Bonfires, Christmas shopping, snow, frost and clear beautiful winter conditions. There is always something to look forward to! Soon after this edition is published I shall be away climbing in Mexico for three weeks. This means that I will not be able to prepare the December edition until just before it is required by the printer. Would you please let me have your contributions, as usual, before this date, I will not reply until I return and missing items will have to wait until the January deadline. I look forward to telling you all about climbing volcanoes in the New Year. Please note the change of date for the Black Rocks Meet. It's back to its traditional pre Christmas Wednesday.
4.75 miles, downhill start, uphill finish, remainder flat and often entertainingly wet and muddy. Registration from 9. Entry fee is £3. Leave plenty of time. Cars start backing up in the village from about 10 o'clock. If travelling by car, please try and share. If you are looking for a lift or have a space to offer, please contact me below. Car parking is £2 per vehicle. (Thorpe Pastures and down by the river ).You all know how to do it! Well do you? I hope we will have some newcomers from the club to this famous race, probably Britain's oldest off road fun run. Fun? It can get pretty intense up at the front; I know, not from being there you understand, but from spectating last year, the very first time for me. More (especially last minute) from me or on the Dash website - www.dovedaledash.co.uk/ Here's hoping Uschi will be in good voice at the Stepping Stones! Not running? Why not join Uschi and give her a bit of support. AFTER the Dash, please let me have your finish position. There are some obsessive's in the club for whom these things are important!! Enjoy your run. Rob Tresidder
This year's walk will start from the Bear. We will make our way to the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton for refreshment (for which the Barley Mow is renowned) before returning by a shorter route. We can park in the Bear car park, but please park on the left (as you enter) so that their lunch time custom is not affected. As the Barley Mow closes at 2pm I propose that we aim the meet at about 10.15 for a prompt departure at 10.30, to allow time to rehydrate at the Barley Mow. The Barley Mow serves cobs but not meals. Any queries please give me a ring.
I have booked the church hall in Coniston again for 29th-30th November. This is only a fortnight after the Oread Annual Dinner, so I do not propose to have a communal meal - unless there is a strong appeal for one. However, the Lakes at this time of year can be very entertaining and should offer good walking and/or climbing at a time when the exercise will do us all good. If you would like to come & join me, please let me know ASAP. Tony.
As I cycled past the other day, the late afternoon sun was just catching the N face of the rocks making them look especially seductive. But I know that there is a lot of litter above, below and in amongst the rocks. I had a clean up before the meet a couple of years ago and easily managed to fill three sacks. I'm looking for some help this year so please come along. Old gloves, old rucksack useful. I will provide the bin liners. I expect to be at the rocks at about 1040. There is a Trent 6.3 bus leaves Derby Full St (X6) at 0935. Change to 6.1 in Belper bus station. Alternatively catch the TransPeak which leaves Derby Derwent Street (Y1) at 0955. Alight at Cromford, drag the President out of bed, then make your way to the rocks via the High Peak Trail. This is hardly going to take all day so consider driving on into the Peak or climbing with me on Black Rocks.
This will be an informal meet. So come to the hut for a night or a full week, after the Christmas festivities. We shall have an informal buffet on New Year's Eve provided by those attending. Activities will include walking and scrambling, eating, drinking, perhaps even a slide show. I shall be abroad until December 8th so book through Colin Hobday before, or await my return.
Robin Beadle is a professional guide and will be talking about his recent ascent of Everest and other aspects of guiding. Mike Mowbray is an anaesthetist with professional as well as sporting interests in his subject. This should be an informative and entertaining talk bristling with good humour. Gordon Gadsby is known to most, if not all of you, as is the quality of his photographs. His talk 'Magic of the Mountains' will be real eye candy! Last but certainly not least we have Richard & Steve who will be talking about there climbing trip to the Picos last year. I look forward to seeing you at each lecture.
The Committee has decided to increase subscriptions for 2009 by £5 per head. We have also increased the hut fees at Tan yr Wyddfa to £3 per night for members, £6 per night for guests. This is due to increased costs to the Club. BMC subscriptions have risen by £2 per head; hut insurance and energy costs have also risen considerably. Additionally we will need to spend some money on Heathy Lea once the lease has been renewed. Hut fees at Heathy Lea have been left unchanged to encourage more use of our Derbyshire hut.Simon
If you catch me at the dinner with the money in your hand, I will give you your new membership card straight away without any need for posting. Please send payments by cheque, payable to Oread Mountaineering Club Please do not send me any payments of hut fees with your subscription. If you have any queries regarding your renewal, please contact Many thanks, Reuben Dakin - Assistant (Membership) Secretary
The weather promised to be fairly reasonable and the hut was not to cold. I arrived full of hope in the late afternoon, went to the pub, which was filled with four other people, all evening, and on return to the hut found a lone member and his two children. They were staying just the one night. After a comfortable night's sleep and a good breakfast, I returned home to do some gardening. J.Green. PS Thanks very much Mike for turning up, it could have been very lonely.
This is just an early warning that I'm planning to hold a beer festival at HL next summer. The idea is to have various Oread's brew up some beer and have a tasting competition to win the 'Oread Champion Beer of 2009 Title'. I know that there are a few Oreads that also make their own wine and flavoured gin, so I'd also like to include those. Hopefully now that everyone has some notice there will be time to make wort, ferment and bottle up. If you are interested let me know so I can gauge interest. Neil Weatherstone
Michael Bate has applied for membership of the club. Will anyone with views about his suitability, please speak to the committee.
Please note that hut fees should always be paid to me and no one else. Colin Hobday.