Bubbles must have seen the weather forecast as his co-hare, Forever Blowing, arrived with the message that he had a bad back. A likely story!

She then proceeded to dish out the rucksack loaded with mince pies and whisky which happened to land on the back of yours truly,

Things weren't too bad at the start circle - a convivial atmosphere, a little light rain and a bit of hash banter.

It was after about 15 minutes on trail that the weather closed in and Lurch and Twisted headed out into the mist never to be seen again until the summit.

The summit was engulfed in cloud and was being battered by wind and horizontal rain. Those brave enough to make it huddled in the stone shelter and quickly sipped whisky in an attempt to gain some warmth. After that futile attempt it seemed the only warmth to be had would be back in a car with the heater on full.

With that aim in mind, a rapid descent was undertaken that would have made a hardy fell runner proud.

Back at the car park we realised that no one had seen Highway for some time. Just as we were relishing the thought of starting a search party, he arrived.

With much haste, we made our way to the AGA fuelled warmth of Forever's kitchen which was resplendent with the aroma of fine food and ales, all of which were consumed with a thankful heart.