Newbury Mountain Club Journal 2006
7 Jan - AGM
13-15 Jan - Brecons
27-29 Jan - Black Sail Hut
17-21 Feb - Pyrenees
3-5 March - North Wales
31 March-2 April - Dorset
13-17 April - Cairngorms
29 April-1 May - Great Langdale
12-14 May - Peak District
26-29 May - Pembrokeshire
9-11 June - Cader Idris
17 June - Conservation and BBQ
21 June - Midsummer Walk
23-25 June - Lake District
13 July - Evening Walk #2
21-23 July - Wye Valley
11-13 August - Southern Sandstone
24-28 August - Isle of Arran
1-3 September - Bullock Smithy 56-Mile Challenge
29 Sept-1 Oct - Peak District
13-15 Oct - Cornwall
3-5 Nov - Wales
17-19 Nov - Kendal Mountain Film Festival
1-3 Dec - North Wales
16 Dec - Christmas (Curry) Walk
7 Jan - Annual General Meeting
We had a bit of a change this year, both in venue and format. The meeting was held at the Chequers for the first time, and the President's speech and awards were moved to after the dinner. Ros welcomed everyone and went through the minutes of the last AGM, Ange presented the Club accounts in her Treasurer's report, and then elections were held for the new committee:
President: Dan Unwin
Treasurer: Richard Spraggett
Secretary: Martin Butler
Committee: Rhoda Bashford (Communications Director), Sarah Davies (Web Master), Mike Broadfoot, Bob Hotchkis, Andy Miles, Alan Tinkler, Claire White, Dave Wilson
The open forum included discussion of items such as first aid training, navigation training, and charity/conservation activities, after which the meeting was closed and dinner was served.
Click here for the AGM minutes, and click here for a supplement describing the Committee response to items raised in the open forum.
After dinner the President's speech ran through the events of the year. The Club ran a number of successful trips and events in 2005; highlights include:
- Three weeks in New Zealand during April.
- A wet weekend in Eskdale for the May Day bank holiday and Northumberland for the second bank holiday, with the Peak District in between.
- The Club conservation weekend on Snelsmore Common on the hottest weekend of the year in June.
- Walking and mountaineering for a week in Austria staying in Alpine huts in August.
- Long distance walking and wilderness camping in October in the Lake District.
Ros then presented the following awards:
Best Trip: Dan Unwin, for his Austria trip. (Runners-up were Alan's wilderness camping trip, and Bob's Peaks trip in May.)
Altitude Award: Dave Wilson, for climbing Stok Cangri, Lobuche East (6119m) and Island Peak (6189m). Click here for the full list of altitude award candidates.
Golden Underpants: Andy Littler, for deciding that he was scared of heights at the top of the first pitch of a 4 pitch climb at Wintours Leap.
Navigation Award: Dave Hall, who got lost trying to find the apartments on the Chamonix trip.
Girl Guide Award (for being unprepared): Sarah Davies and Catherine Conway, for climbing a 2577m mountain with handbags, trainers and no map.
Most Improved Climber: Malcolm Spence, for beginning the year with only indoor rock climbing experience and progressing to leading climbs outdoors.
Mountaineering Achievement: Martin Butler, for climbing Mont Blanc with blistered heels.
The Trinny and Susannah Award (for worst-dressed Club member): Dave Wilson, for an ancient climbing helmet and harness and for his fleece dungarees.There was also a special mention of general forgetfulness this year: Gavin Baxter, Ross Thurlow, and Callum Ings all managed to forget climbing harnesses at crucial moments (A Dream of White Horses at Gogarth, Wintours Leap and on the Cosmique Arete in the Aiguille du Midi respectively).
Dan then presented the outgoing President and Treasurer with thank you gifts for their work, although he failed to mention Ros's own forgetfulness in leaving her climbing shoes at Portland!
Once speech and awards were done, the party continued into the early hours with a DJ and an assortment of music. A tasteful selection of photographs, courtesy of Pokey, is below. All caption suggestions welcome...
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13-15 Jan - Brecons
Present: Rhoda (organiser), Bob, Keyna, Sarah M, David M, Bruce, Claire, Andy L, Karin, Alan, Sarah D, Sue, Catherine, Martin L, Dave H, Maggie, Paul, Maika
Location: White Hart bunkhouse, Talybont-on-Usk, Wales
Friday - Late night drinking at the White Hart pub.
Saturday - The entire group left (on time!) for a circular walk of the main Brecon Beacons starting from the lower Neuadd reservoir, 750m of ascent. The weather was perfect: mild, with sunshine breaking through to give great views.
Due to no-one's particular fault (Paul, your name won't be mentioned here, let alone your yeti gaiters that delayed the off), the group immediately split although not into the anticipated fast/slow groups. To communicate the situation Bruce caught up with the movers and shakers, whilst Maggie decided she was in the wrong group and did the opposite. The main peaks were taken in: Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan, Cribyn and Fan-y-Big.
The groups completed the circuit in opposite directions, and met to exchange polite comments: "you're a bit behind aren't you?", "you should have been here by now" etc. The highlight of the day was seeing Brocken spectres (see here for details, thanks Bob!). What every other walker who saw us thought we were doing as we stood on the edge of a precipice waving at some imaginary friend miles below can only be imagined. Earlier comments led one group to think they might be behind the other in the time they had taken up to the point they met, this was all dispelled as they arrived back the start point first (to find Catherine and her hangover had beaten all of us back to the cars).
The day was finished with a group meal in the pub where wild boar and even kangaroo was devoured. Later a few of us partook in the Karaoke, which went down well with the locals who cheered us on. Late night bouldering was in full swing for some time after this though, into the wee hours...
Sunday - Early risers decided on a high Black Mountains summit led by Dave Hall. The rest of the team, after clearing up the bunkhouse, started up to 'The Horns of Mynydd Ddu' (750m of ascent) led by Claire. Due to the weather closing in we only went up to the first lake before coming back down, and took in an ancient stone circle on the way back for a quick fertility dance. Funny thing was that when we got back to the cars there was Catherine again, goodness what a quick walker! A quick warm up at a nearby pub, and a walk to a stunning waterfall finished off the day before making our way back home. A great start to 2006.
