This month's newsletter is a double issue to cover July and August. The longer hours of daylight have drawn Oreads to Stanage and Dovestones for Wednesday evening meets. We owe our thanks to Simon Pape for his enthusiasm and starting the discussion on which crag to go to on Wednesday evenings. The weather has been mixed - those who have taken the opportunity to get out despite a poor forecast or early rains have in the main been rewarded with some fine climbing. To paraphrase a well known motto "Those who dare, enjoy". Many of us will be looking forward to climbing in Alps over the Summer - hopefully joining Mike Hayes' meet to Heiligenblut in Austria. Please send me notes and photos of your climbing and mountaineering experiences as you climb in locations further afield this Summer - it will make the autumn newsletters a little brighter.
A repeat of one of Janes' classic walks over Stanage and Ringinglow moors, with the occasional 'loop' thrown in. Assemble outside Fox House Inn a 10.00 am for a 10.15 am start. Parking can be at the Longshaw NT car park, roadside or at the pub itself. We will walk via Carls Walk, Higger Tor and Stanage Pole to an early stop at Redmires before a loop over White Rake and via Fox Holes plantation to The Merry Lads for a more serious lunch break. The return leg will be via the Houndkirk Road. Heathy Lee hut is available for those wishing to stay overnight on the Saturday. Don't forget to sign in to the hut and book and pay for your bed to Colin Hobday.
For those of you who have never ventured onto one of these meets the weekend starts as usual by meeting on Friday evening at T.Y.W. Saturday will as usual be spent walking, climbing, biking, or avoiding the rain. In the evening while the barbeques are being lit and the steaks, sausages and anything else that comes to mind are being blackened on the outside the participants of this eagerly awaited repast will be destroying their brain cells on alcoholic beverages. The evening will pass in convivial conversation, food and more drink before everyone eventually drifts of to bed. Sunday will take care of itself.
A nominal charge of around £5 per head is levied by the meet leader to defray the expenses incurred by members providing additional food (beyond that which all members usually provide) and also to myself who will provide some of the alcohol. I shall provide a number of disposable barbeques for everyone to use but I would be grateful if some members could provide their own.
This year's alpine meet will be based at the Nationalpark Camping Grossglockner in the village of Heiligenblut. Situated at the foot of the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain, the area offers all the usual entertainment to keep us all busy. From the German guidebook (all 697 pages of it) there looks to be an endless amount to do, from easy walking and hut-to-hutting, to snow clad peaks and short icy north faces or sunny south facing rock climbs. If that is not enough and the thought of relaxing in the valley does not interest you then the area is also close to the town of Lienz and the Dolomites; my Tre Cime guide book will somehow find its way into the van! The campsite looks out across open fields towards the Glockner (http:members.aon.at/nationalpark-camping/content.html) and looks to be fairly large and open. I asked about booking but they insisted it was not necessary and they would have space. However, depending on numbers I will probably call them in June.
I'm not sure that I'm old enough yet, but I've got a bus pass so expect I can become an apprentice. Anyway the meets sec was short on volunteers so you'll have to put up with the lad.
I intend to go to Wales on Thursday evening and make a long weekend of it, so feel free to join me early. Possible ideas are: walking over the Manods (Ffestiniog) and/or Craigiau Gleison (Carneddau) because I've never been there, walking back from Llanberis over Moel Eilio etc. because it's there; and climbing in the Moelwyns or at the secret crag near Croesor (it has got holds that you can't see your face in) because the climbing is fun.
Of course, if you don't like any of those we can hold long discussions and decide on other schemes, like building a hot tub or painting a mural of Snowdon on the lounge wall, or discussing the finer points of life with Graham in the Cwellyn.
Whatever, it's an opportunity to meet up and do something so I look forward to good company.
This Meet seems to have become one of the Oreads great social occasions with a large turn out of members their families and guests, I hope this years meet will be no exception.
For the few who have never been we will be camping as usual at Rhossan Ganol, grid reference S.M. 726252, which is situated only a few hundred yards east of the lifeboat station at St. Justinian overlooking Ramsey Island. The entrance to the campsite (which is usually guarded by a row of wheely bins) is on your left as you come over a slight hill about two miles west of St. Davids. We will be camping in the top field as usual.
The site is in close proximity to the coastal path which offers easy access for walking or climbing or sitting around taking in the excellent views. You may even witness the lifeboatmen setting fire to the grass on the cliffs with a stray flare, and the entertainment given to a large audience gathered on the coastal path as the fire brigade try to put it out! A short drive or a bus ride will take you to the climbing areas of Carreg-y-Barcud , Porth Clais or Craig Coetan, even the limestone in the Castlemartin area of South Pembrokshire is within reach in about an hour or so. Don't fancy climbing? Take a boat ride to Ramsey Island try Dolphin spotting or try the Ship Inn in Porthgain.
