The annual Dark Peak BG attempt in mid-June is one of the highlights of the club year. Being part of a successful round, whether as contender or supporter, is an unforgettable experience. The club has been serving up BG successes every year since the beginning of time (well, 1977, actually), with over 160 successful completions by DP members to date, and just the one barren year due to foot and mouth. More than a hundred of these completions have been achieved on the annual club weekend attempt.
There’s loads of information out there on preparing for a BG attempt – take a look at the BG club’s own site, Bob Wrightman’s pages, or on the FRA forum. But there are many different ways to attempt the round too, so the purposes of these pages are to describe something of what is distinctive about doing so as part of a large club-supported round and to offer tips (by no means definitive or, necessarily, uncontroversial) to potential contenders.
If you choose to attempt your round as part of the club’s annual jamboree, it’s important to recognise that this is very much a collective endeavour. The object of the exercise is to get as many contenders round within twenty-four hours as possible whilst having as good a time as possible. This means keeping the contenders down to a manageable number as well as running to somebody else’s schedule – a schedule designed (after a fashion) to suit as wide a range of abilities and conditions as possible. As such, there may not always be room for everybody who wants to have a go in a particular year. It also means that whippets in search of especially fast times or idiosyncratic route choices should consider looking elsewhere for their support.
Priority will always go to reliable, established, known club members from Dark Peak and out friends in Penistone, Totley or even Fat Boys. Where space allows, though, we are equally happy to take on others, particularly when they come with a good track record and have supported past club attempts. Please note that one year’s support cannot guarantee a place as a contender next year, as this will always depend upon numbers and your relative chances of getting around. Supporting before running should nevertheless be preferred by all contenders; knowing the procedures and routines provides valuable experience and is in keeping with the collective ethos of club attempts. It’s also generally more fun to run with a bunch of people you’ve already shared several pints with.
The following pages provide advice in relation to:
- Training
- On the day
- History of successful DP completions
- Schedules, maps and tracks and Reports
- BG cuisine
- BG other challenges
email Richard Hakes for further info.