Blog
Colin's walk to the top of Roseberry Topping
In 2021, Colin Phipps, 59, from Scarborough was told he would likely never walk again after sustaining a spinal cord injury. Four years later, he is climbing Roseberry Topping.
Blog written by Colin Phipps
I had told everyone that I wanted to start at 10 am. For me, this means getting there a good 20 minutes beforehand in order to get ready and prepare. I had a phone call from my daughters at 09:15 to tell me that they were there and that I should hurry up. My friend Matty and I had travelled up the night before and stayed with our friend Simon who lives in nearby Guisborough. However any thoughts of being on time were quickly out of the window due to Matty’s weak bladder!
We pulled into the car park at bang on 10am. Joe Steele from SIA had travelled up from West Yorkshire to see us off, which I found to be an incredible commitment to his role. Also present was Susie Wood, also from SIA, who lives locally, and came with us. So after a brief photo call we set off. Me, my daughters Katy and Megan, my friends Matty, Simon, Howard with his wife Kelly, Susie and two dogs.
A very sedate start up a gravelled country road, past cows in their pasture, up to a gate leading into a wood. I could see the peak of RT above the trees, ominous in the cloudy sky. Beyond this gate I could see a flight of steps that seemed never ending. Slow and steady wins the day. One stick, one foot, next stick, next foot. I never looked up. I just kept going, head down, dig in. Sometimes I struggled with the depths of the steps not being equal but I had Matty right behind me to offer a steadying hand when needed.
After these steps there was a brief respite, followed by more steps. People passing were so complimentary and encouraging but with the caveat of strong winds ahead. As we sumitted this second set of steps we had cleared the wood and there was another gate with a welcoming bench to pause at.
This is where an important decision had to be made. The path we were on was the most direct but also the hardest going. Simon, who runs up this hill for fun, said that he thought I was doing so well that I could smash the direct route. So it was, we soldiered on, step after endless step.
Not too far from the top we reached a point where I simply could not carry on as I was. I had a three foot step up or a scramble over some boulders. I had knee pads on so I decided to give the scramble a go. Big mistake. I slipped backwards twice. I must apologise for my profanities at this stage. So I decided instead to have a go at the three foot step. With someone lifting from above and someone pushing from below, I managed it comparatively easy.
Then a few more steps and we were there. It was very crowded on top and the wind was immense. There is a trig point on a white column which marks the high point. As I made my way towards it the people that were there posing for photos parted and let me have my moment.
I got to the trig point and rested my head on it. The tears came, the sheer relief of having done it, putting up with the pain and discomfort, the support from family, friends and total strangers, just hit me.
I am glad I was wearing sunglasses, but my daughters saw and it started them off too. My biggest driving force was my partner, gravely ill in hospital, the thought of her strength and courage had pushed me through the hard times, and there had been many. But if I had thought getting up was hard, I was in for a big shock coming down.
We descended down the route that Simon had said would be the steadier, easier climb. The “steps” were uneven boulders jammed in together. My left foot kept turning outwards, my left leg started to spasm. I had to have assistance on my right arm to negotiate these steps that seemed to zig zag down the hill for an eternity. Eventually we reached a clear path through bracken that led to the bench we had rested on during the ascent. Then it was a simple reciprocal route back to the start. 1hr 52 mins up. 2 hrs 30 mins down.
Some of us then went to the local pub, The Kings Head, where I smashed in bangers and mash and had a well earned pint.
On returning home I looked at my JustGiving page. Messages and donations from total strangers who had seen us. They had taken the time to go online, find the SIA page with the link.
It was such an effort, emotional and physically draining but two days later I’m feeling good,with just a little back ache, but still euphoric and truly humbled by all the support I’ve received.
Next year’s challenge – who knows but suggestions are welcome!
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