Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 037 - Dufton to Alston

 

Day:	037
Date:	Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Start:	Dufton
Finish:	Alston
Daily Kilometres:	33.1
Total Kilometres:	1165.4
Weather:	Overcast, drizzling or raining all day and windy up high
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£19)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; cheese and pickle sandwich; soup, shepherds pie and apple crumble and custard for dinner.
Aches:	Right knee sore (3/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I know I snore a little bit on occasion, but the guy directly under me in the double bunk last night, broke all records.  It sounded like he was doing it directly into my ear.  Andy, the Pennine Way hiker I have been paralleling for the last four or five days, was sharing the same room and we both considered drastic measures during the night to terminate the disturbance.  We didn't feel too bad making a little noise when we got up at 6:45am (early for a Youth Hostel) to pack before our 7:30am breakfast. Although it was a relatively shorter day, it included a climb to the highest point on my hike, and I was keen to get to Alston in time to buy some maps and a few supplies.  I left about 8:15am, knowing that Andy would be soon following me.  He has been hiking 11 days and is having a lot of feet problems.  I know how he feels.  The guidebook said that this would be a mentally tough day and also a challenge in poor weather.  It was raining with a low overcast.  The initial few kilometres were along farm lanes, but soon the path emerged onto the fells and the long ascent began.  I was mentally prepared for it to be long and arduous, so it actually didn't seem that bad, but at the top the fog had closed in and the trail was indiscernible.  I began looking for stone cairns to guide the way and found a smallish one which I used.  This was a mistake, because it set me on a more westerly course than I needed and, before long I had nothing to guide me at all.  Through the fog, I could occasionally make out valleys below, but it was impossible to work out where the high ground was.  I did a lot of wandering and backtracking and in the end used my GPS to set a course for the knoll I needed and eventually found a signpost.  I had wasted about 45 minutes and soon spotted Andy in the distance in front of me with a fluoro orange raincover on his pack.  The wind was a lot stronger and the rain continued, but it wasn't as cold as it might be and I was still wearing shorts and just a T-shirt under my rain jacket.  It was very wet and my feet and socks were soaked through again. I eventually caught Andy soon after we passed the remote communications facility at the top of Great Dun Fell (848m) and we walked together, comparing navigation thoughts for the next couple of hours over the top of Cross Fell (893m, the highest point of my walk) in drizzle and fog.  We reached Greg's Hut, a mountain refuge, soon after noon and went inside and ate our sandwiches.  Andy had mail to collect in Alston and we both considered it touch and go whether we could make it there by 5:30pm.  I went on ahead after lunch as we followed a remote track that was very stony, wet and difficult underfoot.  The fog cleared at lower altitudes, and I had sweeping views over treeless moors and deep valleys. Eventually, I reached the tiny village of Garrigill, on the River South Tyne soon after 3pm, thinking I still had 10km to go.  I took a break for a few minutes and then set of for Alston on the path which now followed the banks of the pretty river downstream.  It was the usual stone-walled fields, wildflowers, babbling river and overhanging trees, marred only by the continuing drizzle. The path into Alston passed the Youth Hostel and I reached there about 4:40pm (they open at 5pm), much earlier than expected back in Garrigill, and dumped my pack before continuing into town to get the things I wanted.  I found the maps I needed and some extra Thorlo inner socks that I had been looking for in every outdoor shop for the past two weeks.  The town had a cobbled main street and old buildings, making it very pretty. I went back to the hostel and checked in and showered and later met Andy, who had made it to the Post Office in time.  We are sharing a dorm room again.  We had dinner at the hostel and shared a table with Shirley, who is also walking from Lands End to John O'Groats.  She had a good sense of humour and we had an amusing dinner.  She was made redundant from her job as a librarian in early April and, 10 days later, was standing at Lands End, ready to start her journey. I finally have a moderately good wireless internet coverage tonight and will take the chance to upload the last few days' diaries.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 036 - Baldersdale to Dufton

 

