This meet is to take place on the Gower and not in South Pembroke as previously suggested. I have booked 10 spaces at the 'Three Cliffs Bay Campsite, North Hills Farm, Penmaen, which can be reached by following the A4118 for approximately 15 miles west from Swansea. The local hostelry is the Gower Inn at Parkmill, which is only ¾ of a mile from the campsite, has its own brewery, serves real ale and provides very good food.
Jackie and I will be there from Thursday to Monday & will be expecting to have a BBQ at some point (bring your duvet).
If you want to join us, please contact me. Daryl
The jobs to be completed will include:
As you can see, much of the work will be outside so we are hoping for good weather. The kitchen ceiling may well be a major feature of the weekend in which case cooking could be a problem, thus we may have to organise eating out on the Saturday evening. Please get in touch with Colin if you intend to come. Chuck Hooley
This will be a camping meet based at St. Petrox on the B4319 about 4 km from Pembroke in the direction of Bosherston. The access is on the right just after a sharp right hand bend, so it is easy to miss. Loos and showers are a bit limited when the site is busy, but it is a very pleasant location with fridges available for use by campers and milk/juice available from the farmer.
The area provides some of the finest sea cliff climbing in the UK, as well as being part of the acclaimed Pembrokeshire Coast Walk. The camp site is a short drive from the main car park at St. Govan's Head and I shall concentrate on the crags of Range East with St. Govan's, Stennis Head, Rusty Walls and Crickmail Point all providing brilliant routes. If you are going well Mewsford Point and Huntsman's Leap can provide additional excitement. I usually like to have a pint at the end of the climbing day at the pub in Bosherston. If you weaken you can have a meal there and stay there all night.
If anyone needs any additional information or would like to signal their intention to join the meet, please get in touch:
The main objective will be:
If we have enough volunteers there should be no reason for anyone to work on both days so that it should be possible to both work and play.Chuck Hooley
Details next month
The 55th Annual General Meeting of the Club took place at 'The Bear' Alderwasley on Saturday 27th March 2004.
Perhaps the most important item discussed was the possible status of TYW as a house of Multiple Occupation. This is covered here as a separate item.
A new Committee was also elected without challenge to serve over the forthcoming year:
This list is only correct at the time of going to press. Members are advised to check availability with the hut booking secretary Colin Hobday before going to either hut. Note that hut booking dates refer to nights (e.g. Fri/Sat for a weekend), whereas meet dates refer to the days e.g. Sat/Sun).
Since about March last year Gwynedd County Council (GCC) has been intimating to the Club that TYW could be classified as a 'House of Multiple Occupation' (HMO). This is a status that we believe is primarily intended for the regulation of student accommodation and the like. Youth Hostels are exempted. HMO status would give GCC greater powers of control over such things as the number of bed spaces and would require certain building standards to be met, some of which might prove costly for the Club. From the beginning, the BMC has been seeking legal advice and making representations to the authorities on our behalf.
Within the last few weeks, the Club has been informed that it will shortly be served with a Section 532 Notice, requiring us to register TYW as an HMO. However, Chuck is at present discussing the matter with representatives of GCC who appear to be interested in understanding our position more fully.
The matter has been the subject of brief articles in the latest editions of 'High Mountain' and 'Summit' magazines (April 2004 p2 and Issue 33 p8, respectively). These summarise the present position and also point out that there is a Draft Housing Bill currently going through Parliament, which explicitly defines mountain huts as being outside the definition of HMO's. The BMC intends to support this Bill, and is continuing to make representations to GCC on our behalf.
Independently of these pressures, the Club is continuing with its rolling maintenance programme, which has recently included improvements to the electrical system and a new shower - as described in last month's newsletter.
I am delighted to tell you that Julia Gale (nee. Stowell) gave birth to a baby girl on 23rd January. Phoebe Catherine Gale weighed-in at 7lb 11oz and both mother and baby are doing fine. Congratulations to Julia & Andy from all of us in the club (the Oread that is).
