Any bets on when this masterpiece of 60′s engineering will fire into life?

Barry looking cold

Scary.  Exciting. Exhilarating.

Having never done any real open water swimming before I decided to plunge right in (get it) and try 1 mile on Lake Windermere.  I have always been a decent swimmer and my preparations in terms of fitness were OK with mile times in the 23 minutes region.  However, this does not prepare you for the event itself.  The water sat at 16.3 degrees which was not as cold as it could be but enough to have you gasping for breath once fully immersed.  Add to this the fact that there are 350 of you piling in at once and you realise that getting any kind of normal rythm is completely out of the question!

My short sleeved swim suit was the only on there which had me nervous before even starting as everyone else looked nice and warm.  After five minutes my arms felt dead and heavy and breaststroke was made more difficult because the suit was making your body float more than usual, making me have to lift my head up more.  I usually do front crawl but my breathing was all over and my head would not stay in the water without reflexes just whipping it back out again.

After nearly half the swim done I realised I was not going to die and forced myself to sort the swimming out and go for it.  Forcing air out steadily through my nose and and breathing easily once out of the chaos of the start I managed to pick the pace up and had a great second half to the swim.  What started as a bit of a panic turned into a great all round event.  I hope I can do it next year as I reckon I could knock a full 10 minutes off my time of 40 minutes just by knowing what to expect.

A years worth of training coming up……..

Last Thursday I stupidly played football.  Having vowed to just play in goal I gave in to temptation and came out which again damaged my heel to the point of not being able to walk the next day.  Silly boy.

Saturday saw a quick trip over to the simming baths for a 8.15am start.  A mile was dispatched with a bit left over in reserve.

Sunday I did a bike ride of 31 miles consisting of a jaunt along to the far side of Stocksfield, turn right up to North Acomb Farm, over the A69 and up to Vallum Farm on the military road and then back home via Newburn.  Other than the big climb in the middle the rest of the ride was pretty easy.

Monday was a day of rest in the name of our lord Recovery.

Tuesday I cycled along to Wallsend baths for a 1 mile swim and then cycled back.  This is the first time I’ve felt fatigued as the shoulders and chest were groaning with the effort.  It also brought home an annoying fact that seems to be apparent in swimmers.  I’ve noticed that life in the fast lane has an edge of competition about it.  I swim too fast to be in the slow lane but not at top speed because I’m doing 64 laps.  Other swimmers in the fast lane are hell bent on passing me and then making comments like “don’t worry, I’ll just go straight past”.  Which they do.  But then these same swimmers get to about 30 lengths and stop for ten minutes which means I regain all the lengths and end up ahead of them in laps completed.  They then set off like a steam train and repeat the process.  Why?  If they had set out to do the same number of lengths as me, which seems to be standard, then why don’t they get a pace they can maintain?  And it’s not a one off, it’s happened with everyone I’ve shared the fast lane with so far and the funny thing is that when I’m done I’ve done more distance than them in the same time.

What a whinger I am.  In general the training is coming along nicely given that the open water swim is 8 days away.

“Hi, this is mincer from Red Cross.  Just checking up on how you are preparing for the Great North Swim and how the fundraising is going?”

Ah.  I had redeemed a token on the website but never received confirmation or any emails/post of any kind so I had kind of assumed I didn’t get in.  As a consequence not a single jot of training has been undertaken nor has any fundraising been done.  This however needs to change and my fitness was the first of my concerns.  I’ve always been a strong swimmer but obviously you don’t just turn up and whack out 1 mile on open water so this morning I set the alarm early and dragged myself out of bed.  The cycle along to Wallsend baths was suitable enough to get the blood flowing before putting in a mile swim and then cycling to work in Cramlngton.

The swimming was laboured for the first 20-25 lengths before I settled into a rythm and the arms became synchronised with the breathing.  If I can get a few more stints in then I should have a fighting chance when the event comes around in two weeks.

Assuming the info pack arrives in time I then have to think about how to get there and then how to get to the event itself as it is a few miles down the road from Ambleside.  I’m thinking about parking on the far side of Ambleside and then cycling along to the event as I read somewhere there is some bike storage.  That should leave enough juice in the tank to do the swim and then get back to the car.  I wonder if all the campsites are full in the area?  Probably a silly question but I can have a look.

The countdown begins.

In my view however this is exactly what NUFC and the wider English footballing community need.  The last set of accounts showed that wages are still 90% of turnover even after all the big name signings left.  That’s amazing and shows just how critical the finances were/are.  Ashley has then gifted the club over £120m with an interest free loan and hasn’t extracted any money in dividends at all.  That’s astonishing when you think about it.  Of course he wants to get it back at some point but he needs the club to be wiping its own nose before that can even dream of happening.  Look at this in comparison to Chelsea, Man Utd, Man City or even Liverpool who have all received big backing in order to reach the English and European pinnacles.  What happens when these people get bored or fall out with football?  Who is going to buy a club owing £700m in debt?  It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that these clubs could have a collapse akin to the like of Leeds.

