Fog, Bog and Slog – The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Hike
Well, the Yorkshire 3 peaks was a game of 2 halves for sure. The morning, starting at Horton in Ribblesdale at 6.30 a.m (actually, starting at 3.30 a.m at home) was shrouded in misty fog (one above mist but just below thick fog if you know what I mean) and drizzle. Which continued up and over Pen-Y-Ghent and up to the top of Whernside or so. With the bog section from last year being really, really boggy this year. I think everyone we walked with or saw on the trail plunged at least one boot into the bog at some point.
And then the sun burned away the low cloud and the final 5 hours or so were hot and sunny and with fantastic views in the valley across to Ingleborough and then up on the top of it.
My walking compadres were Adrian. Andy and son Joe. None of them had met each other before but there was surprisingly a lot in common between the actor, the professor specialising in Alzheimer’s research and the recent geology graduate. A love of the hills for one thing. But also an enjoyment of swapping science facts along the route. I joined in when I wasn’t trying to breathe, hauling myself up Whernside and Ingleborough 
There were surprisingly a lot of folk out, for what was the end of summer and a lot were raising money for their chosen charities - so hats off to them all.
I raised just over £300 for Simon On The Streets, who do great work with rough sleepers, so I’m personally chuffed. And also chuffed to have completed the challenge itself again. And also also chuffed to have spotted a purse right at the top of Ingleborough , to one side of the path towards the trig point and to have got it back to its owner at the end of the day, thanks to her business card being in there.
And a big THANK YOU to those who sponsored me (you can see who these kind folk were on this site).. much appreciated!
Here’s some photos – once again taken on my cameraphone, so not great depth of field or detail – but hopefully they give you a sense of the challenge. It’s a lovely part of the world and I’d recommend it if you haven’t visited before.
Click on the first photo if you want to see a close-up slideshow thing (I’m trying it out).
Heading up the Yorkshire 3 Peaks – I may be sometime..
I’ll be on the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge when this post is published (Saturday 8th September) and then straight off the next day to help Mikron Theatre company break a narrowboat record (40 hours boating non-stop on a specific section of the waterways, blimey.)
So no post-challenge write-up for a while but hopefully I’ll be back in one piece soon
In the meantime, here are a couple of photos I took to drum up some sponsorship (http://justgiving.com/MarkKelly-Y3P ) on a couple of different social media channels.. trying to think of creative ways of standing out.
Have a good weekend.
My trusty walking boots .. and model
Map and Compass .. map of the start of Y3P route. With added lanyard heart to get attention on Instagram / Facebook
South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival – Sept 2012
Just a quick post about an outdoors festival taking place in the South Pennines area (north UK for my USA friends) in September.
I just got an email update about it and there looks to be loads on for every type of outdoorsy person.
The events run between 8th and 23rd September 2012.. you can get more info here : www.walkandridefestival.co.uk
And for my specific micro-area (Marsden ) there’s quite a few walks listed (not just when the festival is on, obviously) http://www.walkridesouthpennines.co.uk/walk_inner.php?area=9
It kind of coincides with my pre / post Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge but I’ll make sure I can get to some of the events.. some even involve Beer
My sponsored challenge can be found here : http://www.justgiving.com/MarkKelly-Y3P
Meanderthal man out fossil hunting and deer watching
I haven’t been doing much more than meander on my walks of late. That’s less about the weather and more a lack of time. But I’m supposed to be getting myself geared up for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, so a week or so ago I set off with son Joe with a vague plan to head to Pule Hill (highest place near us) and have a mooch for fossils on the way back.
Pule Hill has the only example globally (yes, I think that is correct) of a particular species of Goniatites (a type of cephalopod) in the Marine Shale at the base of the hill.
These Fossils aren’t ‘spectacular’ in size (way smaller than those shown on Wikipedia) and they need some looking for – but they were really clear when we started to find them.
Son Joe looking for fossils, he has a better (trained) eye than me..
Brodie’s paw gives some scale to the fossils. I think Ammonites could be huge .. not so these little guys
We were being careful we didn’t disturb the fossil deposits too much – then along came a flock of sheep .. no such caution from them.
It was a nice mooch after a meandering walk
And then last Sunday, I did another (short) walk to at least feel like I’d stretched my legs.
Brodie dog and I headed up behind the house to take in some of the Marsden moor heritage trail, we then looped around the Deer farm* at the top end of the valley and came back down into the village.
This was again just over 2 hours of meandering. Nothing big but it was really nice to get some air!
The next walk will have to be a tad longer..
* The deer farm as shown here:
Back on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge for @simonotstreets
I’m going to be doing the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge later this year – raising money for Simon On The Streets and this post isn’t so much about fund-raising .. I’ll be on that soon enough .. but more a prompt for me to get fitter (e.g now I’ve publicly committed to it!).
Saturday 8th September. That’s the day. As this isn’t an ‘official’ event challenge, I’m sorting out the details myself (but via the helpful 3 peaks site at http://www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk/ ).
I’ve got some friends doing it with me although I think maybe I’m the only one doing it for charity (or for SOTS anyway).
They don’t all know each other and some I don’t get to meet up much with ‘in real life’ – so this will be a great social / shared experience.
And also this is an invite for any of my hiking friends to join me if you like. It would be great to meet some of you in person. I think, based on the blogs that I follow, that pretty much all of you are more dedicated mountaineers than me, so the 3 peaks may not be so much of a challenge for you .. but you do get to see me in all my red-faced, out-of-breathe glory :-)
I did the Yorkshire 3 Peaks a year ago (http://halfwayhike.com/2011/07/18/3-peaks-1-monsoon-and-some-cola-bombs-completing-the-yorkshire-3-peaks-challenge/) and the weather was pretty awful.
Here’s hoping for bluer skies this year (a late summer maybe?)
Me, in ‘action’ last year:
Me, halfway up Ingleborough with the path back to Whernside in the distance. Yes I’m red-faced, I know.
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Mark Kelly’s Hiking Blog
- The Misty Mountain .. a walk up Snowdon May 5, 2013
- Yorkshire 3 Peaks 2013 for Simon On The Streets April 28, 2013
- Planning a Ridgeway walk March 31, 2013
- Kit Test : NO-AD suncream March 30, 2013
- A Roman Road circular hike .. the oxymoronic post March 20, 2013
- Snowdon In the Snow 2013 February 15, 2013
- A snowy slog on Swellands – Marsden Moor January 28, 2013
- Swellands hike – checking a Walkers Are Welcome new route January 6, 2013
- Intake Head walk – some guide map checking December 30, 2012
- A Boxing Day ramble with ‘health giving breezes’ .. December 26, 2012