27-29 Jan - Black Sail Hut, Lake District
Present: Sarah D (substitute organiser, after Richard did all the hard work), Bruce, Marion, Mark, Malcolm, Louise, Martin, Paula, Mick, Ange, Ros, Gavin, Andy M, Steve, Dave W
Black Sail Hut, a shepherd's bothy at the head of Ennerdale, is famed for its remoteness and only being accessible on foot. Unless, of course, you're collecting the key and the warden at Ennerdale YH gives you a lift up there in his Land Rover... Twelve months after Richard planned this trip only to be thwarted at the last minute by a missing roof, fifteen intrepid NMC members set off for the Lake District with the intention of walking in to Black Sail from a variety of points. Many took the Friday off work to get a decent walk in, although for the group who started at Langdale it was a longer day than anticipated due to difficulties in routefinding. Gavin nearly got fatally distracted by the beer at Wasdale Head, and Dave took three attempts to get out of Buttermere car park before finally arriving at 1am to find we'd already started on his wine supplies. |
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Two days of clear, sunny weather meant we had plenty of opportunity to explore the surrounding hills and take in some fantastic scenery. On Saturday, Gavin, Ros, Martin, Steve and Andy set out with the intention of doing a climb (Ros & Gavin) and a grade 3 scramble (the rest), ascending Black Sail Pass and traversing round to Pillar Rock. Conditions were 'interesting' and all plans were ditched in favour of going straight to the summit of Pillar via some easy scrambling on snow and ice covered rocks. Progress was almost halted by the large ice step above a big drop but Martin saved the day by cutting steps. They then headed over Scoat Fell and Steeple to descend back to Ennerdale. Mick led another group up to Hay Stacks, and then around over Brandreth and Green Gable - some slippery conditions, but unseasonably warm in the sunshine. Mick and Ange then carried on over Great Gable and Kirk Fell. Louise and Malcolm, and Dave and Paula also had a good day climbing Pillar. |
The evening was spent making full use of the hut's amenities: Malcolm formed a loving relationship with the coal fire, Gavin cooked enough curry to sink all of us, and everyone participated in games of cards, Connect 4, Scrabble etc. As we had to leave the hut exactly as we'd found it, everyone bravely rose to the challenge of drinking as much as possible (to reduce the weight in the backpacks, obviously), an endeavour which involved considerable amounts of port, whisky and Armagnac. We also tried to burn as much rubbish on Malcolm's fire as we could - although possibly not the beer can, Martin? - and were entertained by Andy and Steve's ongoing impression of an old married couple... |
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On Sunday the choice of walk was dictated by where people had left their cars. Andy and Steve, still bickering away happily, walked out over Red Pike to Buttermere and were caught up by Dave and Paula at each summit en route. Ros and Gavin walked up to Brandreth, across to Green Gable and then up to Great Gable before dropping down to Wasdale Head. Marion and Mark kindly took the rubbish bag down the track to Ennerdale and then walked around the lake, while Sarah and Bruce walked over Pillar and back down to Ennerdale via some interesting scree and an even more interesting river crossing. It was generally agreed by all present that this weekend was an early candidate for the coveted Best Trip of the Year Award. Can we book it again for next year, please...? |
17-21 Feb - Pyrenees
Present: Richard (organiser), Bruce, Martin, Olga, Dan, Keyna
After six very cheap and very early EasyJet flights to Toulouse, the six of us arrived in Luchon on Friday lunchtime. An afternoon of choosing skis, purchasing lift passes and general sightseeing followed, prior to an excellent French meal in the evening.
On Saturday we all took the cable car to Super Bagneres. Dan set off for what turned out to be an epic mountain walk, and the rest of us hit the slopes. The resort proved to have a good selection of runs: two long greens and a big nursery bowl, several blues and reds including some long runs down from the far side of the mountain, and a handful of black runs - enough to keep 5 of us occupied for 4 full days. |
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Dan intended to spend two days camping in the mountains. Having summited the local peak and later becoming temporarily covered by an avalanche (making him the leading contender for this year’s ‘golden underpants’ award!) he had the misfortune to see his tent blow away as he attempted to erect it at 7.30pm on Saturday night. A two-hour night walk followed before he reached the sanctuary of Super Bagneres’ one hotel. The rest of us spent each day skiing followed by a meal in one of Luchon’s plentiful cheap restaurants. On Monday evening we all visited the town’s thermal baths. Ten minutes is recommended as the maximum to stay in the steam rooms, however yours truly decided to spend half an hour in the hot caverns and had to helped out by a kindly French lady - prompting the quote of the weekend from Martin: "I thought he’d been in that tunnel a long time". |
This trip was planned as a winter mountaineering and snow shoeing trip, and turned out to be a long weekend skiing in an unspoilt genuinely French resort. A return next year is planned.
3-5 March - North Wales
Present: Dan (organiser), Malcolm, Louise, Paula, Andy McLay, Andy L, Steve, Andy M (Thurs/Fri only), Dave W, Bruce, Sarah, Paul
Due to the weather conditions, this became an extended trip for some...
Thursday/Friday (with photos), by Andy M: The thought of Wales wearing a full winter coat was too tempting for Andy Miles and Steve Climpson to resist. Weather reports were suggesting the unheard of - snow and lots of it. We headed for Wales on Thurs morning to beat the weekend rush and get some real winter climbing done. Birmingham traffic almost had the better of us and we eventually arrived at Ogwen Cottage at 2pm. We headed straight for Cwm Cneifon above Idwal Slabs - the path towards Idwal was lost in a white out but as we reached the cwm, the cloud lifted. We headed for Tower Gully (grade I/II, 450ft) and fought our way through the powder. Conditions improved as we climbed and we topped out on the Glyder plateau at 6:15pm for a perfect evening. It was a hasty descent by Y Gribin (grade I) in hastening darkness.
Friday morning found us on Central Gully on the Trinity face on Snowdon (gradeI/II, 1000ft) in perfect weather. The same couldn't be said for the snow conditions or my tired legs. We fought our way up through knee deep powder, spindrift avalanches and barely iced rock sections. By swapping leads I got Steve to lead all the hard sections which he excelled by some bold climbing.
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Saturday, by Sarah: We stayed at Swallow Falls YH for the weekend, positively luxurious accommodation with en-suites and even a double room with TV for one fortunate couple. The breakfasts aren't bad either.
Steve, with another Andy (McLay, this time) in tow, set off early for Crib Goch and more daring climbing feats of the "do or die" variety (or possibly just "do or severely maim"). Malcolm and Louise also went for Crib Goch, while the rest of the group took on the slightly less challenging (or "boring", according to Mr Miles) feat of climbing Moel Siabod in the snow - knee-deep in places, which made for an entertaining scramble up and slide down.
The evening was, naturally, spent in the pub - Dan arrived, Andy McLay left (which lessened the multiple-Andy confusion considerably), and tales of the day were exchanged.
Sunday, by Dan: Sunday dawned bright and the forecast snow was held in abeyance by the mighty Crom, seated in his mountain throneroom.
A party of six set off for Ogwen Cottage with Bristly Ridge as the ultimate goal. The snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel, when a poor man came in sight, gathering winter fuel. We told him that the Spar in Betws was open 7 days a week now and sold bags of logs.
Parking at Ogwen was a bit difficult, the fine winter wonderland having brought out hordes of brightly-clothed revellers and action sports junkies. Most speaking in the Scouse tongue.
The group climbed up in to Cwm Bochlwyd and the frozen lake there, before branching left towards the rocky defile between Tryfan and Glyder Fach. The Ridge of Bristles was resplendent in a thick winter mantle of hoar. Mountain Coughs circled the crags and the silence was deafening. The mountain offered danger, challenge and adventure, but none was brave enough to heed its call. The group headed up the snowy gully to the right and left the ridge to the birds.
Once up on top, the mountain vista was one of light and brightness. The group took luncheon below the cantilever stone before heading off to join the throngs travelling over the Glyder plateau. It was decided to head down Y Gribin, which with its blanket of snow gave rise to a few tricky stances and delicate moves. Height was lost slowly and the crepuscular light made the warmth and comfort of the Inn in the Valley seem ever more distant.
But return the group did, triumphant and with rejoicing in their hearts. Crom was pleased and the group took hearty drafts from overflowing cups of Diesel at the Pinnacle cafe and ate of the sweet comestibles offered by the stout yeoman there. Each uttered a silent prayer to Crom and departed into the night.
31 March-2 April - Dorset
Present: Sarah (organiser), Malcolm, Louise, Bruce, Rhoda, Catherine, Claire W, Keyna, Shaun
The first camping trip of the year saw a return to Tom's Field campsite in Langton Matravers near Swanage. A large amount of rain over the previous couple of weeks meant that conditions were soggy, verging on quagmire in places, and after a few beers in the local pub and the porch of Rhoda's tent, everyone went to bed with that familiar accompaniment of rain drumming on canvas...
... only to wake on Saturday morning to sunshine and clear blue skies. Obviously the trip organiser took full credit for this. While Malcolm and Louise headed off to Portland for a day's climbing at the Cuttings, the rest of the group set off on a two-part walk. Part 1 involved a simple route: walk to Dancing Ledge, turn left. This took us along the South West Coastal Path through Durlston Country Park to Swanage, where we stopped for ice cream (as befits being at the seaside). Part 2 started after we'd taken the steam train to Corfe Castle, from which we ascended to a slightly breezy (the sort of slight breeze that can knock you sideways) ridge and then navigated our way back to the campsite via tracks, country lanes, fields and the occasional farmyard.
After more beer and more rain on Saturday night, Sunday was dry but very windy, and the group dispersed to various local attractions such as Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, and fish and chips in Swanage before heading back to Newbury with their carloads of muddy camping kit.
13-17 April - Cairngorms
Present: Gavin, Ros, Malcolm, Louise (aka The Knoydart Drop-outs)
The original plan was to meet up at Kinloch Hourn on the Thursday morning, and head across the Knoydart and Loch Quoich hills over the next four days. The weather forecasts leading up to the weekend changed everything though. Having experienced first-hand what a ‘strong Westerly’ can feel like on the West coast, committing to a four-day expedition in winter conditions did not seem a sensible option.
A variety of ‘bail out’ options were discussed with Louise, Malcolm, Ros and myself opting to try ski-touring in the Cairn Gorm area. Ski conditions had been reported as very good, and being about 100km from the West coast, we had the greatest chance of being somewhat sheltered from the strong winds, snow and rain.
After grabbing some extra skis and items of
touring kit for Malcolm and Louise we set off from the Cairn Gorm car park on
Thursday morning. We skinned (for those who don’t know, this involves sticking
climbing ‘skins’ onto the bases of your skis and walking uphill with the help
of specially designed ‘alpine touring’ bindings) up Fiachall Coire Cas in quite
strong winds and deteriorating visibility and then skied across the plateau to
the top of Coire Raibert. The ski down to the side of Loch Avon was pretty
hard going with very heavy rucsacs, whiteout conditions and very heavy snow.
So much for ‘fast and light’! We then pitched our tents in as sheltered a
position as possible at the end of a frozen Loch Avon, with Louise’s new tent
getting a proper ‘Christening’ as it contended with blizzards, rain and strong
winds through the night. |
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Friday dawned bright and crisp, with some
new snow on the ground. After a quick river crossing, we skinned up Beinn
Mheadhoin with some great views over neighbouring Cairn Gorm and the huge
cliffs around Shelter Stone Crag. The ski down was fantastic, taking about 30
mins to get back to the tents – so good, that I stuck my skins back on, skinned
back up and did the ski again! Ros and I then packed ourselves up and moved our
tent a couple of kilometres down the glen to the Fords of Avon in order to be
closer to the next days hills. |
On Saturday, poor weather made Malcolm and
Louise’s escape back to their car over Marquis Well and Ptarmigan Bowl pretty
hard going. Meanwhile Ros and I skinned up Beinn a Chorainn and Beinn Bhreac.
Visibility was reduced to 20-30 metres above 800 metres and with a huge, open
plateau to traverse between the two peaks, navigation was a challenge. The
advantage of moving over this sort of terrain on ski-touring equipment could
not have been clearer though, as we passed old footmarks in the snow, each step
having sunk about 10-20 cms down! At this point we were able to glide very
easily at about 6 km/h. On the way back to the tents from the final peak we
had a great ski in improving visibility down a broad ridge for over 1.5km. I
later checked the GPS and found my top speed to have been 47.5 km/h – that’s
got to be better than walking! |
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After a really rough night, being convinced on a few occasions the tent was sure to be blown down, we made our way back over the hills to the car. With conditions no worse going over the cols than the summits, we diverted and skinned up Cairn Gorm itself, reaching the summit from the side of Loch Avon in 1.5 hrs. A quick ‘hello’ to the first strangers in 4 days – a couple of ‘beardy-weirdy’ telemarkers, complete with leather ski boots, skinny skis and big wool hats – and we were off down the North side of Cairn Gorm. 20 mins later we were back at the car in beautiful sunshine.
29 April-1 May - Great Langdale
Present: Claire, Alan, Steve, Keyna, Martin, Olga
Another change of venue, this time not due to the weather, but a mix up in the campsite bookings: we should have been going to Eskdale, but 15 minutes into the journey north we received a message to say that we weren't booked on the campsite that the Club used last year.
The National Trust site in Great Langdale then became the preferred location. Claire was setting off from Chester so had a head start on the rest of us and arrived to discover that the site was rapidly filling up and would not reserve pitches for late arrivals. After some discussion she managed to find a good alternative campsite in Chapel Stile and alerted us whilst still en route - with the exception of Steve who had also arrived early and had paid for two nights before receiving the message.
On Saturday morning, having first met with Steve, all six of us headed off from the Old Dungeon Ghyll in glorious sunshine to climb Bow Fell via the Crinkle Crags. Someone chose to do the walk justice and led us up the path for Pike o'Blisco to start the day with. At the summit Alan was still feeling the effects of trekking in the Himalayas and the flight home so he and Claire said that they would probably go back down from there, leaving the remaining four us to continue on to the Crinkle Crags. However, before this we had to lose height, dropping down to Red Tarn and then regaining it to the top of Great Knot. Onwards our walk went, over Long Top and to the first of the Crinkle Crags. From up here we had splendid views of the Lakeland giants: the Scafell group, Helvellyn and Skidaw, and Bowfell lying in wait for us. |
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The second Crinkle was climbed by electing to take the so called "Bad Step", which turns out not to be that bad in good weather. Somewhere up here we stopped for a spot of lunch before continuing to Shelter Crags and a descent to Three Tarns, and the final pull up to Bow Fell. A little time was spent on the summit prior to returning to Three Tarns and a descent down the Band for a pint of OP at the ODG. We were just finishing our pints of Old Peculier when Alan and Claire walked in. They had decided to carry on to the Crinkles and then come down via the Band too. After a couple of journeys up and down the valley we managed to get everyone back to the campsite. |
On Sunday we split into two groups. Alan and Claire took a drive up to Wrynose Pass, from where they walked up onto the ridge and along to Swirl How. Steve, Keyna, Olga and I walked up to Stickle Tarn with the intention of climbing Pavey Arc via Jack's Rake. At first sight the rake didn't appear to be that busy, but when we finally arrived at the start it had been invaded by multitudes of fell walkers, some of whom perhaps should not have been there. Having decided to wait it out and let them get higher we had lunch, but not long later another group arrived and soon there was a bottleneck so we turned our attention to the East Gully instead. Not as exciting as Jack's Rake, nevertheless it did provide a couple of interesting moments. We wandered (somewhat aimlessly it might be said) around the tops of the Langdale Pikes before descending via the Dungeon Ghyll to the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel for refreshments.
At the promise of rain the next morning Steve headed off home on Sunday night leaving the rest of us to chance our luck. Sure enough, in the early hours it began to rain. It was still raining when we packed the tents away; therefore we all headed for breakfast in Ambleside (and possibly some gear shopping) before travelling south.
Editor's Note, December 2006: It has recently come to light that Sarah M and David M also went on this trip, and didn't receive the news about the mix-up in campsite bookings. Arriving at Eskdale at 1am, they decided to ignore the "Full" sign outside the campsite and pitched their tent anyway, somewhat surprised to find that there were actually acres of space in which to do so. They had a great weekend, although they were mystified that no other members of NMC were in attendance...
12-14 May - Peak District
Present: Ros & Gavin (organisers), Pokey, Annie, Graham, Sarah, Catherine, Alan, Maggie, Bob, Rhoda, Martin L, Pam, Andrew, Katherine.
Location: Hayfield Campsite, Hayfield, High Peak.
"Newbury Mountain Club, on a navigation weekend. Which way is Lake Windermere?"
