I should have known that when John says “the walk will include [insert name of summit]” this means not that we will ascend just “a” fell, but that we will jog over as many as possible before dark. However, when we assembled recently in the Northern Fells, I was foolishly expecting only a gentle stroll up High Pike.
What I got was/were:
- High Pike
- Great Lingy Hill
- Knott
- Great Sca Fell
- Little Sca Fell
- Brae Fell
Somewhere between High Pike and Great Lingy Hill, Andrew decided to turn back, claiming to have a date in a pub. Our last view of him was a stumbling figure threading his way across a moss and between clumps of heather – but apparently he was on his way back to the path we had previously taken. Unfortunately, when we got back to the cars at dusk (about 10 pm) totally trashed, his car was still there but there was no sign of him.
I had got my boots off by the time someone noticed his car and his absence, and did not relish the thought of putting them back on to start combing the fells, but what can you do? Answer: you can delay such action by first jumping into cars and whizzing off down various lanes to see whether he has reached safety at some other point on the map. (It goes without saying that mobile phones were useless.) Fortunately he was fine when we found him making his way down a lane a few miles away, just p****d off. He had probably been walking for longer than we had!
We got to the Old Crown before closing time, which was the main thing 🙂
Oh no, a bit of an epic. Glad you found him. Glad you all made it to the pub eventually. Bet that pint tasted like heaven.
10pm & not yet in the pub! Well done for hanging on & finding the lost sheep – I hope he bought the first round!
Oh yes, an Old Crown pub is always pretty good 😆