Day:	036
Date:	Monday, 7 June 2010
Start:	Baldersdale
Finish:	Dufton
Daily Kilometres:	44.5
Total Kilometres:	1132.3
Weather:	Overcast all day. Steady rain from late morning to late afternoon.
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£19)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch; soup and quiche, salad and new potatoes for dinner
Aches:	Right knee sore (3/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	Breakfast, which was excellent, was at 8am and I chatted to the B&B owner, Caroline, while eating.  Their farmhouse was a beautiful renovation of a house dating back to mediaeval times, but Caroline said that the winters were brutal and the remoteness was sometimes difficult.  They will be moving nearer London in a few years time. I got away at 8:45am, later than I would have liked, given that I was aiming for Dufton, which I guessed to be about 45km away.  There was nothing for a long time before Dufton, so it was really a case of a short day or a long day, and the long day would put me back on a comfortable schedule.  The first couple of hours involved traversing farmland and low moors to Middleton-in-Teesdale where I hoped to get some supplies for the day and some maps.  The quaint old town had a small supermarket where I bought a sandwich for later and some soft drink.  Unfortunately all of the shops that might have sold maps were closed on Mondays.  I also needed a new book, having finished one last night, but the bookshop was closed too. From Middleton, the very pleasant path followed the River Tees upstream through picturesque farmland, in many places carpeted with wildflowers.  Many of the farmhouses were painted white, something of a tradition in the area.  It was lovely walking, though it started to rain steadily around noon.  There were a lot of high stiles to cross, and their wet rocks had me treading very carefully.  I saw a few walkers, particularly around two excellent waterfalls, Low Force and High Force (Force from the Viking word Foss for waterfall), where the tannin-stained water of the River Tees thundered over jagged rocks. Gradually I left the farms behind and entered moorland, continuing to climb following the River Tees upstream.  The rain was making the track very wet and boggy in parts, but I tried to maintain a good pace.  Fortunately, my left heel which was sore yesterday, seemed to have settled down.  Apparently the pen-knife surgery on the deep blister under the callus was successful!  As for much of yesterday, my feet were wet from noon onwards.  I never saw anybody else all afternoon and had the bleak moors to myself as I climbed through the rain, but it wasn't so bad until my iPod stopped working and I discovered that, somehow, water had got into the plastic bag inside my Goretex jacket and drowned both my radio and iPod.  I was very annoyed.  I soldiered on along the Pennine Way, including through some difficult slippery rocky sections which slowed my pace considerably.  An afternoon highlight was the powerful multi-tiered waterfall at Cauldron Snout where the River Tees plunged down from a higher valley through a narrow gorge.  Very impressive.  The path climbed up the side of the waterfall on slick boulders that had me using all hands to avoid a nasty fall, but I survived. Soon afterwards, around 5pm, the rain stopped and there were even a couple of glimpses of the sun, as I continued over a high moorland.  I took the chance to hold and carry both my iPod and radio, exposed to the wind and relative warmth and eventually the radio began working again, but no joy on the iPod. Around 6:30pm came the highlight of the day when the path reached the high end of High Cup, a perfectly formed U-shaped glaciated valley that fell away beneath me.  It was breathtaking, made all the better by the clearer skies.  The path followed one edge of the valley before gradually descending towards Dufton.  It was a race to see whether I could get to Dufton before 8pm, the usual time for pubs to stop serving food.  In the end, I arrived at the pub exactly on 8pm, but saw the Youth Hostel opposite, which was larger than I expected (and therefore more likely to serve food), so I quickly went in and enquired.  Although dinner was long over, the kind and cheerful manager offered me some of what was left, and I dumped my rucksack upstairs and came down to eat.  Andy, the Pennine Way hiker I had met a number of times in the past three or four days, was also there.  I then checked in and ordered breakfast and a packed lunch for tomorrow, given that there are few resupply opportunities.  Still no mobile phone or wireless internet coverage. Tomorrow will be a shorter day and I'll aim to get to Alston mid-afternoon in the hope of finding a B&B and mobile coverage.  There is a Youth Hostel so I may end up there.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 035 - Hawes to Baldersdale