I do not think it is necessary to book a place as everybody just seems to turn up when they can, usually Friday night early Saturday morning.
The South Pennines is the attractive area of countryside linking the National Parks of the Derbyshire Peak District and Yorkshire Dales. Whilst it carries many of the characteristics of both parks, it is mercifully free of the overcrowding arising from honey pot status. To the best of my knowledge, the Oread has never had a meet here so this one is long overdue. The opportunities for walking, climbing, road and mountain biking are legion - and the pubs are good too… For walkers, the Pennine Way is near at hand as is the Calderdale Way; climbing is covered in the Yorkshire Gritstone guide and the Lancashire and Northwest guide; for road cyclists, the West Yorkshire Cycle Route offers the longest continuous hill in England and mountain bikers will also find extraordinary opportunities to dance in their pedals. Other attractions include Bronte country - whose footpaths are helpfully signposted in Japanese - and the Eureka Children's Museum in Halifax for those with families to entertain.
Widdop Gate Hostel will be our base for the weekend and offers basic and comfortable accommodation with platform style padded bunks. Outdoor Leisure Map 21 South Pennines GR 966312. The Pack Horse pub (GR 952316) offers legendary grub and will be the rendezvous point for Friday evening. Those fancying a pub meal on Saturday, please let me know in advance and I will try and reserve a table. Should anyone prefer to camp, there is a nearby campsite at High Greenwood Farm.
I look forward to being overwhelmed with numerous requests for bed space
A group of us are going to look for some continental ice over the weekend of January 19th to 22nd next year. The venue is yet to be decided, but will be within a reasonable drive of Geneva airport. We're flying out Friday lunchtime and returning Monday teatime, although Easyjet do fly early Saturday morning if anyone wants a shorter break. Anyone else is welcome - flights are still reasonably cheap, hence the early notice. Please get in touch if you're interested. Simon Pape:
It was hoped that a good number of members would turn up and give the cottage and barn a thorough spring clean. Alas, all that was achieved were bare essentials, largely due to lack of personnel. We are very grateful for the work done by Chuck and Margaret Hooley, Colin Hobday, Keith Gregson and son Michael, Graham Foster and Chris Jonson.
Jobs achieved were:
The Hut Sub-committee was disappointed at the lack of attendance at the work party, perhaps we don't dangle a big enough carrot to attract members to look after their property. The current nine year lease on Heathy Lea has three years to run before it is due for renewal in 2009. In October 2006 a new set of Fire Safety Regulations will come into force. These may cause a lot of alterations to take place which may fall upon the Landlord (the trustees of Chatsworth) to introduce. If this happens it is highly likely a substantial rent increase will be advocated on renewal. The club appears to be reluctant to make use of Heathy Lea, this hut has persistently run at a financial loss for many years. We are not permitted to sub-let or advertise, though we are allowed to let guests stay. The club needs to seriously consider whether it is worth keeping this facility. At the present time it certainly needs more attendance and support from the club.
Overall it was a very satisfactory week. Despite the atrocious weather most of the indoor jobs were completed with a bonus here and there. It was very nice to have our new President on board, who braved the rain and ran a circuit on the mountain to loosen his muscles prior to supervising the insertion of a 6'x 6" square oak post, a replacement for the split rear gate post. Rob and assistants were suitably garbed & hooded against the rain a passer-by might have believed the assembled group comprised a meeting of the klu- klux preparing for a ceremony.
Following is a list of jobs undertaken.
On Sunday evening the electrical contractor called by arrangement to discuss storage heaters and our plan to have a water heater in the kitchen. It was agreed that the faulty storage heater in the dining area should be removed and two new heaters fitted.
A new water heater for the kitchen will be plumbed in. This should obviate the use of kettles and make more work top area available.Final note: a Gardener has been engaged to cut the grass and hedges once a month. Do I hear a sigh of relief from the 180 members?
