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Discussion Forum - The Bothy - Who have you met that's famous whilst out on a social or challenge event?


Author: Matthew Hand
Posted: Thu 26th Aug 2010, 20:50
Joined: 2001
Local Group: Mid Wales
.. Not that there are many buses in our neck of the woods, or famous people for that matter.......But perhaps somebody famous will come to the Welsh International Four Days Walks at Llanwrtyd Wells on 15,16, 17, 18 September!!
Author: Norman Corrin
Posted: Thu 26th Aug 2010, 20:21
Joined: 1981
Local Group: Beds, Bucks and Northants
Jane

Never!! You're far too young to need a bus pass.....

I hope to be walking yes, hope to do the B routes if I can. That will depend upon how my hips stand up this weekend in the Lake District.
Author: Matthew Hand
Posted: Wed 25th Aug 2010, 22:46
Joined: 2001
Local Group: Mid Wales
Great! Are you walking? Its my bus-pass birthday during the walks so celebrations and commiserations needed. Jane.
Author: Norman Corrin
Posted: Wed 25th Aug 2010, 19:55
Joined: 1981
Local Group: Beds, Bucks and Northants
Jane

Just to let you know that I'll be at the Welsh 4 Days in September. See you there.
Posted: Wed 7th Jul 2010, 22:59
Joined: 1995
A few years ago I went to the Lakes to solo ice climb Central Gully on Great End. It was very lean on the lower rock steps, just covered with clear Verglas. I abandoned the climb on the second step realising that if I pursued I may not be able to make a retreat if necessary.
I moved up to Custs Gully, normally a simple grade 1 snow slope. It was again just smeared with Verglas and made for very difficult ice climbing. On its first vertical step I again considered giving up. However asmall group of climbers had gathered below and were waiting for me to clear the route before starting themselves. Well. I couldn't back off now, could I?
With that I managed to pull over the first obstacle, then a crawl under the next Chockstone and an extremely awkward final wall made for some extreme moves, but managed it, up the final snow slope and onward to the summit cairn.
Watching for the other guys to emerge from the gully, I was surprised to see Alan Hinkes was next one out. He came over to the cairn and we had a good chat. "How about that, Custs Gully in grade 4 condition" he exclaimed, and proceeded to snap away with his camera as enthusiastically as someone whom you would have thought had just reached his first Lakeland top.
Another time I had just topped out on a rock climb on Anglezarke quarry in Lancs, when Chris Bonnington and his partner came walking along the path having just finished climbing. I nodded and said "Hello". He just sort of looked and walked on.
On yet another occasion, I went to Derbyshire to have a look at the Ravens Tor crag in Millersdale. A worlds first rock climb with a grade of 8C+ had recently been put up on this rock face and named 'Hubble'. Whilst inspecting the route, its originator 'Ben Moon' turned up (He is/was famous in climbing at the time) Iasked him if it had had a 'repeat' yet. He looked at me as if I was Martian and siad "No it hasn't". Thinking I had offended him I left and went back to my car.
Dave.
Author: Tony Willey
Posted: Wed 7th Jul 2010, 19:01
Joined: 1989
Local Group: Lakeland
On a walk in Wasdale this week I was climbing Seatallan from Middle Fell when I met Joss Naylor plus four dogs on his afternoon run. He was quite happy to stop and chat for a couple of minutes about nothing in particular. What a nice man.
Author: Matthew Hand
Posted: Tue 15th Jun 2010, 22:00
Joined: 2001
Local Group: Mid Wales
I met that Norman Corrin once..........! Hi Norman, will you be at the Welsh International Four Day Walks in September? Jane Hand
Author: Tony Willey
Posted: Thu 10th Jun 2010, 17:30
Joined: 1989
Local Group: Lakeland
By coincidence I am currently reading Roy Hattersley's autobiography (Who Goes Home?) and very funny it is too. His story of George Brown's drunken resignation from the Wilson government reminded me that I once saw George Brown emerging from the up market Peacock Hotel in Rowsley, Derbyshire as we walked past. He had clearly enjoyed a well lubricated lunch and was being assisted down the steps by his companions, but managed a cheerful wave to our bunch of scruffy walkers.
Author: Tony Turton
Posted: Tue 8th Jun 2010, 17:10
Joined: 2006
Local Group: Heart of England
Came across Ken Branagh and Emma Thompson years ago (when they were still together) walking on the Thames towpath just outside Marlow.
Posted: Wed 2nd Jun 2010, 15:54
Joined: 2010
I recently also stumbled across Roy Hattersley whilst walking the Monsal Trail in Derbyshire...........along with his new dog too!!
Posted: Wed 2nd Jun 2010, 13:23
Joined: 1994
Whilst on a walk in the Simonside Hills in Northumberland, we came across two men with very serious GPS equipment. One of turned out to be Stewart Ainsworth from Channel 4's TimeTeam. He was researching some of the many Iron Age hillforts in Northumberland, with a view of writing a book for English Heritage. We told him about Ron Chamber's excellent Hillfort Round Anytime Challenge in which he showed great interest, until he discovered it was 26 miles and 7000 feet of ascent!
He told me his favourite archeological site in the UK was Yeavering Bell, a few miles west of Wooler (Northumberland 100 entrants walked right past it in the first hour) as it is largely intact and has magnificent views form the top - when it's not raining!
Author: Tony Willey
Posted: Tue 1st Jun 2010, 20:36
Joined: 1989
Local Group: Lakeland
Definitely Roy Hattersley - don't you read the Guardian? I understand that he has now acquired a new dog, a bull terrier by the name of Jakie.
Author: Garfield Southall
Posted: Sat 22nd May 2010, 22:56
Joined: 1991
Local Group: Merseystride
Not sure how you could confuse Buster with David Blunkett

;-)

(garfield)
Author: Ian Koszalinski
Posted: Sat 22nd May 2010, 22:44
Joined: 2004
Local Group: High Peak
don't you mean david blunkett?
Author: Tony Willey
Posted: Mon 17th May 2010, 16:02
Joined: 1989
Local Group: Lakeland
We encountered Roy Hattersley while walking around Great Longstone in Derbyshire as he exercised the famous Buster. Sadly Buster died last year - I don't know if a replacement dog has yet been found.
Author: Katie Hunt
Posted: Mon 17th May 2010, 11:28
Joined: 1998
Local Group: Norfolk & Suffolk
We were route finding for the Northumberland 100 and we came across John Craven and a film crew doing a piece for Countryfile. I was so busy looking at what was going on that I slipped and fell in the mud. Fortunately the cameras were pointing at John Craven at the time!
Posted: Wed 12th May 2010, 10:03
Joined: 1982
If I have or do meet any celebrities I hope that I have the manners to greet them as I would any other walker that I do not know or have not been introduced too. That is with a suitable polite greeting and pass on my way, unless they indicate that they would like to make polite conversation and I would certainly not push myself on to them or even mention that I have met them and I think or hope most LDWA members would act in the same manner.
That said, many years ago I did meet a political figure that I did not recognise till many months later when I seen her on the television been escorted in to No 10. Our converstion was robust on both sides, as we were both rushing to the same train, she to get on to it as a passenger and me to load it with mail.
Author: David Kearns
Posted: Wed 12th May 2010, 9:22
Joined: 1998
I bumped into Jilly Cooper while trudging acros a field on last years Cotswold Challenge. Could she have been researching the sexual proclivities of long-distance walkers? Not sure whether that would make a very long book or a very short one

Dave
Author: Richard Smith
Posted: Wed 12th May 2010, 8:59
Joined: 2010
Local Group: South Wales
I ran with Ron Hill in a Keswick fell race. Being about 35 years younger than him, I thought I'd try to keep pace with him and keep him in my sights..... great idea until he dropped me on the first big climb..... I felt rather defeated after that.... then upped my training considerably!!

Deb
Author: Alan Jolly
Posted: Wed 5th May 2010, 14:53
Joined: 1997
Unfortunately I haven't met anyone famous whilst walking, although I wouldn't mind bumping into Julia Bradbury ! ;-p
Author: Norman Corrin
Posted: Mon 3rd May 2010, 12:15
Joined: 1981
Local Group: Beds, Bucks and Northants
To start the ball rolling, a group of BBN members met Prime Minister Tony Blair and Cherie Blair whilst on the Chequers Challenge social walk in April 2005 as they were leaving the church at Edlesborough. Christine Pendlebury spoke to him.


Now over to you!
Author: Norman Corrin
Posted: Mon 3rd May 2010, 12:14
Joined: 1981
Local Group: Beds, Bucks and Northants
I was speaking to a new LDWA member who is in the BBN catchment area. He'd taken part in the Oxon 40/20 walks on Saturday 1st May and whilst out running he and his wife and lady friends bumped into Orlando Bloom who was out walking accompanied by his minder. All went a quiver!

Who have you met that's famous?

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