Day:	035
Date:	Sunday, 6 June 2010
Start:	Hawes
Finish:	Baldersdale
Daily Kilometres:	43.6
Total Kilometres:	1088.7
Weather:	Hazy in the morning, foggy and drizzling in the afternoon
Accommodation:	Farm B&B (£35)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; soup and roll for lunch; soup, chicken, rice and salad, and apple crumble and ice-cream for dinner
Aches:	Right knee a bit sore (3/10) and left heel bruised and blistered
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I was ready to leave by 7:30am and had the (very poor) hostel English breakfast before saying my goodbyes to Karen and Gay and hitting the trail and walking down through Hawes.  Keith, whose bus didn't leave until 11am, accompanied me for the first couple of kilometres before we said our goodbyes and he headed back to the hostel. The weather was hazy and overcast, but dry, as I began the long climb up Great Shunner Fell (716m).  There were already a couple of hikers on the Pennine Way and, determined to maintain a good pace, I began to catch them from behind.  One of them, who turned out to be Yorkshire farmer out for a walk with no gear, latched on to me and asked whether he could walk with me.  He seemed a little odd, but I agreed and he turned out to be fine and very interested in my hike.  He had a broad accent and it was like talking to Geoffrey Boycott for the 90 minutes it took us to reach the peak, during which he answered all my questions about farming in the area.  He then returned the way we had come and I continued on at a good pace.  Although it was a long climb, it was rarely steep.  The views were impressive, but marred by the haze, with high fells in all directions. The path then descended gradually to the very small village of Thwaite, along stone-walled lanes, past ancient farms.  Then there was a steep climb to a narrow rocky path which followed the contours of a steep-sided valley with more good views and plenty of day hikers.  I passed by the village of Keld and a beautiful waterfall before climbing solidly up onto another moor.  It began spitting with rain which soon became a steady drizzle.  I was hoping to get to the Tan Hill Inn (the highest pub in England) before they stopped serving lunch, but didn't know exactly how far it was.  It finally loomed out of the fog and drizzle around 2:15pm, and was an oasis for many people hiding from the weather.  They had a big fire going in the hearth and it was busy.  I decided, given I still had a long way to go to my booked B&B at Clove Lodge, to just order soup and a roll in the hope that it didn't take too long.  Wrong.  Anyway, I finally got walking again around 3pm in the continuing rain and fog, this time across spongy and boggy moorland, although apparently it's much drier this year than usual. The weather was appropriate for a lonely moor and I didn't see any other walkers for the rest of the day.  Despite the wet conditions, I still was able to maintain a good pace, though my left heel was becoming a bit tender, like it was bruised.  I was pleased with how strong I felt as I hurried across the bleak moor, and didn't feel too tired at all.  Just as well, because I have another long day tomorrow. I finally reached Clove Lodge, an isolated farm, just after 6:30pm and was greeted by the friendly host who quickly made me a cup of coffee as I took my sodden boots off, and then left me to shower in the ensuite room.  He gave me a very nice three-course dinner at 7:15pm, though £18 still seemed a bit rich. More rain is forecast tomorrow, but I'm told the path is reasonable and, with luck I'll make my target of Dufton, which will put me back on schedule.

 

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 034 - Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Hawes

 

Day:	034
Date:	Saturday, 5 June 2010
Start:	Ribblesdale
Finish:	Hawes
Daily Kilometres:	21.9
Total Kilometres:	1045.1
Weather:	Partly sunny and warm
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£19)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; ham & tomato roll for lunch; cumberland sausage, chips and peas, and chocolate fudge and ice-cream for dinner
Aches:	Right knee quite sore (3-4/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I slept fine in the "doll's house", but Keith had trouble and ended up sleeping out on the hard wood verandah, although not very well.  Our host, Winston, reminded us at 7:30am that he was cooking our breakfast and we wandered across to the main house where he had done us proud.  Although a local, Winston had spent a lot of time in Australia, mainly around Toowoomba, and we enjoyed chatting to him while we ate.  It was a big day in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, which accounted for our difficulty in getting accommodation, and Winston was also busy selling car parking in his nearby paddock. Apparently, not only was it the local gala day, but there was a charity event involving climbing three nearby peaks which had hundreds if not more hikers, and the Oxfam 100km Trailtrekker was passing nearby, as we discovered later. Keith and I started walking around 8:30am on another dry and hazy day and, following an old stone-walled farm track, gradually climbed higher and higher.  All around, in the distance, we could see the three-peak hikers travelling along paths and silhouetted against the sky-line on ridges.  There were also a few other hikers, travelling along the Pennine Way like us, including a mixed group of six teenagers who we later found pondering how to get a frisbee ring out of a dark cold pond they had managed to throw it into. Again, the scenery was superb as we got higher and higher with views across to moorland fells in the near and far distance.  Our path continued along mostly walled farm tracks which were sometimes rocky and rough.  They took their toll on Keith's back up pair of shoes, which were gradually falling apart and, before long he was using my backup shoes (luckily the right size) to preserve what was left of his for his train journey home tomorrow. Just before noon, we passed a tent set up by the track which turned out to be a Checkpoint near halfway for the Oxfam Trailtrekker and learned that the first teams, which had set out from Skipton at 7am this morning, were due shortly.  We were tempted to wait around for a while and watch them come through, but carried on.  We learned later that the teams still hadn't come through half an hour later. We ate a couple of rolls we had bought yesterday at the cafe for lunch in a beautiful spot high over a valley and enjoyed the sun.  During the morning, I had finally managed to call and book what appeared to be the last two beds in the Hawes Youth Hostel, so we were a lot more relaxed about our pace.  After a long descent, during which we took a non-fatal wrong turn (i.e., ended up in the right place, anyway), we arrived at the Youth Hostel soon after 3pm and left out packs in the foyer (it didn't open until 5pm) and walked into the centre of Hawes.  The town was buzzing with tourists, many of them hikers, enjoying a beautiful summers' day in the Yorkshire Dales.  We had an ice-cream and a wander around and I bought a map I needed for the next section, and made out way back to the hostel to check in at 5.  During the day we had seen Gay and Karen, hiking separately, a few times and we all had dinner in the hostel together before going into town for a drink at one of the pubs.  We have all enjoyed each other's company over the last few days, but will go our separate ways tomorrow.  Keith is returning to London by bus and train for work on Monday.  Karen is having a day off and Gay is continuing on the Pennine Way, but not as far as me. The weather forecast tomorrow is not good and there is a big mountain to cross.  I have booked a B&B room more than 40km away, so will have to get away early and maintain a good pace.  I've enjoyed walking with Keith and we have had a good time.  It's been like a holiday from a holiday. I passed the halfway mark today.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 033 - Malham to Horton-in-Ribblesdale

