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Friday 2 October 2015

Bar Trekking

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Lets just assume for a moment that I decided not to apply for the 2016 TGO Challenge and, instead, opted to do something else.
I have mooted (so moot it be!) once or twice, an alternative to the National Three Peaks madness wot goes on every summer. And this proposed walk would not at all suit those one-offers who climb Scafell Pike in the middle of the night, empty their bowels at the summit cairn and distribute various bits of waste plastic, paper and other stuff along the paths and fields of Wales, England and Scotland. Because it would take too long.
The idea is a simple one – to link the three highest pubs, or, at least three of the four highest pubs in England  in one mighty stagger AND to have a few beers in each one, AND to link up any walkers-type pubs that might be open along the way AND have a drink in each one of these too.
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And to design this walk, which ought to take between two weeks and forever, I need your help.
I’m just about to abandon Pietowers for a fortnight for the purpose of mounting an unarmed raid into Scotland in order to bag some hills and stuff like that there. So, readers, (if, indeed there are any still out there…) you have two of your Queen’s weeks to submit, through comments, or emails, supposing you can work out what my email address is, the names and locations , and any other information you might consider relevant, of your favourite public houses,  hotels,  inns, drinking dens and dives, or even locally celebrated off-licences to me for consideration and to see if I can weave some of these into a route.
The three main pubs seem to be: Tan Hill Inn 1730 feet, The Cat and Fiddle, 1680 feet and the Travellers Rest Flash 1500 feet. Note well that there are no pubs in the British Isles Furth of England which achieve a sufficient altitude to be included in this walk, and we aren’t including summit cafes on Snowdon, the Cairngorms or, indeed, on the Isle of Man. In fact, linking the three highest National pubs would be a different walk and an interesting challenge for another day.
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In order to make the 3 Pubs walk completely illogical, I will aim to start at the most Southerly boozer on the list and finish at the Kirkstone Pass Inn, or, actually, the Golden Rule in Ambleside, since I’d probably have to visit Ambleside to get the bus home.
So, any pubs etc. you think should be included – and I’m not going any further North than Tan Hill – just let me know by, say, the end of October. So, the pubs have to be between Flash and Tan Hill and between Tan Hill and Kirkstone Pass.
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I appreciate that this venture is utterly irresponsible and that alcohol should be consumed responsibly which means being really careful not to spill any cos that would be a waste.  I promise, therefore, to try not to get completely leathered at the three or four main landmark pubs, but to use the opportunity to rehydrate and refresh.
Oh, I dunno, though…
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5 comments:

Dawn said...

An interesting proposition Mike.

Anonymous said...

What a splendid scheme. As both my long distance walking and steady drinking days are long behind me (I did run the Chevy Chase a couple of times about forty five years ago), I will have to enjoy the challenge by reading your excellent posts rather than by trotting along beside you. Good luck and I hope that knowledgeable readers will supply you with a few more oases on your way.

John J said...

Ah, I'm pleased to see that this Plan is coming together..... we can discuss it further whilst we're on the Challenge, eh? In the meantime I'll have a good think about suitable boozahs.
Anyway, what's irresponsible about The Plan? You're not driving to / from the pubs, nothing could be more responsible!
:-)

Jen said...

I make Kirkstone north of Tan Hill - although not by nearly as much as I would have thought. So presumably you are going north of Tan Hill? Sounds like an interesting plan, though!

John J said...

Thinking about this (thinking is something I'm not very good at), if this could be incorporated into my LEJOG it would make a mighty fine and very merry jaunt.
Hic.