The plan on Sunday 9th July 2006 was to wrap up Ward's Stone G/SP-003, White Hill G/SP-006 and Easington Fell G/SP-012 on Sunday. We knew it could be done, because two years ago we did the more demanding combination of Ward's Stone, White Hill and Fair Snape Fell G/SP-007 in one day, with Shirley MW0YLS. However, I didn't reckon for my own tiredness after a gig or the most unsummerlike weather.

After last week's gig at Ardsley House Hotel in Barnsley, this week the World Tour rolled onto Bertie's Banqueting Suite in Elland, near Halifax. This is a more straightforward and quicker drive back to Macclesfield, but we were contracted to play until 1.00am, rather than the midnight finish of the previous week. This resulted in a bedtime of 2.50am by the time I got back and unloaded, and a short sleep before the alarm at 7.00am.

I felt extremely tired as I warmed up the Baxter's Royal Game soup, but after a breakfast of "Oats So Simple", Sausage & Egg McMuffin, hash brown and coffee at McDonalds at Lymm Truck Stop, I found myself looking forward to the day. This enthusiasm was diminished as heavy rain continued to lash down around Wigan and northwards on the M6 through Lancashire. We exited at J33 and made our way on the country lanes through Dolphinholme and Abbeystead to the cul-de-sac hamlet of Tarnbrook.

We had taken the route from Tarnbrook on both our previous ascents of Ward's Stone G/SP-003, and considered the walk in from Jubilee Tower for a change, but went for Tarnbrook again in order to allow time to do the other two summits afterwards.

It was initially dry as we set off up the track through the access land, but with heavy black clouds all around, we started in full waterproofs. Before long, these were necessary in drizzle, which became heavy rain. We entered cloud at the 450m contour, and also felt the force of the strong southerly wind from this point too. We came off the track to climb up Ward's Stone Breast, upon which visability was down to 20 metres. Occasionally however, the shadowy silhouette-like trig point peeped through the mist, and we made our way across.

This was the slightly lower 560m west trig point, although I notice that the MARHOFN suggests that the true summit may in fact lie between the two pillars. We searched for shelter, and found a large boulder that we could sit under, cave-like, alongside two other walkers already there. We added fleeces and soup before setting up, and just four contacts each were made on 2m FM before there were no further takers.

As we packed up, the rain became very heavy, and the visibility down to 5 metres. Sense of direction had deserted us, so we trusted our compass to send us on our way. Sure enough, we seemed to be following a shallow gulley between breasts off the summit, and it was reassuring to suddenly find the track under our feet. The remainder of the track descent to the car was in heavy rain and strong wind, and it had become much colder than when we set off. Shelter was taken at the shooting lodge, accompanied by Cadbury's Brunch Bars, and we made a speedy return to the car, wet through upon arrival.

The weather was dreadful, and looked even worse towards White Hill. Plus I was shattered after the small sleep and didn't want to drive home later in the day after two more hills. So we finished the soup in the car at Forton Services, and got home in the afternoon for a change.  

Many thanks to the following stations, worked by both myself and Jimmy on 2m FM with 2.5 watts: