 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
Articles All contributions welcome - email them to Ian Grace KEEP THOSE ARTICLES AND PHOTOS COMING ! Spanish Meet June 2008
June 11: Day 1. John, Pamela and Dave flew to
Alicante and drove to John’s house in Los Collados, a small village
on the edge of the Sierra de Segura National Park. June 24: Rosie and Phil did a circular walk (intermittently way-marked) from the village of Segura de la Sierra, reaching the ruins of a hill-top fortification about which very little seems to be known. June 25: Rosie and Phil walked up Espino (1722 m), a beautiful limestone plateau, and in the evening toured the castle, bringing its total for the day to 8 visitors, it seemed. June 26: Rosie and Phil flew home via a couple of hours on the beach with loads of other Brits. All in all we had a fantastic holiday, the villagers were friendly and made us welcome despite us having almost no language in common. The weather started off cloudy at times but became gradually hotter, until walking early in the day and then taking a siesta became the sensible option. Spring had been wetter than usual which helped account for the unbelievable profusion of stunning wild flowers, especially on the open summits. Despite the wonderful scenery and, at times, actually being within the national park, we met no other walkers the whole time. The paths range from good cyclable forest tracks to almost non-existent trods through undergrowth. Way-marking is erratic if at all. Much potential for scrambling, some of it loose. There are many limestone cliffs which might provide routes of all standards, but we did not take full climbing gear. There seem to be few detailed guidebooks even in Spanish. In sum, an area with massive potential. Lands End to John O’Groats Cycle Ride 9–20 June 2008 Two of our mountaineering club members, Godfrey Metcalfe and Nick Millward (along with Judith Robinson) recently completed a sponsored cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. This is a brief account of their trip. Setting out from Land’s End after a brief photo shoot the previous Sunday morning, the group headed off through the narrow Cornish lanes for a 69 miles journey through Helston, Truro and St. Austell to the youth hostel at Golant near Fowey. The following day consisted of a more arduous route of 75 miles, including numerous hill climbs, along the western edge of Dartmoor to Shobrooke, near Crediton, in Devon. Tuesday’s 84 miles to Bristol took in a lunch stop at the hippy haven of Glastonbury, a long climb over the Mendip Hills and concluded with disappointment at Bristol youth hostel. Fortunately alternative bed spaces were found at the hostel in Bath, whilst the bikes were stored in Bristol till the following day. On Wednesday after crossing the Severn Bridge, the group headed up the Wye Valley to Monmouth, then along the Golden Valley to Kington, where the climax of a 76 miles day was a 1 in 4 climb up Bredbury Hill. An 87 miles tour through the Welsh borders on Thursday brought the team to Chester for the final day’s push up through the Wirral to Birkenhead, then across the Mersey to Liverpool and the A59 back to the Ribble Valley, where a rest day was to be taken and a chance to do some washing. On Sunday 15 June, before setting out to complete the final phase of the journey to John O’Groat’s, the cyclists pedalled from Browsholme to receive a blessing at Whitewell church at 9.15 a.m. in memory of Judith Robinson’s mum, Phyllis, who died of cancer in August 2007. “Team Whitewell,” accompanied by three cycling friends, headed off to Slaidburn for the hill climb over Tatham Fell and continued via High Bentham to Kirkby Lonsdale for a lunch stop at Devil’s Bridge, where they were rained on for the first time during the journey. Conditions improved as they cycled north through Tebay and Shap, and over Shap Fell to spend the night at Edenhall near Penrith. The next leg was a daunting 90 miles route from Penrith to Melrose via Langholme, Hawick and Selkirk, completed in a time of 6 hours 45 minutes, which provided the confidence to tackle the following day’s stage of 113 miles from Melrose to Pitlochry. All went well till the three cyclists reached Edinburgh, where the lack of signposts made the Forth road bridge difficult to find and two punctures slowed the group down after the cycle track to it was eventually located. A further handicap was that the cycle track over the left-hand side of the bridge was closed for repairs, causing an unwelcome detour. Finally free of the city, team Whitewell headed upwards through Dunfermline and Perth for a buffeting in wind and rain along the long stretch of the A9 to Pitlochry youth hostel, where the back-up team provided a very welcome meal after the cyclists’ 8 hours on the saddles at a respectable average speed of 14.1 miles per hour. After a hard day some relief was gained by a shorter journey over the Drumochter Pass to Aviemore. This was achieved thanks to the cycle track running alongside the busy A9, providing continual interest and stunning panoramas, though some wet weather was experienced on the descent to Dalwhinnie. The team was joined in Aviemore by club member, Humph Johnson, whose input provided further encouragement to complete the final two legs of the epic journey. Reaching Inverness via Tomatin, heavy rain was encountered as the party descended to Kessock Bridge, though a sighting of dolphins in the Beauly Firth made up for the discomfort. After passing through the Black Isle a causeway across the Cromarty Firth led to Invergordon and Tain, the site of the Glenmorangie distillery, and on to another causeway spanning the Dornoch Firth, which proved arduous to cross in a fierce headwind. Arriving at a B & B just north of Dornoch, the group enjoyed views of Loch Fleet after covering 79 miles at an average speed of 14.2 miles per hour, the best day’s performance so far. Team Whitewell reached the climax of the journey on Friday 20th June rounding the shores of Loch Fleet to reach Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale assisted at last by a south-westerly wind. The next objective Wick lay beyond a notorious series of steep hills known as the Berriedale Braes. Descending to the beginning of these recorded the journey’s highest speed of 49 m.p.h. which was drastically reduced on starting the climb. However the route north of Wick proved to be the final test as the wind swung round to blow from the north-east, making progress to John O’Groats painfully slow. Freewheeling down to the final John O’Groats signpost, the team was cheered home by the support team, relatives and friends after finishing the 956 miles challenge. Despite a celebration photo shoot, the cyclists felt unable to rest till they had visited the lighthouse at Duncansby Head and retraced their route to John O’Groats youth hostel. Coniston day meet - 18 May 2008 Another good turnout for this meet, ten of us set off from Tilberthwaite and made our way up through the mine and quarry workings to the NE ridge of Wetherlam. A couple of short rocky steps brought us out onto the summit where we were able to relax and enjoy the views on this beautiful day. While a smaller group completed the round of Swirl How and Coniston Old Man, the main party took the grassy ridge south from Black Sails into the Coniston valley then back over Hole Rake to the cars. The day finished, as all good days in the hills should, with us all gathered together in the Sun Hotel, Coniston! Easter in Mallorca by Catherine & Eric Mansfield
We had booked
Scotland for Easter as usual but an indifferent weather forecast and
a spluttering cough which hung on too long made it essential to
