In April, a brave cohort of the EcoNorth squad took part in a team building day at Honnister Slate Mine to complete its infamous Via Ferrata Extreme.
Via ferrata, meaning ‘iron way’, originated in the Alps, with early examples of fixed climbing aids installed on routes for tourism and exploration in the late 19th century. However, the modern concept of Via Ferrata, with its fixed cables and safety systems, emerged during World War I; the Italian Army used them to provide safe passage across very difficult terrain.
With the typical threat of April showers and unpredictable conditions, the intrepid team had a somewhat nervy early start through the Lakes to get to Honnister. The team involved John Thompson, Sarah Barlow, Jamie Birtwistle, Jamie’s partner Emma, Fiona Muir, and myself, Thomas Wilson.
Despite different travel arrangements, everyone made it to site just in time to sign the disclaimer and attend a health and safety briefing – as if we weren’t already nervous! After the briefing and kitting up, we jumped on a bus and made our ascent to the south side of Honnister Pass, taking in some views on the way and building a sense of anticipation. Before long we were at the drop off point and had a short walk through some of the old mine tunnels as a warmup before the cold sweats kicked in due to the approaching the cliff edge and the sight of a rusty ladder leading down into the abyss.
We had another short briefing to confirm some of the H&S before being let loose, in a very gingerly and ordered queue down the ladder and along the irons. The route started off easy to help us get used to the karabiner change overs and to give us a false sense of security. There was even some time for some cliff-side botany! The more challenging parts of the course included a very exposed and difficult overhang descent with awkward squeezes and long reaches between the iron-holds. We were lucky that the weather was on our side, however, the irons and rocks were still slippery which made things a little spicier!
Toward the end of the route, we caught site of the 190m long rope bridge overhanging a 300m chasm below. A small helter-skelter down onto a rocky outcrop marked the start of the bridge. The false sense of security after mastering the iron crossings was taken away very quickly. Some of the team flew across seemingly too easily with others, me included, feeling the jelly legs almost immediately. I like to think I have gotten used to heights, having climbed my fair share of trees during bat surveys, but there was no comparison, and I was not prepared for the swaying and bouncing as we made our way along. Telling yourself to not look down doesn’t help when all you can do is look down to see that your feet are still on the tight rope. It wasn’t long before we all made it off the bridge and back to safety. With the adrenaline still wearing off, we made our way to the top of the mountain, squirreling our way through more of the old mine works, and got a view of the surrounding mountain tops and valley below.
The trip had been several months in the planning, but it was well worth the wait. Everyone came away a little achy but smiling and on a high from the adrenaline rush. The route took all of 2.5 hours to complete but time goes quickly when you’re having fun. Discussions have already started about completing the Swiss Mürren-Gimmelwald Via Ferrata, but that might not be for a while yet.
By Thomas Wilson
