 |
 |
The Original Yomp British soldiers cross 23 miles of the Falkland Islands in 1982. |
The Mallerstang Yomp Yompers enjoy waymarked walks of 23, 11.5 or 6.5 miles across the Cumbrian fells. |
The Mallerstang Horseshoe
and Nine
Standards Yomp
The Original Yomp
The term 'Yomp'
was first used to describe how British forces crossed the Falkland Islands in the 1982 war.
It involved marching, running and crawling or whatever method made progress without detection by the enemy.
The Mallerstang Yomp
The Yomp was established by the Rotary Club of Upper Eden to
commemorate the achievements of the British Forces engaged in the
Falklands Campaign. The Full Yomp involves a walk, or run, over 23 miles of beautiful Cumbrian fells in the Upper Eden Valley near Kirkby Stephen. For those who prefer a gentler aim there are walks of 11.5 miles (Half Yomp) and 6.5 miles (Short Yomp).
Map1 : Map2 : Checkpoint grid references
The three Yomp routes together make up an outdoor
event in beautiful countryside for everyone, from family groups to ramblers
to fell runners. Some Yompers do the Full Yomp at a leisurely pace,
taking around 10 hours to complete the circuit. Fell runners, at the
other extreme, zip round the course in a few hours. The record is less than 3 hours.
The Yomp is a community event open to all. Local
organisations and individuals sponsor the event and landowners grant access permissions for the event. It is supported by Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team.
The Full Yomp
The Full Yomp (23 miles) starts at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School and
runs south out of Kirkby Stephen, climbing above the Mallerstang valley
to the summit of Wild Boar Fell, on to Swarth Fell Pike then down and
across the valley by Aisgill Moor and Hellgill Force. It then takes a
gradual ascent by Mallerstang Edge to High Seat and High Pike Hill before
dropping down to the Swaledale road at the top of Tailbridge Hill. The
final stage is the ascent to the Nine Standards before the last downhill
stretch to Kirkby Stephen.
The Half Yomp
The half Yomp (11.5 miles) provides a less demanding walk
but still includes an ascent to the Nine Standards, the visual high point
of all the routes. It also starts at kirkby Stephen Grammar School
and follows the same course out of Kirkby Stephen but after a couple of
miles turns left across farm fields and takes a winding course to the
top of Tailbridge Hill, rejoining the main route to the Nine Standards
and Kirkby Stephen.
The Short Yomp
The short Yomp (6.5 miles) is for those wanting
a pleasant 2 hour walk onto the fells but especially for school children,
accompanied by responsible adults, who wish to combine the personal achievement
of reaching the Nine Standards with raising money for their own school. The Short Yomp starts at a Marshalls' post at the top
of Tailbridge Hill (NGR 809042) and follows the same course as the other
routes to the Nine Standards and Kirkby Stephen. It is designed for the
younger generation and attracts a large contingent of young people with
their parents , teachers and guardians.
Terrain
All routes are over fell land, bog and scree and the full course rises
to over 650m in three places. We cross such well known landmarks as Wild
Boar Fell, Swarth Fell, The Riggs, High Seat, Hugh’s Seat and Nine
Standards Rigg. Map.
Run or walk, Team or Solo
The Yomp is tackled with enthusiasm by hundreds of walkers and runners every year.
Some participate on their own and some in teams. Some participate for the simple pleasure of enjoying a
fine day on the hills and some with serious intent to win a trophy or
set a new record time.
Number of Entrants
The number of entrants is limited to 750. Despite this large entry the routes
never appear crowded due to staggered
start times and varying Yomp lengths. Entrants can go solo or enjoy a friendly atmosphere
associating with others as they wish.
Trophies, Medals and Certificates
All entrants are timed to the nearest minute and receive a completion
certificate. There are 20 trophies awarded to winners of various
categories and all winners receive a medal. Latest finishing time to count
for trophies is 4.00pm. The full Yomp ia a FRA registered event, class
BL.
Charities and Sponsorship
The Yomp is the major fund raising event of Upper Eden Rotary Club and
all money raised is donated to charity. We need as much sponsorship money
as possible. Please help us if you can. We encourage Yompers to raise money for their favourite charities through sponsorship but would kindly ask that some money is donated to the Upper Eden Rotary Club to allow the club to support their good causes. We respectfully request that a minimum of 25% of sponsorship raised be paid to us for our nominated charities.
Accommodation
Local accommodation for visiting Yompers is available in hotels, B&B, YHA and local caravan & camping sites. Accommodation
links can be found here:
Kirkby Stephen website
Ravenstonedale website
Sponsors webpage
Kirkby Stephen Tourist Information Centre