implement 'plan B'. Howgills day meet - 23 March 2008 by Godfrey Metcalfe Eleven members of Clitheroe mountaineering club attended a day meet at Cautley near Sedbergh on Sunday. Trudging through deep, soft snow, the party climbed the path bordering the Cautley Spout waterfalls to reach the summit of The Calf, where to the north stretched extensive, snowy views of the Lakeland Fells in alpine appearance and to the south the Three Peaks and Morecambe Bay. Despite azure skies and bright sunshine, the biting wind made this no place to linger, so members headed swiftly south over Bram Rigg Top to Calders blasted by spindrift from the many deep snowdrifts. Continuing south the group traversed the tops of Arant Haw and Winder before descending steeply into Sedbergh. North Wales Weekend meet - 7 to 9 March 2008 by Godfrey Metcalfe The club’s recent weekend meet was based at the Glan Dena climbing hut in the Ogwen valley near Capel Curig. On Saturday members’ activities were severely limited by storm force winds and torrential rain. One group headed to Aber where a track through the nature reserve was taken to view the spectacular Rhaeadr Falls, then to ascend the minor peak of Bera Mawr, which proved to be no pushover when one could hardly stand. Scrambling up rocks to reach the summit, members raised their heads just above the highest point then hastily retreated back to the drying room in the hut. After hot showers and changes of dry clothes members were able to enjoy a communal Italian meal with starters prepared by Denise and Steve Andrews, a main course cooked by the meal coordinators Jane Pyzniuk and Dave Grosvenor, and an array of desserts contributed by various others, including a birthday cake for Ellen Derby. Committee member, Frank Taylor, gave an appreciative vote of thanks on behalf of all the guests. One second in the life of a mountaineer - Keith's Fall on the Fiachaill Ridge It was the week of the annual lads trip to Scotland for some winter mountaineering. This year’s venue was the northern Cairngorms. The weather had been very windy for the start of the week but on Wednesday the wind had dropped and the tops were clear of cloud. The weather bulletin in the top car park gave a high avalanche risk for steep north and east facing snow slopes, so that seemed to rule out gullies. We all decided to go up the Fiacaill ridge between Coire an T-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain. I was the last of the party when Keith was on the final short buttress. He had negotiated the snow covered slab at the bottom of it and was on good ledges above with his head over the top, just a couple of steps to go. I moved to the bottom and started up the slab. I was about to move onto the ledges when I saw that Keith’s boots and crampons were still above me as he hadn’t yet made the last step up. I was quite happy with my position as I had my hands round two big holds and my dachsteins were sticking very well to the snow covered rocks as I waited for Keith to move. However, instead of pulling up, he fell backwards onto me. I had no chance of holding the two of us and started to slide down. We separated, Keith going right while I went left. I was now falling free – not a pleasant feeling. I bounced off a boulder near the base of the slab and turned over. I was now head first, face down, sliding down snow – much more comforting than falling free! I came to rest looking out over a couple of hundred feet of fresh air into Coire an T- Sneachda. In all, less than a 20 foot fall. I cautiously tried moving my arms, legs, neck and back, all seemed to be as normal. I carefully got to my feet and climbed back up to look for Keith. He was lying across a rock and did not respond to my shouts or when I reached him and touched his shoulder. He was breathing harshly, but was face down with his head to one side so his airways were unlikely to block and he did not appear to be losing any blood. I decided that he didn’t need any instant attention so I quickly climbed the buttress to alert the others. At the time it didn’t occur to me to think that there might be a problem climbing the buttress and that perhaps I should have chosen another route!
Keith recovered consciousness quite quickly and could move his arms and legs but had pains in his lower back. It was clear that he was not going to be able to walk down so we needed assistance. We made him as comfortable as we could in a bivvi bag with rucksacks for padding and sitmats and spare clothing to insulate him from the snow. The Lossiemouth helicopter took about 35 minutes to get there and it took another hour and a half to get him immobilised, onto a stretcher and winched up, because of the awkward position he was in. At Inverness hospital he was found to have fractured his L5 vertebra and be suffering from mild hyperthermia. He is now back home and walking about wearing a brace which he has to use for 6 weeks. George Wostenholm Patterdale Weekend meet - 18 to 20 Jan 2008 by Godfrey Metcalfe The George Starkey climbing hut in Patterdale was the venue for the club’s weekend meet in the eastern Lakes. On Saturday, a fine day at last after a week of heavy rain, members set out for Grisedale, one group heading for Eagle Crag and another bound for Pinnacle Ridge on St. Sunday Crag. The first group climbed via scree to a ruined mine building, then scrambled via the straight-cut gash of an old mineral vein to gain the rocky, east ridge of Nethermost Pike where a steep, rough walk led to the summit. Looking north east, ant-like figures could be seen crossing the pinnacles of Striding Edge, but no sign of the snow and ice which had led to two recent fatalities. The party continued north along the rim of Nethermost Cove to reach shelter on Helvellyn from the freezing cold wind. Whilst lunch was eaten there were excellent views in all directions and some evidence of recent wintry weather, such as slowly collapsing cornices on the Red Tarn face of Helvellyn and some remaining patches of snowfield beneath them. With numbed fingers, even on gloved hands, members resumed their climb to the trig. point on the summit, then descended around the edge of Brown Cove to Helvellyn Lower Man, continuing north over the peaks of White Side and Raise to Stybarrow Dodd. Here the group headed east to the rounded slopes of Green Side for a final climb to the top of Sheffield Pike and a knee-wrecking descent to Glen Ridding. On Saturday evening members enjoyed a communal meal, kindly organised and prepared by Veronica and Nick Millward, ably assisted with contributions of soup and desserts by other members of the club. Sunday’s forecasts threatened a return to rain, so a majority of members decided that it would be a good idea not to onto the tops. Instead an interesting day was spent in the Greenside area, seeing some of the many reminders of the extensive mining activity that once took place in this part of the Lake District. Keswick Weekend meet – 30 Nov to 2 Dec 2007 by Godfrey Metcalfe Thirty members travelled to Keswick at the weekend for the club’s annual dinner meet. On Saturday one group drove to Stonethwaite in Borrowdale to walk up the valley of Langstrath to scramble up the rocky, Cam Crag ridge and to explore Woof cave. After scaling the greasy, wet rocks in a buffeting wind, the party descended into Combe Gill to reach the foot of Doves Nest crag where a steep chimney capped by large chockstones, a traverse along a balcony and then a climb up a v-groove were scrambled on to reach Attic Cave, now a dangerous place to explore due to recent rockfalls. Other parties completed a round of the Newlands horseshoe and the mountains of the northern Lakes around Mungrisdale. On Saturday night a communal Christmas meal, co-ordinated and prepared by John Beard, Dave Grosvenor and Jane Pizniuk, and with contributions from many other club members, was enjoyed, followed by a vote of thanks given by the vice-chairman, Ian Grace, together with a short speech, including an entertaining mountaineering parody of one of Stanley Holloway’s famous monologues. Despite the late night festivities, members were out on the mountains again on Sunday. One group travelled to Mungrisdale to walk a round of Souther Fell, Blencathra, Bannerdale Crags and Bowscale Fell. See gallery for photos. Lancaster to Chipping by Mountain Bike – 24 Nov 2007 by Nick Millward In keeping with the previous week’s walk, the weather for the day was appalling, and as nine intrepid souls gathered at Chipping the rain just hammered down. However, as the bikes were already in Lancaster and a minibus turned up on time, there was no escape. The