Lakes Hard Rock Tour
In 1996, John Topping and Simon Berry achieved a remarkable self-supported round of all the Hard Rock routes in the Lake Distritrict in three days. No vehicles were used, and they started and finished in Ambleside.
Here are details of their round:
|
Lakes "Hard Rock Tour" 15th-17th July 1996
|
|
15th July
|
Distance
km
|
Height
Gain
|
Time
Estimate
|
Actual
Time
|
Route
Length
|
Start
|
Arrive at
Crag
|
Finish
Route
|
Time on
Route
|
|
Ambleside
|
|
|
|
|
|
05:00
|
|
|
|
|
Extol
|
7
|
825
|
2:30
|
1:40
|
75
|
|
06:40
|
09:25
|
2:45
|
|
North Crag Eliminate
|
14.5
|
630
|
3:30
|
3:20
|
75
|
|
12:45
|
13:55
|
1:10
|
|
Praying Mantis
|
11.5
|
775
|
3:10
|
4:10
|
85
|
|
18:05
|
20:00
|
1:55
|
|
Stockley Bridge
|
8
|
150
|
1:35
|
2:00
|
|
|
|
22:00
|
5:50
|
|
Daily
|
41
|
2380
|
10:45
|
11:10
|
235
|
Time for Day
|
Walking
|
Route Time
|
|
|
17:00
|
11:10
|
5:50
|
|
16th July
|
Distance
km
|
Height
Gain
|
Time
Estimate
|
Actual
Time
|
Route
Length
|
Start
|
Arrive at
Crag
|
Finish
Route
|
Time on
Route
|
|
Stockley Bridge
|
|
|
|
|
|
05:00
|
|
|
|
|
Engineers' Slabs
|
3.5
|
675
|
1:40
|
2:20
|
60
|
|
07:20
|
08:45
|
1:25
|
|
Central Buttress *
|
5
|
525
|
1:45
|
2:25
|
120
|
|
11:10
|
13:50
|
2:04
|
|
Ichabod
|
0.5
|
0
|
0:10
|
0:35
|
45
|
|
14:25
|
15:45
|
1:20
|
|
Central Pillar
|
2
|
30
|
0:25
|
1:15
|
98
|
|
17:00
|
19:05
|
2:05
|
|
Gormenghast
|
4.5
|
100
|
0:55
|
1:40
|
53
|
|
20:45
|
21:55
|
1:10
|
|
Upper Eskdale
|
0.5
|
0
|
0:10
|
0:15
|
|
|
|
22:10
|
8:40
|
|
Daily
|
16
|
1330
|
10:45
|
11:10
|
376
|
Time for Day
|
Walking
|
Route Time
|
| * The outside of the Great Flake route was taken. |
17:10
|
8:30
|
8:40
|
|
17th July
|
Distance
km
|
Height
Gain
|
Time
Estimate
|
Actual
Time
|
Route
Length
|
Start
|
Arrive at
Crag
|
Finish
Route
|
Time on
Route
|
|
Upper Eskdale
|
|
|
|
|
|
05:00
|
|
|
|
|
The Crack
|
9.5
|
1050
|
3:20
|
4:00
|
74
|
|
09:00
|
10:55
|
1:55
|
|
Kipling Groove
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
52
|
|
10:55
|
12:10
|
1:15
|
|
Deer Bield Buttress
|
5.5
|
300
|
1:25
|
1:55
|
68
|
|
15:05
|
16:00
|
1:55
|
|
Ambleside
|
10
|
100
|
1:50
|
2:45
|
|
|
|
18:45
|
5:05
|
|
Daily
|
25
|
1450
|
6:35
|
8:40
|
194
|
Time for Day
|
Walking
|
Route Time
|
|
13:45
|
08:40
|
05:05
|
| Totals |
Time on Move
|
Walking
|
Route Time
|
|
|
82
|
5160
|
22:25
|
28:20
|
805
|
47:55
|
28:20
|
19:35
|
|
|
(51 miles)
|
(16925 ft)
|
|
|
(2640 ft)
|
Overall Time
|
|
61:45
|
Anyone wishing to repeat John and Simon's epic will have a small problem with Deer Bield Buttress as the entire climb has since collapsed as has the upper half of North Crag Eliminate. These routes will be replaced by Totalitarian (E1) on Raven Crag Thirlmere and Nimrod (E1) on Dow Crag in the next edition of Hard Rock.