Bob Graham leg 4 report

Navigator - Yiannis. Pacers - Andy Butler, Hank plus friends of Nigel Tom R and Bill

Leg 4 is probably my favourite leg of the BG. You climb Yewbarrow at what looks from the bottom like an unfeasible angle before taking in Red Pike, Steeple, Pillar, Kirk Fell, Great Gable, Green Gable, Grey Knotts and Brandreth, then drop down a fabulous decent into Honister. I’m getting excited and not a little emotional just typing out the names of these wonderful fells. It’s a hell of run out

I’d always believed if you can get out of Wasdale in decent shape and up Yewbarrow at something like schedule pace you’re well on your way. We made it in 50mins and I was starting to believe this time I was going to get round. My friend Chris Preston told me to make peace with Yewbarrow as early as possible in my training and I love this mountain and always think of her when I see it

To be honest I can’t remember too much about the leg now ten days or so afterwards. What I do remember is Geoff (‘Hank’) showing me his watch after every climb and saying you’re doing great. I remember Andy Butler being immensely calm and a conversation we had about where you live and where you ‘belong’. Most of all I remember Yiannis guiding me along, offering me sips of water, pointing out the most amazing little short cuts and his uncanny ability to find patches of grass to run on whenever there was a slippy bit of rock

I remember in particular the glint in Yiannis’ eye as we clambered either Gable and Kirk Fell and him suggesting a detour up a lovely little scramble because he ‘just fancied it’. Gable was the first mountain I ever climbed in the Lakes and at the top this time Geoff pointed that in an hour I'd be at Honister and approaching the last leg

Geoff wasn’t quite right but not far off. It took us only 51minutes to drop down to Honister over the last three peaks. Yiannis and the team had been amazing and I was delighted to see Bob Wightman, who had probably been the main influence in me attempting a round, in the car park and waiting to do the final leg with me. I sat down in a chair in the slate mine car park, was told I could afford to have a short break and that I was now in a great position to finish what I’d started over twenty hours before. Basically, where I'd dreamed of being for two years