Coope's Dozen Walk

On April 1st I led my first walk for East Lancs LDWA and rather than lead an existing walk I provided them with a brand new walking route. It may have been new as a walking route but I based it on a running challenge route that my good friend John Coope devised many years ago and we christened Coope's Dozen in his honour. The run is about 17 miles taking in 12 summits on the West Pennine Moors. Last June I completed it with what on the day was called the "fast" group in about 4 hrs 50. From memory the record is about 2 hours 40 but that was by a guy who had won the Snowdonia Marathon twice.
I modified the route to gain three miles to give a distance of 20 miles and did my final recce earlier in the week with temperatures in the 70s - record March temperatures were being recorded in some parts of the UK - taking 8 hours in the abnormal weather conditions.
Seventeen turned up for the walk and for a first go that was fine - it meant we were able to keep to a decent pace, completing in about eight and a half hours, only 30 minutes longer than I'd taken on my own. The day was perfect, having cooled a little from Tuesday but offering a complete day full of outstanding views with almost unbroken sunshine. White Coppice CC was open for ice-creams etc : this went down very well and experienced walkers enjoyed venturing onto Egg Hillock and Old Adam for the first time in their lives.