The first challenge of this navigation-themed weekend was two-fold: 1) find a route from Newbury which avoided all the really bad traffic, and 2) locate the campsite, which was down a narrow lane with minimal signposting. After varying levels of success, those who managed to arrive before midnight had a few drinks at the local pub with Ros and Gavin, who weren't camping due to living only 3 miles down the road.
Saturday dawned soggy, and was notable for the sight of Maggie using a wine glass to bail out the porch of her new tent. Ten of us set off for Kinder Scout to reacquaint ourselves with our compasses and hone those navigation skills. The weather was not fantastic (to quote Gavin, "claggy") but didn’t dampen the spirits with the mist even adding to the challenge of navigating over Kinder Scout. Gavin refreshed our knowledge of taking bearings, resection, and walking on a bearing, and we had a good 7 hours navigating our way over the peat bog of Kinder. Three members of the group then decided to take a shorter route back to the campsite: having listened carefully to all those good navigational methods, all that was conveniently ignored as Alan plunged off the side of the mountain on what Catherine and Sarah (following at a slightly more sedate pace) quickly agreed was not the planned path. But nothing (barbed wire, nearly-dead sheep) was going to stop Alan: it could be argued that he was bearing towards the major feature of Kinder Reservoir, but that was probably less important than getting to a pub for the second half of the FA Cup Final... |
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In the evening we congregated again in the local pub, for excellent food and plenty of wine. Quote of the day (by a member of the barstaff, about a certain member of NMC): "She needs shooting".
On Sunday the group split for a variety of activities. Martin, Pam and Gavin went mountain biking around Buxton, while Bob, Rhoda, Ros and Maggie's climbing plans were slightly hampered by the weather (again). Nevertheless, they did manage a few routes at the local crag in New Mills.
All in all it was a great weekend but with fairly mediocre weather – Ros would like to point out that it doesn’t always rain up here – honest!
26-29 May - Pembrokeshire
Present: Claire (organiser), Alan, Dan, Beckie, Mick, Ange, Simon, Ally, Sarah, Bruce, Dave H, Richard N, Catherine, Kath, Shaun, Keyna.
Location: Glan-y-mor campsite, St. David's.
Friday night followed the usual pattern: arrival at the campsite in St. David's, tent pitching, and a few beers/glasses of wine. The latter was expertly led from the front by our esteemed President.
On Saturday the weather forecast was entirely accurate and the rain arrived with a vengeance (a theme seems to be developing in my trip reports...). Beckie, Si and Ally were still up early to go coasteering, because wet weather is no deterrent when you're jumping off a cliff into the sea. Everyone else went for a more leisurely start, which for some included a full breakfast in St. David's. When the rain finally ceased at lunchtime, Dave led a group of eight on a walk along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path to Solva and back. Meanwhile, the sum total of the President's achievements could be measured by the pint (three of 'em, in St. David's, to be precise).
The sun was out when we got back to the campsite, just in time for the arrival of Alan and Claire. For the first time we realised that we actually had a sea view. After plenty of shenanigans from people trying to get a hot shower (a process more revealing for some than others), most people threw some food onto the barbecue, although Keyna assembled a gourmet meal on a camp stove which had us watching in awe.
On Sunday, the majority of the group set out on an 18-mile circular walk along the western edge of the coast path and then back across country. The sun shone, the ice cream at Whitesands was plentiful, the return leg was somewhat on the boggy side, and the sunburn was alarmingly spectacular. Meanwhile Mick and Ange continued their ongoing quest to walk the whole coast path (getting in a quick jog for a bus in the process - unfortunately they missed it), and Alan had a dip in the sea, which was apparently an improvement on the campsite's showers. The barbecue was fired up again in the evening, followed by a visit to the on-site pub when the temperature dropped.
Monday brought various pursuits: Catherine, Bruce and I did a speedboat trip around Ramsey Island (seeing seals, porpoises, and a large amount of sea spray), Keyna and Shaun went mountain biking, Dave announced his intention of going bodyboarding (and indeed, got as far as getting out of the car and looking at the sea), and Mick and Ange continued with the coast path, covering a total of 45 miles during the weekend.
9-11 June - Cader Idris
Present: Andy M (organiser), Malcolm, Louise, Steve, Mike, Gaby, Lukasz, Maika, Paul and Tao.
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We arrived on Friday night at the lovely but virtually deserted Torrent Walk campsite, just outside Dolgellau. Saturday dawned with superb weather. We set off for the summit of Cader Idris via the lesser trodden 'path' of Cwyfrwy Arete. The ridge provides an entertaining scramble to the summit plateau. From the walk in, the route up the ridge looked daunting with a spectacular notch to descend into and climb out from. In reality it is little more than hard scrambling but in fantastic positions. We then took a short stroll to the summit in time to avoid the England football match! We then continued over the full length of the summit ridge to descend at the eastern end before walking back to the campsite in time for tea and medals. Somehow even Team Williamson was flaked out at the end.
Sunday proved to be a much more relaxed affair. Steve and Andy went climbing at Barmouth slabs. Everyone else went for a walk around the hill above Barmouth and all had ice cream by the sea!
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17 June - Snelsmore Conservation Day
Present: Bob (organiser), Bruce, Sarah, Catherine, Kath, Mike, Gaby, Alison, Rhoda, Dan, Richard N, Si, Ally
This is now becoming an annual event: both the conservation at Snelsmore Common, and the accompanying hot weather. Thirteen of us cleared a large expanse of bracken in order to let the underlying heather grow through, with the assistance of bush knives, pitchforks, suncream, and drinks and cakes kindly supplied by the ranger. We also saw several Exmoor ponies, but no adders (despite looking very carefully). Afterwards we retreated to The Castle at Donnington for a beer and a bit of relaxation in the sun. The evening brought the Club BBQ at Maika's: plenty of food and drink, a rigged-up rope swing, and attempts to climb the huge tree in the garden, which led to Bob making an accidental plummet off the top of a fence (fortunately on our side; we might never have got him back otherwise). Everyone had a lot of fun, and despite the best efforts of several people to swing others into fences/barbecues/tree trunks, none of the injuries were serious... |
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21 June - Midsummer (Poppy) Walk
Present: Dan, Mike, Gaby, Rhoda, Martin L, Richard N, Alan, Claire
Wednesday 21st June, an auspicious day and as the evening promised to be long, a walk was quickly planned. Eight of us met up at the Ridgeway and headed East towards Goring. We passed under the A34 and the Compton Hundreds Mural before heading towards our goal - a small hill which although called Lowbury Hill, in fact has a the site of a Roman Temple upon it. There is not much to see of the temple - especially not with 3 feet of grass luxuriantly growing on the top - but there is a trig point (now a memorial to a Military Cartographer).
The views are rather good. One can understand what made the Romans come here to worship almost two millennia ago. A broad sweep of the Chilterns, Oxford Plain and Lambourn Downs are visible. Rhoda and Mike stood on top of the trig point, we even managed a ritualistic dance around the pillar. It would have been nice to have stayed, but the light was fading and we headed back into the setting sun.
Lowbury Hill is at SU 540823.
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23-25 June - Lake District
Present: Richard (organiser), Dave H, Martin, Simon, Richard N, Bruce, Sarah, Catherine, Mick, Ange, Sue, Dave W, Paula, Dan, Ros, Gavin
Location: Catbells camping barn, near Keswick.