plan was to follow the North Lancs Bridleway, which is a mixture of cycle tracks, minor roads and two long off road sections. The rain eased slightly as we left Lancaster along the Lune cycleway to Caton, from here it was up some very minor lanes to the start of the Salter Fell Road. Luckily at this point the torrential rain was on our backs, and we were partly blown up hill. After a short break we set off along the nine miles of Salter Fell, John Beard had probably done about a mile when he punctured, found some shelter out of the wind, and with a bit of swearing he was soon back on the road. The rain eased but the side wind made some sections very tricky. As we dropped over the top, we gained some shelter, and it became far more enjoyable, it was here that Godfrey entertained the ladies by flying over the front of his bike, luckily damage to bike and rider were minimal. It was decided to miss out the next off road section (Nick reported it was a mud bath), and head to the café in Dunsop Bridge. Here that the team felt we should cut straight to Chipping rather than risk getting caught in the dark on the long off road section to the finish. Despite the weather all enjoyed the day, there will be a full re-run in the summer, and it was decided to run half a dozen MTB days throughout next year. See gallery for photos. Bowland Day Meet – 18 Nov 2007 by Nick Millward After a very wet night, and despite an appalling forecast a party of seven gathered to go bog trotting in Bowland, any significance in the fact they were all males? Starting up the Langden valley and heading up to the mis-named Langden Castle, the party made the first of several river crossing on their way to Fiendsdale Head, although not raining at this point, the mist made a detour to the view point at Paddy’s pole (on Fair Snape Fell) rather pointless, so we continued along the worst of the peat bogs towards Totridge Fell. With the weather always threatening it was decided to take the drier option across Hareden Fell and pick up the shooters track down the valley. Lunch was taken in one of the shooting bothies, although part of the roof was missing, we had the luxury of a table and chairs. Over lunch the party were entertained by tales of part shooting parties by Joe Marsden, who had been born in the area, and very often went beating for the ‘toffs’ and was paid 10 shillings a day! From the bottom of Hareden we headed back to the cars, and all agreed we had made the best of a bad day, as the promised rain and snow never did materialise.MTB Tour of the Cairngorms - Oct 2007 by Nick Millward In mid October three of us set out to do a 125 mile circuit of the Cairngorms, although the recommended route suggested four days, we opted for three, but carried lights just in case. Day one started from Aviemore and headed on the back roads towards Ruthen, before going up and over Glen Tromie to Gaick Lodge, then a lovely section of single track, and a long descent to Dalnacardoch Lodge. From here it was about 7 miles downhill on the old A9 to our first night at Blair Atholl. A good day at 47 miles, and it stopped dry! Day two was shorter at 30 miles, starting up Glen Tilt, the autumn colours were magnificent, and the sound of rutting deer echoed around us. We soon reached the picturesque bridge at Falls of Tarf, this was followed by a long section of single track with a big drop on one side, I needed to take care, as the bike definitely doesn’t handle the same with panniers on! Then we headed down to the Linn of Dee, again beautiful in the autumn sun, and a run into Braemar YHA. Day three was the big one being virtually all off road and around 50 miles. From the start we had a long climb up to 700m under Culardoch, then a great descent to Loch Bulig, and a run along Glen Avon to Tomitoul (bacon butties recommended in the old Fire Station café). From here the route got a bit convoluted as we crossed to the Braes of Abernethy and Glenmore, at this point we saw a storm crossing the mountains, so elected to go into Nethy Bridge and follow the Speyside Way home, there is great new off road section from Boat of Garten back to Aviemore. We did 47 miles and managed to get back before dark. The only rain we saw in 3 days was the last hour of the ride. A great ride, lacking in café stops (we made up for it at the Mountain Café in Aviemore), there are already plans afoot for similar multi day rides in the future. For photographs go to the gallery.The Three Peaks Challenge by Neil Whalley Over the years I, like many other people, have always enjoyed a challenge. I find that it is something to look forward to, aim for, get yourself fit for, and you get a real sense of satisfaction if you achieve your goal. My challenges in the past have included running the Ben Nevis Race, reaching the summit of Mont Blanc, (never had the chance to do it again), the Fellsmans Hike (never been tempted to do that again), and the traverse of the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. So, earlier this year, as my sixtieth birthday fast approached I was wondering what I could do to mark the occasion. Not being a party animal, (a bit anti-social at times), I recalled, a couple of years ago, wanting to walk the Three Peaks of England, Scotland and Wales in twenty four hours. Two friends offered to come with me and another offered to do the driving, so at 4.30pm on Friday 29th of June the four of us set off for Snowdonia. Going from south to north meant that we could have a celebratory drink in Fort William on Saturday night before driving home on Sunday. Leaving the car park opposite the Snowdon Mountain Railway terminus at Llanberis at 8.00pm we followed the main tourist path by the rail track up Snowdon reaching the summit in intermittent patches of mist at 9.45pm. After five minutes taking photos and catching glimpses of the sun setting over Angelsey we began our descent. At the large stone pillar at Bwlch Glas my mates produced a small cake and some candles and I was made to pose for another photo shoot. Soon we were on our way again arriving at the car by 11.20pm. An uneventful and sleepless drive through the night saw us arrive at Wasdale Head soon after dawn had broken at 4.30am. We were kitted up ready to leave by 4.40am. As the sole was hanging off my fell shoes after Snowdon I had decided to wear my boots and, for assistance, take my walking poles. Brown Tongue, Mickledore and the summit was reached by 6.00am. A few photos and then off down via Lingmell Col and Brown tongue to reach the car at 8.25am. Breakfast was taken in Morrisons at Carlisle and one and a half hours were lost going through Glasgow, due to the midday traffic. Lucky really, as shortly afterwards the car bomb at Glasgow Airport went off and we would never have got through. I had hoped to arrive at the youth hostel in Glen Nevis by 1.00pm, giving us seven hours to go up and down the Ben before 8.00pm, but alas it was 3.15pm leaving only 4hours 45minutes. My boots felt cumbersome on Scafell Pike so the chosen footwear here was trainers which had a good tread on the bottom, on reflection, a good choice as speed was of the essence. Over the youth hostel footbridge, up to the main path and into Red Burn we were surprised to find a spring in our step. Spurred on by the knowledge that this was the last one and that we had to keep a good pace up we made the summit by 6.00pm. Two hours to get back down, could we make it? The main problem coming down was dodging the hoards of people going up. It must have been a popular weekend for doing the Three Peaks Challenge as many were setting off up the Ben as their first peak on Saturday evening. You had to feel some sympathy for some of the participants when, just above Red Burn, looking wrecked, they were asking “How far to the top.” They had a loooong hard trip ahead of them. We were flying now, cross Red Burn, by the lochan, over the wee metal bridges, reaching the junction were the path diverts for the youth hostel. It was 7.40pm at this point, success! Our driver Chris was waiting for us as we crossed the bridge by the youth hostel at 7.50pm with ten minutes to spare. By nine o’clock, after shower and change