Getting a sustainable clubs seems to be irking some of the players such as Barton who is playing games about his new contract.  Clearly there is a new wage structure at Newcastle and Barton thinks he’s well above it.  He was signed on massive wages which has meant we’ve been stuck with him for the duration as no-one else would even contemplate meeting these demands.  Look at the pros and cons of the player.  He’s had a really good season in 10/11 but better when Carroll was here as opposed to when he left.  On the downside he’s dragged the name of the club through the mud and can’t keep his mouth shut.  Also taking into account he is 28 and on massive money I reckon selling him or taking 1 more year suits the club just fine.

With a host of other players going into their final year of contracts the club is clearly positioning itself to cut the costs and make itself more sustainable.  By all means offer big contracts but do so to the right players who have good futures at the clubs such as Jose Enrique.  Big money players like Alan Smith and Barton we will have to accept that they are here for another season and then knock over £100k a week of the wage bill.  But how can you build a squad to compete?  The sixty thousand dollar question.  Clearly Newcastle have money to spend from the Carroll transfer and they should spend some and put some back into the club.  Already there have been moves for players such as Cabaye and Mehdi who have agreed to come whilst further bids are on the table for Gervinho and centre half from the Spanish leagues.  The players are being purchased for sensible money and I have no doubt that the wages are kept in line with what the club can sustain.  If our scouting has been as good as it was for Tiote then I’m looking forward to seeing these people in action.  Most have played some kind of international football so the potential and talent must be there.

Then there is the younger players coming through.  Tim Krul in goal has been called up by the Dutch squad and played more games this season than ever before.  Shane Ferguson has signed a new 5 year deal.  Haris Vuckic and Moyo are still making waves in the reserve squad and I’m sure their time will come.  The NUFC facilities are amazing and should produce good talent that gets a chance in the first team if they are good enough.  Surely that’s a better way of making progress for Newcastle United than the old days of spending big and delivering little – think Boumsong, Marcellino, Luque, Xisco.  With the youth team you get to see them play over a number of years and learn about their personality and their ability to handle pressure.

So reflecting on everything that has happened at SJP I’d like to hope that the club is on a path of sustainability.  Get the club paying for itself, it is a business after all regardless of that the beer swilling fans whine about in the crowd.  I suspect most understand what is going on and see the long term picture.  Just remember that word: sustainability.

Paul decided this trip would be to the usual Davidsons Linn spot in the Cheviots as a good introduction for Joey to these forays.  The bog Rottwieller is in prime condition but doubts remained about his overall fitness due to the fact he had a major knee operation when he was younger.  At least we had no worries about camp security with the big boy about!

Paul took the direct route up the stone path from the car and managed the journey in a one stopper.  Joey handled the trip no problem and managed to contain his excitement at seeing all the sheep who he deemed were potential play partners.  I took a different route with a circular that took me up to the border, along past Windy Gyle and then back down Salters Road to our meeting point.

Setting off from my car I managed to do 400m of hard ascent before turning round and realising the car window was left open and the sheep were trying to break in.  Bugger.  Off with the pack, tie Bob to a post and down we go.  When I go under way again the sun was still in the sky with the wind picking up the higher I got.  By the time I reached Windy Gyle the place was really living up to its name.  I forgot how great it is to slip into the shelter at the top of the cairn and be completely covered from the gusts.

Standing up on the border the grey clouds had long gone and the view could only be described as spectacular with many tens of miles visibility in any direction.  I looked all around to realise that in this great desolate place place there was just me standing alone as the sun shone brightly ad my shadow grew longer.  All special moments must come to an end and as such the paved Pennine Way was quickly traversed to Salters Road.

I remember the old days when this 300m trip through Kidland Forest was an absolute nightmare and resembled a scene out of The Blair Witch Project.  Michael and I would scrabble through mud whilst being scraped by trees and all the while trying not to fall over and remember our direction.  Now it’s just one big rocky road but I guess that is progress!

Reaching Davidsons Linn is always a treat.  It was 8.30pm and I was expecting Paul to be there already as he doesn’t like to hang around.  It was still light so I surveyed the best place to set up camp.  This time I’d gone ultra lightweight with a 35 litre rucksack and a single hoop bivvy bag.  There was a cool wind blowing from the south so I found a spot behind a wall in the cattle circle to make my bed.

I’ve used a bivvy at this place before but then I didn’t take the dog.  this was my major concern about the trip as when I take a tent I know that he is trapped in the tent and can’t go anywhere or come into contact with other animals.  With the bivvy I had him tied down to a corkscrew which meant he could wander round anywhere within 5 metres.  And he did.  All night.  Will come to that later.

