Catch up - Early 2013

The fine weather in recent days has at last persuaded people to venture out to enjoy the countryside - and some have even visited the winery! Here we have good supplies of most wines, although our damson wine will be in short supply this year. This is due to the failure of the damson harvest in 2012, which meant we were forced to buy expensive frozen damsons from the Lyth Valley to enable us to make just a third of our normal quantity. For this reason we have had to increase the price of this wine at the winery to £8.50 per bottle.

Our elderberry wine is near the end of fermentation and has reached an alcohol content of 15%. We have halted the fermentation here as to go further would mean we would have to charge at a higher duty rate - £2.53 instead of £1.90 per bottle!

Visitors on Monday 24th February would have experienced an easterly wind – a Helm Wind – blowing off the Pennines. When the wind is from exactly the correct bearing, a cloud formation known as the Helm Bar forms parallel to the fellside. The Helm Bar seen on Monday was one of the best for a couple of years.

The Helm Bar - seen from the winery on 24th February, 2013 

Last Saturday was the annual High Cup Nick Fell Race. This year the fell race attracted 141 competitors, slightly fewer than last year due to snow blanketing the northeast and preventing some from arriving. During the race runners had to fight through a sudden snow flurry and three runners were forced to retire.

The race was won by Ricky Lightfoot of Ellenborough AC in 1hr 1min 56sec, just 45 seconds off the course record. Second was Stuart Bond of Dark Peak Club  in 1.04.02 and third was Jim Davies of Cliburn in 1.05.56.  The women's race was won by Edie Hemstock of Pennine FR in 1.23.55, followed by Rachel Hill of Wharfedale in 1.24.01. 

There have been many favourable comments from runners who have praised the organisation of previous events, the marshalling and the welcome they receive from the village. The event raises necessary funds for the Village Hall. Thanks go to Morgan and Lucy Donnelly for organising the whole event so brilliantly. And, of course, the Village Hall thanks all who contribute soup for the runners and cakes for the cake stall.

High Cup Winery sponsors a prize (wine!) for the winning women's team.

Runners approaching the winery - Dufton Pike in the background and snow just starting.