of clothes, we were enjoying a meal and a jar of the local brew in Fort William. Midnight saw four weary lads tucked up in bed giving it Zzzzzzzzzzzzs. No need to bother about snoring, traffic, etc. world war four wouldn’t have woken us. Back at our lodgings, while lying on the bed, waiting my turn for a shower, I told my mates that if I ever suggested doing any challenges again would they please give me a good kicking. A week later I was thinking of something to do for my 61st birthday. Needless to say I await a good kicking. Many thanks to my two mates Mick and Stewart for accompanying me and to Chris who chauffeured us all weekend. Summary, Snowdon 3hrs 18mins, Scafell Pike 3hrs 45mins, Ben Nevis 4hrs 35mins Total time 23hours 50minutes Climbers’ Night Out 4 Oct 2007 To mark the end of the outdoor evening climbing season and the start of indoor wall-climbing, the regular climbing group went for a meal at the Assheton Arms in Downham. The menu was simple and wholesome, but what the food lacked in inspiration was easily made up for by the group spirit. (When the party on the next table got up to leave, they thanked us for an entertaining evening!) We decided not to climb first, but five out of ten diners arrived by bicycle, and two of us might have run there if Godfrey’s wife hadn’t arrived home in time to give us a lift. Godfrey reckoned no-one would sit next to us, but our delicate post-exercise aroma can’t be as embarrassing as Brian’s flashing bowtie! Brian had offered Ian a ride on the back of his tandem, so when George arrived expecting a lift he was presented with a bike, a helmet, and a head torch and told to follow behind! No-one told Ian that the tandem had no brakes and he would have to hold a torch aloft to guide it, but having crashed through a five barred gate (which fortunately burst open when they hit it) he began to get the picture. A thoroughly enjoyable evening, ending with malt whisky to fortify the cyclists for their homeward jaunt. Remember: if you want to join us for next year’s Climbers’ Night Out the “rule” is that you have to come climbing at least once (or bribe Bern). You might even want to come more! Thursday evenings, 5:15 at the carpark, no previous experience necessary! Anne Sunday 23 Sept 2007 “Borrowdale” walk. The weather was forecast to be wet for the Borrowdale walk. The six people who met at the council office car park had already been forewarned that plans would change if the forecast was poor... So it was, that two cars arrived at Selside before 9.00am. We just had time to don walking gear and waterproofs before the rain started. We took the route along the road towards Ribblehead before turning into the fields and following the base of Park Fell to Colt Park. From there we climbed into the mist onto Park Fell and followed the track along to Simon Fell. Still in mist and rain we turned right to reach Swine Tail and climb to Ingleborough summit where we had a good view of our boots in driving rain. After a quick lunch at the shelter we took the track down to Sulber Nick, the rain stopped and we stepped under the clouds to be rewarded with views towards Bowland, Settle and Horton. Even Pen-y-Ghent popped out of the clouds for a while. The bridleway from Sulber Nick returns almost to Alum Pot before we turned for the cars. There are no photos, it did not look like a camera day but had anyone taken one we could have recorded a Birdseye Primrose in full bloom! Either a couple of months late this year or nine months early for next - global warming even in Yorkshire. Everyone enjoyed the day and agreed it was preferable to driving all the way to the Lakes to examine the interior of clouds! Coniston hut meet – 14 to 16 Sept 2007 Seventeen members attended a popular weekend meet at Low House climbing hut in Coniston. On Saturday a group of three headed for Dow Crag, hoping that the weather would be dry enough to climb the classic Murray’s route, which weaves its way up “B” Buttress. Despite lowering cloud, strengthening wind and spots of rain, the party reached the steep, polished slab whose crossing forms the crux of the climb, then continued via a series of chimneys, grooves and hand traverses to end the four pitch route at Easy Terrace. As the sun fleetingly appeared, the group scrambled down the terrace to the foot of the cliff to pack up their gear, then climbed to the summit of Dow Crag and followed the curving ridge above Goats Water to reach the summit of Coniston Old Man. A descent of the mountain’s south ridge brought the party back to Walna Scar Road and Coniston. Another, larger group set out from the car park on the Walna Scar Road to complete a trio of classic rock scrambles. After scaling the south ridge of The Bell, members climbed up the course of Low Water Beck to reach the tarn, which is the source of the stream. Finally the party continued scrambling up the slabby face of Brim Fell to reach the summit, gaining 1400 feet of vertical height. Here some members continued to the summits of Swirl How and Wetherlam, whilst others explored the level tunnels of Coniston Old Man’s abandoned slate mines, guided by the club’s mining expert, David Taylor. Other members also enjoyed rock scrambling on Great Carrs Buttress and long, mountain walks over Coniston Old Man, Brim Fell, Swirl How and Wetherlam. Despite heavy rain on Sunday, members enjoyed a scramble on Raven Crag in Yewdale, and explorations of Hodge Close quarry, and the tunnels and caves of Cathedral Quarry in Tilberthwaite. Rum and Mull September 2007, (the reason we missed Coniston!) Veronica and I recently spent 3 memorable nights on Rum, stopping in the hostel at the back of Kinloch Castle, the former holiday home of the very wealthy Bullough textile family from Accrington. Well worth a visit if only to do the castle tour. The Rum Cuillin (two Corbett’s) was the main objective, but sadly the mist stopped very low, so we were confined to some very interesting coastal walks. The best day was the day we left, the bonus being that the ferry trip around Eigg and Muick was superb. Then it was onto Tobermory, and 3 nights in the YHA, again, the mist never really lifted, but we had a good trip to Iona (where John Smith is buried), and an excellent walk around the Treshnish peninsula. Ben More never came anywhere close to clearing. A great week, Rum is highly recommended and we fancy a week (in better weather) on Mull. Nick and Veronica Millward. SEE PHOTOS IN GALLERYAugust Bank Holiday Meet 2007 - Camping in Wales The annual August Bank holiday Welsh camping meet was held at Brithdir near Dolgellau. Despite optimistic forecasts of good weather, Saturday proved to be a very cloudy day, providing challenging navigation in the mountains. Starting from the village of Croesor members climbed the southwest ridge of Cnicht, whose cone-shaped profile was lost in the mist, then descended towards Llyn yr Adar enjoying the only brief spell of sunshine of the day. At a boggy plateau just before the lake, the group veered south-east to pick up a path leading to the extensive former slate quarry workings at Bwlch y Rhosydd, where lunch was taken behind the ruined, roofless buildings. An old tramway incline, climbing south between spoil tips, took the party to a path leading up the north-east ridge of Moelwyn Mawr, then on to the summit of Moelwyn Bach whose grassy west ridge was followed back to Croesor. On Sunday members took the local bus to Llanuwchllyn near Lake Bala so that they could complete a full traverse of the Aran mountains from north to south. In clear, blue skies and sunshine, the group climbed the quartz-veined rocks to the summit of Aran Benllyn, then continued to the higher top of Aran Fawddwy before descending via Drws Bach to the minor summit of Dyrysgol, gaining extensive views of the sharp crests and steep crags on the eastern side of the range. A slanting path down the valley of Hengwm took members into Cwm Cywarch, overshadowed by the steep rock buttresses of the Craig Cywarch crags, where the route finished. Another day of excellent weather on Monday enticed a group of mountain bikers to ride the cycle track from Dolgellau to Barmouth and