Friday was wet and blustery with the occasional chink of sunshine up on Pen Y Ghent and we were up and down the other side within a couple of hours. Phil’s Achilles is playing up so we decided to do 2 peaks, not 3, choosing Ingleborough. Unfortunately the weather wasn't happy with our decision! Oh well, it makes you feel alive.
On Saturday we drove over to Buckden and a swift climb of Buckden Pike. Again we got the brunt of the weather and at the top of Buckden Pike the sizeable bogs were rapidly growing in stature!
So there we were; two drowned humans and one mud plastered creature which vaguely resembles dog shape. Thankfully the folk at The Cottage Tea Room are used to muddy outdoors folk and we warmed ourselves with tea and cake!
On Sunday we went to check out the 3 Peaks and Cyclocross Race. In the words of the website “The Three Peaks is the toughest cyclocross on the UK calendar and also the biggest!” What else can be said? Great spectacle. Unique event. Worth a visit even if you don’t take part!
The weather was awful! The fog was right down, the rain was pouring and the wind was whipping along...then the race began! Cue all sorts of It’s a Knockout style slipping and sliding in the mud. Great fun!
One of our running leaders, Jill Ecclestone, said this of her experience of completing the 3 Peaks Cyclocross Race:
3 very new experiences for me to enjoy on the way up each peak:
Ingleborough - Climbing with my bike on my shoulder up Simon’s Fell clinging onto the fence to avoid sliding back down whilst enjoying a frequent tap on my helmet from the riders wheel in front!
Whernside - With bike at the a right angle on my back, the gusts of wind pushed me up the steep ascent - it felt a bit like a metal kite! A strange one that’s for sure.
Pen y Ghent - Rain and winds offered the best free facial to date with visibility down to a couple of feet while trying to avoid the remaining racers who were crazy enough to try and ride this section of footpath!
See photos from the event at Mud Sweat and Tears or check out the mud face plant video on our Facebook page.
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