The Fabulous Four - August 2023
Fabulous Four in Final Flourish
On Tuesday 22nd August at 6.02am four intrepid men; a headmaster, a South African, a Bishop's son and a Cumbrian farmer, embarked on a challenge none of them were convinced they would conquer. Heavy rain greeted them as they set off from Grasmere, and a thick mist welcomed all at the summit of Kirkstone, before sweeping down to Glenridding Steamers Car Park for 7.30am. The support staff were all there to greet them, with morale high as wetsuits were donned.
Any swim in the Lakes is memorable, and for Tim this one will be remembered for excruciating cramp in his thighs, which didn't fill him with confidence for the remaining 3 swims. He needn't have worried. The wind was creating some impressive waves on Ullswater, which made it difficult to relax, but we safely made it to the beach at Air Force by 9.15am. After a fairly quick transition at Glenridding, this one took longer, due to a walk to the car park, changing and eating It was slowly becoming apparent that our timings for the day were not going to plan.
This was not helped when Alex's crank arms on his bike were no longer at 180 degrees, soon after we started Leg 3. A quick call to Immy to bring the Bishop's bike, not the latest in high-tech engineering, meant Alex could continue, but half an hour behind the other 3. Immy was able to take Alex's bike into Keswick for quick repairs. This leg is the least enjoyable, due to cycling on the A66 for half an hour, but we got it done unscathed, arriving at the Theatre by the Lake car park just before 11.15am.
With the longest swim ahead, plenty of food and drink was taken on board, with Dick making the fateful mistake of not having a wee. This came back to haunt him, as halfway along Derwent Water he could no longer continue swimming, due to his ineptness of not being able to wee in his wetsuit. He therefore took a detour to the shoreline, to relieve and revitalise. This all meant that Dick finished the swim at 1.45pm, 25 minutes behind the others, including Alex who had rejoined the pack by this stage.
Honister Pass awaited as they left Kettlewell National Trust Car Park, and this was safely managed. With damp roads care had to be taken on the descent, but the road to Buttermere and onto Crummockwater is simply stunning, so no one minded taking it slowly. We arrived at the South Beach of Crummockwater at 3.10pm for the third swim. Crummock felt like the coldest swim of day, and despite it being half a mile less than Ullswater and Derwent we were all glad to get out by 4.40pm.
Hot food provided by our support crew at Fletcher Fields layby was gratefully received, before we set off on the 50+ mile bike leg in good heart, and the realisation we were not going to finish in daylight. The first 30 miles of Leg 7 is ridden with the Hardknott Pass climb hanging over you. None of us had ever ridden it in semi-darkness, which had absolutely no effect on the difficulty. By the time we had all assembled at the top darkness was upon us, so slow descents of Hardknott, Wyrnose and Blea Tarn were the order of the day. We eventually arrived at Pelter Bridge Car park, Rydal at 10.50pm to a rousing reception from family and friends.
A swim across Rydal from the beach to the tree at Grasmere end awaited, and this was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the day. How often do you get to swim in the Lakes in darkness? Fortunately, head torches kept us on the half mile course, coming out of the water at midnight. The buzz in the camp at this point was palpable, with Will the most animated.
With only a mile and a half cycle to come, we simply put cycle shoes and helmets on and rode into Grasmere at 12.24am in our wetsuits, once more to an enthusiastic audience.
We cannot thank enough the support crew, namely Liz, Immy, Ric and Adrian. We could not have achieved this without their incredible support and care.
So, there you have it, the Frog Whitton completed in 18 hours 22 minutes and 20 seconds by Will Newman, Tim Patterson, Alex Newcome and Dick Gorst. A day none of us will ever forget. The camaraderie between the four was constantly positive, and an experience we will talk about forever more.
