A hard push up to the top of West Kip

Some sustenance at the bottom before the hike a bike up West Kip

Half way up and we stopped for the view (and a rest)!

Almost at the top, and it's the tricky rocky bit where you can quite easily break your ankle!

We've made it up and over West and East Kip, now for the fast descent down to the Howe!

A 5.30am start this morning with Clive having his usual early morning problems, however we eventually got going and it was a relief to have the hard climb up Castlelaw to get some heat into our bodies. We changed the route from the last 2 weeks and went round Harbour Hill before eventually reaching the bottom of West Kip which was the aim today. The hike a bike up was the hardest I've experienced up it, the ground was frozen and any moment I expected to slip and fall on my face and watch the bike disappear back down to the bottom on its own. Clive baled out saying he'd have put on hiking boots if he'd known what the conditions were like (?) but Baz and me persevered  and were rewarded with a terrific descent from East Kip back down to the Howe. Nearly 27.5 miles this morning and the cheese toastie has never tasted better after we'd finished!