Great Gable remembrance day - 11.00am, 11.11.11

A tradition has grown up over the years for people to visit the summit of Great Gable on Remembrance Sunday to observe two minutes silence at 11.00 am beside the Fell and Rock Climbing Club War Memorial. As this year was a 'once in a hundred years' opportunity myself and some friends decided to break with tradition and visit the memorial on Remembrance Day itself for two minutes silence at 11.00 am on 11.11.11.

The weather was fair, but with a real gale blowing and producing white horses on Wastwater we knew it would be 'interesting' on top - the image below shows the clouds whipping across the summit.

We went up the Beck Head route - steep but quick - and the wind really was something as we got higher - I think the expression is 'impeding progress'.

So we paced ourselves to arrive just before 11.00, having frozen up there before while waiting around. A small group of about 20 people had gathered and a simple silence was observed.

                                    The Fell And Rock Climbing Club Memorial, 11.00 am, 11.11.11

The summit was totally shrouded in scudding cloud which, together with the wind, added to the occasion but didn't make for great photography. We made our way down towards Styhead and the old packhorse route back to Wasdale Head - and of course as we looked back up at Gable the cloud had cleared - win some lose some.

                                                       looking back up at Gable

Then all that remained to do was visit the Wasdale Head hotel for 'refreshments' and possibly the best view of the day