This trip got off to an inauspicious start when those of us travelling to the north Lakes received a text from Richard apologising for the accommodation and suggesting we might want to have a few drinks in the pub before seeing it. As it turned out, it was more a case of Richard's standards being rather high, and it was a perfectly reasonable camping barn, albeit with excessively friendly chickens. Dave, Martin and Richard managed a quick ascent of Cat Bells (1481ft) in the Friday afternoon sun, and everyone congregated in the Swinside Inn in the evening. On Saturday the plan was to get up early and make the most of the extended daylight hours with a long walk. Naturally, the original start time didn't happen - apparently this was because Dan was yet to arrive and had absolutely nothing to do with the late night on Friday. This main group walked up and over Cat Bells, Maiden Moor, and High Spy (2143ft), and along Hindscarth Edge to Buttermere, where a few refreshing drinks were consumed before the walk back. A smaller group (Mick, Ange, Catherine, Sarah and Bruce) set off a little later and did a slightly shorter circuit: Cat Bells, Maiden Moor, High Spy, and back down from Hindscarth (2385ft) as the rain came in. |
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Meanwhile Martin walked on his own and completed the Coledale Horseshoe, taking in Rowling End (1422ft), Causey Pike (2000ft), Sail (2500ft), Eel Crag (2649ft), Grasmoor (2791ft) and Grisedale Pike (2593ft). There was a swift ½ (or two ½s in a pint glass) at the Coledale Inn in Braithwaite, before walking back to the camping barn. Everyone returned to the Swinside Inn for dinner on Saturday evening - Ros and Gavin also joined us, having spent the day mountain biking. Sunday's activities were partially dictated by England's football match in the evening. Some opted to complete a walk (with Richard having an especially enjoyable scramble, see photo) before watching the match in the Lakes and then driving back. Others went for the lazier, wet-weather option: gear shopping in Keswick and a dash home down the M6. |
13 July - Evening Walk #2
Present: Dan, Beckie, Mike, Gaby, Rhoda, Martin L, Alan, Claire, Simon, Bruce, Sarah
[Received two reports for this one, at exactly the same time, so take your pick! - Webmaster]
The second evening walk of the summer left Walbury Hill car park and headed west. Walbury Hill, at 974ft, is the highest Chalk Hill in the country and is also the highest point in Berkshire. Milk Hill and Tan Hill, further to the south-west in Wiltshire, almost reach the same height (968ft). The walk then passed Combe Gibbet, erected in the 1670s to hang George Broomham of Combe, and Dorothy Newman of Inkpen. The pair were lovers, and brutally killed Martha and Robert Broomham, George's wife and son, after they had discovered the lovers in flagrante delicto on the Downs. To add a twist to the tale worthy of Inspector Barnaby, the murders were witnessed by the barefoot village idiot 'Mad Thomas' who managed to report what he had seen to the local JP. The pair were tried at the Winchester Assizes and sentenced to be hanged. Their bodies remained on the gibbet (which is why the Combe gibbet is a double gibbet) as a deterrent to other sinners.
Shortly after the Gibbet is Wigmoreash Pond, a small vegetated pool filled with reeds and sedges; quite why the pond remains on top of the downs is a puzzle. From here the walk drops steeply over the edge of the escarpment, possibly the steepest path in the county. The walk then uses ancient trackways and sunken lanes to head towards the village of Ham, a rather poor and rundown-looking place, which had recently lost its only pub. We headed there on a whim, and as Walpole put it, serendipitously found that the pub had become an Indian restaurant. We dined on beer and popadoms before heading back to the hills, climbing steeply up Ham Hill to gain the crest of the escarpment once more. In the fading light we headed back, to the cars and again into Berkshire, along yet another ancient trackway, used since the Iron Age by travellers and pilgrims. Today, instead of the occasional twinkling of a campfire, the bright yellow glow of a thousand streetlights lit the way.
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It was a perfect July evening - sun still high and warm in a bright blue sky, and the views over the downs to the Ridgeway were fantastic. No wonder it was popular, with 11 of us turning up to the impromptu walk - shame to waste the fantastic weather! Having assembled at what turned out to be the correct car park (nobody had thought to make a note of the name), we were duly joined by our esteemed president a fashionable quarter of an hour late.
Off we set to the plaintive bleats of a lamb, past Walbury Hill to Combe Gibbet and down possibly the steepest precipice in Berkshire which was made even more interesting with the liberal addition of nettles. Vistas of rolling sun-drenched countryside on either side, we walked through corn fields, meadows and woodland, occasionally stopping to admire the hopping hares or swooping barn owls (not bah-lambs, although its an easy mistake to make!). Sadly, no badgers (real or imagined) made an appearance, but instead of the promised pub ('less than a mile') we discovered a very pleasant curry house in the ever so quaint village of Ham. A possible stop for a Sunday curry walk, maybe?
Fortified by Kingfisher and popadoms (with minty sauce, if you please!), we resumed our walk into the gathering darkness, yet again battling against evil nettles (no shorts next time). Having climbed up the precipice, we then walked along the ridge admiring first the sunset, then the stars, with an impromptu astronomy lesson from Rhoda. Back to the cars at 11.00 - not bad for a school day!
21-23 July - Wye Valley
Present: Mike (organiser), Gaby, Rhoda, Dan, Beckie, Alan, Claire, Bruce, Maggie, Callum & family, Julie & family, Bob, Belinda
Location: Bracelands campsite.
It's July, it's hot and sunny, and it's our traditional annual trip to the Wye Valley! The trip was very popular as usual - many thanks to Mike for sorting out the administrative details with the campsite, and booking the weather. Friday night provided a pleasantly warm if somewhat sticky drive from Newbury to Bracelands. Unlike last year, we were impressed by the fact that we didn't need to queue for hours to be allowed in (and the exit on Sunday was also very streamlined!). By 8.30 pretty much everybody had arrived, apart from Rhoda, Bob and Maggie, who practically managed to slip through the closing gate. The usual evening revels ensued but by 2 am everybody was tucked up in their tents and getting some rest.
Saturday dawned gloriously hot and sunny, which made for an early start for the walkers, Mike, Gaby, Alan, Claire, Bruce and Belinda. We set out to drive to Tintern Abbey, and from there scaled the steep Wye cliffs to reach the top of the ridge with excellent views over the river valley and the ruined abbey. The Devil's Pulpit afforded everybody a quick climb and photo opportunity, before it was on to follow Offa's Dyke through the woods. And we were quite glad of the dappled shade provided by the beautiful open woodlands, as the sun was beating down mercilessly out in the open!
After a quick(ish) pub stop for lunch and cold shandies, we carried on to Chepstow for ice cream and a look at the impressive castle. Then it was up the river embankment again, a fairly steep and hot slog in the afternoon heat, and eventually cooling off in the Giant's Cave - a tunnel carved out of the limestone cliff. On to another viewpoint with excellent views of the lazy oxbow river and the two Severn bridges, and then the final stretch back to the Abbey and some more well-deserved shandies!
The considerably larger group, including Callum's and Julie's kids, had elected to climb the famous Symonds Yat Pinnacle, an undertaking that took them all day and just left time for a cool splash in the river.
Evening was BBQ time with the usual gastronomic delights and a plentiful supply of beers, wines and rum; in fact so much of the latter that the next day's activities were severely curtailed for some...
The sensible ones who had gone to bed early (i.e. around midnight) with a nice cup of Ovaltine were up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and undaunted by the Sunday morning drizzle which had stopped by 9.00 anyway. After the walking/climbing option on Saturday, Mike, Gaby, Belinda, Beckie and Dan decided on cycling. While Beckie and Dan threw themselves down steep and slippery single tracks led by Matt, the rest of us chose the safer option of the family track in the hot sunshine. There was plenty of gravelly downhill for beginners too!
As usual, an excellent trip with many and varied activities to suit everybody, and weather to match!
11-13 August - Southern Sandstone
Present: Andy (organiser), Alan, Keyna, Rhoda, Gaby, Sue, Graham
Walking. You would think that a trip headed to Harrisons Rocks, Kent would not bode well for a walking destination. I must admit I did, but I was so wrong.
