So to Tuesday 30th May 2006, and the day Jimmy had been waiting for, for a very long time.  The day he caught his dad up on his Marilyns score.  I had at one stage done a good number of Marilyns that Jimmy hadn't, but bit by bit he insisted on accompanying me as I reactivated them until he had done everything that I had done - bar one.  I had activated Cringle Moor-Drake Howe G/TW-002 on the way home from a conference in Sunderland early last year, and that had meant that for a few months our respective Marilyns totals were 136-135 in my favour.  This was the day that we were setting off back home from Osmotherley, but we were going nowhere until we had activated the hostel's most local summit!

We parked at the Lord's Stones cafe on Carlton Bank, popped in for a quick drink and then set off along this part of the Cleveland Way for the summit.  The route starts with a slight descent along a green grassy path, then a sharp ascent up rock steps to the viewpoint at the north end of the ridge.  The Cleveland Way then climbs around the cliff edge until the view opens out to Urra Moor-Round Hill G/TW-001 and the hills in-between.  From this point, a narrow but well-defined "sheep trackl" winds between the heather and up to the summit cairn.

The wind was really whipping in this time, and shelter even in the large hollowed out area behind the huge summit cairn was still impossible to find.   It was without doubt the coldest I have ever felt at the end of May!  The oxtail soup was out before the FT-817 as we got our priorities right.  The SOTA Beam was mounted on the WASP and my new Leki pole in the cairn.  Jimmy and myself each worked the same four stations before we beat a hurried retreat from these most unsummerlike conditions.  Jimmy reported that this was his favourite walk and summit of the trip.  That is probably fair comment, but to what extent was his perception influenced by the fact that he no longer trailed his father in terms of Marilyns ascended?  I still felt a little sorry for him in that all the remaining 113 Uniques he needed to catch me up on are hills he had climbed with me - and indeed set up radio equipment and antennas on with me!  

We now made our way south to Sharp Haw G/NP-029.  Thanks to the following stations, all worked on 2m FM.  I was running 2.5 watts, but Jimmy operated using just 1 watt: