So, kit on, shoes on, Antiseptic taken care of (she was recovering from her second shoulder replacement a week before), all in good time and set off at a trot to the on on at the Black Bull.  Er, not a hasher to be seen ten minutes before the off, so after a quick phone to Anti to check the start location I had to backtrack the half mile home and get a lift to the real start at Baines Crag.  All deserted as by then I was twenty minutes late but the hare had kindly left a big flour arrow to show me the way.  By the way, I only get the off location wrong once in a blue moon!

Catch-up wasn't easy as the kick-out at the first check pointed in a different direction across an open field to that of the footpath finger post, so after a circle of the field I had to come back to the check and try again.  Second time lucky, but that lost me another ten minutes on the pack.

Through the farm and I completely missed the collie pups in the cages which FB told me about later, probably because I was concentrating so much on keeping on trail, or maybe I'm just gormless.  Back to the road and down across the river, past the Scout camp and up to the junction at Littledale Road.  I saw arrows on the far side pointing right so I went right and down to the entrance to Littledale Hall where there was a closed check not kicked out, so I had ended up ahead of the pack.  Forever Blowing and Twisted were not far behind so I hung around and then Upperskirt the hare turned up with granddaughter Aria in tow.  We worked out that the hare had waited for the main pack at the junction and sent them down the road towards Brookhouse then back over the Cross, meanwhile re-marking the junction and it was the re-marking I had spotted.  Still, my short-cut makes up for the extra mile I had to do at the beginning going to the wrong start.

The trail carried on through the grounds of Littledale Hall and over the hill back almost to the Scout camp.  At the fish hook Fiddler and I couldn't be bothered to go back so just waited, but FRBs who did go back didn't make it as far as Baldbrick, as he had prematurely evacuated (a case of welly-foot apparently) and cadged a lift with the hare.

Up the track, through a ford, where I was glad to wash the shiggy off my feet, and back up to Baines Crag.  Thank you Upperskirt for a terrific trail.  The day was cloudy and chilly but dry with a glimpse of sunshine just before the on in.

A short but sweet circle then back to the Black Bull where the food was served quickly, although I trotted off home after an excellent pint of Wainwrights, as my brother in law was cooking for us.