Day:	033
Date:	Friday, 4 June 2010
Start:	Malham
Finish:	Horton-in-Ribblesdale
Daily Kilometres:	24.2
Total Kilometres:	1023.2
Weather:	Mostly sunny and warm with a strong breeze
Accommodation:	"Doll's House" B&B (£20)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; cheese & pickle sandwiches for lunch; ??? for dinner.
Aches:	Right knee sore (3/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	We had the 7:30am breakfast we had ordered in the hostel and collected the packed lunch we had also ordered since we weren't going to be passing by any resupply opportunities during the day.  It was forecast to be warm and we knew we had some mountains to climb, so we took along plenty of fluids which, of course, added to the weight of our packs for the first long climb. Early on the path took us past the base of Malham Cove, a huge and impressive limestone cliff which had once been a waterfall, and then we had to climb to the top before the path levelled off somewhat for very pleasant walking across the Yorkshire Dales.  The grassy path passed through park-like surroundings with stone fences, sheep and cattle, and their young, and large hills (fells) in all directions.  We saw quite a number of other hikers, some of whom we knew from the hostel.  One of them was, Karen, the Lands End to John O'Groats hiker I had met earlier in the week, who had now caught up to us.  We had met her in the pub the previous evening, and she had told us that there was some kind of event in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, our target for the today, and that she had got the last B&B room available! The path now wound around the side of the very pretty, almost alpine, Malham Tarn, overlooked by a stately home on the other side.  From there it was a steady climb in warm conditions to the top of Fountains Fell where we sheltered behind a stone wall from the cool breeze and had lunch.  We were high and had mobile reception, so I took the chance to give Aaron a call for his birthday. We then descended across the moors to a wide valley with great views in all directions before beginning the solid climb to the top of Pen-y-Ghent, the highest mountain in the vicinity for some more great views, although it was getting hazy.  From there it was a steady and sometimes difficult descent on a stony and rocky trail for two blokes with only two good knees between them to Horton (did I mention that one of the two pairs of shoes Keith brought with him, fell apart on the descent from Fountains Fell.  We arrived in Horton soon after 4pm and found a small cafe that doubled as a tourist information centre, and got some leads on accommodation in the area.  No joy at all.  We tried further afield on the assumption that we could get a train from where we were to a larger town not so far away, but everything there we called was booked out as well.  During this time, Karen walked past the cafe on her way to her B&B, and learned we were having no luck.  Even the campsites in town were full. We decided to get a light meal at the cafe and then continue hiking for an hour or so before just finding somewhere to free camp.  Then, just as we were about to order some food, Karen came back and told us that her B&B host had said we might be able to get two beds in the "summer house" of another person in the village.  I returned the half-mile with Karen to see whether we were in luck, while Keith stayed with the rucksacks and found the villager waiting and his "summer house", almost like a doll's house, at the end of his garden set up with a double bunk and use of the his shower and toilet in the main house.  It was all very clean and well cared for and I accepted his offer of £20 each, including breakfast, and walked back and got Keith.  It started raining soon after we "checked in".  Our piece of luck meant that Keith was able to avoid testing the water permeability of his £5.80 tent from Tesco! After showering, we went down to the nearby pub and joined Karen, Gay (a retired nurse hiking the Pennine Way who we had met at Malham Hostel), and Andy (an aerospace engineer with Rolls Royce who was also hiking the Pennine Way and had been staying at the same two previous hostels as Keith and I).  The meal was good and we had a nice social evening.  Gay and Karen will be at the same hostel as us again tomorrow night, assuming Keith and I can get beds (no luck so far), but Andy is pushing on further and I may see him later up the Pennine Way if I have a few longer days.

 

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 032 - Earby to Malham

 

Day:	032
Date:	Thursday, 3 June 2010
Start:	Earby
Finish:	Malham
Daily Kilometres:	20.8
Total Kilometres:	999.0
Weather:	Sunny and warm
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£19)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; small nachos for lunch; soup, canneloni and apple cake and custard for dinner.
Aches:	Right knee a bit bothersome (3/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	After some discussion last night, Keith and I have decided to plan for some shorter days.  We are a bit limited by where places to stay and resupply are located, so have to either go for long days or short days.  Our plan is to have two shorter days (20-25km), followed by one long day (40-45km), but we'll see how it goes. We left the hostel soon after 8am and walked a kilometre into the centre of the village where we found a cafe and ordered some breakfast.  By the time we had done that, and made some calls about accommodation, it was after 9am before we started walking on what we were told was a relatively flat section.  The sun was already warm on our backs as we walked out of Earby along a disused rail line towards Thornton-in-Craven where we rejoined the Pennine Way (we had detoured via Earby to stay in the hostel). The route passed through classic undulating rural scenery with the grassy hillsides dotted with sheep and cattle, stone fences and beautiful stone houses.  After crossing one hill, we dropped to the peaceful Leeds & Liverpool Canal, and followed that for a couple of kilometres.  We passed a couple of hikers, one totally blind, who had shared our dormitory in the hostel last night and were aiming for the same hostel, Malham, as us tonight.  The two walkers we had shared dinner with last night at the pub, are also aiming for the same hostel, so we are like a small moving caravan. Because of the warm conditions, we were pleased to see a sign on one of the canal bridges that a small shop could be found at the next canal bridge and we began fantasising about cold drinks and ice-creams.  Of course, when we got there, we found it closes on Thursdays!  Fortunately, we didn't have that much further to our planned lunch stop in the village of Gargrave, where we arrived at noon after crossing some more low hills.  We had a light lunch and bought some drinks for the afternoon from a nearby store before setting off for the remaining 10 or so kilometres to Malham.  It was very warm, but we were not pressed for time and took a mid-afternoon break in the shade of some large trees across the Aire River from the village of Airton.  Very pleasant. Then, for the last hour walking of the day, we hiked upstream along the grassy banks of the River Aire to Malham arriving around 4pm to find there was a kind of children's festival going on called the Malham Safari, with all kinds of activities.  However, it seemed that most kids were paddling and splashing about in the river in the middle of the quaint little village, while there parents dozed on the banks or enjoyed drinks outside the two town pubs.  I got my camera out to take a picture of the kids in the river, saying to Keith that I would probably be arrested if I did it in Australia, and he said I probably would in the UK as well, so no picture. We left our packs at the Hostel (which didn't open until 5pm) and I wandered through town looking for some maps I need for the next few days, while Keith had a doze at a picnic table in the sun.  He's enjoying some of the same problems I experienced in my first few days, and we have decided to be less ambitious on Saturday, reducing the long day we had intended.  It will leave me a little behind schedule, but I can make that up easily enough.  The next few days, though shortish, involve some big climbs and, if it is as warm as it was today, it will be hard work. We checked into the large hostel at 5pm and, after showers, I put on a load of washing in their machine.  We have ordered dinner, breakfast and a packed lunch for tomorrow.  We won't be passing any supply points, but the scenery is supposed to be spectacular.  No mobile reception here and poor reception last night, so it will be a little while longer before these diary entries are emailed.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 031 - Hebden Bridge to Earby