back, whilst another party headed for the Minffordd hotel to climb Cader Idris and Mynydd Moel via a circuit of the rocky rim above Cwm Cau. From the main summit of Penygadair the coast was clearly visible over Llyn y Gadair and the knife-edge of the Cyfrwy arête. Swindale - Sunday 19th August 2007 Swindale near Shap in the eastern Lakes was the venue for the club’s August day meet. Leaving the valley by the Old Corpse Road, members walked in damp, misty weather to the summit of Brown Howe, then retraced their steps to Selside end to reach the summits of Selside, Artlecrag Pike and Branstree. After descending into Mosedale the party climbed Harrop Pike, Great Yarlside and Sleddale Pike on the return to Swindale Head. Lakes Bivvy Meet: 14th/15th July Imagine sitting outside your tent on a balmy summer evening, high in the Lake District, miles from the road, something nice simmering on your stove... Now cast your mind back to the weather of recent weeks... The Bivvy meet was always open to change at the last minute, and Thursday/Friday saw a flurry of debate among interested parties, as we finally agreed on a weekend at the Fell and Rock hut in Borrowdale, to make the best of a volatile forecast. Our numbers were somewhat reduced (illness, work, holidays) but three of us set off Saturday morning and enjoyed a fine walk as the weather picked up during the afternoon. To keep below cloud-level we headed up High Spy, Maiden Moor, and down over Cat Bells, returning to Rosthwaite via the Allerdale Ramble. The meet swelled to five people for a sociable evening at the hut, where the unpredictable weather meant there was little point in making plans for the morrow so we opened another bottle of wine... Sunday dawned dry and fine, but there had obviously been plenty of rain during the night, and more forecast for the afternoon. We were all keen to climb, so Shepherd’s Crag was the obvious choice, being quick-drying, near the road, and with routes at grades to suit us all. Splitting into teams we joined the crowds who felt the same way. It was after three when the rain spattered in, so we’d done a few good routes. We drifted down to the cafe and regrouped over a cup of tea. Verdict: Two short days out, but it still made for a satisfying weekend in the Lakes. ...And the moral of this weekend’s tale: a bivvy meet is a great idea if you also have a Plan B.Coniston - Sunday 24 June 2007 In spite of the poor forecast a total of ten hopeful optimists met at the end of the Walna Scar track on Sunday morning. The Meet coordinator fulfilled his coordinating role at the car park, but announced he’d walked in rain often enough before and wasn’t keen to do it today. The climbing coordinator was armed with a good weather plan and a showery weather alternative, but both had to be abandoned in favour of walking. However, the group that set off up Dow Crag and onward to Coniston Old Man was eight strong and happy to make the best of things. Interestingly the age range of the party spanned sixty years, from 13 to 74. Was it the enthusiasm of youth or the stoicism of old age that motivated us? More likely grumpy middle-aged obstinacy, but whatever it was, it paid off. Although the waterproofs came on and off several times in the early part of the walk (and at one stage the cloud was down and the rain looked set in) as we continued from the Old Man along the ridge, over Brim Fell to Swirl How, the sun came out and we were rewarded for our perserverance with fine views accentuated rather than diminished by the clouds. The youthful trotted out to the summit of Great Carrs to see the memorial to eight airmen lost in 1944 (the wreckage visible on the slopes below) then we descended Prison Band to Levers Water, where the foolhardy paddled. The adventurous climbed on the Pudding Stone, and the ex-biologist told us the Latin name of obscure sedges along the way. The day ended as all good mountain days should, with an excellent pint, (in this case brewed on the premises in Coniston) and just to make us feel really smug, this was the point when the heavens opened and the rain began once more. Northumbria camping meet - 26 to 28 May 2007
Over the weekend of the Spring Bank holiday a camping meet was held at Wooler. Due to the weather reverting back to wintry conditions members were able to experience at first hand why the area is frequently used for demanding endurance events like the Karrimor mountain marathons. On Saturday the group took a long walk to the head of Harthope Valley to reach Carn Hill, where the Pennine Way was followed to reach the summit of the Cheviot. An undulating ridge walk taking in the tops of Scald Hill, Broadhope Hill, Cold Law and Steely Crag led back to the starting point. Heavy, overnight rain persisted into Sunday morning, so the party headed out to the coast at Seahouses to enjoy a wind-blown walk along the coastal path with clear views of the Farne islands and the lighthouse made famous by Grace Darling’s daring rescue. On Sunday members setting out in heavy rain from the car park at Barrowburn in Upper Coquetdale questioned their sanity, but were rewarded with improving weather as they followed the Border County Ride bridleway to Ward Law and the summit of Windy Gyle. Despite a sharp shower at the trig. point, sunshine gradually emerged as the party followed the Pennine Way along the ridge towards Mozie Law, enjoying attractive views of an unfamiliar, sparsely populated landscape used for military training. A descent via Black Braes, Swineside Law and Hindside Knowe completed the round. Langdale - Sunday 20 May 2007 Fourteen members of Clitheroe mountaineering club attended this day scrambling and climbing meet in the Langdale valley. Setting out from the National Trust car park near Stickle Barn, one party headed for the climbs on Raven Crag whilst another scrambled up the bed of Dungeon Ghyll to reach the southwest face of Harrison Stickle. Scrambling up perfect, dry rock via various ribs and walls, members emerged on the summit plateau to enjoy extensive views in all directions. After a descent to the west the group continued to the next peak, Pike of Stickle, then a lengthy walk over Martcrag Moor led to Stake Pass and on to the summit of Rossett Pike. Here a traverse line around the Hanging Knotts crags of Bowfell was identified, so members descended into Rossett Ghyll then scrambled through boulder fields and scree to reach the foot of Bowfell Buttress, where a welcome spring provided refreshment. Following the climbers’ path the party reached the Great Slab on Bowfell, which was climbed to reach the summit. On returning to Langdale via the Three Tarns path and the Band, members enjoyed a hard earned pint in the Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel and were greeted by the small, but jubilant group of climbers who had ignored the Met. Office’s forecast of showers and brought their racks of climbing hardware to complete a day on the rock of East Raven crag, tackling routes from Severe to Hard Very Severe in warm sunshine. Hathersage - Sunday 22 April 2007 The Peak District was chosen for the April meet as a place where both walkers and climbers could enjoy a day out. And so they both did! A select band of three climbers shunned the 8am start from the car park and left Clitheroe at 9am instead. Thus when the walking element strolled past Millstone hoping to see some ‘Action and Derring-Do’ the climbing team were just arriving! A total of seven routes ranging from Vdiff to Hard VS were climbed, in spite of the late start and late-afternoon shower. A pleasant start to the summer climbing meets. Other club members enjoyed a cloudy, windy but generally dry day’s walk – a tour of the Eastern Edges. From Hathersage Station the route followed footpaths up onto the moors near Higgar Tor and along to Millstone Edge and Lawrencefield Quarry. Resisting the temptation of the tea-room at Grindleford Station the group stopped for lunch at Tegness Quarry beneath the pinnacle. Quite why the gritstone should have been quarried so carefully around the perimeter to leave the pinnacle remains one of life’s mysteries (the first recorded ascent of it was in 1902).
