July
8/7/2026 Hawes Round - Hike & Fly task
The weather changed drammatically, with light winds and blue skies replacing low clag and fresh, strong winds that had dogged for the previous two weeks. Now ... for me at least, it was too hot. Never happy.
In line with my new flying philosphy I decide that a hike and fly task was more to my taste. I had two in mind, maybe three. I considered the new Chapel le Dale circuit but thought the wind a bit too south of west making some sections maybe less flyable and given the heat I didn't fancy the walking the tough sections I could envisage. Instead I went for the Hawes Round. Again, the wind could be less than ideal - in fact it turned out to be absolutely spot on with with good thermals to boot. However, on the long walk up to Ten End it didn't feel that way until I got higher. I expected the wind to be across the hill, surprisingly it was on.
The first section is 3.5k of easy walking until it starts to steepen. Then, I hit a snag. The cylinder was well off route (the track) and I couldn't escape the track due to a stone wall with a topping fence ... no gates either. So I continued on until 0.6k past the cylinder and figured I could back track along the top, There was a possibility I could take off and fly it, but it seemed easier to walk. At this point I discovered an excellent, well used path that led through signed gate, down the hill and where I could just tag before wall intervened. Then it was back again ... in total an extra 1k of walking - but easy.
At this point, first one, then two gliders arrived overhead from Wether and I knew the ridge was working and there were thermals. I found an excellent take off spot and was soon away.
Dodd was very thermic, quite rough ones too, but with plenty of height I flew south and tagged the next cylinder under a building cloud. Virtually job done. I climbed in good lift to 3,200' and set off over the back towards the TP at the south end of Wether. There were a few glider flying, but surprisingly few given how good it was. Then it was on to the end on Drummaldrace for another TP ... the penultimate one. Although goal was into wind and back into Widdale the thermals kept coming and the less beefy I ignored . Getting back proved very easy and in fact I arrived over goal with 2000' to spare. For the next 20 minutes I just wandered around, thermalled a bit and generally enjoyed the views before landing back by the car. Job done.
Photo: The car/goal is at the road/track junction.
A quick pint in Hawes, a wash to cool down and I set off down Wensleydale to collect Tim and Alan followed by another pub visit.
The beauty of the NCS hike and fly is you can pick your day/pick your challenge (the following day shows I didn't learn this lesson) and getting it right avoids a lot of walking. It also takes a bit more planning and thought. If you get it wrong it's usually just more walking to recovery the situation. Above all it feels more of an adventure where even the walking side throws as a few curve balls.
9/7/2026 The Chapel le Dale HnF task
Kipling summed it up. Only mad dogs and |Englishmen go out in the midday sun. My word for it would be .... gruelling! How they did the XPyr in 30 degrees plus is beyond me.
I had two options in mind, the Kingsdale task or the Chapel le Dale task. In truth neither was really on .... aside from the heat, the wind was the wrong direction, the wrong strength and the thermals virtually non existent, with not a sign of a cu cloud. Still, I set off with all my trackers running .... this still didn't prevent an early glitch where after 200m one hadn't triggered .... so I dumped the sack and doubled back to the start cylinder until it did trigger. Then I was off.
Park soars in a WNW to NW .... and it could have been as many times before .... an easy intro and capture of the first two turnpoints. But it hates SW and even WSW. The strengthen wasn't bad, just across the hill. I traversed round ... higher and along which wasn't easy on the feet as it's pretty steep. Even though the 200m cylinder creeps down the hill I still had to go for the top and hope the wind may be better. First surprise was a couple of lady wallers by my launch point ... in fact there were several teams out working on the top wall.
The wind was more on here as it turns a bit more west. I didn't gain much height and set off across the shallow col for the next steep section. I didn't think it would work (it actually may have). But I opted to land, ball up and walk up and along a short distance. The next try showed that it was actually working - just, and I crept slowly towards the bowl. Then ....a glider appeared .... aaah some company. Unfortunately, too much company and I didn't feel welcome. The AE school was laid out on the bowl - about five gliders. A single short beat and I scooted across the bowl, got a TP ping, gained a little height and eventually top landed.
OK ... two flights and after packing I set off for the 'awkwrd one' on Little Ingleborough. Only now do you question why some idiot put it there almost as a deliberate act of masochistic pleasure. Traversing rocky ground around Ingleborough, the heat was starting to tell until I stumbled on an ice cold stream bubbling out of the ground.
Lots of splashes, shoes and socks off and a foot bath - it was sooo icy!
At this point I had hopes. There is a stepped face that faces W to WSW between Little and Big Ingleborough - a chance to bag two turnpoints in the air. When I arrived the wind as on, felt good, but the ridge drops away before the next TP on Little Ingleborough. So .... it felt easier to nab the next TP on foot, I dumped the sack and walked the 500m, taggged and returned. Now a fresh problem ... the wind had died away (two weeks before I'd been here and been blown out and walked down). Now it wasn't soarable so another walk to the next TP ... fortunately not too far. With that tagged, feeling tired and knowing I could never get the height to cross Chapel le Dale I called it a day. Quick call to Karen for a pickup in the valley and a nil wind launch for my trouble.
A pleasant fly down, followed by an unpleasnt, hot and fly ridden pack. Finally, a pint in ther Station Inn.
This task is quite a toughie. Little Ingleborugh is a pain ... and crossing the valley onto Whernside will need some height and a few thermals. Next time I'll pick more suitable conditions. There's a point in hike and fly where at my age I want the fly part heavily in my favour with legs a backup.
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