Back to Winter

Wintry conditions accompanied this week’s Saturday Squad of EtU, Nic’O, TF, NLN and H?  Healey Nab had everyone confused as to the path back to White Coppice, with NLN even failing to follow a road sign to the village from the tarmac!  A very pleasant stop at the cricket pavilion for sustenance, hot drinks and other refreshments available but sadly nobody had any money!   We were entertained by a bunch of cricket officials wrestling with the tarpaulin covering the wicket during our stay.

An  extremely cold and blustery wind accompanied by constant rain meant no takers for Great Hill, so a jog back to Rivington village.  With only 8.75 miles run and the clock at 10.45 a poor outing for the Squad.  However, most had legitimate reasons for curtailing the run.   But I did not, I hadn’t had a wisdom tooth extracted, I hadn’t raced the night before, I hadn’t got a gangrenous big toe, I had got full winter kit on and I was acclimatised by much worse conditions in Scotland last week.  Visibility was good and although still raining it did seem to be getting brighter.  So from the village I trotted up to Lower Houses car park, from there to the Pigeon Tower, the Pike and Two Lads with the intention of coming back over Winter Hill.  But after heading into the wind all the way I decided that was enough and made my way back to the lower barn.  This gave me 14.75m so a jaunt around the arboretum and a time watching the Go-Apers meant that on returning to the car for the second time, the milometer had gone over the fifteen barrier.

Hoping for better weather next weekend (but not exactly confident).  Emails to participants to follow.  A phone call from Phil Dewhurst informed us that on supporting a BG outing last night snowdrifts were encountered on Helvellyn!  Are we really in June?

NLN