Let’s hope that that we hear no more talk about there being a drought in South Yorkshire! Messrs Westgate, Harmer, Hawley and Barber were the only intrepids to set out on this the foulest of nights for some time. After struggling across Ewden Beck which had turned into a raging torrent, the run up to Pike Lowe was uneventful just very wet. The wreck, the usual next checkpoint was found without too much fuss and in true GW fashion, rather than heading for home in what was by now, the gathering gloom, we set off to find the Hunter wreck. Unfortunately, our trusty navigator, Capt. Harmer, in whom we place infinite trust, managed to get us hopelessly lost (’nuff said on this matter), somehow we went in the direction of Howden Edge and on encountering some rocks and another raging torrent (the head of Abbey Brook, we now realise), we had to acknowledge that we hadn’t a clue where we were – some 2 miles or so from where we should have been. Ah well, put it down to old age and infirmity. By this time the gloom was well and truly gathering and very shortly had turned to pitch black. After much struggling in the dark, we eventually found the Duke’s Drive and relative safety but still managed to go wrong in the now, very pitch black and driving rain. Drought, don’t make me larf!
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