Rich S and his pal Pete, both dressed as Power Rangers, decided to motorcycle from John O'Groats to Lands End, taking in the National 3 Peaks en route (and just to break up an otherwise monotonous journey).
With a week to go, and only one taker in a supporting role who was going to cook at Snowdon for them, I decided that in order to protect my investment, I should really make a token effort to support my employee.. ahem... mate.
More or less at the drop of a hat and with no hesitation, Ian S, John D and Sharon all decided that it was game on. All we needed was some sun cream.
Pure Verdes. No plan, no preparation, no training. Just bags of oomph.
Of course, we didn't plan on beating 24 hours as we would be driving and supporting ourselves.
But, if the opportunity arose....
We arrived in Kinlochleven at our old haunt, The Tailrace Inn. after a cracking 5 hour drive. A few training pints and a pie and we were all set for the rigours or a bit of hill walking.
The weather was kind on the Saturday. A light breeze, some sun, a bit of drizzle and not too heavy cloud. Just what you need for the Ben.
The Power Rangers arrived at around noon and we set off to get it done. The going was ok and we all made it safely to the top in around 3hrs. Early days, but we had a sniff of under 24hrs in our noses, so we jogged most of the way back to the car.
1 down.
As it was my car and the road to Scafell was quite windy, I elected to drive to the Lakes. We made great time and even beat the Power Rangers to the car park at Seathwaite, mainly because we passed them as they slept and munched energy burgers.
We set off for Scafell at midnight and the evening was warm and humid, a portent for things to come. As we made Sty Head tarn (dead on schedule) the fog rolled in and all of a sudden visibility was around 2 metres, with head torches merely reflecting back on us.
Navigation was 'picky' to say the least and my major concern was the safety of the team. However, we managed to gain the summit after 3hrs so we weren't too far off the pace.
The problems started on the descent, with route finding through the boulder fields around Ill Crag hellish to say the least.
We managed to get back to the mother ship after 7 hrs of walking and for the first time we could see a sub 24 fading away.
Ian took the wheel for the race to Snowdon and we again made good time to the car park. The Power Rangers were no where to be seen however and we started to fear the worst.
Had they been nicked? Had small children stopped them for an impromptu autograph session? Had they fallen foul of small, coal smeared men, singing in close harmony, bored with sheep molesting? This was Wales after all.
Soon we heard the open pipes of Pete's Ducati coming up the valley and we knew that at least one Power Ranger hadn't become a miner's plaything.
We set off up Snowdon via the Pyg Track with great views up to Crib Goch and managed the summit in around 2 hrs 20. Descent was via the rail track as the train wasn't running.
Ian and I happily meandered our way downwards until we heard the sound of a large piece of decrepit machinery, straining its way up the hill. At first I thought it was Pete's Ducati but then we realised that the train WAS running. Taking refuge behind a 'NO TRESSPASSING ON THE RAILWAY' sign, we got the map out and made like tourists as the train chugged past.
We realigned ourselves onto an alternative path and made good time back to the finish.
Time taken in total 28 hours... not bad for a lash up attempt on a self supporting basis.
And testimony to what Verdes can do when it puts its mind to it.
Thanks everybody for a fantastic weekend.
And well done to the Power Rangers who made it to Lands End in 46 hours - brilliant effort.
Davie
No comments:
Post a Comment