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MULANJE EXPATRIATES THREEPEAKS SOCIETY

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North Yorkshire, England. 9 – 13th June 2010

Participants: Dave (Shooting Stick) Leishman, Brian (Air Malawi's Last Hope) and Jane Sayers, David (Harriruo) and Judy Harrison.

Wednesday, June 9th, a small band of methophiles (AMLH and Jane, Harriruo and Judy and Shooting Stick Leishman) descended on Hawes, as did the clouds. Notwithstanding the untimely death of our leader, it had been decided to go ahead with the meet as a tribute to his sterling services in leading the Hawes meets with unerring navigational skills over many years.

Thursday morning and the fells remained cloud covered. It was decided to play safe and stick to well-marked trails, so to Thwaite where the three walkers picked up the Pennine Way bearing southwest onto Great Shunner Fell. On reaching a beacon, taken to be the summit, the two veterans decided to retrace their steps while Shooting Stick, deciding to brave the weather's inclemency, battled on from the beacon on the route through to Hawes, some 6 miles to the SE, happening, about 0.75 miles further on, upon the actual peak (716 m, 2349 ft), graced by four stone wind-breaks with seating, in the shape of a cross, built courtesy of Round Table Wensleydale.

Meeting hikers on their way up, he was taken entirely at face-value in warning of the path's "disappearance under an inch of snow" near the summit, such was the iciness of the elements...! A quick one at The Green Dragon in Hardraw, one of Axeman's favourites, brought new vigour for the final mile to Hawes.

On Friday 11th an even more modest undertaking - back to Thwaite, taking the Pennine Way again but in the opposite direction, the trio ambled on a contour round three sides of Kisdon Fell with splendid views down into isolated stretches of Swaledale on their right before dropping into Keld where a car had been thoughtfully positioned. A gentle morning amble, with Shooting Stick shooting off for further activity in the afternoon while the veterans and wives took a gentle drive through Wharfedale, pausing to paddle in the icy waters of the Wharfe before sampling the delights of the inn at Buckden.

Meanwhile, Shooting Stick drove his car from Thwaite to Muker, lunched at the Farmers' Arms, and set off up Swaledale to climb onto Ivelet Moor and cross over to the heights above Gunnerside Gill, during which he discovered both a newish-looking track running EW and one branching off north to Rogan's Seat, where a sign proclaimed, on the EW track, "C-to-C Path." To S-S, that conjured up visions of the Cape-to-Cairo, but not in the middle of Britain, somehow. Avoiding Gunnerside, he cut off SW to join farm roads merging into the main Swaledale road, back to Muker. Roughly a 7-mile round walk, on a day of great clarity

On returning to Hawes we were pleased to find Robert Mason and his sister Caroline who dropped in en route from sorting out their fathers affairs in Scotland. A pleasant afternoon was spent reminiscing over al fresco afternoon tea in Hawes before the two younger Masons departed for home.

This marked the end of the meet for the AMLH and Harriruo tribes while Shooting Stick added a further day's walking. Taking up Axeman's suggestion, he motored down to Hubberholme at the eastern end of Langstrothdale and puffed up in bright sunshine onto Birks Fell and along the ridge SE between Littondale and upper Wharfedale right through and down to Kettlewell, lunched, and then repeated the process on the eastern side of Wharfedale, along the ridge past Cam Head, with a temporary loss of route in the area now fenced off for old mine workings, but working his way back NW to the Polish Memorial and on to Buckden Pike (702 m, 2303 ft), before a speedy descent to Cray, where The White Hart did its job with one pint, while the other was partaken at Hubberholme's The George. Cheers, Axeman!! About 13 miles in all.

© WDYFO, 2010