Tucked away on the Kent/Sussex border just a few miles from Gatwick airport is a real gem of English countryside which Keyna and I explored on an 8 hour route march on Saturday. We did a circular route from the campsite taking in woods, forests, open moorland draped in heather, quaint villages and a country pub serving real ale at £2 a pint. This great walk coupled with 2 nights at an excellent back-to-basics campsite within 10 minutes walk of an equally excellent pub ensured all the ingredients needed for a mountain club weekend - and all 2 hours' drive from Newbury!
Climbing. After much persuading I was finally allowed to introduce the NMC to the delights of climbing on Southern Sandstone, a delightful collection of small outcrops tucked away on the Kent/Sussex border. We stayed at the Julie Tullis Memorial campsite (click here for more information on Julie Tullis). Saturday was spent climbing at Harrisons Rocks starting with some of the "easy" routes. For easy read 'holdless chimneys/cracks' requiring more caving than climbing skills and the ability to wedge assorted body parts. This provided limited amusement and so we moved onto some other classic routes including Isolated Buttress Climb which is, unsurprisingly, on an isolated buttress. Having coaxed everyone up their hardest climb of the day there was the dawning realisation on my part that I now had 4 NMC members stranded on top of the isolated buttress and darkness beckoned... a safety rope was rigged and everyone made the 'leap of faith' to safety.
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Sunday got off to a very wet start so an impromptu tour of some of the other crags was done by Rhoda, Gaby and me. As the weather improved we headed to bear country (Hartfield) and did a short walk round Hundred Aker wood enjoying a quick game of Pooh Sticks on the way before a good pub meal. The day was rounded off with another cultural detour to the Watts Gallery near Guildford to see some of GF Watts' Alpine landscape paintings.
More photos are available here.
24-28 August - Isle of Arran
Present: Sarah (organiser), Bruce, Richard, Dave H, Sue, Catherine, Rhoda, Kath, Lee, Nicola
Location: North High Corrie Croft bunkhouse, Corrie
Because of the distance and the Bank Holiday, this became a long weekend trip. On Thursday afternoon, the majority of the group eschewed the plentiful charms of Ardrossan (we've all heard about that B&B, thank you), caught the ferry to Brodick and tackled the steep, narrow track up to the bunkhouse. Richard, Dave, Sue, Sarah and Bruce spent the evening in the local pub in Corrie, while Rhoda, Catherine and Kath went for a little more local flavour at a ceilidh in Lochranza.
On Friday Richard, Sue, Bruce and Dave chose to ascend Goatfell, at 874m the highest point on the island. Described as "dramatic and challenging upland landscape" by the National Trust of Scotland, the stunning views from the top were unfortunately obscured by standard Scottish weather conditions. The chosen route involved plenty of scrambling and at least four pints in the pub afterwards. Sarah, Kath and Rhoda raced some extremely fast-moving clouds up Glen Rosa to reach the peak of Beinn Nuis (792m), although they abandoned plans to continue along the ridge to Beinn Tarsuinn. Lee and Nicola arrived on the island and went for a power boat ride. In the evening everyone ate at the bunkhouse, and swapped stories of the day over a few drinks.
On Saturday, the weather was tailor-made for gear faffs, as it couldn't decide whether to go for sun, rain or both simultaneously. Lee and Nicola went off in search of interesting terrain including the Witches' Step, and Sue successfully completed the Glen Rosa circuit that the others had abandoned the previous day. For everyone else, plans didn't quite work out as expected...
Kath, Catherine, Rhoda, Sarah and Bruce decided to do a leisurely walk along the coast from Sannox to Lochranza for lunch at the Distillery and a bus back to the start. The coast walk turned out to be 15km and more of a scramble than a ramble, with plenty of rocky sections to negotiate. Rhoda was most disappointed not to see the Cock of Arran. We finally arrived, starving, at the Distillery in the pouring rain to be turned away from the restaurant because a coach party was due to arrive. This kind of put us off purchasing any of their whisky. Fortified only by the almond slices that Rhoda miraculously produced from her bag, we had an hour-long wait for the bus, during which some of the group passed the time by practising their ceilidh steps in the middle of the A841. When the bus finally arrived, it was full of a hen party who were extremely generous with both their vodka and Irn Bru, and their renditions of "Danny Boy". We finally got back to Sannox mildly deafened and in Kath and Catherine's cases, mildly drunk, and went in search of food in Brodick, with seal-spotting on the way back.
Meanwhile Richard and Dave had set out early to complete the 20-mile circuit of Glen Iorsa. It turned into a bit of an epic by all accounts: they finally finished the route at 10.45pm (good training for the Bullock Smithy), having at one stage removed their trousers for a river crossing. No more information than that is known, or indeed required...
After the travails of Saturday, Sunday was a lot more relaxed. One group took the boat to Holy Island and walked up Mullach Mor (a "Marilyn" at 314m). Others chose to circumnavigate the island by car, stopping off to do short walks en route and visit such important local landmarks as the brewery. There were also a few detours for swings and a game of crazy golf.
On Monday (which had the best weather of the weekend, naturally), we all packed up for the long drive home (or flight, for Kath and Rhoda). A great weekend, where we all did our best to make the most of Arran's many attractions.
1-3 September - Bullock Smithy 56-Mile Challenge
The Team: Mike (organiser), Dave H, Dave W, Callum, Keyna
The Support: Gaby, Rhoda, Bob
"This is the worst thing I have done in my life!"
"I am never doing that again!"
"I might do that again next year!"
"I would happily provide support for anyone who wants to do this next year."
"Are you sure that you want to go that far in less than a day?" (owner of B&B)
"Are we nearly there yet?"
Six people entered the Bullock Smithy Hike on the 1st weekend of September, a 56 mile challenge, over the gently undulating Peak District hills. The rain stopped at midday, as predicted; we started the walk with 200 others, remembering that we had already lost one of the team due to hydrophobia.
However it was only a matter of minutes before that changed and we continued on our way in vertical and horizontal rain with gale force gusts of wind. This persisted through Lyme Park, to Bowstones, over the streams of Chinley Churn and on until the last 100m of ascent to Edale Cross, where we looked back to see clear skies to Helsby Hill, covered with a blanket of grey.
What were we thinking!
Jacob’s Ladder and on to Edale, over Holins Cross to Castleton were accompanied by high spirits and more rain. Here we gained a position by pointing out to a guy ahead that there was a chip shop just off route! Although the smell of chips and the many pubs were tempting, we just had to press on.
Cavedale provided some of the most stunning scenery on the walk, as the light receded. The concave climb seemed as though it would turn from stream to waterfall before we exited onto Old Moor.
Peak Forest checkpoint provided a well-earned banana, and cup of tea, but was the point at which we had to don head torches and high-vis jackets for the remainder of the night. The roads on the next section to Chelmorton, via the Limestone way seemed to go on forever. We wished they did! This section provided our first injury, due to a slip on the slurry covered limestone way. On departing Millers Dale (the half way point!), Mike tried to walk out a limp, but it got the better of him 3 miles on at Chelmorton. Here, Mike Broadfoot and Dave Wilson retired at 31 miles due to a pulled muscle (Mike) and a stomach refusing to process any more high-carb muesli bars (Dave). Dave H, Keyna and Callum reluctantly plodded on, they had a point to prove! Keyna retired at 43 miles, from the only checkpoint where she had to walk back down to the road, in considerable pain, to be picked up by the support vehicle. Cowpat Alley had been the last straw. |
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Dave and Callum finished at 11:19 and 11:24 respectively on Sunday. Dave strolled in looking fresh as a daisy, if slightly muddier, whereas Callum had been in considerable discomfort from his blisters for the last 20 miles (photo here, be warned, probably not for the squeamish).
