VHI competition 2026Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September
Credit: Alison Harding
The VHIs were held just outside Sheffield at Cowms Rock for the individual races and Hagg Side near Derwent Reservoir for the relays. Fran Daley, W50, and Alison and Kevin Harding, W65 and M65 from the club represented Scotland.
Fran Daley has written a poem about the event:
Peat, Pool and Pride
The individual at Cowms Rock the climb was tough,
Through bog and rain, on ground so rough;
Cold and exposed, with features few,
And tricky, fun-filled sections too.
On Short Blue, with climb to spare,
Kevin beat Fran fair and square:
Alison's Green missed the trickiest ground,
But plenty of challenge could still be found:
Then Hathersage brought a change of scene:
A heated pool, warm and serene!
Sunshine replaced the cold and rain -
It felt like holidays once again.
Tea in Kirsty Bryan-Jones's garden, too,
With summer skies and a lovely view;
Then Bamford Hall brought evening cheer:
Maps, photos and anagrams far and near.
On Sunday, brighter skies appeared,
And down the newly mapped slopes of Hagg Farm we steered;
Steep but great fun, with close racing as well -
A much more pleasant tale to tell!
Man-Woman-Man or Woman-Man-Woman,
Scotland's relay teams kept going;
My Man-Woman-Man team placed seventh with pride -
The first Scottish finishers across the hillside.
The women raced short, but Kevin's was long,
With extra steep climbing - he battled on strong;
And Scottish flags brightened each jubilant face,
With ribbons and tattoos all over the place.
There was cake aplenty for energy,
Including Alison's vegan treat, nutty and tasty;
And after three decades, what joy it did bring -
For Fran to wear Scotland's colours again.
Scotland took third when the racing was done,
But spirit and friendship meant everyone won;
And special thanks to ESOC's Janice Nisbet -
Twelve years as captain we'll never forget.
Other entries categorised under: Event Reports