h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Exam time is long, dull and generally miserable. Weeks of spending most your time indoors reading through notes and generally staring into space when you can't read any more is somewhat tedious. So when the exams finish, and a lack of exercise has caused people to be at their least fit, Ramsoc hosts the Dark Peak Marathon, 24 miles or 37 miles of rambling in one day.

I'm on the committee, so I was one of the marshals. This was going to involve sitting in a tent all day on the Snake Path making sure that everyone was accounted for. However, during Saturday's ramble around Hook Norton in north Oxfordshire, the president decided I should sweep the 24 mile route. I was tired enough after walking 13 miles that day, I wasn't at my fittest. However, I said I'd sweep, so on Tuesday that's what I did.

I got up at 3am Tuesday morning, a time of day I've only seen before as a result of being up late. Eating breakfast at 3.30 was certainly odd. I was packed by 4 am and left the house, ready to be picke dp at five past. It was raining, this became a theme for the day.

It took a while to pick up all the marshalls, get to the Peaks and drop them off near their checkpoints. However, at 7am the marathon began, and after letting everyone get a 15 minute head start, Nick (who was sweeping with me) and I set off. We had some walkie-talkies to talk to the checkpoints with, but we had enough trouble just trying to talk to each other on them.

The first part was to walk up Win Hill. It didn't take long before we walked into the people in front. It was raining and foggy so there wasn't the usual view, and already a few people were beginning to give up. However, we made it to the Win Hill checkpoint and went on to Lose Hill.

By this point one person could only walk a few steps at a time, so it took a while to get to the top. Once we did, we found two ramblers were missing, which was more than a little worrying. The checkpoint people had to move on, so Nick and I stood on top of Lose hill for the next hour waiting for the missing ramblers, who after some frantic phone calling were found to have got lost and were on their way.

An hour later we were still waiting. Eventually OINK (Operation Information Network, made up for the anacronym I'm sure ) informed us that they'd found the missing ramblers on the road - they'd walked an 8 mile detour.

Nick and I were now over an hour behind the slowest people, so steamed along up Mam Tor and then on to Edale, and actually caught up . However, the people we'd caught up with had given up, and walked at snail's pace to the next check point where they could crash out and get picked up. This meant we lost all the time we'd made up.

By this point we were soaked to the skin, but walked on to the Snake path and on to the Snake Pass. By this point we were beginning to get a little miserable and went to the Snake Pass Inn for a hot chocolate. Nick pointed out the music - 'Why does it always rain on me?', and we had another hot chocolate. Now somewhat happier we put our boots back on and had a look at the map we had given to work out where to go next. The map was paper, and as I took it out from my pocket it fell to pieces. It took a little while to work out where we were meant to be going next, but we thought it was 'Alport Castles', but as the map was smudged as well, exactly what it was called we couldn't tell.

The way was mostly up hill, and steep, but on the plus side it stopped raining about half the way there and the sun actually started shining . We were tired by this point, we had walked 20 miles, and our feet were more than a little painful. By the time we got to probably Alports castle however the checkpoint wasn't there. Typically there was no phone reception either and it wasn't as if the walkie talkies were of any use. Eventually I managed to find somewhere with reception and phoned OINK, and was told to keep going. It turned out the checkpoint had given up waiting for us and moved on.

It was now the last stretch of the walk. Less than 4 miles and all donwhill . The ground by this point seemed very hard and the sun was starting to set, we'd been rambling for over 13 hours. We knew that we were meant to finish at Fairholmes, but there was no such place on the OS map, and our other one was now just pulp. We knew roughly were it was though from memory of looking at the map when it was still readable. We were somewhat relieved to find a signpost telling us what direction to go in .

About 8.30 pm we found it, Fairholmes turned out to be a carpark, and I've never been so pleased to find a carpark in my life. The Fairholmes checkpoint was still there, and now it was just a matter of waiting for the minibus to pick us up and take us to the pub.

At 12.30am I finally got back home. My feet were blistered, I ached and I was very tired, but I'd walked further than I'd ever done before and was better than I thought I'd be. Next year I'll have to attempt the 37 mile trip.

Good grief!

and you do this for pleasure?

About 13 miles is what I do for pleasure. This was a sponsored walk.

Pain in a good cause then?

For mountain rescue . My feet throb but otherwise I'm fine now, just as well as I'm off to Snowdonia again for the weekend.

Just reading that wore me out...

I'm going to bed.

TK[1]

Very impressive! I have to say I'd need to be raising some pretty hefty sum of cash to persuade me to walk between Snake Pass and Alport Castle in the rain, so doubleplus well done.

Is Fairholmes one of the carparks round the reservoirs, or am I getting it confused with somewhere else? And what route do the 37 milers take?

Good god!

Marathon and then some...

You're taking me back to my scouting days! I spent 4 fantastic days in the Peak District covering all the areas you've mentioned plus Hathersage. What a lovely area! Beats the Lake District and Snowdonia into a cocked hat for my money. I will now sit back and remenisce (sorry, essay fever, can't spell any more ) before I tackle one of my remaining 2 essays for Monday morning.
SBE

The stretch from Snake Pass to Alport Castles was the hardest. You're right about Fairholmes Dolt. . The 37 milers went on from Fairholmes to Hathersage, there's a map on the website http://www.su.nott.ac.uk/~ramsoc/about/marathon.htm

The Peaks certainly is a lovely area, though most the day I could only see a few metres in any direction. It wasn't until Alport Castles that we got a view. I know the problems of essay fever very well

Well done, Unc

Bel

sounds like it was a wonderful, but exhausting day

good on ya

got another 12 hr shift shortly

Helly, it was a good day, especially the last stretch. There was no one else around at all at that point and all the amount of wildlife out was amazing.

The biggest challange is in two weeks though, 5 days of back packing up in the Scottish highlands.



And I really ought to pack for tomorrow's trip to Snowdonia

So you'll be away for how long, Unc?

Howdy Helly

Back Sunday, going away again Thursday, but back Friday, going to Scotland that Saturday and back again on Thursday, then off to visit Opti the following day, and no idea after that.

(My Dad's refusing to pick me up from Nottingham and there's no way I can carry all my stuff on the train. I have no idea why he won't make the trip but if he doesn't I'll be effectively stranded in Beeston )

I know the problem with having too much stuff to carry, it was always awful when the boys were still small and I had to carry everything for two small children and me, should last atleast for about two weeks - I once put most of the stuff in a huge box and sent it to my parents by post- problem was, we arrived before the box

Silly postal system.

I can carry what I need for the Christmas and Easter holidays, but not for the three month long summer holiday.

I can imagine all too good
Have to go now, Unc, tc and see you soon

Bel