The official comment was that these had been the second-worst conditions in the history of the walk, the worst conditions being the year Mike did it the first time. Conclusion: if we stop him from entering next year, the others may have a good chance at better weather!
Final results and times can be found at http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/temples-bin/bs.pl?y=2006&a=resu&t=html&submit=Display
A special thanks to Bob, Gabriele and Rhoda, as without their support this challenge would not have been possible. Cheers gals & guy! Unbelievably, on the way back, there were questions about other possible challenge hikes - from people who could not actually walk any more!
29 September-1 October - Peak District
Present: Pokey (organiser), Annie, Claire, Alan, Ian W, Rhoda, Chris, Sue, Bruce, Sarah, Paula, Dave W, Steve V
Location: Don Whillans Memorial Hut
Annie and I arrived at the Roaches just as the sun was going down. The Don Whillans hut could be clearly seen nestling under the crag; a short muddy walk up the hill later (we took the wrong path) and we were ensconced for the evening. Over the next few hours, the following conversation happened in a Groundhog Day manner -
"We're in a lay-by, where is the hut?"
"Look up the hill for the lights, we are there, find the big track further up the lane."
Ten minutes later bobbing lights could be seen at the windows, with wet and muddy people attached, nobody found the big track! The evening progressed in typical NMC fashion, an early night to prepare for the rigours of the next day...... would have been a good idea, it just didn't occur to anyone!
A beautiful morning greeted us on Saturday. Dave had insisted that we leave at 9.30 or he would go without us (not sure where he was planning on walking by himself). After breakfast, lunch making and general faffing, we were all ready by 9.30, except Dave who was still loading his rucksack with enough cakes to feed the starving French. The mist then came in thick and damp. Chris, Steve, Sue and Rhoda still decided that climbing was a better option. That day's walk was going to be a circular hut to hut walk of about 14 miles. We headed north-west around the back of Hen Cloud towards Ramshaw Rocks and then north towards Gib Tor and the Goldsitch nature reserve. The clouds had lifted, opening up the lovely views back towards the Roaches and north towards Axe Edge moor; the sun also started to dry our wet trouser legs from all the tall vegetation.
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The highest village in England, Flash, could be clearly seen in the distance, as could the white walls of the New Inn. The planned route didn't include Flash, but after a mutiny, we ended up sat in the New Inn being welcomed by the pub's three legged border collie (he's not good with traffic, hence the less-than-normal leg count). We all augmented our lunch rations with chips or soup and a pint or two of Bosley Cloud (a fine local brew). Onwards, down towards the picturesque Dane Valley and a flock of alpacas, for some reason they took a shine to Alan or was it the other way round? After a short break at Gradbach YHA, the next leg took us up through Lud's Church, a deep green cleft hidden in the woods. Legend has it that it was the fabled Green Church in the mediaeval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Up onto Back Forest and the Roaches could be seen in the distance. The last few miles took us along the top of the Roaches, dropping us down right next to the climbers, who fortuitously had the hut key. Ros was there, she had come over to say hello. Back to the hut for a cool beer on the patio watching the sun dip down. That evening we all ate in the Rock Inn just down the road in Upper Hulme. OK food, nice beer, but service that would have made Basil Fawlty look like the Maitre d' in a Michelin five star restaurant. At least Bruce got a free dinner. |
The next day, after cleaning the hut and packing the cars, we set off for another walk. Just Chris and Sue went climbing, the rest walking. We drove towards Buxton and parked up near to Axe Edge. This walk would take us through three counties, over the open moor and down into the Dane valley. We had a short snack break at Three Shires Head, with its pretty pack-horse bridges. Then we followed the track around Turn Edge and back up towards Flash. The alpacas were a bit standoffish and Alan was a bit upset, so we had to stop in the New Inn again. The final leg of the walk took us past Wolf Edge, over Axe Edge moor and back to the cars. Everyone sorted themselves out and headed for home, less than 30 minutes for us, but a tad longer for most.
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All in all a very nice weekend exploring a bit of the Peak District that has become home for me.
13-15 October - Cornwall
Present: Rhoda (organiser), Claire, Alan, Bruce, Sarah, Paula, Dave W, Steve V, Dave H, Richard N, Antoni, Catherine, Paul, Tao, Mike, Gaby, Belinda, Debbie, Marion, Mark, Keyna, Shaun
Location: Carnevas Camping & Caravan site, near Porthcothan Bay
Global warming having produced an excellent weather forecast for the weekend, the trip was extremely well attended. Cornwall is a fabulous place for a fun weekend due to the variety of activities on offer, and as soon as the trip moved from camping to caravans, Rhoda had a job on her hands reserving more and more caravans near Padstow. And rather palatial they turned out to be, with excellent showers and lovely warm sitting rooms for partying!
People set off into the sunset at various times throughout Friday, and after a few accidental meetings in service stations, 7-point turns on single-track roads and surprise double-hairpin chicanes, everyone slowly congregated in the designated party caravan and stayed on until the hour was rather later than a 9.30 start the next day might suggest.
Still, miracles do happen, and at 9.35, 19 of the 22 attendees set off into a glorious morning with their packed lunches and swimmers ready to take on the surf! We followed the coast path along a number of steep cliffs, spectacular zorns and broken land bridges round to Mawgan Porth where we had lunch in a little cafe on the beach. Here, the party started to disintegrate somewhat, with a number of people staying on to go surfing. The rest of us regained the cliff tops and set out for Newquay. Another split later (some people had to get the early bus back to due the culinary delights of Rick Stein's bistro), only five (or possibly seven?) arrived in Newquay, but we made a valiant effort to inject some tourist dollars into the local economy by visiting the butcher, greengrocer, off-licence and various surf-gear shops - well, you may as well look the part!
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Those of us who hadn't been able to secure a reservation for Mr Stein's gastronomic delights (and very delightful, and extremely plentiful they were too, according to all who went), had a slap-up dinner in the caravans. As usual, people had vastly overcatered, even given a hard day's walking and shopping, and a stash of chocolate brownies remained virtually untouched despite determined efforts. To everyone's shock, people even started declining refills! The following day, a surprising number of people were up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and went off in search of surf. Marion, Mark and Dave H had enjoyed an excellent day's surfing on Saturday and Gaby, Mike, Keyna, Shaun and Antoni decided to have some fun in the water as well. The surf wasn't too severe, which served the beginners quite well. Some managed a personal best of three seconds standing up before headbutting the ocean! Rhoda, Cath, Paul and Tao joined later after a leisurely breakfast, and after two hours in the water, we were all righteously exhausted and enjoyed the sun on the sheltered beach. Then it was off to Padstow in search of lunch, and a chance to visit Rick Stein's very popular fish and chip shop. The rest of the team had gone on a coast walk in the other direction, up to Padstow, where we met up whilst sitting on the pier devouring our excellent fish & chips. And then it was time to drive back home, still bathed in glorious golden sunshine! |
3-5 November - Mid-Wales
Present: Dan (organiser), Debbie, Andy McLay, Richard, Maika, Alan, Claire, Bruce, Steve V, Si, Ally
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This weekend found us exploring a remote part of deepest mid Wales. The final half hour of the journey from Llandewi-Brefi (home of the only gay in the village) took us along farm tracks deep into the hills of Elenydd, and our home for the weekend, the youth hostel (now redesignated 1* bunk house) of Ty'n-y-cornel. Richard, being the first to arrive, soon got the log fire going to warm the place up nicely, and everyone else successfully found their way here within the next half hour. It is a mystery why Dan was the first to leave Newbury and the last to arrive, having taken 7 hours - coming via Leominster. Luckily the rest of us had the sense not to follow his route instructions! |
After a very late night for some (it was so hard to leave the cosy fire) most were ready to leave by 9.30 after only a couple of hours sleep. It was a beautiful crisp sunny day, and we set off down the track from the hostel with no firm route in mind. After only a mile the decision was made to head off track and over the open moorland, so exercising our 'right to roam'. The views were fabulous, and we did not come across another human being all day. We later rejoined a footpath and had lunch overlooking the Doethie Valley. From here we had a choice of two routes, the short one up the valley and back to the hostel, or the long one down the valley, doing a circular route back over the moor via a standing stone to return to the hostel. Most opted for the long route, and enjoyed watching the moon come up as the sun quickly set. The last stretch involved going through a forest in the pitch dark, headtorches being very useful to spot the bogs. Alan and Claire opted not to go through the forest, but ended up coming down a rather precipitous slope with plenty of bogs. On arrival back at the hostel, Bruce had had the fire going for hours, and with mulled wine waiting, we settled down to a very cosy evening. We were gracefully joined by our president for the communal chilli con carne, and spent the evening listening to some rather questionable music from his MP3 player.
