Rising to the challenge of The Yorkshire Three Peaks
CSSC Hill Walking weekend Hawes March 2010
The first CSSC Hill walking Society weekend of 2010 took place in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales in April. The group of some 40 walkers came from all walks of the civil service life and included partners and friends. These weekends provide guided walks for all levels of ability and include; 3 or 4 alternatives for easy, medium and more demanding walks of distances ranging from 6 to 16 miles. However, on this occasion our intrepid leader Clair Wilson decreed that the opportunity to tackle the 3 Peak challenge was just too great a chance to miss.
The event starts at the café in Horton-on-Ribblesdale where walkers clock-in before setting off to cover a 24 mile circular route which takes in the three peaks of Pen-Y-Ghent (691m), Whernside (728m) and Ingleborough (723m) - all this within a 12 hour time limit.
Such an event calls for detailed planning over and above standard walks. Several pre-event telephone calls between Clair and walk leaders John Stafford and me hatched out a fully integrated plan to guarantee a successful 3 peak challenge. Dedicated transport to and from the start/finish point was arranged as well as; checkpoints, additional food and water, communications and first aid cover.
Our walkers were not about to shy away from the task and a creditable 14 signed up. All attended the mandatory brief on the Friday evening after a hearty dinner provided by the staff of Hawes Youth Hostel - our base for the weekend. Briefings are a key part of Hill walking events. Advice is given on essential equipment to be carried, a description of the route and procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency. With a scorching day anticipated the need for sun bloc, plenty of water and to be fully hydrated at the start was underlined. Several members nodded in approval - with one eye on the local pub for a post brief top-up!
On the day
Departing by 7.30am on a glorious morning, the route to Horton was a majestic cruise through some of Yorkshires finest limestone countryside. Criss-crossed with trade-mark white walls in the lowlands surrendering to classic moor land on the higher ground, the 3 peaks of Pen-Y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough could all be picked out from the distant horizon.
By 08.30 all the walkers had clocked in at Horton and were on the first climb up to Pen-Y-Ghent. With such a range of abilities and experience the group was soon spread out over several hundred meters. This is where the group management skills of the walk leaders come into play.
John Read, Duncan Tuxford, Tim Brown (Customs & Excise) and CSSC regulars Steve Lanon, Raymondo and Galvin Palmer were already departing Pen-Y-Ghent before the remainder had reached the summit so they became the lead group. The rest of us paused for the obligatory photo atop Pen-Y-Ghent at about 09.30. (See photo). From here we separated into two further groups; Colin Johnstone, Shaun Rennie, Michael Yogarajah and Gary Wilmhurst were with me, whilst John Stafford led the final group of Krysia, Liz Standen, Sally Lovell and Christina Steveni.
By 10am the sun was beating down and the CSSC Hill walking society 3 Peak Challenge was in great shape! All three groups were slapping the sun block on exposed places and picking their way through the limestone paving of the Ribble Way en-route to the first check point - the famous Ribble Head viaduct - some 6 miles distant.
As we sauntered along we were suddenly inundated by runners galloping by. These were the participants in the 54th annual 3 Peaks running race challenge. These runners were all shapes and sizes, old and young. We were jostled left and right as they sped by in a sporting fashion and lycra-heavy frenzy and with bum-bags bouncing wildly! This helped our navigation as a brightly coloured thread of runners stretched ahead on the route before us.
Arriving at the first of two main check points we spotted Clair's camper van by the T-junction of the B6255 and B6479 in the shadow of the famous Ribble Head viaduct. After Ten miles and four hours of walking we - the middle group welcomed a 25 minute lunch break and top up of water. As we prepared to move off we spied Raymondo and Galvin who had dropped back from the lead group about 15 mins ahead of us.
At his point Shaun, who had developed some nasty blisters decided to retire from the walk and take refuge in the camper to meet up with Clair later on. As we set off for Whernside we could see John and the girls a short distance from the check point. Confirmation indeed that despite being split into 3 groups the challenge was still on!
