Rembrance Day on Great Gable - Report

As previously blogged, last week-end I made a small pilgrimage to the Lake District for a rather special Remembrance Day service. We arrived at our week-end base in Eskdale on Friday night in time for dinner and quite a few beers at the Woolpack a little further down the road. Saturday was occupied by a traverse of Crinkle Crags which in the end turned out to be a tutorial from nature in precipitation thanks to a combination of rain, hail, sleet and snow and low cloud/mist ! Saturday was more subdued night, nobody wanting to be in poor shape for the following morning.

Sunday dawned beautifully clear and crisp after a star filled night and hopes were high for clear conditions on Gable. However, as we drove round we could see cloud stubbornly clinging to the top of Gable and Kirk Fell from the col of Beck Head upwards. No matter I thought, in some ways cold, murky conditions are more fitting for the occasion.

As we arrived we could already see a steady stream of people labouring their way up the grinding slope of Gavel Neese and once parking was negotiated we set off ourselves to join the upward flow of humanity. There were all shapes, sizes and ages; I reckon I saw an age range between about eight and eighty but it was probably broader than that. Some people trekked up relatively easily, others having to stop every few yards – all equally determined to get there by 11 AM. We hit the cloud at the col and from there upwards care was need as the going became more of a scramble and the rock was very greasy.

We gained the summit plateau at around 10.45 AM to be greeted by the uplifting sight of a large throng already gathered there, wrapped up against the chill mist and breeze. With a lot of people behind us, this was clearly going to be quite a large gathering. We gained a good spot close to the top and put on extra layers to wait for service to start. 

At around 10.55 an individual from the Fell & Rock Club brought the crowd to silence as he began to tell the story of how and why the service takes place on the top of Gable and to explain that an event, which began as a private tribute to fallen comrades from the Fell and Rock Club has grown with their blessing into a non religious, non political tribute to those who fell in WWI and later wars. 

Finally, at 11 AM he called for two minutes silence, which scrupulously observed by the hundreds massed around the memorial stone, many removing hats and hoods despite the cold – a sight every bit as moving as I thought it would be. At the end of the silence there was a moment’s pause before a steady dignified clapping of hands quickly gathered momentum and volume. 

And then, by 11.05 it was over, about as simple a service as one could get, but all the more powerful for its brevity in that the stunning location.  I spent a few minutes looking at the memorial stone before we began our descent.

 

I felt that my earlier suspicion that the cloud and cold would add to the solemnity of the occasion was confirmed and maybe someone/thing agreed because about 5 minutes after the end of the service, the cloud started to lift and we were treated to bright sunshine as we (controversially ?) descended via the screes of Great Hell’s Gate.

When we reached Wasdale Head again, a somewhat unusual vehicle told us that we'd had some unexpected guests !