Five Go Adventure Racing In Cornwall – Alison (Sept 2001)

After a delayed start and having managed to dodge the bombs falling from above, the intrepid five (Team Triumph) said farewell to their canine friend Snowy and started off on the race to find the Spingo (a rare lizard found only in these parts), not knowing what challenges awaited them.  At first the other teams kept pace with them, but they soon dropped out, some heading to the finish via an inland route (longer but less treacherous), others returning to the start.  Team Triumph was on it’s own. 

The first challenge was to traverse a quarry perched perilously close to the cliff edge before the next load of cement was dumped by a waiting lorry.  Speed was of the essence and the paths were wet and slippery from the morning’s rain, but proved to be no problem to this lot.  Complacency can be a hindrance though, and whilst congratulating themselves on getting through the first challenge, they missed the path that was to take them inland and away from fast-approaching shark-infested sea.  Realising just in time, two team members scrambled up the cliff whilst the others backtracked slightly and found an unlikely-looking path.  The scramblers reached safety first, but then had to keep their cool as they were followed across a field by a huge cow-like creature.  To run would have been fatal.  Regrouping, the next section of the route was on tarmac and easy-going, giving the team a chance to recover somewhat.  The next challenge presented itself in the form of a building.  This had two entrances, only one of which had an exit.  Both doors were identical; the team had to choose, and quickly as a storm was brewing.  Behind one could be heard a faint noise, like a bottle top being removed.  This had to be the one as the route instructions told them to expect to find Enid Blyton through the right door.  Holding their breath, they entered and with relief saw the exit door in front of them.  After refuelling with lashings of ginger beer, Team Triumph went through the exit into another world with bright sunshine.  Things were looking up although the vultures hovered above – waiting.

The five made good progress along the cliff-top path and knew their chances were good.  That was until they heard a frantic bellowing from the other side of a hedge.  They had no choice but to go into and around this field, so gingerly they crossed the stile and went in.  The noise was coming from a very angry animal that made it clear the team were unwelcome.  They started to creep around the edge of the field, a hundred-foot drop to the side of them and nowhere to run.  The animal stood still for a while, but then decided enough was enough and started pawing the ground before making his charge.  Two of the team managed to make it back to the safety of the stile and watched in horror as the animal ran at the others.  They stood their ground and just in time, one remembered reading that this creature was afraid of farmers so quickly imitated the farmer’s gruff growl.  The animal stopped in its tracks, turned around and ran away; another lucky escape.  Worried about where it might be lurking, the team made quick progress around the rest of the field and through the gate to safety.

The next challenge was to retrieve a clue to the Spingo’s whereabouts from a rock some 200ft out to sea.  Two team members had to swim out so that they could look out for sharks ahead and behind.  The others could only watch with bated breath.  But the sharks must have been feeding somewhere else that day, as there was no sign of a fin anywhere.  The clue read ‘the Spingo lurks in a building like before, steadying the boat, not in heaven’.  Mmmmm?  Knowing that earlier they had in fact been in a pub and that there was such a building the other side of the estuary, Team Triumph hurried on only to find the tide was still in.  Rather than waste time and walk the long way round they used their rucksacks as floats and waded across.  They followed the path through the woods, getting faster as they got closer to their goal and a hearty meal.  The last challenge was to get across some mud flats.  One by one they climbed carefully down the long rickety ladder onto the mud.  Then disaster struck. 

As they were making their way across the mud with their goal in sight, taking care to avoid the sinking sands from which there would be no escape, a voice called out “Ahoy there!”  Oh no, how could it be?  Team Bob the Builder had got there first.  Dejection soon turned to hope however, as they realised that the door to the building was firmly shut and the Spingo couldn’t be inside and, what’s more, by taking a short cut Team Bob the Builder had missed the vital clue.  Team Triumph sat on the grass, weak with hunger, and thought hard.  If not here, where could the Spingo be?  They repeated the words of the clue to themselves over and over again.  ‘Not in heaven’ – hell?  ‘Steadying the boat’ – anchor?  Almost as one they realised where they had to go.  Commandeering the only vehicle around, they sped off calling out of the window to a thwarted Team Bob the Builder, “the Blue Anchor, Helston”!  The anguish wasn’t over yet though as there wasn’t much fuel in the car.  Would they make it?  They did of course.  Running into the Blue Anchor, Team Triumph spotted the Spingo immediately.  “Five pints please”, the five said triumphantly!

(All events are based on fact - NKHC walking on the Lizard, Cornwall - with just a little poetic licence! I may have got the name of the beer wrong slightly, but Spingo is brewed at the Blue Anchor and is apparently the strongest beer in Britain; not that we knew that as we downed our pints!).