Troller's Trot, 2nd March 2013

Jenny and I had a well deserved weekend to ourselves recently and decided to get away for some walking if the weather was OK. I suggested to Jenny – or was it coerced? – that we try a LDWA event. The longest Jenny had walked previously was 15 miles, so the Trollers Trot at 25 miles would be a significant challenge. However, she positively jumped at the idea.

We found a hotel to stay at in Grassington for the weekend and arrived on Friday evening. After a bit of a relax and food, it was back to the room to sort out kit for the next day and an early night. I was carrying all the gear – waterproofs, spare layers, water and food – Jenny was “travelling light”!

We had arranged for an early breakfast as we wanted to start the walk at 8 (before the mass start at 9). In my excitement, I managed to drop the cereal container and spill the lot on the floor, much to Jenny’s embarrassment. We then drove the short distance to Threshfield, registered and set off on schedule.

It was a lovely morning and we set off at a good pace. There was a time limit of 10 hours for the event and Jenny desperately wanted her certificate. We made good time up Threshfield Moor and then continued past Winterburn Reservoir and down Moor Lane to Hetton where the first runners overtook us.

The first manned CP was at Rylstone. I had a senior moment when I checked my watch whilst holding a drink in the same hand, spilling it over my shoes much to Jenny’s amusement.

We took our time up the significant climb to Rylstone Fell but once on top we quickly got going again, and were soon descending again past Upper and Lower Barden Reservoirs. 

I was encouraging Jenny to eat regularly even though she wasn’t hungry. 

When we arrived at the first CP with food at Barden Scale the cupboard was bare; there was nothing left at all. The marshal generously got us a Mars Bar from his car, and we stopped and had it with a cup of tea. Having gone on about cakes, flapjack etc at CP’s, it was a bit of a let down to find everything gone!

We were well on schedule to beat the 10 hour cut off as we continued down to Barden Tower and onto the Dales Way in Wharfedale.  

We stopped briefly for our sandwiches at Eastwood Head and then wandered down to Parceval Hall. Going up past Skyreholme Beck, Jenny began to get very tired so she took on emergency chocolate, and at the CP I forced her to eat 2 pieces of swiss roll. 

Powered on by cake, we descended back into Wharfedale and the final 4 miles back to Threshfield. We positively powered through Burnsall, over the suspension bridge at Hebden,  past Grassington and on to the finish in Threshfield.

Jenny had done remarkably well in her first long distance walk. She was unsurprisingly tired but happy to finish in 7 hours and 59 minutes, and get the all important certificate. We had had a lovely day, chatting away all the way, and the weather had been great.

After a quick bath and change, it was off to the pub for a meal. Jenny totally crashed out before pudding and went to bed. She also had sore toes and later developed 3 black nails – a certified endurance athlete!

Post note: As we approached the finish, I told Jenny that now she’d want to do another one. She said she wouldn’t! Within 2 days she was asking when we could do another one! Brain washing a success!