with a couple of first timers Warren & Michelle.
We planned to set off around midnight to land us around the bog stage with some early morning light. Providing us a moderate chance of getting ‘less’ wet. But In the spirit of foolhardiness changed this last minute and set off at 8pm allowing us to fully experience the wonders of the bog in all its glory going knee deep in a couple of places.
Pace was decent from Osmotherley to Blakey but slowed over the bog and then again after the stepping stones with some minor injuries. Still pushing on over some extremely squishy ground we arrived at the stone around 1pm..
Some very changeable weather towards the end but overall largely favourable overall along with some truly stunning views along the way..
Andrew Laird
Yarm
“The Doom Trilogy”
It is with the gravest of hearts that I must regretfully report a trilogy of doomy crossings………
Sunday 27th September 2020: departing Osmotherley at 07:54am and arriving at the mast at Ravenscar at 17:20pm, I have indoctrinated my sister in law Jill into the weird and wonderful ways of the Lyke Wake Walk, with her first ever crossing being a very steady shuffle-trudge Eastwards across the moors. Soggy underfoot, and with occasional horizontal rain blasts, this was not an ‘easy’ crossing by any measure. Ably supported by Jill’s husband, Matthew and their trusty canine friend Lilly-dog, this was a rather uneventful crossing, but another treasured notch on the LWW post for yours truly. I am sorry to proffer that I doubt Jill will be making the Lyke Wake Walk a repeat event on her diary, but you never know, do you?
D: 7.54am / A: 5.20pm
Sunday 4th October 2020: obviously having had his appetite whetted from the previous week’s supporting endeavours, this time it was my brother in law Matthew who was to join me, and this time dutifully supported by Jill and Lilly-dog! I do like to keep it in the family. This was an ever so slightly quicker affair this week, with my crossing time being a pleasing nine hours and four minutes. I’ll recapture those sub-nine hour PB days soon enough I tells ya! As opposed to last week, we took the Cleveland Way over the tops, and the views were absolutely stunning. After a minor SNAFU in our planned rendezvous with Jill by Old Margery, we eventually met up further along the road at the lay-by by the Millennium Stone for a hearty refreshment of cheese pasties and hot coffee. Being an altogether more gifted runner than I, Matthew was nought but a mere dot on the horizon for much of the second half of the crossing, but again I was full of the joys, sorry – miseries, of another day spent out on those moors we all love so. Lilly-dog joined me for the final mile and half push up to the mast, and I dare say pulled me on a little more quickly than had I been “unencumbered” by my dog-walking duties.
D: 6.14am / A: 3.18pm
Saturday 10th October 2020: after two familial crossings, I was delighted to reconvene with my original Lyke Wake family, Claire and Tom Chapman for a reverse crossing from East to West. It was fantastic to spend the time catching up, especially with this world of ours having gone so tremendously potty of late! Naturally, there was a lot of reminiscing of past crossings – typically focusing on the ones that did not go quite according to plan! Fortuitously, no such disasters today… Tom and Claire are keen advocates of a reverse crossing but I remain unconvinced… the Wainstones, Cringle Moor and Carlton Bank take a little “digging deep” when you’re already thirty miles in. Perhaps due to the toll of a third crossing in three weeks, my right calf muscle gave up the ghost today but I just about got through intact. Conditions throughout the day were very changeable but the skies cleared for our passing over the tops giving rise to stunning views.
D: 7.29am / A: 6.05pm
So… I must admit, I’ve very much enjoyed my “three in three” but it’s now time to rest up, and start plotting that first attempt at a double crossing!!!
David Allen
Aged 46.6 years
Ripon, North Yorkshire
Completion of the Lyke Wake Walk on Saturday 12th September 2020.
You have some new Dirgers and Witches! We set off at 4am and arrived at the slightly later than planned time of 10.15pm. We had 11 starters but sadly had 2 retirements.
The Dirgers are as follows –
Andy McDermott
Phillip Bacon
Jimmy Strickland
The Witches are –
Rachel McDermott
Abi Tyreman
Lynda Aitchison
Natasha Bacon
Lindsay Greensmith
Vicky Snowdon
I also have evidence! I have a brief YouTube link that should be all the proof you need that made the 40 mile journey. To say that it was a challenge was an understatement but we were glad that we made the effort and have also raised over £2800 for Zoe’s Place which is most worthy local charity. If you wish to share the Just Giving link we would love to get to £3000.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lyke-wake-walkers
This is the link of our little adventure –
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158995860888243&id=531408242
YouTube Link : https://youtu.be/WoYhlppsh0U
If we need to purchase a book of condolences or anything else to make it official then please let me know. Many thanks for support and advice!
All the best
Andy McDermott and the team
