Great Gable, 5th September 2009

Saturday saw Davie, Dicko and the elusive Speirsy departing Ripon for the Lakes. The weather in Ripon was clear and dry, but the forecast in the Lakes was to the contrary. As the merry band sped across the A66, the plans were still not finalised. Would it be a chance for the Needle virgin (Speirsy) to finally pass through the sacred crack??

Only time would tell.

The cloud started to build and the ominous signs of rain on the horizon would prove the weatherman right. Still with the chance of a hike and some retail theory in Keswick, I could think of worse places to be on a Saturday. We drove through Keswick, on the way to Seathwaite.

A lot of cars on the road into the farm suggested that not everyone had been put off by the weather. With low cloud and a fine drizzle, unperturbed the merry band donned waterproofs, packed the tuck and set off up the hill.

The route was set: Styhead Tarn, the stretcher box and then? This was the first that Speirsy had seen of the area in daylight, the previous visit had been during the epic National 3 peaks last year. Arriving in the dark and retuning at dawn, little had been seen outside the beam of a head torch.

Dicko set the pace after having robbed his son’s backpack for the trip; the added weight of his lads school books didn’t seem to slow him down. Davie the ML kept Speirsy in sight and onwards and upwards the 3 amigos pressed. The rain got heavier and wind started to pick up. As we approached Styhead tarn we passed a group of four lads heading back down the hill. It transpired they had travelled up on Friday and camped out at the tarn. They were heading back down to the pub and would be back later. Good effort lads - impressed the Verdes boys. As we approached the Stretcher box, it became clear that there was indeed something on. 24 peaks in 24 hours challenge, 14 hours on the first day and 10 hours on the second. The Stretcher box was occupied by one of the local Mountain Rescue chaps and his 2 labradors.


The stretcher box was the decision point: where next? In weather that was described as bad enough to ‘kill a civvy’ the chances of threading the needle were slim. The chances of survival of Dicko and Davie were also in question, thankfully the ML had a bit of previous with the regulars so his chances were improving.

Speirsy thankfully held the 3 together, but did fear the worst. Dicko appeared to have his gortex on inside out as it was drier on the outside. Davie then produced the latest gadget: a 2 man shelter, loving it; does it do what it says on the tin? Much to the amusement of a few souls around the stretcher box, our 3 intrepid adventurers then attempted to put 3 men into the 2 man bivvy. Dicko forgot about the school bag and tried to get in with it still on. Speirsy then had to crouch down and come in from below. With a scene reminiscent of a gay porn orgy (so Davie tells me) all 3 did manage to get inside but sitting down in the thing will require some prior practice. Now the crunch point, where to next? Easy! Dicko was off, he’d had enough; cold, wet and thinking of hanging out with the 4 lads we’d seen earlier. So off he went, with the keys to the car and some pocket money for sweets.

The Needle was going to be to wet, so best save that for another day. As Speirsy had never been up Great Gable, it would seem rude not to. Thinking back to Snowdon last year it was the same pairing heading up the hill, not wanting to miss an opportunity.

Speirsy was in his latest bit of kit, the Paramo, and was keen to see just how good it was. The verdict: worth every penny. Davie did his best to drag his client up the hill, as the weather worsened and the wind picked up the more these 2 enjoyed it. After a slow old slog, and putting a few stray groups back onto the right path, the summit was reached. Denied the views due to low cloud and seeking shelter from ever increasing wind and rain, the pair had a well earned brew and sandwich. Just enough time for a photo and then it was on our way back down for some therapy in Keswick.

After a swift decent back via the stretcher box our eagle eyed ML/First aider spotted a limp. A competitor from the 24 peak challenge had pulled up and was heading down. Davie sprung into action and like a well oiled machine had the lads trousers down and asked for a look …….. at the knee.

Speirsy not wanting to be outdone rolled up his trouser leg to get to a strap on support he was wearing. Like a scene from a Thursday night lodge meeting, 2 men standing with their trouser legs rolled up shaking hands.

The decision was made to escort the lad off the hill, with Speirsy muttering about his army days and ‘let’s just shoot him and get to Keswick’. The trip down was slow and deliberate with Davie demonstrating how to support an injured walker, (all good stuff) It transpired the lad worked for the company sponsoring the event and had previous with his knee. I think it appreciated the gesture.

By the time we were back at the car time was against us and the retail therapy would have to wait (ebay time). All in all a good, yet wet, day out. You can never say a day in the lakes is wasted (unless you’re Dicko, only joking, love you man……) The Verdes spirit remains high and the support shown to others reflects the true ethos of the group.

Speirsy remains a needle virgin, Dicko is still drying out and Davie has still got a fashion accessory waterproof.

Ian S