Glossopdale Summer Solstice Run

As is the tradition of Glossopdale Harriers, we celebrated the day with the longest daylight hours in the only way we could. By going running.

In the previous weeks we have been blessed with truely fantastic weather, visibility so clear you could see Wales from the Peak district, the warmth of the setting sun on our backs as we sped across the moorland. This was going to be the day with the longest amount of daylight in the whole year (or as near as dammit, I know that there is some kind of annual variation, but we're going with the 21st of June, alright?!).

It was pretty claggy all day, and after a bit of a crazy drive home from work to get back to Glossop in time for the off, it really didn't improve. Lynne went off a bit early to walk/jog to Kinder Low with Caroline in order to meet everyone else without having to keep up with us through some pretty amusing weather and terrain. The rest of us started up Kinder from the Royal in Hayfield via Snake path, past the White cabin, around the reser, and then vaguely follow a boggy line up to somewhere around the 3 knolls and up from there.
The reason I say vaguely is that we knew where we were, its just that the weather really decided that it would throw low cloud, heavy rain and a lot of wind at us as we were around the Dog stone and everything got a bit fun after that.
Lynne and Caroline were in a bothy bag by the trig for about 20 mins and were getting a bit cold by the time we all rocked up, so the various types of alcohol and ginger biscuits that were handed out did wonders for morale.

Don't you love those heady Summer Nights!

Captain and Chairman doing the honours for club members

Homemade Ginger Cookies!

Young Alex with a hipflask full of "ginger beer" (apparently).

We toasted the midsummer, looked at the delightful view of Kinder inside a cloud, and got off the hill as fast as possible. I think the main difference between this run and the Midwinter run was that I didn't have to use a flash for the photos. And the views were better in the winter.

We dropped off the hill by a slightly wandering route. (I think Julien was trying to write his name in the peat bog with our footsteps) and back down at the bottom a few of us stayed around for a quick pint with Pennine who had been out on a bit of a rainswept relay session, and the Mynydd climbing club who were on a social night out.

As ever, a fab evening out, despite the weather. If we decided not to run because it was a bit crappy out, we'd never get anywhere. Its great to be a part of a club that enjoys socialising not just in a pub, but on a hill as well.