Frog Graham Round : Sunday 30th August 2020

I decided to do the Frog Graham Round after completing the Puddle Buckley Round in Wales earlier in August of this year. I did the Puddle Buckley with my friend, Natalie Hawkrigg, who had done the Frog Graham last year and currently holds the fastest ladies time. She fancied having a stab at the Puddle Buckley after our friend, Paul Wilson, was the first to complete it in 2019. We thought we would have a go at being first ladies and the second and third completers.

After doing the Puddle Buckley it seemed silly not to do the Frog Graham as I live in ! So, I decided to try and fit it in before the end of the summer. Natalie and I did the Puddle Buckley unsupported, just stashing wetsuits and some additional gear and food at various strategic points on the Round. Hence, I decided to try the same approach for the Frog Graham and initially planned no support at all. However, I was slightly anxious about doing the Bassenthwaite and swims unsupported if they were potentially going to be at dawn and dusk with limited light and probably rather colder than I would have liked given the amount of recent rainfall. I therefore opted for a swimmer for support on Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater - Natalie on Bassenthwaite and my son, Robin, on Derwentwater.

The plan was a 3:30 am start with the goal of being at Church Bay, Bassenthwaite for 6 am to start the swim. In the end due to the logistics of cars and transport I met Natalie at Beck Wythop where she left her car and we headed to the Moot Hall together in my car. Then, setting off at 3:29 am, Natalie accompanied me for the first leg over , down to Church Bay and over Bassenthwaite to Beck Wythop. It was nice to have the company and helped the first leg and long pull up Skiddaw to pass quickly. I was extremely cold and shivery when I got out of the water at Beck Wythop which worried me about continuing and having to swim Crummock and Buttermere unsupported. Natalie was very encouraging though and insisted I should go and that she would get to Buttermere in time to support me with a kayak for safety. It was extremely fortunate that her son, Reuben and her friend, Nix, were also doing the Tadpole Round on the same day so she had planned to be there anyway, although rather later.

So, I set off and warmed up by about three quarters of the way up . Another contender passed me just after Barf and we had an unfortunate short period where I swapped positions with him and his support team a few times as our paces varied. In the end he fortunately pulled away with his team on the ascent of and, although I could see them ahead for most of the time, we didn’t swap places again.

I descended to Crummock about half an hour ahead of my target and saw Natalie setting up the kayak in the last few metres of the descent. I had left a fresh wetsuit, hat, googles and two tow bags with some food and drink in a second car at Crummock ready for my arrival. The Crummock swim, whilst cold, was not as bad as Bassenthwaite which was a relief. Mellbreak went OK, it was never going to be very nice! I wasn’t sure about the higher path cutting up towards as I hadn’t had time to recce it very well so descended to Scale Force and picked up the path to Red Pike from there. This seemed a long haul.

On the descent from High Stile I could see Elwood, Natalie’s second son, on a paddle board waiting to support myself and Nix, Reuben had already gone through Buttermere. I retrieved stashed wetsuit number 3 and got changed and then, by very good fortune, Nix and I arrived simultaneously at the Lake. I was about an hour ahead of my rough timings by now. Nix had followed the lake shore path from Crummock on her Tadpole Round. We swam over with Elwood on his paddle board for reassurance. It was great to have him there as it was pretty cold and rather choppy now. I struggled to warm up again after the swim, finding it very hard to dress and pack up. It was a relief when I was sorted to be running again and working hard on the way up . I didn’t find Robinson too bad, but went on forever. It was very nice to reach Catbells and see Derwentwater looking very flat and still below. I avoided all the erosion control areas and descended down a grassy section to meet the road and pick up a path to Otterbield Bay.

The plan was that Robin would join me at Otterbield Bay after finishing work at Cotswold Outdoors as long as I wasn’t earlier than 5:45 pm. I had been quite worried about this timing as, after the shock of the water temperatures, I hadn’t wanted to do this swim unsupported. As a backup, because I thought Robin wouldn’t make it in time, I had asked poor Natalie to once more turn up with her kayak and help ensure my safety. I actually arrived at the Bay at 5:44 pm, having retrieved wetsuit number 4 again stashed the day before, to find Robin ready and waiting in his wetsuit and Natalie ready and waiting in her kayak.

The water temperature was not as bad as I had anticipated it might be and, apart from one dizzy spell in the middle of the lake that didn’t last too long, we were pleasantly quickly on dry land at Calf Close Bay. Natalie dumped the kayak while Robin and I changed and then we all ran back to the Moot Hall via the lakeside path and the Theatre by the Lake. I arrived back at the Moot Hall at 7:07 pm after 15 hrs and 38 mins. I was very happy to have made it round despite the early qualms due to the temperature. It was nice to have all my family at the end and fish and chips to round the day off!

Thanks to: Natalie Hawkrigg Elwood Razzetti Robin Regan

Moot Hall 3:29 am Skiddaw 4:57 am Church Bay Bass arr 5:46 am Church Bay Bass dep 6:01 am Beck Wythop Bass arr 6:28 am Beck Wythop Bass dep 6:37 am Barf 7:24 am Lord’s Seat 7:38 am Ullister Hill 7:46 am Grisedale Pike 8:43 am 9:01 am Sand Hill 9:04 am 9:32 am 9:40 am 9:50 am 10:18 am Hause Point Crum arr 10:29 am Hause Point Crum dep 10:40 am Low Ling Crag Crum arr 10:58 am Low Ling Crag Crum dep 11:08 am Mellbreak 11:48 am Red Pike 1:02 pm High Stile 1:22 pm Home Close Bass arr 1:58 pm Home Close Bass dep 2:10 pm Crag Wood Bass arr 2:20 pm Crag Wood Bass dep 2:31 pm Robinson 3:29 pm Dale Head 4:06 pm 4:38 pm Cat Bells 5:23 pm Otterbield Bay Derw arr 5:44 pm Otterbield Bay Derw dep 5:56 pm Otterbield Island 6:00 pm St Herbert’s Island 6:10 pm Rampsholme Island 6:28 pm Calf Close Bay Derw arr 6:38 pm Calf Close Bay Derw dep 6:45 pm Moot Hall 7:07 pm

15 hrs 38 mins