Saturday 7th December 2019 - Cracoe Fell G/NP-032

Gig: Christmas Live!

Venue: Doncaster Racecourse

I woke up fairly early as I'd anticipated, so quietly got dressed and got out, leaving my room-mate in the Lodge - guitarist Stu Clark - asleep in his bed.  I got in the car and headed north to Cracoe Fell.  Unfortunately, Doncaster is on a very flat plain and pretty distant from hills in all directions.  At least there was no daytime rehearsal required today, so I could afford to be out until the mid-afternoon.

The tranquility of the racecourse was always very pleasant as I left the lodge every morning.  The drive up to the Yorkshire Dales was a considerable distance, despite my starting point being in Yorkshire!  I parked in the wide curving lay-by just beyond Rylstone village, and began my walk on the public footpath opposite.  As usual, I aimed for the right hand end of the fell, intending to complete a circular walk in an anticlockwise direction.

I walked rucksack-free, carrying just my handheld transceiver, plus waterproof paper logbook and pencils in my coat pockets.  Once on the end of the ridge, you get a sense of being "nearly there", but it is still a deceptively  greater walk - and ascent still to do from there.  The Rylstone Cross performs a similar trickery on the walker!  This section of walking is highly enjoyable though, and the paths are very good.

At the summit plateau, I climbed the ladder stile over to the obelisk side of the wall, and set about putting CQ calls out on my Yaesu FT-70D transceiver.  I managed to achieve the requisite four QSOs, but VHF traffic appeared to be generally thin-on-the-ground.  On the return drive, I spotted a gents barbers as I passed through Shipley.  I had plenty of time available, so I called in and requested the removal of my beard!  This caused considerable surprise to the dancers when they took to the stage that night!

The rest of the band all got on the road home after the gig, but I decided to avail myself of the on-site accommodation for one more night, and drive home in the morning - via Shining Tor G/SP-004!