Settle Harriers Winter Handicap 2026: Sat 3 Jan

The weather forecast for the annual Mike Wynne Memorial Race (MWMR) was sunny and cold. The race starts and finishes in Clapham - via Austwick, the path below Oxenber to Wharfe, the Clapper Bridge, Norber Erratics and back along Long Lane and down through the tunnel - 7 miles.

This year they had labelled 4 of us as "walkers". 

As I prepared at 7.35am on the Saturday morning I looked at the setting moon opposite my house. It was a "Wolf Moon" - i. a full moon and bigger than usual because it is closer to the earth at this time of year

The official start time was 10am ( up to 10.41 for the fastest runners who would start later. I intended to start at 8.45 or 9am.. but in the end it was 9.15 when I left the car park, shortly followed by the other three walkers.

I could have saved two minutes instead of faffing around posing at the start.

What a delight to go through the first field - normally a wet mud bath  - now firmly frozen. We would go through the race with dry feet - the first time for many years. 

 On some of the stiles on the path from Clapham to Austwick, the slate stepping stone "throughs" are made from some memorial slate - if you look underneath you can see the engraved writing.

Standing on this stone I looked back to see the three walkers who were catching up. I encouraged them to look for this writing too.

I made a slight detour going down into Austwick, by following horse footprints instead of the normal path, but it may only have cost me a minute or so.

In Austwick I passed the church with its open sign. Inside it has a stain-glass window illustrating St Francis .

I photographed the cement slabbed wall opposite the Traddock in Austwick, These slabs have yellow blotches with whitish edges of the lichen Caloplaca flavovirescens which grow bigger each year.

The entrance sign to the village of Austwick has big lichens on it too.

I have had no watch for several years.. but today, I had brought my phone (which takes pictures. There was a time when it woud have taken me 20 minutes to get to this point.. but I see it is now 9.55 - It has taken 40 minutes. 

This picture is on the track towards Wood End. In the distance you can see the hamlet of Wharfe and the track leading left up Crummackdale.

The path narrows to a footpath. Jan 1-4 is The BSBI New Year Plant Hunt. I do not expect to find wildflowers in flower in January in the countryside - only in weedy disturbed habitats. The Hazel catkins are on the bushes, but they are not mature yet and dangling showing their anthers as they are in Settle

Hazel catkins

Compare the picture above with the route in January 2022

Approaching Wharfe. In the hillside above you can see the "Silurian slate" boulders and outcrops

. Geologists don't call them slate any more. They are "turbidic sandstones of the Austwick Formation" and are 450 million years old.  They are hard acid rocks and support the shiny fluorescent green lichen Rhizocarpon geographicum. Just round the corner to the right is Helwith Bridge Quarry which quarries it for skid-resistant roadstone.

About 200m up the narrow footpath above Wharfe is an old barn with a bright yellow lichen. This is not the normal very common yellow lichen called Xanthoria parietina - it is another species -Xanthoria calcicola

Shortly after this I heard an urgent voice behind me "Please could you let me pass.. and the first runner passed me.

Eventually I arrived at the Clapper Bridge.. but no time to sit down on the seat in the sun.

Usually I am all by myself on the Clapper Bridge - meditating on the stream above and below me.. happy that I am just past the half way mark.  Today the walkers were just behind (so I could ask them to take this photo) - and coming down the hill opposite were families on mountain bikes.

It is now 10.45. I have been going one and a half hours. And the fastest runner will only just have set off at 10.41

As I travel along the Lane along to the turn-off for Norber several more runners pass me.

At this point, just before the turnoff up to Norber, my phone tells me that I have used up my "camera time allowance" on my phone for today.  Huh!.  I can't see how to change settings on my phone whilst walking fast with two poles.. so I put my phone away, have two Haribo Jelly baby equivalents and settle down to ascending the steep grassy path to the the Unconformity just before Norber.

By the time I reach the gate at Long Lane it is 11.30. .. Not much chance of me getting back to base between 11.30 and 11.45 (The time I was supposed to be aiming for).   I arrive at base at 11.53  and everyone has already left for the cafe.

At the Function room at the Sawmill Cafe everyone is enjoying chips and sandwiches. Relief - there are still some left.

Meanwhile Reginald Farrer 1880-1920 of Clapham (here dressed in Chinese clothes)
famous botanical explorer including to China
looks down on us from a display panel

Simon announces the results. Annie has come to present the prizes. 

Stanidng: 1. Simon; 2 first runner back; 3 Annie

Sonny (right)  had the fastest time.  Here he is examining the trophy. This is the original trophy that had gone missing but came back in time for this event.  We looked at the names of the early winners - the first mentioned was Chris Hirst in 1991.  
Sonny was also fastest last year at 45min 55 sec

but was in 2025 presented with an alternative trophy - I took a picture of him then too.

Judith and Annie

On the way back to the car I found three wildflowers in flower: Daisy, Annual Meadow-grass  and a plant that I am not very familiar with - It is a weed that comes from the Eastern Mediterranean.: Pellitory-of-the-wall. I found some on Clitheroe Castle and got quite excited.   I have never found it in Settle. so Clapham is one step nearer 

See what the BSBI says about Pellitory of the Wall  and its distribution map

If you look at the distribution map it is very common south and east of here.

Finally a big thank you to Chris Beesley who organised the event.

Thank You Chris.

3 Jan 2015

Short video here of the presentations in 2015 by Mike Wynne

Jan 2022 - Horrendous weather  - good pictures

Jan 2024 - Good pictures- especially the group picture at the end

You may also be interested to see Judith's video of Settle Hills race 2018 - 17 June, taken whilst marshalling.