I have known David all my life and I have great memories of the many walking adventures he took us on. The 40 mile Lyke Wake Walk across the North York Moors was a demanding 16 hours! David also planned the monthly walking trips to places like The Lakes, North Wales & Peak District. David's bonus extras added to the planned walk were legendary. On one occasion while in the Lakes, I recall these bonuses added up to 21 miles covered and some 6,000 feet of climbing! David was a fearless leader and was never one to shy away from a challenge.


On one particular occasion, a blizzard occurred while descending Bow Fell, a navigational nightmare, David was seriously struggling to get a consistent bearing from his compass, but we battled on until we discovered our old tracks, a little like Pooh and Piglet, we had gone around in a big circle!  Eventually, but I don't know how Dave got us off safely. Looking back now, this was serious mountaineering and potentially very dangerous, but I don't recall feeling at all concerned while been blasted by horizontal hail and snow. In such conditions even today, with GPS devices, the best mountaineers would have struggled. What a guy.


It was only later while enjoying a few well earned pints that Dave discovered, according to his guide book, that Bow Fell has it's own magnetic rocks, the cause of this navigation nightmare.


I have attached an assortment of my father's walking photos. The one from the mine is from a colliery trip which myself and Adam were also invited to. My lasting memory of that day, besides experiencing the near “free fall” descent into the mine, was walking some distance along a large passage to what appeared to be a dead-end and David announcing that we had arrived at the coal face. Where is this coal face I thought? To my disbelief, Dave lay down and crawled into what looked like an air vent at the base of the passageway. We followed and entered a different world!


The coal seam was about 2 ½ foot high and supported by hydraulic jacks that crept forward allowing the ceiling behind to collapse! To the front of these jacks, at the coal face ran a conveyor belt. We crawled on and to my horror a cutting device, full of whirling teeth and crunching coal travelled past. At this point we met one of the miners, he was crouched under a jack as he worked the seam for his shift. This was David's bread and butter, a working environment that was dangerous and demanding, real Man's work, if you are allowed to say that today.


David was a great role model to me, he, with my father and others made having adventures normal. I was so lucky to have joined them on these trips away, they were great fun and taught resilience and respect for the mountains.


I know Dave is now walking with old friends and looking down from the best pub in the world enjoying a pint of real ale.


RIP Dave


Jim Jackson