Whernside
The route up Whernside is, for me, the toughest aspect of the 3 peaks. The path follows the Settle-Carlisle railway just to the point where it disappears into the hill-side and the 2.5 Km long tunnel after which the rail line crosses Dent Head viaduct the highest point reached by main line trains in England. After crossing the railway line the route to the top of Whernside takes a wide and lengthy arc which becomes increasingly steep before levelling out along the pronounced ridgeline which is Whernside.
As we slowly trudged up to Whernside, we caught up with Raymondo and Galvin who now joined our group. We eventually arrived at the top of Whernside amid much puffing and panting and the odd blasphemy at 2pm.
Having conquered two out of three peaks it was with buoyed moral that we dropped down off Whernside en-route to the final peak. As we descended the distinctive 'table-top' silhouette of Ingleborough seemed to loom more ominously and at ever apparent height.
Once the group had descended Whernside we had been walking for over six hours and covered 16 miles. People were really starting to feel the strain. Feet were aching and hot after such a steep decent and hot spots were threatening to form blisters. Necks and shoulders were aching from carrying essential supplies in back-packs and knees and thigh muscles were reeling from the ascents.
Fortunately for the group we would soon arrive at the second check point situated at Chapel-Le-Dale on the B6255 which our route would cross before the climb up Ingleborough. Even more fortunately there was a pub (The Old Hill Inn) just before Clair's check point.
Cup of tea or Pub? No contest! The group piled into the pub before Clair had chance to spot us. Pints of chilled lemonade and lime brought surging relief to most of our tired group whilst Raymondo, Galvin and Colin brazenly quaffed pints of the local cider!
Ingleborough
With a welcome 20 minute break and liquids fully re-charged a determined group set off to conquer the final peak of the day. Not before, however, sheepishly apologising to Clair as we passed through her checkpoint! Clair was inconsolable - NOT! Rather she lavished scorn up on our group which she seemed a little too smug to inform, was now 15 minutes or more behind the lead group! John and the girls meanwhile were descending Whernside so the challenge was still in good shape.
As we approached the steep scramble up Ingleborough I was reminded of group member Colin's attire for the walk - of Scottish roots he was sporting a fine Kilt in his clan's tartan. Reportedly, beneath his kilt he was attired in the traditional sense! Needles to say as we jockeyed for position on the near vertical scramble up Ingleborough I made sure I wasn't behind Colin!!
So direct is the climb up Ingleborough, it was actually less tiring than that of Whernside. As we neared the peak we met the lead group on their way down and heading for the finish line. Within a short time we too had conquered the final peak and were stepping out for the finish line.
And so to Horton and the finish
The final leg from Ingleborough to Horton is deceptive. Gently downhill and slightly undulating the route is an agonising 4 miles or more. A series of false horizons can make the journey seem never ending. It's a time for exchanging jokes, deep conversation or even singing songs - anything really to take your mind off the aches and pains and fatigue of the day - or in Colin's case the under Kilt 'advanced onset of chaffing - ouch!
After just over ten hours and 24 miles we crossed the Settle-Carlisle railway line at Horton-in Ribblesdale station and completed the last few hundred yards to the finish at Horton café where the team members proudly clocked in to record a time of just over 10 hours. We joined the customs lads and Steve at the village pub where the celebrations "Re-hydration" had already begun after their 9 hours and forty five minute effort.
We would find out later that John and the girls crossed the finish line just inside the twelve hour deadline to complete our tally of 14 successful finishers from 16. Although well on target to finish, Lizzie had decided to miss out on Ingleborough and save some energy for Sundays walking. Whilst it is impressive to note that the runners we had shared the 3 peaks route with were completing the distance in three and a half hours its fantastic that the walkers of the CSSC seized the opportunity to aspire to the 3 peaks challenge where many personal goals were achieved. Even wider than this, the CSSC walking weekends bring exhilaration to the soul and refreshment to the mind and spirit which benefits all attendees and makes us work so rigorously in pursuit of the government's goal on return to the office!! Roll-on the next weekend!