The rolling parkland of the Longshaw Lodge Estate (National Trust) provided a brief interlude (and some good public conveniences) before a return to the moors above Burbage Edges. The final crags visited just had to be Stanage, mecca for gritstone aficionados, where dedicated souls were being wind- and grit-blasted as they sat huddled on the edge. And so it was that the not-so-famous five left behind the rock-jocks and boulderers and returned down tracks and lanes, through woods, across fields and around ‘private, no entry’ signs to visit Little John’s Grave (yes, really..) in a Hathersage churchyard. Ending the day in the garden of a tearoom and tackling the largest scones to be found this side of Devon…. Who says we can’t please everyone? Roll on next day meet – Coniston 20 May.Ben Nevis Winter Magic (see gallery for pics) by Ian Grace 4 April 2007 I’m still pinching myself to check that I didn’t dream the events of last weekend. Last week a couple of things happened that brought this all about – first our son, Greg, arrived home from university, then Andy and Tony were raving about conditions on Ben Nevis and the good weather forecast.. Decision made, Greg and I left home at 8.30pm on Friday and were parked up beside Glen Nevis Youth Hostel at 2.00am Saturday. After pretending to sleep for just over an hour we left the car at 3.30am and were on the start of Tower Ridge at 6.30am. Clear skies, a full moon and a hard frost bode well for things to come. Quite a number of climbers were already ahead of us further up towards Observatory Gully (including Andy Brown?) and on Tower Ridge we slotted in between two other ropes. The guys we soon caught up with were from Sabden having also driven up overnight.! The snow was perfect, rock-hard neve, any patches of ice were also just right and exposed rock was dry. A couple of little ice pitches and an easy plod brought us up to the Little Tower. That was soon passed - moving roped up and placing gear when the opportunity arose. In the lead now, we arrived at the foot of the Great Tower and the start of the Eastern Traverse. The sun had softened the surface just a bit by now but the snow was still solid underneath. After double-checking the belay I moved gingerly across the traverse. It was really very easy apart from the huge drop below. A few bits of gear, even an insitu peg to clip and we’re really enjoying ourselves. Tower Gap came and went with a bit of teetering on a knife edge of snow and the scramble down into and out of the gap. We were soon at the belay on rocks just 20m or so below the summit plateau. Emerging back into the sun and a horizontal snowy world felt good. Brought Greg up and we could just sprawl in the sun and take it in. It was 11.00am and it felt just like holiday time in the Alps. Tee shirts, a lot of climbers topping out and the mandatory Nevis punters in trainers with carrier bags. What a fantastic day, great route, brilliant conditions and a life-long ambition for me achieved at the age of 50! (That’s two out of three ridges done, just Observatory Ridge left). On Sunday we parked at the very end of Glen Nevis and walked up Aonach Beag. The NE ridge looked really good but it also looked a long way down to the start of it. Instead we satisfied ourselves with an easy-ish route on the north face – Whiteout (grade 2) – and back to the car in reasonable time. Footnote: Just to put our humble efforts into context, as you will have gathered, Tony Halliwell and Andy Brown have also been active on routes on the Ben at various times in the last two weeks. Their tally includes Slav Route, Point Five, Comb Gully, Astral Highway, Orion Face. Some truly incredible climbs to go with the incredible conditions of these last couple of weeks. I am sure we all look forward to seeing their photos. Austwick Meet – Sunday 18 March 2007 A week after the North Wales weekend, on the club’s day meet at Austwick, the strong winds returned together with hail and snow showers, as members set out along Crummack Lane bound for Crummack farm and Trow Gill, where shelter was briefly enjoyed beneath the overhanging limestone crags, before proceeding to Gaping Ghyll for a steady climb up the southeast flank of Little Ingleborough. On reaching the cairn on this minor summit, the group headed north towards the main Ingleborough plateau battling to remain standing in the icy blasts. Here it was decided to traverse across the eastern sheltered slopes to reach the path to Sulber Nick alongside which lunch was enjoyed in a ruined shooting hut. Duly refreshed the group set out to discover the crevasse-like cleft of Juniper Gulf pothole, and then continued to the limestone pavements of Thieves Moss. A walk over the top of Moughton Scars led to a descent into Crummackdale and another snow shower as members reached their cars. Glan Dena 9 – 11 March 2007 The club’s weekend visit to the Glan Dena climbing hut in the Ogwen Valley, North Wales, was unique this year due to the absence of snow, the usual wintry weather being replaced with gale force winds and damp, misty conditions. On Saturday morning one group set out to the Llanberis Pass to scramble over the peaks of the Snowdon horseshoe, but on reaching the car park at Pen-y-pass found that at 9am all the spaces were full. The alternative was to drive down to the lay-by by the Cromlech boulders for an ascent of the north ridge of Crib Goch. After crossing the Afon Nant Peris stream, members headed towards Cwm Glas Mawr, then scrambled over rock and scree on the western flank of Dinas Mot to reach the starting point of the ridge. Firstly climbing broad, stone covered slopes, the party’s progress was made more difficult as the ridge narrowed to a jagged, rocky arête exposed to strong gusts of wind and rendered slippery by the dampness. Eventually members reached the point where the normal East Ridge path from Pen-y-pass joins the summit ridge, and continued in dense mist along the airy traverse of Crib Goch’s knife-edged crest and the rock pinnacles beyond. On arrival at the grassy col of Bwlch Coch the route continued on further rocky ground over Crib y Ddysgl and Carnedd Ugain to join the gentler Llanberis path alongside the railway track to the summit of Snowdon. Due to ever worsening weather conditions, the group retraced its steps to Bwlch Glas to descend the Miners’ Track to Llyn Llydaw where the causeway was crossed for the walk along a rough road to the haven of the café at Pen-y-pass. Sunday’s forecast warned of even stronger winds, but one party drove to Capel Curig after a mild collision with a mountain goat outside the climbing hut, to climb the isolated peak of Moel Siabod. Leaving Pont Cyfyng along the track to the old quarry, members skirted by the northwest shore of Llyn y Foel to reach the mountain’s east ridge, where the scramble along the skyline had to be avoided due to the violent gusts. After climbing to the trig point on the summit, a sheltered spot for lunch was discovered prior to the taking of bearings for the return along the splendid northeast ridge, which proved to be in the lee of the prevailing wind and an interesting climax to the day’s outing, but sadly devoid of any views.Brief and Close Encounters by Neil Whalley One of the many things I have found rewarding over the years walking on the fells is the occasional meeting and passing the time of day with complete strangers from all walks of life. You’ll probably never see them again but a cheery word, informal chat and a smile lifts the spirits on the gloomiest day. Walk round any large town or city, say “Hello” and begin to talk to a stranger and you will be looked at with suspicion, a crank, someone to be avoided. On the fells if you walk past someone without speaking and your considered unsociable. With this in mind I thought I would share a few encounters with CMC members. When I began fell walking the usual format was to visit as many tops as possible each time we went out. On a day in the Langdales a friend and I reached our first top of the day and sat down to have a bite to eat. It was a hot summers day and I had brought some especially tasty home grown tomatoes with me. Soon a lad appeared, we began chatting and he sampled my tomatoes. After a while we said our goodbyes and off he went. We set off in the opposite direction. At our next bait stop, hey presto, he appeared again. On reflection, that day, each time I opened my bait box he materialized from nowhere. During a CMC weekend meet at Braithwaite I was wandering the fells alone. At the steam that runs between