We wanted to mark this significant year so we decided to join the annual hike up Great Gable.
We drove up to Honister pass in the van, stopping in Keswick for a takeaway curry, and got ourselves settled for the night behind the Youth Hostel. A few vans came up during the night, but by 7am the car park was getting full.
We set off at about 9am, after a leisurely cooked breakfast. It was already raining.
We took the route from the car park, up and over Grey Knotts, Brandreth, and Green Gable, past an extremely windy Windy Gap, and up Great Gable.
View looking down to Honister PassPoor visibility on the walk up.
There were lots of people, far more than I expected, and much younger than I expected. We hit a bottle neck at Windy Gap. There was a good atmosphere and we all just waited patiently, staying safe on the slippy path.
We got to the summit of Great Gable at about 10.45 and there was already a large crowd. We all huddled together like penguins and some put up survival shelters and hunkered down.
A couple of minuted before 11, a representative from the FRCC gave a small speech and led us into two minutes of silence. It was very thought provoking as we forgot the cold and wet and thought about those who have lost their lives in all the wars.
At the end of the two minutes the sound of wet soggy gloved hands clapping spread over the mountain top.
We didn’t stick round for long afterwards, choosing to head back down to the van for hot coffee.
“The date 11th November, has a very special meaning for our Club for it was on that day in the year 1906 that, at an informal meeting in the Sun Hotel, Coniston a decision was made to form a Lake District Climbing Club. A few years later that date was to acquire a much wider and a very different significance.”, from We Remember
Map of the land above the 1500 foot contour that was purchased by the FRCC and gifted to the National Trust to hold for the nation
