WOK & RICE GREAT WHERNSIDE TRIP – 14^th Jan 2001

MEMBERS ATTENDING:

Wil	Luke Hudson
Girts	Adam Hudson
Perry Chuckle	Steve Burras
Paul Hudson	Luke Burras
Paul Thomas	Mercedes Martin
Mark Hudson	Steve Houghton
JT

Sunday the 14^th dawned as a freezing foggy day. Thirteen brave souls assembled in the Scar House Reservoir car park and made good use of its luxurious toilet facilities.

We started our walk over the impressive Dam wall and followed a frozen path alongside the partially frozen reservoir. Along the way we were privileged to be shown a demonstration of a once popular Yorkshire pastime by Mr Houghton. The sport of ‘smashing’ a large piece of ice with his own, and other people’s heads, is now a very rare spectacle and his eloquent destruction of the ice was memorable.

The party then proceeded northwest away from the reservoir to meet a good (and still frozen) track, which took us some ½ kilometre below Little Whernside. As it was still foggy, we were forced to use years of navigational experience to leave the path and guess where the summit was. Whilst partaking in the popular Wok & Rice pastime of ‘supping’ tea and taking photographs (of people with feet/heads missing) the fog we had walked through all morning cleared and we caught a glimpse of our main quarry – Great Whernside.

Following the boundary fence across Whernside, the path (still frozen) led to the summit of Great Whernside via a craggy shelter (of sorts). Here we had lunch and enjoyed fine views across the Dales and the high peaks of the Lakes. After lunch, and more photographs of people with no feet or heads, the choral section of the Wok & Rice Club performed a stirring rendition of ‘Happy Birthday To You’ to Mr Paul Hudson in celebration of his 40^th Birthday.

We then tore ourselves away from the views and magnificent cloud below us and started our descent towards Angram Reservoir. The going was rough over the ‘clumpy’ terrain with various stream crossings, but we had an eye on the time so carried on regardless and were soon back into the mist again. Once we found the head of Angram Reservoir a good track saw us quickly back into the car park.

A very foggy car journey back to Yeadon, quick showers all round and on to Paul’s Birthday Bash.

All in all – a cracking day out!

Wil