Mmm. What can I say? A rudderless weekend characterised by excesses of drizzle and midges, a crowded pub heaving with football supporters (and after hours, heaving supporters), with a food section that wouldn't serve dessert to desperate refugees,
and earth tremors at midnight triggered by a car stereo further down the campsite (but not far enough to prevent it penetrating earplugs). BUT - despite all these things sent to try us, needless to report, a good time was in fact had by all, of course, because hardy and humorous Oread souls that we are, we determined to enjoy ourselves, in the face of adversity (and cavorting naked yobbos, but I'll come to that).Friday night saw the meet amass in the Scafell Hotel bar, as instructed by the meet leader. We were so numerous we could hardly all fit in , all six of us - myself, Simon, Gill and Chris, Angela and Roland. A pretty sizeable contingent. But where was afore-, mentioned meet leader? We had been abandoned, without warning, without ceremony, at the very last minute. The message came from Emergency Acting Meet Leader Simon Pape, who informed us that Roger Larkin had a visiting minister coming down to inaugurate a project, or some such likely story, and that he had to stay at home to make fairy cakes and go for a pedicure. Or something. More like, he knew the weather forecast that told us - too late to turn back on Friday evening, that Cumbria and the Northeast were about to be only wet areas of the UK for the entire weekend. Well, we wouldn't have turned back anyway. There are loads of challenges in the Lakes in the rain.
For one thing, there's midge-swatting, and for another, swimming to the loo block at the delightful Stoneythwaite campsite, the traditional venue for this particular meet. The midges were particularly petite and aerodynamic - a new strain peculiar perhaps to Langstrath, (or possibly just to the Stoneythwaite campsite) that have obviously evolved to allow themselves to multiply in greater number, whilst occupying the same volume of square metres of damp air. The topical subject of the midges led to a discussion in the pub on Saturday night on the usefulness of bats which apparently include midges in their diets. I suggested that an excellent use for daisy chains on the outside of rucsacs would be for your personal army of hungry bats to hang from, (I've never seen any other use for them) and Angela suggested we should breed bats genetically modified with tapeworms in order to ensure that demand keep up with supply.
Gill and Chris took on the ultimate midge challenge by climbing in the rain at Sergeant Crag Slabs on Saturday - without repellent or hoods. They completed three routes, which can only be described as dedicated beyond the call of duty, but they appear to have enjoyed themselves (leaving out the midges).
Simon and I trudged up to Grey Crag in Buttermere, intending to link a few routes in simulated mountaineering style, but could hardly see any of the buttresses for the clag, so rather resignedly groped our way on up the scree to High Stile, and then turned east along the ridge to Scarth Gap and Hays Stacks, descending Warnscale Beck back to Gatesgarth. It was good exercise anyway, and counted towards our pre-Alpine training. Angela and Roland walked a long circuit through Langstrath , also not climbing anything. ('It's a very long valley …' opined Chris later that evening. Hum, I wonder whether that's what 'lang'and 'strath' mean….)
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the influence of the world cup 'F' word had reached our forlorn outpost in the form of about 10 scousers (or geordies, some disagreement on their provenance, impossible to tell because none of them were very articulate sober or drunk, although come to think of it they were probably never sober at any time when we heard them), who arrived in about 5 cars with a tent of cathedral proportions, and several monster blow-up England arm-chairs. They erected the tent more or less in team spirit, but one-handed (they all held a can of Fosters ripped from one of several shrink-wrapped trays in the other), in the drizzle, accompanied by puzzled shouts of laughter and thuggish grunts, presumably a form of communication unintelligible to others not from their planet. The intellectual challenge of putting up the tent was almost too much for them, but eventually they got there, music occasionally throbbing from one of the vehicles, and tent poles flying about, as the swastika-shaped tent took on its shape, amongst swarms of interested midges.
Later that evening found us in the pub, hunched on stools, although sans table, as the tables had all been nabbed by hordes of keen outdoor enthusiasts gawping at the telly (Mexico vs Brazil I believe). Gill fumed as she was refused a dessert, on the grounds that we had no table. As she pointed out, they hadn't even asked if she wanted a hot or cold dessert, but had simply argued that she might spill it, and so injure herself. If this was applicable to any dessert hot or cold, then it gives an altogether different slant to the concept of Death by Chocolate as served by the Scafell Hotel. In the end Gill contented herself with a cup of hot chocolate, which curiously she was allowed to drink unsupervised, and without wearing protective clothing. Lashings of ginger beer helped to anaesthetise some of us from the noise of the Likely Lads when they staggered back in the gate from the pub, at the same time as us, after the pub. It didn't affect our vision though, and to my utmost horror, I realised as we all said goodnight, that several of them had inexplicably thrown off all their clothes, and were now prancing about their encampment like two year-olds at a birthday party. Completely bladdered, they must have been oblivious to the clouds of Langstrath midges that surely must have been homing in with delight on the unexpected midnight banquet.