Paul entered the fray some 20 minutes later as Joey had already picked up Bobs scent and was on the case.  We were both unsure how the two dogs would get on as Bob doesn’t take too well to being bugged for too long and Joey likes to assert himself as the dominant dog.  Neither problems came to pass and the two hounds got on like a house on fire.  Paul pitched on the other side of the river which meant I wouldn’t have to listen to his or Joey’s snoring.

Continuing the tradition of never using the same tent twice Paul had managed to get hold of a Vange which was just like mine but without the porch.  A 3 pole setup that looked perfect for situations like this where space was needed for man and dog.  Pauls massive 80 litre back pack contained all sorts of delights including 3 pillows, seat, wind shield and a couple of blankets for the dog.  He was not roughing it for the night.

It was unusual for us to be there at this time and for it to still be light.  We stood round and chatted for some hours whilst the dogs decided to play freely as nature intended.  The river flowed past and the water was crystal clear.  We took water and boiled it to make two cups of coffee which seems to taste so much better outside in the cold.  When it eventually got dark at about 10.30pm the stars started to come out and in an hour the sky was full of twinkling dots.

With Bob strapped down I got into the bivvy bag expecting to be freezing cold all night as the temperature had dropped to around 3 or 4 degrees.  Must remember that altitude does that to temperature.  Fully clothed and in the sleeping bag and bivvy it became apparent that the choice of location was a good one.  Paul was in open space and in the direct path of the wind but he could counter this by being in a tent.  I sat in a relative vacuum being wind-free.

The Terra nova bivvy is top notch and can be fully sealed with a gap above the face created by a pole but because Bob was outside on his own I decided to leave the top open and sleep with my hat on.  There would be little chance of any animals getting close without Bob knowing about it first.  The night proved to be warm and comfortable with the minor hitch that Bob was still in hyper play mode and continued this way until around 3.15am where he settled down until 4am when it got light and started up again.  He’s a machine.  Looking down I realised I had been trampled on and received a collection of sticks on my feet.

At 5am the stars which had been my companions for the night had disappeared as day came through.  I contemplated getting up and heading off in the wee hours of the day but instead I managed another hour lying awake until a big slobbery black head appeared above mine with the unmistakable drool that is Joey.  Time to get up then.

Paul tells me of a night that involved Joey being blissfully asleep whilst he drifted in and hour because of the cold.  a new sleeping bag had been on his and my list for some time.  A cup of coffee and some food set us up for the journey home.  Packing up such a small set up made life very easy and saved a lot of time.  I can really see the benefits of such a small pack and will keep this in mind if we ever get round to walking the Cullin Ridge on the Isle of Skye.  For a trip with a mad dog like Bob maybe it isn’t such a good idea.

The walk home was the easy route back along the road where we saw deer, heron and plenty of sheep.  If Joey sees something dart across the road he immediately flips into hunt mode and goes off on the trail.  Paul’s hip started playing up mysteriously but we managed to get back to the cars no problem with our souls refreshed from another night out in the open air.  In a world of instant gratification and mass consumption it is always worth taking the time to appreciate the things that nature offers up and all its challenges and beauty.  We’ll be back this way some time soon.

29th April – Aviremore – High Range - http://www.highrange.co.uk/caravans_tents.htm

That is the first night sorted.  Now for the Glen Coe one which I have rang but not picking up at the moment.

After a number of stops we hit the summit of the initial hard push and before us stood the majesty of Helvellyn hulking over Red Tarn with both of the sharp edged approaches on either side.  After a quick bit of food and recovery time we set off to the Striding Edge approach and let the games begin.  You can either take the low route which is easier and safer or walk along the ridge itself.  We plumped for the ridge and were joined by a number of other people doing the same thing.  It was great to talk to a fellow walker about how someone had just died at that exact spot.  Paul took well to walking on a ridge with large drops on either side.

Just before the final climb we had to get involved in a bit of proper descent work.  We had no ropes and had to make sure we had good points of contact down a tight crevice.  That out of the way it was time to make the final push up to the top of Helvellyn and bag the summit.  Both of us felt the sun on our face and the cold wind blowing as we sat on the summit drinking a well earned coffee and taking in the amazing panorama.

Paul was a bit disappointed with Swirral Edge after the excitement of Striding but he didn’t care too much for anything as his legs were starting to hurt.  His plan is to get fit but little does he know that he’s already made a great start as he would never have thought about doing a day walk like this before our outings began.  By the time we had got back to the van Paul’s valf was in spasm with cramp which made him hop along in a half hop half grimace.  Love it.

A great opening event in the Lake District and can’t wait for getting out into the hills again.