Grassmoor and Crag Hill I came across three Geordies sat in the snow having a brew. I stopped and chatted for a while before continuing on my way. Later that evening John Beard came in the hut. “I’ve just been talking to some Geordies” he said, “They said they had met one of our members up on the fell. Couldn’t understand a word he said” - THAT, coming from a Geordie. A few years ago Eric Mansfield and I spent two days walking the Cuillin Ridge on Skye. Late on the first day, we had just traversed Collies Ledge on Sgurr Mhic Choinnich when a girl appeared. Looking straight at Eric she said “I know you”. We were dumbfounded at the chances of being recognized so far from home. It turned out that she was from Settle and she remembered Eric from a visit to one of our CMC indoor meets. You don’t forget Eric in a hurry. Probably my strangest “encounter“ was during a lone visit to Scotland. After parking near the Ben Lawers visitor center I was heading up Meall nan Tarmachan. Near the top I could see, sat on some rocks above me, a man. He had on some white clothing and I assumed that he was having a rest. In order to reach his position I had to take a roundabout route. To my surprise when I arrived he was nowhere to be seen. To this day I cannot explain his disappearance or whether I imagined him. Some meetings, though potentially serious at the time, you can laugh about later. John Barrett told of an encounter with a man, in some remote spot, who was tightly wedged between two huge boulders. He had been there a while. John helped free them man but not before he had taken his picture. You have to get your priorities right. In total contrast to these meetings a story told at a CMC indoor meet by Rusty Bold of the Cave Rescue Organization many years ago. It concerns four potholers from the northeast. Arriving in the Yorkshire Dales they planned an underground traverse of two potholes. They first set up a ladder in the pothole which was to be their way out. They then set up a ladder at their entrance to the system and climbed down pulling the ladder down behind them and began the traverse. Arriving at their exit they climbed up, pulled up the ladder and went to the pub before driving home. Just before arriving home they realized “there were only three of them”. They had left their other mate down the pothole. After a telephone call the CRO found the lad cold, wet and a bit miffed to say the least. So remember, when out on the fells, a smile, nod or a bit of light conversation is usually welcomed and reciprocated, in the city you’ll probably get arrested.Patterdale Weekend 19 - 21 Jan 2007 Following a week of relentless stormy weather, members of Clitheroe mountaineering club were pessimistic about conditions for their recent meet at the George Starkey climbing hut in Patterdale. On Saturday morning one party set out from the White Lion car park in strong gusts of wind to climb St. Sunday Crag via Birks fell, struggling to remain upright on the summit and during the descent to Deepdale Hause. Here it was decided to return to the valley as the cloud lowered and heads were bombarded by hailstones, but whilst lunch was being taken the mist lifted and the sky brightened, so members scrambled over Cofa Pike and continued to the summit of Fairfield. As the group headed southeast along the ridge to Hart Crag excellent views of the surrounding peaks and valleys were enjoyed, though bad weather returned whilst leaving the latter summit. Members endured a constant battering of hailstones as they descended via the Black Crag and Gill Crag ridge to reach Deepdale Bridge. On Saturday evening members were treated to a communal meal organised and prepared by Jane Pyzniuk and Dave Grosvenor, with additional courses being donated via the culinary skills of various other members of the club. Committee representative, Godfrey Metcalfe, gave a vote of thanks on behalf of everyone who enjoyed the feast. After a night of snow showers a group set out from the hut in calmer, brighter conditions to take the path to Boredale Hause. Heading southeast to Angle Tarn members continued to The Knott where steps were kicked in deep, soft snow to reach the summit. A long walk south in the lee of a dry stone wall took members along the summit plateau of High Street, where three ladies from Barrow mountaineering club were excavating a snow hole in which to enjoy their lunch. The party proceeded to Thornthwaite Crag to stop for refreshment, and then descended into Threshthwaite Mouth to reach Hartsop by Pasture Bottom, returning to the hut via a bridleway. Keswick - Last Weekend Meet of 2006 Clitheroe mountaineering club’s recent annual dinner weekend based at the convention centre in Keswick was attended by thirty-seven members. On Saturday, despite early heavy rain and gale force winds, different groups set out to climb a variety of peaks in the area. One party travelled to Underscar near Applethwaite to walk over Jenkin Hill to Skiddaw. Approaching Little Man the strength of the wind increased so much that it was difficult to remain standing and members were forced to detour from this minor summit to gain some shelter. Continuing up Skiddaw’s south ridge the group then battled its way along the exposed whaleback plateau to the trig. point and the relative calm of a dry-stone wind break. After enjoying a few minutes respite and good views of the mountain ridges around Keswick, the party descended to the north to pick up the Cumbria Way track to Skiddaw house, passing groups of mountain bikers including a few club members, and continued via Lonscale Fell back to the starting point. In the evening a communal meal, with numerous courses prepared by various club members, was enjoyed in the centre, followed by games and entertainment. Brian Davies, the club chairman, thanked all those who had prepared food and the many helpers whose contributions had resulted in such a successful event. On Sunday torrential rain and continuing gales forced members to seek the sanctuary of the national mountaineering exhibition at Rheged, near Penrith, where the clothing system used by Mallory on Everest can be seen, reproduced from the samples found on his body in 1999. The OMM 28 & 29 Oct 2006 by Brian Davies “The Karrimor” (now known as the “Original Mountain Marathon” or OMM) is an annual fell race. Competitors in teams of 2 carry their own tent, food and equipment in a gruelling 2 day event in the mountains with an over-night camp. Over 3000 participants enter a variety of sub competitions depending upon their anticipated skill and endurance. The main sub division is between those completing a fixed course in the earliest possible time, and those achieving maximum points by visiting the most check-points within a fixed time. And so it was that Ian Grace and I in our later years (some would say too late) found ourselves at 8.00am at the race start line in the Galloway Hills for our first Karrimor following in the footsteps of other CMC members. It was raining of course, to further soften the already water-logged ground, an absolute must for the Karrimor. For me it was one of the “100 things to do before you die”; but for Ian (and I didn’t know this at the time) it was a merely a follow on from many other prestigious events such as The Great North Run, the Lake District Mountain Trial and Tough Guy (4 times). Why didn’t someone tell me that Ian had done a marathon last year in only 3 1/2 hours or that people like Sir Ranulph Fiennes were also in the event? I was wearing the strangest of footwear called “Walshes” (bought 2 weeks earler £45 with discount because “they felt sorry for the old man”), with centimetre deep rubber studs and gossamer thin uppers which felt like you were in bare feet. However amazingly you could run (ok I admit it, walk mostly) on a 45 degree slope and still not slide down. No fleeces or mid-layers for us; just a vest and waterproof because we would be moving like lightning and generating our own heat .Amazingly it worked (ok I admit it; more because of the above average temperatures than moving like lightning). As we moved to the start line with say 20 others for the 09.11 gun we couldn’t believe how some of our competitors had managed to get their gear into sacks half of our size. Then we remembered the exhibition tent where all sorts of specialist light weight gear was on show - such as the match-box sized 100 gramme sleeping mat that requires you to blow up and insert 5 kids elongated balloons to provide insulation.