At 8:30pm last night I set off to climb my first hill since the knee op.
The objectives were Arnside Knott (159m), and the lighting of our jubilee beacon.
Within a hundred yards of home I stopped to chat to my neighbour with his VW Beetle which he has spent £30,000 restoring; he was just getting into his stride showering me with enthusiastic details, which although interesting threatened to delay my ascent of The Knott. Fortunately another neighbour couple arrived on their way to beacon ignition, and I was saved. These two set a good pace, but I was able to keep up and we arrived at The Knott summit in good time.
A large crowd took in the splendid view of the sun dropping behind The Old Man of Coniston, and then the chairman of the parish council, assisted by National Trust bods set our beacon alight.
All in all this was a good effort by Arnside PC and The National Trust. I chatted with a number of people I knew from the village, and eventually set off back with a full moon providing enough light at eleven thirty to follow the path, but as I entered the trees I made full use of my torch - it is a steep, rugged path, and in my present state of instability I had to take care.
I managed to get an eerie shot of the moon through the trees, and arrived home about eleven thirty well pleased with this, my most ambitious outing since I walked a thousand miles round the Welsh boundary last summer.
Stats.
3.1km
136m. of ascent - wow !
You will make the grade as a fledgling mountaineer yet - congratulations.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely night, I was up Longridge Fell. Now that is a serious mountain!
JP
I think you have me there. At first I thought my ascent may have exceeded yours, taking into account starting point above sea level, but looking at the map there is a spot height of 148m on the road below Longridge Fell, so I concede that you probably ascended 200m or so compared with my 131m.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you again.
If you remember we did that serious ascent a few years ago. No beacons visible on the night so I think you win.
ReplyDeleteGood pics by the way!
When Geoffrey Winthrop Young lost a leg he resumed rock climbing but employed a sort of guide to position the tip of his peg-leg on footholds. This seemed a peculiarly middle-class - even feudal - solution to the problem. Your equivalent would be to employ a sedan chair, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteL d P - Whilst being driven round the Yorkshire Dales a week or so ago in my car by my daughter, not exactly with a rug over my knees and sipping Bovril through a straw in the back seat, we saw a party trekking with llamas. The llamas were carrying the kit, and my thoughts were that this seemed a good idea - one would be able to take a more spacious tent, and other luxuries (perhaps a few bottles of single malt). I will have to research and find out if llamas can carry people.
ReplyDelete