Monday, August 15, 2011

Lighthouse - Conquered!

You may remember back in April, me telling you about signing up to abseil down Southwold Lighthouse, raising money for the RNLI.  Well yesterday was the BIG day!

I aimed to lose 3 stone beforehand and only managed to lose 2.5 stone but I was happy with that, and on turning up and seeing all those steps up the lighthouse I was very grateful not to have to lug any more of me up them than I absolutely had to! 

We arrived in Southwold just before our booking in time of 11am and stood to watch other participants coming down.  The weather was perfect; not too hot, no rain and not particularly windy.  There was a big crowd outside the Sole Bay Inn, right opposite the lighthouse and everyone who descended, did so to a round of applause.  It's hard to describe the atmosphere, it was a mixture of excitement and trepidation from people waiting their turn, with relief and elation from the people who had already abseiled.  Everyone was very supportive, the RNLI staff in particular were amazing.  I think it was probably their quiet sense of calm that installed a belief in everyone participating that yes, they really could do this.

Anyway, we registered and received our time slot stickers and were told to come back at 11.20am to get kitted up.  It took just a few short minutes for us to don our harnesses, accompanied by lots of jokes about how tight they were and how up close and personal the instructors had to get to tighten them all and tie them off!  Fully fitted with harness, attractive fetching yellow helmet and pair of gloves in a size rather more suited to a lumberjack, we were invited to climb the spiral staircase to the top.

Thankfully I didn't really look up the stairs before I started ascending, if I had I may well have changed my mind.  I would probably have got distracted and wanted to stand and photograph them!  There was definitely a change in atmosphere at that point, it became rather more serious with a "lets get this done now then" attitude.

I freely admit I did stop to take a breather half way up the stairs. I could tell you at this point that it was to take in the fabulous views, or that my leg strap had slipped and how it was now round my knee and was affecting my ability to walk (which it was), but the sad truth is, I just couldn't breathe! (Isn't the air thinner at altitude?!)  It was at that point I became very grateful for losing the weight and having been to the gym twice a day for the previous month!

The last set of steps up to where the light itself is, were much steeper and it was more like a ladder.  It was at that point we were told that the climb wasn't 92 steps as advertised, it was 113!  I was seriously hoping that the 13 weren't going to be unlucky ones!

The view was fantastic and we could see for miles around.  Always nice to have something good to look at while you catch your breath I find!  The first couple of our group climbed through the hatch to the outside and those of us left waiting, chatted nervously admiring the view and learning about why parts of the light were white and parts were red.  I was half listening to the explanation and half listening to the cheers of the crowd below. I think it was a cunning plan of the RNLI to have someone up there to be able to talk about the lighthouse itself, as once again it was a calming influence and distracted you from any nerves.  Plus we were laughing too hard at the attractive white covers we had to wear on our feet! (The lighthouse wouldn't look nearly so attractive with a parade of footprints all down the side of it!)

All too quickly it was my turn to climb through the hatch and then I was outside.  I was far too busy admiring the view and waving to MoonDaddy and the kids to notice that I'd been clipped on and they wanted me to climb over the railings.  That was the moment when all of your instincts suddenly kick in - you look at the rail, you look at the drop and your subconscious screams loudly "Are you INSANE?" But you still hear yourself say "ok" as you put your first leg over!

MoonDaddy says I looked a little ungainly at this point as I got stuck.  102ft up, above the rooftops of Southwold, with one leg over the rail and I couldn't quite get the other one over the finial on the railing! Thankfully they had a bit of carpet over the top railing to make sitting on the railing while you readjust your legs rather more comfy than it might have been!

Eventually I'm standing with both feet on the outside of the railing and I'm being told to sit in the harness and lean out.  Not a chance mate - I'm standing at the top of a lighthouse, there's no way I'm trusting a little harness - I'll just stand here a while and hold on to the rail very, very tightly!

There are times in your life when you have to think about things before you do them and other times when you should just get on and do them without thinking.  This was one of those times.  The instructor told me where to hold the rope, I sat in the harness, let the rope run through my hands a bit and suddenly the instructors have disappeared and I'm over the rim at the top.

I smiled nicely for photographs at about the same time I was starting to have fun!  All I had to do was keep walking, let the rope run through my hands and the ground was getting closer.  Every time I decided to stop walking and to take little jumps, the rope ran through a bit faster and the ground came up a bit faster.

To be honest, I couldn't see a lot.  I'm sure I should have been leaning back enjoying the view but I spent the whole time either watching my feet, looking at the wall or peering down at the RNLI gazebo beneath me!  All the time I could hear the voices of encouragement coming from below, esp that of my friend Nic who was one of the first of our group to abseil down.  The thought of coming down too fast and collapsing in an embarrassing heap on the floor made me do the last bit rather carefully! 

My legs were like jelly when I got down, it took a couple of seconds before I could walk round to the area to take the harness off again.  Everyone congratulated me on my achievement and I was given a certificate, the buzz was amazing!

The hardest part was the stairs and the most terrifying bit was climbing over the rail.  The abseil itself was relatively easy!   Immediately afterwards you feel that if you can do that - then you could do anything!  I can see how addictive that feeling could be ;)

We could view and buy the photo's taken from the top immediately, they're waiting for you when you get down.  I'm wondering which wall I should put them on?  And what our next challenge should be?

Nic and I would like to thank the RNLI for putting on such a great event and giving us a fabulous opportunity to take part in something that was quite a challenge for us.  It was an amazing experience; the day itself ran like clockwork, the RNLI helpers and instructors gave calm encouragement, they really looked after us and made everyone feel special.  We are very proud to have taken part and to have been able to help the RNLI in some small way. 

You can still sponsor us if you would like to reward our bravery, with the added bonus of knowing that we can't bottle it at the last minute!  The RNLI are entirely voluntary funded, they receive nothing from the government and yet manage to provide an amazing service around our coast and inland waterways.  We're told that the day raised in excess of £17,000, although the final figure may not be known for a while. 

Now, who's going to come and join us next year?!

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