Lyke Wake Walk
The Lyke Wake Walk ( Engl. For funeral guard pathway ) is a hiking and cultural project in the North of England North York Moors . The core of the project is an ambitious hike across the uncultivated highlands. An active association has been formed around this project, whose members must have carried out the hike.
origin
In August 1955, the farmer, author and publicist Bill Cowley published an article in the Yorkshire country magazine Dalesman in which he believed it was possible to walk the highlands of the North York Moors along their greatest expanse in 24 hours without the "moorland ", That is, to leave the heather overgrown heights (occasionally the following is added:" ... or to meet another person ", which is not documented in writing).
The following October, the first attempt at such a hike was made, Bill Cowley himself was a member of the group of 14. She left at noon on October 1st and reached the destination on October 2nd at 10:30 am. Bill Cowley also published a book entitled Lyke Wake Walk , which has been constantly updated and reissued since then and which is still considered the official hiking guide in the current version.
The name comes from an ancient lamentation song, the Lyke-Wake Dirge , possibly the oldest surviving poetry in the Yorkshire dialect.
The hike
Successful execution ( dirging ) of the Lyke Wake Walk is called a crossing . There is no exact route, but there are some rules that must be followed:
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- The west end is the Lyke Wake Stone at the Sheep Wash parking lot at the north end of Osmotherley Reservoir ( position ). Originally it was the survey point on Beacon Hill, just under a kilometer northwest.
- The eastern end is the Lyke-Wake-Stein at the parking lot Beacon Howe next to a transmitter mast west of Ravenscar ( position ). It was originally the bar at the Raven Hall Hotel in Ravenscar.
- The destination must be reached no later than 24 hours after departure.
- The entire route has to be covered on foot (in winter optionally on skis ).
- The chosen route must move as closely as possible along the ridge line ( watershed ) of the moors. Descent into a valley, especially into Eskdale , which runs parallel to the north and east half of the route , leads to disqualification .
- Three roads to be crossed en route (B1257, A169, A171) must each be crossed within a specified section.
These rules result in a path approximately 40 miles (64 km). Deviations from the recommended routes change the length of the route only insignificantly, but can lead to considerable loss of time due to higher terrain difficulties.
The usual route is from west to east in order to have the wind behind you and not have to walk "against the grain" through the heather . In addition, the toughest climbs in the Cleveland Hills are at the beginning. However, the hiker is free to choose the direction.
The requirement to stay in moorland would result in a considerable detour near the western end, so that the recommended route initially crosses a small cross valley and only runs completely within moorland on a continuous ridge from the climb to Carlton Bank . Much of this western section of the recommended route coincides with the Coast to Coast Walk and the Cleveland Way .
The association organizes guided group hikes that start at midnight and last until around 9 p.m. Crossings on your own should at least be registered so that an emergency can be recognized quickly.
Lyke Wake Clubs
The first climbers of the hike founded the Lyke Wake Club immediately after successfully completing them , with Bill Cowley as the first chairman under the title Chief Dirger . This club existed until 2005; it was dissolved on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first crossing and converted into a company, the Lyke Wake Company Ltd, which sells books and merchandising items related to the project. In order to continue the legacy as a club, the New Lyke Wake Club was founded in 2004 , which took over most of the traditions.
Old and new clubs take up elements of the culture of mourning with satirical black humor . The membership card of the first club was designed like a condolence card and had the subtitle Condolences on your crossing (“ Condolences on your crossing ”). The offices and degrees of the clubs are macabre. The annual gatherings of the club are called wakes , to which one should appear in appropriate (covered) clothing.
membership
Anyone who has completed a crossing within the rules can apply for membership in the club. Male members are called dirger ("death warrior"), female witch ("witch").
Compliance with the rules will not be checked after Bill Cowley discovers that anyone taking this tour is above cheating. Originally it was necessary to submit a written, humorous report about your own crossing for the new admission ; Today such reports are no longer required, but they are still welcome and published within the framework of the club.
Membership Levels
Through activities within the framework of the association, higher membership levels can be acquired:
| Degree | conditions | badge |
|---|---|---|
| Master / Mistress of Misery ("Master of Misery") | 3 crossings , one in the opposite direction from the others; Knowledge of and compliance with the club rules, basic knowledge of the moorlands. | Collar in black |
| Doctor of Dolefulness ("Doctor of Sorrows") | 4 more crossings . Of the 7 crossings , one must be completed in winter (December, January or February) and one on your own; Preparation of a presentation on a club-related topic. | Collar in black and purple |
| Past Master / Mistress ("Old Master") | A total of 15 crossings as well as extraordinary services in the interest of the club, plus the ability to find your way around the moorland day and night, drunk or sober, without a map or compass. | Black and purple boutonniere |
| Purveyor of Purgatory ("supplier of purgatory") | For hiking guides only: management of three successful group crossings without incident. This degree was newly introduced in 2006 by the New Lyke Wake Club. |
Members with 100 or more crossings are called centenerians .
engagement
First of all, the club is concerned with maintaining the path and recognizing the routes as public rights of way . He makes sure that there are no groups that are too large and that the natural landscape is spared, and urges compliance with the Country Code , elementary rules of conduct when hiking in the great outdoors.
In keeping with the spirit of the founder, Bill Cowley, who is connected to his homeland, the club also aims to generally support the preservation of the natural landscape of the North York Moors and local customs. The club therefore works closely with the national park administration on nature conservation and the maintenance of the trails and organizes activities that are intended to awaken and strengthen the love for their homeland in those involved.
Records
(As of May 6, 2017)
- Fastest crossings
- Men: Mark Rigby (1984, 4h 41m), Women: Helene Diamantides (1992, 5h 30m)
- Most crossings
- Ben Hingston († 1985) with 212 crossings , the last on February 9, 1984
- Youngest crosser
- Christopher Turton, 6 years
literature
- Paul Sherwood: Lyke Wake Walk. The Official Guide, Dalesman Publishing, ISBN 978-1855681910 . Revised new edition of the original hiking guide by Bill Cowley.
Web links
- New Lyke Wake Club website
- Lyke Wake Company Ltd website
- Representation of the recommended route on OpenStreetMap
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Abstract of Bill Cowley's work on the Lyke Wake Company Ltd website, accessed August 27, 2019
- ↑ Full text on the club's website, accessed August 27, 2019
- ↑ These points are detailed , for example, in the route description on Nordengland-info.de , accessed on August 27, 2019.
- ↑ Recommended route of the association , the course of which complies with the rules. Accessed August 27, 2019.
- ↑ a b Goals and Rules on the club's website, accessed on August 28, 2019
- ↑ Reports , accessed April 1, 2018
- ↑ Degrees on the club's website, accessed August 28, 2019
- ↑ In the written formulation of the rules , the assessment of others is sufficient: Be considered capable of finding the way across any moor by day or night, whether drunk or sober without map or compass.
- ^ Club website , accessed January 18, 2018