Day:	031
Date:	Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Start:	Hebden Bridge
Finish:	Earby
Daily Kilometres:	36.2
Total Kilometres:	978.2
Weather:	Sunny and warm with a light breeze
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£16)
Nutrition:	English breakfast; no lunch but some snacks; steak & ale pie, peas and chips and syrup pudding and custard for dinner
Aches:	Right shoulder and knee a bit sore
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	Keith and I had a leisurely start to the day with an 8am breakfast and then waiting until 9am to leave the hotel so I could buy some maps and a new waterproof map case from an outdoors shop nearby.  We started hiking out of Hebden Bridge at 9:20am and were soon on a beautiful path following Hebden Water upstream.  The stream was clear and babbling, there wildflowers all round and lovely shady trees.  We also passed a restored mill and several mill ponds that were as calm as a mill pond.  It was very pleasant and we chatted as we walked along. After a while the path began to climb a little more steeply and entered hilly sheep grazing land and we climbed over the first of many moors for the day, each with a valley to descend and climb out of each time.  The weather was superb and when we joined the Pennine Way after about 10km, we were sharing the path with quite a lot of other hikers.  Because Keith and I knew we had quite a long walk to reach Earby Youth Hostel, and because we had had a very big breakfast, we decided to limit ourselves to snack stops during the day to save time (and there weren't any pub stop options anyway). At one of our rest/snack breaks we were joined by a couple of enormous pigs, family pets, I would guess, who were quite keen to check out our rucksacks.  It took all of my strength to push one away with my boot while sitting down, and then they left us alone and continued on their way across the hillside paddock. The weather meant that we had great views from the moors in all directions, and especially down into the green valleys with their sheep pastures, stone walls, and historic villages.  As they day wore on Keith suffered in the warmth and, I think, for not bringing enough fluids.  Climbing all the hills was thirsty work and it was his first day on the trail.  There wasn't quite as much conversation in the afternoon. We eventually reached the hostel around 7pm and quickly showered and walked down to the village pub. [While I was having a shower last night at our Hebden Bridge hotel, Keith, who had just arrived from London by train, went for a walk around town to find a pub where we could have dinner.  He returned to say he had found a nice one about half a mile away.  I said that there was no way I was walking half a mile to a pub for dinner and we ended up eating at the hotel where we were staying.  Tonight, when we checked into the hostel, the manager told us there was a pub where we could get dinner about 200 yards down the road.  Keith asked him whether there was one closer!] At the pub, we were joined by two other walkers we had met during the day and we had a very pleasant evening chatting about hiking, travelling and running for a couple of hours.  The tanned Aussie and the three sunburnt Englishmen!