Sunday/Monday 7/8 July 2024
Start – Osmotherley, Cod Beck car park
Start time – 03.55
Finish – 02.19 Ravescar radio mast
Age – Old man (63) and young man, 17 later this month
Still smarting from having to abort last year’s attempt at Wheeldale, Andrew and Alexander, related and determined, set off from the hallowed car park on Sunday morning. A number of things went in our favour this year, there is more daylight in July than August and we had learnt a lot from last year’s blunders.
Apart from that, much was depressingly unchanged. The western climbs are as steep as ever, so that once again we couldn’t face Wain Stones and walked through Broughton Plantation instead. Glaisdale was still untracked, but we found a few more boundary stones, and taking no chances, left offerings to ward off the spirits. They seemed appeased as we saw storms rumbling around us, but crucially, not on us. On Wheeldale Moor, they finally lost patience and gave us a brisk 40 minute shower. Huddled beneath Blue Man i’the Moss in the rain trying to figure out what to do next was a low point. It was dusk (c10pm) before we reached Eller Beck and as we toured Fylingdale, the mist rolled in obliterating landmarks and creating monsters of many shapes. We were later told the stars were lovely. Finally, we got our act together, slithered down the hillside towards Jugger Howe Beck in the dark and made it to Beacon Howe.
God bless Helena, wife and mother to the above and provider of risotto and tea en route as well as driving us away from the radio mast in a warm car. “Have you two ever thought of walking for pleasure?”. It’s a good question.
PS I think Lilla Cross was then, what it is now, a guide and consolation to travellers. A distant comparison is the account of Kosmas the Priest in newly converted Bulgaria in the 10th century: ‘who has not rejoiced to see crosses set up in high places…?’
Andrew & Alexander Roach
Clydebank