On Sunday, the weather was scarcely better but at least it wasn't actually raining. We discovered at this point that the meet had increased by a third as Steve Bennet was discovered to have been at the campsite all along with Janice, but had pitched his tent away down amongst the ghetto - blasters and the car stereos at the other end of the campsite, and we had all managed to miss each other for 24 hours (except for Gill and Chris who thought they'd glimpsed him from Sergeant Crag Slabs but forgot to mention it the previous day!). Bizarrely the laddos from Liverpool were up early dismantling (destroying would be a better word) their tent for an early departure, doubtless all with heads like generators, and probably still over the limit….now there's a thought - a missed opportunity…) leaving behind them the evidence of someone's disgorged dinner from the previous night on the path to the loos. Nice boys really.
To conclude the meet, there was a mass ascent (well, four of us) of the perennial classic Corvus (a Diff) in Combe Ghyll during Sunday, always good value on a damp day. Our Honorary lifetime member who shall remain nameless wore big boots in traditional style - but was observed to be carrying (and using) Friends - tut tut. The rest of us wore rock boots and some of cheerfully used Friends as well, but then I claim to be anything but traditional!
Roland and Angela extended their weekend into Monday, when the weather cheered up enough eventually to allow them to climb Mortician on Black Crag, which was reported to be tough for the grade, but excellent, and as an extra bonus afforded a sighting of a buzzard cruising overhead. (Are you sure it wasn't a vulture around the crux Angela??…..)
The run home was unusually fluid and traffic free; as yet another international footie match swiped the usual streams of cars from the road. Maybe there is some point to the sport after all…..
Over 40 Oreads, family and friends braved the poor weather forecast to camp at Bottalack. After a misty start the weather improved over the weekend and the 21 members who stayed for the week enjoyed wonderful sunshine. There was plenty of climbing on the usual cliffs as well as some lesser known sites. Other activities included walking on the coast path, surfing, visits to the Minack theatre and cream teas to die for (ask Helen). The meet finished with a barbeque on the Friday evening complete with our own "Aussie" chef. Thanks to everyone who turned up and helped to make this a very enjoyable holiday.
A group of 17 gathered at the Forest of Dean Fountain Lodge at the hottest weekend of the year and the beginning of the World Cup Season. Support for the meet was not as good as expected, resulting in the club having to subsidise the meet. However, those who did attend had a fantastic weekend with lots of good bike rides, despite the heat. Some went walking, some canoed on the River. The England match was watched and listened to at Symonds Yat whilst taking light refreshments at the Saracens Inn. Those attending were: M & G Keeling, P & G Amour, J & S Green, S & A Haywood, G & M Foster, Tony Raphael, Edith Colley, Stuart Watson, G & M Gadsby and last not least C & U Hobday. Thanks to everybody for making it such a wonderful weekend. C. Hobday
Annual Dinner: Rob is still searching for a guest speaker for the Annual Dinner; and helpful suggestions are welcome.
Hut bookings: for Tan-yr-Wyddfa are in a healthy state, but bookings and use of Heathy Lea are low - in line with the sparse use that is now commonplace.
If a member books a place on a meet then he/she is liable for the cost of the bed-nights; meet leaders to be reminded of this.
The Hut Sub-committee: held its meeting on 7th June; but no minutes were available. If an accurate view of huts' use is to be made, club members and guests need to more accurately record their attendances. Our need to have an accurate list of attendees is a necessary part of our Health and Safety commitments - especially those pertaining to Fire Safety.
Prospective members are to be encouraged to participate in working parties.
Finance: The balance on the general account is in line with the budget. Heathy Lea is some £77 down against budget.
First on the Agenda was the formal vote to accept Sally Dipple into full Oread membership: a warm welcome to Sally!
We have received correspondence form the BMC on Child Protection, and there is a BMC seminar on huts in October: Keith Gregson, John Green and Colin Hobday will attend.
The hut sub-committee reported on its recent meeting- and reports of the working parties appear in this newsletter.
Spontaneous ideas at the AGM often bring a bit of life into an otherwise run-of-the mill meeting, but if an issue has broad implications advance notice to give proper space to discussion can be helpful to club members.
Neil Weatherstone reported that all meets to the end of the year bar one have a leader.
The Lion in Belper has a new chef - so we are awaiting his menu for the Annual Dinner.
A digital photo competition was suggested; it seems we have the technology to consolidate pictures onto one PC or portable hard drive and project. We will gauge support for this idea over the ensuing months.
I am starting to put together the winter indoor meets programme, so please let me have your suggestions and contributions to the programme. We have not heard much about rock-climbing in Greece in recent years, and the recent trip to Croatia sounds interesting. Volunteers to give talks should contact me,Tim Cairns.