Allegedly!!!! Title refers to my fifty-five mile socially distanced ride today with fellow ex Headteacher Martin! Mind you might think fifty-five miles in this heat that we might need our sanity tested. Although I kept drinking regularly I did feel quite dehydrated at the end. it was a marvellous ride down many lanes and byways of Gloucestershire (and South Glos).

Talking about feeling dehydrated reminds me of when I walked the Pennine Way. It was the summer of 1976 and for those of you too young to know it was a red-hot summer with a infamous drought. I walked for three weeks carrying my wet weather gear and only used on the last day when the drought broke! Wainwright the walker’s bible kept talking about rain! I can still remember vividly climbing the path by Malham Cove at 8.30 in the morning the temperature  was already in the mid 80s. That adventure is the only time I had to call the Mountain Rescue out.

I was walking the Pennine Way on my own and I met up with Rob and his sister Dot and a few others. On this day it had been  a real up and down day in the heat. When going over the top of Fountains Fell Rob collapsed. Someone had to decide what to do. As a young man in his first year of teaching I looked round at everyone and decided it had to be me! No mobile phones in those days! So we made Rob comfortable and plied him with water. I asked the others to stay with him and Dot while I would go for help, A look at the map for nearest road and farm house to decide where to go! Despite taking the lead I made one silly decision-I set off with my rucksack on my back instead of leaving it with the others! I set off at a jog descending quickly. As the rucksack bobbed up and down a few things fell out including my cutlery. I eventually reached the road and started to jog to the farm house a good distance away. I heard a car behind me so flagged it down dramatically by waving my arms and standing in the middle of the road like they do in films. A rather mature couple stopped and looked at me with alarm – I must of looked a rather unsavoury man dripping in sweat. This next bit might of become embellished with time! In a decisive Laurence Olivier voice.

“Take me to the nearest phone! There has been an accident!”

They did- we stuffed my rucksack in and set off. When I arrived at this isolated farm I could see telephone wires -phew! I asked them to wait in case no one was in. There was and I was soon ushered into the phone (there were always fixed to one point in those days). 999 was dialled.

“What service do you require Ambulance, Fire or Police?”

“Er, er er I need Mountain Rescue!)

“That will be the police.”

I managed to give details and more importantly grid reference. I then waited outside the farm expecting to be picked up. I wasn’t!  Later I heard sirens and could see blue lights in the distance  so when at last I trudged towards the action I could see a stretcher party coming down. Everything was OK and Rob was suffering from heat exhaustion. The Doctor told him to drink plenty and eat crisps!  So a happy ending except I didn’t have any cutlery any more! The picture below is at the end of the walk with Rob and Dot (apologies for the quality).

Yesterday’s Answers on Beer

a) The difference between beer and ale is really the fermentation process but you could say Beer uses Hops.  b)  Campaign For Real Ale   c) The Czech  Republic drink the most beer d) Biggest Beer Festival is the Oktoberfest in Munich  e) The Sumerians were the first brewers of beer.

Today’s Question is all on Mountains/Hills following the theme of the blog

Name the highest mountains in all four countries of the United Kingdom and the highest in the Republic of Ireland