As I was already up in the Lakes on Saturday I did not see any emails about whether anyone was going to climb Great Gable on the Sunday. I really wanting to make the climb if I could so I decided to rise early on the Sunday morning. As I was stopping at the Langstrath Inn I had arranged for an early breakfast. The weather did not seem too bad as I sat eating my breakfast and looking out towards Eagle Crag.

I eventually arrived at Honister Slate Mine at just after 8.00am and parked in the main car park. I changed into my walking gear and waited around until about 8.20am but saw no one I recognised. As I locked my car a bolt of lightening and a crack of thunder sounded overhead. The thunder boomed and echoed around the mountains – it was quite dramatic. Then the hail started to come down and another flash of lightening and crack of thunder. I was wondering if the walk up to Great Gable was a sensible thing to do. However I was not going to be put off as I saw several walkers starting on their way up the old tramway. There were many walkers around so I guess I had some company on the way up. The wind was especially strong as I headed near Grey Knotts and it was a matter of one step forward and two steps sidewards!!! The hail and snow was coming down hard as I continued upwards – but it did make quite a white winters scene for awhile. I followed the Moses Trod path and then climbed up Green Gable before the final ascent of Great Gable. When I arrived at the summit (about 10.20am) a voice called out my name – it was Andrew Leaney (at last I was with someone who I knew). The wind had dropped by now and the hail and snow had stopped too. The views from the top were reasonably good when the cloud cleared. Mind you it was very cold. Not long after meeting Andrew we saw Peter. I did not realise that Andrew had ascended from Honister as well but he had parked in the National Trust car park and so that is why I did not see him. We also met Ben while on Great Gable too. The service at the summit was quite short but very informative. At eleven minutes past eleven there was a two minutes silence to remember all the brave soldiers in the two Great Wars.

After the service Andrew, Peter and I walked down together – with Peter leaving us shortly after Green Gable to head for Seathwaite.

On the descent the heavens opened up once again with more hail and sleet. Again the wind picked up making our progress more difficult at times. In the end the climb to Great Gable was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It certainly was a day to REMEMBER in many ways.