At the Annual General Meeting on March 27th Honorary Membership was granted to Tony Smedley
Tony took up climbing in his mid teens, operating in nailed boots and the fashionable black pumps. He learnt his craft on the Derbyshire Edges and later with the aid of a motor bike and cheap train fares (c/o B.R.) graduated to the higher mountains of Wales, the Lakes and Scotland. During this period he was also involved in instructing at both Whitehall and Plas-y-Brenin
His first mountaineering club was the Garrick M/C and the later in the 60's he joined the Oread where he teamed up with Gordon Wright and became hooked on Alpinism. He completed many climbs in the Alps in the company of Gordon, Gordon's sons and later his own son Vince. These included the Matterhorn, Badile, Bernina, and many standard routes at Chamonix.
In the mean time he was completing many rock climbs in the UK, and all but one of the recorded ice routes on Snowdon - he still awaits the set with enthusiasm!
More recently, together with his wife Barbara, he has walked and climbed in the Mediterranean Islands, Madera and the Canaries, completed several mountaineering treks and peaks in the Himalaya, South Africa (Mt Kenya), Tasmania (Cradle Mountain) and South America.
He still climbs competently at VS and his favourite route is Corvus in Borrowdale, which he has completed many times in all conditions. More recently he has discovered the delights of Pocket Symphony, a little gem on Anglesey, and he still aspires to "Dream" and probably will - one day.
Both he and Barbara still find time for the Club and its well-being, for which we extend our thanks. Congratulations Tony. Keith Gregson
Ray Colledge is missing two slides that he submitted for the 50th Anniversary Journal of the Oread Club, and would very much like to get them back if at all possible. It is possible that they have been returned to someone else by mistake.
If you sent slides in for possible publication in the above 'book' and have had them returned to you, please check them over to see if there are any slides with Ray's name on them included among yours. If you find them, please contact Ray.
Thanks to all club members who didn't claim back their multiple subs from the BMC last year. Once again this money went towards many good causes. If you are currently affiliated to the BMC via more than one club you can claim back your additional subs for 2004 if you wish. Please notify the BMC membership Services Team in writing or e mail office@thebmc.co.uk stating which clubs you are presently affiliated to.
It's that time of year again. The evenings are getting longer and the rocks are getting warmer (and the midges aren't out yet). Last year, several of us organised evening meets by e-mail. If you would like to find out where we're climbing this year, please drop me an e-mail and I'll add you to the list. Alternatively you can give me a ring to find out where we'll be on any given evening.Simon Pape
After two years of editing the Newsletter, this is my last one - at least my last of this present spell. I will be handing over to Rob Tresidder, who has generously offered to edit the Newsletter and organise our meets.
It has been great fun as editor over the last two years - in terms of both the freedom of expression and the communication it has brought me. I would like to thank all those who have contributed with articles, including those who have written the more substantial ones which now appear on the website. Perhaps these articles could form the basis of another Oread Journal in a few years' time. Thanks also go to those who have sent me lists of their experiences in foreign parts, which now appear in the travel database, entitled 'Oread Wanderings' also on our website. I recommend the database to you for inspiration and information. I would like to thank Graham Weston for his efforts in reproducing the newsletters and the above information on the website. Special thanks go to my wife Jackie for her patience over the last two years and to Jackie and Emma for sometimes helping me 'bag-up' newsletters in hurried circumstances!
Over half of club members now receive their newsletters by email. This has saved me a lot of time, and I would like to thank all those who have switched to the electronic format. I recommend this to any other members who have the facilities to receive an email version. You will receive it a few days earlier than the postal version; it saves the club money (currently over £20 per month) and will make Rob's life easier.
I wish Rob the best of luck and lots of fun as our future newsletter editor. Tony Howard
Jean & Paul Bingham have continued their travels. These may be of interest to those looking for new ideas or sources of information on places to go.
I will liase with Graham so as to update the database on the website, before handing this over to Rob.
Articles for the May edition should be sent to ROB TRESIDDER. Please ensure that material for the next newsletter reaches Rob before Monday 26th April. He will probably want to hear from R Larkam (Seathwaite), D Kirk (Cornwall) and John Green (Cwm Eigiau).