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After a reasonably early night, Dan was first up to supply us all with bacon butties (which had been promised on the Saturday). After a clean of the hostel we set off on over an hour's drive NE to Abergwesyn, which, as the crow flies is only 10 miles from the hostel! From here we did a circular walk taking in Drygarn Fawr, at 645m the highest hill in this area of Wales. Again the views from the top were impressive, though this area proved to be a little more popular with a few other people other than us out on the hill. We got back to the cars by 5pm (nicely timed today), and Dan took our advice on the route back home! With such superb accommodation in a great location, I am sure the club will be making a return trip in the not too distant future. |
17-19 November - Kendal Mountain Film Festival
Present: Dan, Beckie, Bruce, Sarah, Alan, Claire, Gavin, Ros, Malcolm, Louise, Pam, Martin (plus others in the general area)
The KMFF is the premier event of its kind in Britain and is now an annual event on the NMC calendar. It's the chance to have a few beers, watch inspiring films, and listen to lectures and talks given by some of the most famous people who have made the mountains and the outdoors their life.
The Youth Hostel is perfectly situated and as usual the NMC acted as door staff for the hostel into the small hours, Wilson doffing his cap to all & sundry as he let them in with a curt click of his heels. Whether they should have actually been let in is another thing.
Saturday dawned bright and after an invigorating full English (with extra beans) everyone headed off, tickets in hand, to their films, lectures etc. Alan and Claire opted for a walk.
The films are varied and can be anything from a few minutes to an hour long. Over 50 were on show this year. See http://www.mountainfilm.co.uk/video/promo/widescreen.html for the intro film which contains clips from this year's movies (the chap on the big icicle lived to climb another day).
The lectures were in my opinion not up to their usual standard this year, but we did get to find out why, in the Eiger Sanction, Clint Eastwood is wearing a construction site hard hat as he scales the North Face. We also got to see the director's cut of Touching the Void (apparently it was to have been called Touching Myself), a trailer for which is here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UjxlBsBZIE.
Saturday night was not quite as late as Friday (no Jagermeister) but the port and beer went down well. Wilson resumed his door duties, but we don't know what happed to the chap who went out with a cup of tea 10 mins before we turned out the lights.
Sunday was another bright day and after the regulation full English we all went off to see more movies, lectures, or in the case of Beckie and myself we went out up and over the Kentmere Hills on our bikes (you were right about that downhill Gavin).
Places for next year's event are already being snapped up.
1-3 December - North Wales
Present: Dave W (organiser), Dan, Alan, Richard, Maika, Sarah, Bruce, Martin L, Pam, Lee, Steve V
Location: Glanafon hut, Bethesda
This was a return to the JMCS bunkhouse that we stayed in two years ago, a converted cottage in the middle of Bethesda. There were the usual late arrivals on Friday night - once again Dan was first to leave Newbury and last to arrive, but this was mainly because he was trying to locate us in a pub in Beddgelert, 25 miles away... The record player in the bunkhouse appeared, disappointingly, to be broken; however, Bruce managed to fix the stylus and restored Alan to vinyl heaven. Those sleeping downstairs were comfortably numbed into unconsciousness by the music of Pink Floyd in the small hours of the morning.
On Saturday Lee did his own journey to Beddgelert and tackled Moel Hebog. The rest of the group walked from Bethesda, picked up the track at Ogwen Bank (where lots of kayakers were enthusiastically launching themselves into the torrents), and started the long climb up to Mynydd Perfedd just as the heavens opened. Once we got a little higher, the rain became horizontal hail with a noticeable sting; that, and the accompanying gale-force gusts, gave the Goretex a good workout but made the original plan to carry on along the ridge to Capel Curig seem a touch ambitious. Instead we did Y Garn and then dropped down at Devil's Kitchen. Pam and Martin opted to walk back to Bethesda along the river, while the rest of us forked out the princely sum of £1.20 each for a nice warm bus ride as darkness fell...
The evening brought a variety of cuisine at the bunkhouse followed by several hours in the nearest pub. Richard was on top form: the more beer he drank, the more of his life story came out. Quotes from Mr S. included: "Alan, next time we go on a trip, I'm going to get my G string back on... and bring my guitar along." "Bruce, I'm telling you a story about August Bank Holiday 1982... and you're not listening!" There were others, but this is a family website after all. Eventually, although the pub's owners were very friendly and the karaoke like nothing we'd ever heard before, we all wandered back to the bunkhouse, gently humming "I Wanna Be Like You" from the Jungle Book. Sunday's weather was even worse than Saturday's. Martin, Pam and Steve left early for a walk; everyone else's activities were governed by when the drivers were sober enough to get behind the wheel. For most it seemed to involve the "wuss-out" options of a cafe breakfast, either at the Pinnacle or in Betws-y-Coed, followed by some gear shopping. |
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16 December - Christmas (Curry) Walk
Present: Mike (organiser), Gaby, Bruce, Sarah, Alan, Claire, Keyna, Shaun, Martin, Olga, Simon, Ally, Mark, Marion, Alison, David, Sarah M, Rhoda, Maggie, Maika, Dave H, Dave W, Paula, Julie, Callum, Richard S, Richard N, Simon P, Dan (curry only - all work and no play...)
The annual Christmas walk started off promisingly with bright sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. The full team assembled at Hungerford station and set off (nearly on time) across the gentle hills of Wiltshire to the promised curry in the charming hamlet of... err, Ham, actually. The going was good to soft (amphibious in places, due to two weeks of heavy rain), but all this ensured that we had worked up a righteous appetite by the time we arrived.
Unfortunately, after a lovely curry and various Kingfishers, when the time came to leave, people were somehow reluctant to face another stretch of mud. However, the promise of mulled wine ready and waiting (courtesy of David's loaned car) got everybody going into the darkening afternoon, and at 5pm the merry mountain club members assembled at Mike and Gaby's for a continental feast of Gluehwein, Lebkuchen and Stollen. While the early birds lounged in comfort on the warm soft sofa, the laggards had to make do with huddling round the firepit in the garden, warming their hands on cups of mulled wine and looking for all the world like a convention of Hans Christian Andersen's little matchgirls. At least they were treated to a spectacular Feuerzangenbowle, a German festive speciality where a sugar cone is soaked in rum and set alight to drip caramelising sugar into the mulled wine. Special thanks go to Richard (Rocket-Man), Paula, Maggie and Alan for their kind contribution to the mulled wine effort, and putting communal well-being before personal comfort - after all, they had lugged the bottles round all day, through clinging mud and deep puddles! |
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