(don’t go to bed with anything sharp in your pocket) or the titanium tent pegs! Amazing specialist gear around for serious fell runners (like us?) We’re off! But the first few minutes are spent looking at the map that has just been given to us (no written words and 1:40,000 scale just to confuse you) We’re trying to work out a plan that will give us maximum points, take us in the direction of the first night’s camp and most important of all, get us there in the allowed time because they deduct a lot of points if you are late. Within minutes were off running alongside a stream in spate with mud above ankle level. We are being overtaken by 2 men on the other bank and when in front of us the first jumps the steam, lands poorly and falls squirming in the mud. The second who has already committed himself to the jump now also leaps and falls partially on top of the fallen first runner but in trying to avoid injuring him, ends up with one of his legs in the stream. The first runner then attempts to get up but partially stumbles again as he tries to get running in spite the deep mud. I ask myself, what have I got into here where runners are that determined to achieve a good score? And so our day progressed walking quickly and running occasionally but overawed by the skill and yes, bravery of some of the high class competitors. Ian’s orienteering skills in finding check points and judgement in leaving sufficient time to complete the event, came into their own during the 2 days and helped us quite a bit in the final result. We came in with a modest 145 points with 20 of the 200+ entries getting a negative score due to time penalties! The most memorable event at the overnight camp was Ian’s extraordinary frugal use of hot water 4 times over: 1) Water used to heat boil-in-bag food. 2) Same water then used to soak noodles. 3) Same water used to make fresh tea (tasty noodle flavour too). 4) Same water used to wash pots. Drought torn Africa would be proud! At the end I was pretty exhausted but I don’t think Ian felt too bad. Main memory is the wonderment of how the top performers could cover difficult broken ground at a trot over a distance at least three times further than our own. We feel that we kept our end up and didn’t disgrace ourselves. We were in the “Long Score” competition which is one of the tougher comps. We came 180th out of 220 teams, a number of whom had had to retire. Would I do it again? Maybe in a few years after the memory fades... (For pictures go to Gallery) Troutbeck Sunday 24 Sept 2006 At the club’s last outdoor meet on Sunday members travelled to Troutbeck in Cumbria, where they set off in dark, misty conditions towards Town Head and the Tongue to scramble up its south ridge. The party then continued north to descend to Trout Beck and climbed the craggy Broad How via a bracken-filled ghyll. From here a long ascent brought the group to Caudale Moor and the summit of Stoney Cove Pike, from where compass bearings needed to be taken to locate the steep descent into Threshthwaite Mouth for a further climb to the beacon on Thornthwaite Crag. Whilst lunch was being enjoyed in the shelter of a dry-stone wall, the weather improved giving atmospheric views towards Lake Windermere and Ill Bell, making the latter look like a peak of alpine proportions. Heading south in sunshine over the tops of Froswick and Ill Bell towards Yoke members were surprised to see an abandoned mechanical digger alongside recent path reconstruction, and wondered how it had managed to get there. On reaching the Garburn Pass the party descended to the Limefitt Park camping site to return to the cars. August Bank Holiday in Arran Over a pint with Godfrey earlier in the year we had to make a major decision, do we do the Karrimor yet again, or try something different? Bearing in mind that last year it was so wet and windy that Godfrey had his glasses blown off (never to be found again) on the first day, the choice wasn’t to difficult, so the plan to cycle round Arran and Kintyre over August Bank Holiday was hatched.
This was an all on road affair, with simple navigation, and simple route choices as there’s only one road round. As we landed on Arran on the Friday the rain started and it was basically on and off with sunny interludes all weekend. We went the ‘long’ way round to the Lochranza YH for the first night, just getting there in time for a trip around the Arran distillery. Next morning we caught the ferry over to Kintyre, and decided to detour up to Tarbet for breakfast, a good decision, as the day was definitely lacking in cafes. We finally got to Campbeltown for a good meal a couple of pints, an interesting town with 24 bars and pubs, at one time we counted four next to each other, and all busy! The return route up the east side of Kintyre is very interesting, basically a single-track road hugging the coast, with lots of ups and downs. We stopped and Sadell castle, a beautiful spot where Paul McCartney made the ‘Mull of Kintyre’ video, the castle is now available for rent through the Landmark Trust, and would make a fabulous, but expensive club weekend! We caught the ferry back over to Lochranza for the third night, before completely the circuit and catching the ferry back to Ardrossan. A good trip, very relaxed with daily mileages only 40 to 50 miles, and great scenery. Nick Millward and Godfrey Metcalfe Ennerdale Hut Meet 9-11 June 2006 14 members attended the weekend meet based at the Gillerthwaite Camping Barn. Saturday was hot and sunny. Despite the heat, one group did the steep climb out of the valley to the summit of Red Pike, then traversed the ridge over High Stile and High Crag to Haystacks, where a descent was made to Black Sail youth hostel for the long walk through the forest. Another party set out heavily laden with rock climbing gear to take the steep path to the base of the western face of Pillar Rock’s High Man. In perfect conditions New West Climb was completed, followed by an abseil into Jordan Gap and a scramble down the descent gully. Next the rock buttress of Pisgah was climbed via its West Ridge route, providing perfect slab climbing in the warm sunshine. After returning to the hut in the early evening, the party enjoyed a communal barbecue and bonfire courtesy of various club members whose contributions were greatly appreciated. On Sunday members walked via the Gillerthwaite outdoor centre and Lingmell Plantation up on to the open fell side of Lingmell. Low Beck was crossed to reach the summit ridge of Steeple. This was followed and continued to the top of Scoat Fell, where a descent was made towards Haycock. Reaching the col, members walked down into Mirklin Cove to return to their starting point. Peebles May Day Bank Holiday Weekend Fifteen of us spent the May Day Bank holiday camping near Peebles in the Scottish Borders. On Saturday one group travelled to Drumelzier where a track was followed to Den Knowes Head and Pykestone Hill, which was reached via a short, steep climb from the course of the old Thief’s Road. Continuing along the ridge to Long Grain Knowe and Newholme Cairns Hill, the group then descended to a track following the Stanhope Burn to the hamlet of Stanhope where a path alongside the river Tweed was followed back to Drumelzier. On Sunday another party, together with mountain bikes, headed to Glentress forest, an internationally renowned mecca for off-road cyclists with graded trails from green to black like the runs of a ski resort. Starting from the lower car park members climbed on steep single-track trails with tight bends to the highest point of the forest from where exhilarating, fast descents on rough terrain, around banked corners, were enjoyed on the way back to the valley. After an exhausting day the coffee and homemade cakes of the centre café were greatly appreciated. Dentdale Sun 19 March 2006 Leaving the car park in Dent the group made its way to the hamlet of Gawthrop, then walked half a kilometre along the road to Underwood. Here members took the footpath to Tofts and Combe House, before climbing steeply to Combe Top and continuing over the summits of Barkin Top and Calf Top, where clear views of the snow covered Howgill and Lake District fells were obtained. Continuing southwest the party found a sheltered spot for lunch then descended steeply into Barbondale to Short Gill Bridge, then struggled firstly through heather, then deep, soft snow on the long ascent of Crag Hill and Great Coum. Leaving the summit via Binks Brow members dropped down to the green lane of Occupation Road, before descending Flinter Gill to arrive back in Dent. |
|||||||||||||||
