DARK PEAK NEWS - Dark Peak Fell Runners

Dark Peak News October 2007 page 24where Dick left us and went ahead to Great End whilst the rest of us called at Calf Coveto fill water bottles. We reached Styhead at 2.30pm after over eight hours of fun. I domean fun. Although the run is quite demanding, it was obvious from the banter that wewere all enjoying this little ramble. Spirits were good then, but the climb up Great Gableloomed in front. Alison and Alan set off without a stop here;; Dick and I had five minutesfor afternoon tea and scones by the stretcher box before following.Meanwhile back at the ranch, or Keswick in this case, Colin and Roy were wanderingaround pretending to be shopping for the evening meal. Actually they did rather well,especially in the wine department.After the Gables and along the ridge of Brandreth and Grey Knotts we never saw Alan– apparently he had the urge to make haste for his tin and a pipe of sardines, or was itthe other way round? Colin and Roy met us again at Honister, where the ‘flying’ Doctor(Moseley) joined in - at least we would be safe now. We lounged around for 25 minuteswith no sense of urgency, drinking tea and eating Nellie Wytkin’s treacle flapjack. Alandidn’t find his sardines but was contentedly puffing away on his pipe like a WindermereFerry whilst accusing Colin of eating them.With the doc on board, obviously fresh and like a coiled spring, (I do believe in creditwhere it’s due), we set off up Dale Head like loonies, round to High Spy and on toMaiden Moor. The doc’s knee soon had him back to a sensible pace. Cat Bells wasdeserted, the afternoon visitors having gone home - it was fantastic in the evening light.The views and colour layers of the Sailbeck hills to the left were perfect. On our rightwas the full length of Derwent Water with Keswick beckoning across the other side.Through the woods now with Colin, who joined us at the road, for the jog throughPortinscale, and the run up to the Moot Hall. We did it in 12hrs 49mins. We could haveeasily been well under twelve if we hadn’t had the rather unusually relaxed interludes,but so what - it was all part of the fun.The evening meal, in Salving House, Rosthwaite, was prepared, cooked and expertlyserved by Alan. His previously undisclosed culinary skills the envy of fellow hutresidents, and surpassed only by the wine and mirth course which extended into Sundaymorning.So, you may just detect from this brief précis that this modest little tour was fairlyOK, and worth the effort. As we said to each other at the time: “They don’t come muchbetter.”Dave LockwoodBullock Smithy, Saturday September 1stThe Bullock Smithy is another one of those challenge walks/fell runs organised by ascout group (3rd Hazel Grove). The notable others being The Fellsman and The LongMnyd. It started in 1975 and for the past two years it has also been part of the MontrailUltra-running Championship. The first thing to mention is that it is dead easy to get to