News

Someone had a bright idea. Someone said, ‘Right chaps, its over 40 years since we last finished the Lyke Wake Walk and I think we should give it a go again’. Back in 1980 we were 14 years old and up for anything, but this time round we were older but certainly not any wiser.  

Not bothering with the longer daylight hours of June we decided to pack the Lyke Wake Walk 2023 into a day in September, a Friday. It would give us chance to recover in time to attend College Mass on Sunday and the opportunity to watch a bit of sport on Saturday afternoon back at SHAC.  

Here we were – Paddy Williams (O84), Tim Woodhead (A84) and Damian West (C84)– trained as only finely tuned athletes can be and ready for action. We set off from Ravenscar at 5am, in the wrong direction, finally turning on our head torches & aiming the right way, we headed inland towards miles of heather moorland and our finish Osmotherly. Three of us rather than the 7 Amplefordians who started the Lyke Wake back in 1980. 

What would our 14-year-old selves think of us today? One wonders. When you are walking for 15 hours you have plenty of time to cover a multitude of subjects – family, school days, blisters, and the hottest topic – the Fylingdales “golf balls” - which we thought were going to warn us of imminent nuclear attack at any moment as schoolboys. This hot topic dominated our first big walk back in the 80s. The 7 of us debating what we would do back at SHAC in the last few minutes of our lives. You see, the Fylingdales golf balls were prime material for a 14-year-olds imagination. Now dismantled and demolished, replaced by a more up to date version of military hardware; nevertheless, it remained discussion point number 1 for many miles a few decades later. It was comforting to know our aspirations for our final minutes of life have remained much the same.  

The glorious weather played into our hands, we covered acres of heather moorland tracks, heard grouse calling, saw curlew and lapwing, sheep a plenty but not a soul until we reached each of our check points. We’d been in touch with the Alumni team back at Ampleforth who were only too willing to help with our logistics, meeting us at check points and making sure we were fed and watered. At each check point socks were changed, Tim’s map consulted, Paddy’s blisters patched, whilst Westie faffed. Humour, friendship. Nothing changes.  

Back in 1980 we arrived at the finish shattered, asleep while walking the final miles and possibly quite grumpy, but we were delighted to see Fr Richard and the College minibus. Fr Richard thought we deserved a nice cold drink, beds back in House were welcomed and sleep deep. The following day school life continued as it normally did and there was no mention of the walk again until our famous Lyke Wake Walk ties arrived in the post. The finish of the 2023 walk wasn’t too dissimilar to that of 1980. As pleased to see Lizzie Rohan, from the Alumni team, as we were to see Fr Henry! On Sunday, we turned up to SHAC in time for Mass and were given a ticking off for parking in the wrong spot by a smoking monk over by the Abbey, a reassuring moment of familiarity. After Mass we met some charming students and then headed on our merry way. 

40 years on, 40 miles completed, we still have our friendship and a few recovering blisters, but more importantly we all still have our ties! If you are thinking of doing this, or any walk, the Alumni team at SHAC was a tremendous help. Thank you, Lizzie.  As a small gesture of our thanks, the Alumni Office now has a special commemorative t-shirt designed by the three of us to grace the walls. 

*The Lyke Wake Walk is a 40 mile walk across the highest and widest part of the North York Moors and should be completed in 1 day. It can be walked east to west or west to east. 

*The original team of Lyke Wake Walkers were all 1984 leavers, the three of us, Neville Kilkenny (O83), Tim Coreth (O84), Johnny Macmillan (W84) and Pete Kerry (T84)