Slip Sliding Away

The previous Saturday JtE had mntioned that he had entered the Anglezarke Amble, and as I was going to be in the area and had never done it, I thought I would give it a go. On the map it looks quite straight forward, with just two climbs but I hadn't taken the weather into account.

The alarm went at 6.30 ( much to the annoyance of SWINW) and I was in the car by 7, lulled into a false sense of security because I didn't have to scrape ice off the windscreen. Parked and registered before 7.30, JtE and I started to right the world's wrongs, occasionally stopping to see if there was anyone we knew. At 7.55 we went outside and bumped into t'Y who was on his way in. My polite comment about his time keeping elicited the response "I don't believe in hanging around", "you don't believe in buying a round either" came the reply: he does lead with the chin! Then we were off.

The climb up through the Chinese gardens was uneventful, apart from having to negotiate odd patches of ice. Up the Pike, a jog down and along Georges Lane to Pike Cottage and up to the Mast. At the top the road was very icy and the first real sign that the day was going to be hard work. We had planned to jog all the downhills, but on the ramp that would have been madness; despite our care, Jt did come a cropper but fortunately no harm was done. The path through the small plantation was lethal but short, and no further alarms were met before check point 2, where the marshalls warned us to beware of the ice for the next 2 miles! They weren't kidding.

Catherine's Edge looks simple on the map and we thought we would be able to jog it in less than 30 mins. It took us well over an hour and the first half mile took nearly 30 mins- it was lethal. A lady just in front of us took a particularly nasty tumble and we saw countless stumbles and managed a few of our own. Eventually it eased and we reached the Tockholes road. The route here is meant to go on a path to the east of the road but the gate was frozen shut. We decided that the road was the best bet so we jogged along it to the checkpoint at Slipper Lowe.

Now I have dined at the Savoy but I swear that the food provided by the wonderful marshals at Slipper Lowe was the best food I have ever eaten. Revived we walked/skidded our way to the road at Piccadilly, and so on to the ascent of Great Hill. It was still very icy underfoot and unfortunately JtE had a nasty fall and hurt his back. However, despite his discomfort he said he was fine and since the conditions underfoot had finally improved we were able to reach White Coppice without further mishap.

A short break and some stretching seemed to repair the damage and we were able to enjoy the last few miles back to Rivington and tuck into the hotpot and tea. 15 mins after we arrived, t'Y appeared having completed the long course in a very respectable 6hrs 45: well done Gordon! Typically he then managed to sit down in a seat that a young lady had just left whilst she got a cup of tea. John and I could not decide if the look on her face when she returned was annoyance at losing her seat or disbelief that anyone could look like Gordon.

My thanks to JtE for the pleasure of his company and for showing me the route beyond Belmont. My final comment is to recommend this event to anyone who does not know it. It's a nice route, well organised and well marshalled, and very good value for money - it's a pity race organizers in the south don't follow suit.