NUNEATON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB

NUNEATON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB

NEWSLETTER 18 June 2006

Website www.nunmc.org Edited by Colin Green

NEW VENUE NEW VENUE NEW VENUE NEW VENUE NEW VENUE

As from Thursday 22nd June we will be moving to our new venue.

Attleborough Liberal Club, Bull Street, Nuneaton, CV11 4JX.

PROGRAMME JUNE 2006 - FEBRUARY 2007 Matt

June 9^th – 11^th Lake District. Eskdale. Camping with Matt.

June 24^th -25^th Open Canoe Course with Andrew.

July 7^th – 9^th Snowdonia. Climbing and scrambling. Camping in the Ogwen valley with Les.

August 11^th – 13^th Howgills. Camping with Keith & Michele.

August 30^th – September 7^th Mallorca with Eileen.

September 23^rd Arans with Colin.

October 6^th – 8^th Pembrokeshire Coast with Debra.

October Backpacking in the Loch Lomond area. See David or Matt. Date TBA.

November 24^th – 26^th Rydal, Lake District. Annual Dinner meet and bash. NOT TO BE MISSED.

December 9^th Dark Peak with David.

January 13^th 2007 Brecon Beacons with David.

February 15^th – 18^th 2007 Crianlarich, Scottish Highlands.

Other Events - all welcome! Climbing at Markfield Quarry! Starting May 2006

(Weather dependant) Tuesday Evening’s. Details for the following week at the Thursday night meet.

And there’s much more than this going on. Visit us on a Thursday at Attleborough Liberal Club, Bull Street for impromptu activities, or ring Andrew on 01827 717 648 or Matt on 024 76 758322 if you can’t get down. And don’t forget our website at www.nunmc.org

SOCIAL PROGRAMME Michele

Thursday 22^nd June Nuneaton Fun Bike Ride (part of Bike Week) – 7pm from Weddington Social and Athletic Club, Weddington Road. In aid of the Mary Ann Evans hospice. Cost £2.

Friday 21^st July Outdoor Theatre – Wind in the Willows at Fillongley Lodge.

Cost £10. The grounds open at 5pm so you can take a picnic and make an evening of it. The performance starts at 7pm. Tickets are limited so please contact Michele ASAP. Friends and family welcome.

COMING UP – WEEKEND OPEN CANOE COURSE 24^th -25^th JUNE 2006

Andrew

I've wanted to get some open canoe training for some time, in order to journey on some of the more interesting rivers in the UK.

I recently met an old acquaintance, Chris (Nick may remember him from our navigation on Cnicht.) He is a very experienced instructor and a good communicator. When we got talking about canoeing he said that he could set up a course.

I got a quotation today from Chris for a two-day open canoe course in North Wales. This course does not lead to a qualification. It aims to give participants the skills and knowledge to undertake safely a journey on Grade I or

Grade II water in the UK. Continued on Page 2

Day 1 Practice on still water (lake): safety techniques, boat handling skills, moving water hazards and how to avoid them, rescue and capsize techniques, disaster avoidance / management.

Day 2 A river trip, ideally on Grade II water. If water levels are too high or too low on the rivers, day 2 would be a journey on the Menai Straits.

Group Size: 6 persons max.

Included in price: use of canoes, paddles, buoyancy aids, helmets, wetsuits, canoe cags, tuition.

Not included: insurance, transport accommodation, food (We would camp.)

Previous experience - not essential.

Non-swimmers - accepted on the course, provided this fact is disclosed in advance.

Cost of course: £76.66 for the 2 days. (Not cheap, but much more reasonable than Plas Y Brenin.)

Please let me know ASAP if you're interested.

COMING UP – CAMPING IN SNOWDONIA WITH LES 7^th – 9^th JULY

At time of going to press the only information on the Snowdonia camping trip is the campsite website at

http://www.gwerngofisaf.co.uk/

COMING UP – CAMPING IN THE HOWGILLS

WITH KEITH AND MICHELE 11^th – 13^th AUGUST

For those of you who are wondering where the Howgills are, they are the northern fells of the Yorkshire Dales to the east of the M6 in Cumbria. They contain 7 Nuttalls for those who are collecting!

I intend us to camp near Sedbergh. I haven’t contacted any sites yet but there are several in the right area. If you want to go please let Michele know.

COMING UP – MALLORCA 30^thAUGUST – 7^th SEPTEMBER 2006 Eileen

We have finally settled on a date and booked the flight with Thompson, flying out of Coventry Airport.

To date there are five members going, myself, Keith H, Richard D, Les B and Debra C.

Debra is looking into accommodation and Richard into car hire.

We are planning to base ourselves in the mountains to the north of the island. Looking at the Cicerone book there is a lot of good walking to be had and also the beach should we need to top up our tans.

Should anyone else want to join us please let me know as soon as possible.

COMING UP – RYDAL, LAKE DISTRICT 24^th – 26^th NOVEMBER Matt

A date for your diaries. I have secured a booking for a great venue for our November dinner meet. The dates will be Friday 24th and Saturday 25^th November. Sorry it's not the middle week of the month but it couldn't be helped.

The venue is Rydal Hall Youth Centre Bunkhouse, located on Rydal Water near Ambleside. The cost to us is £150 per night for sole use and there is space for up to 36 people which will work out very cheaply if we have a decent number turn up.
For more information have a look at the web site. http://www.rydalhall.org/

COMING UP – CRIANLARICH 15^th – 18^th FEBRUARY 2007 Matt

We have managed to secure a booking for the Ochills MC hut situated next to the Ben More Hotel in Crianlarich.

The dates are 15th - 18th Feb 2007. http://www.ochils.com/cottage.htm

It may seem a little early to be promoting this trip but this is a popular hut and as a result books up quickly. The cost of the hut is only £6.50 per person per night and we have exclusive use for 4 nights. There are 18 places available so if you fancy a bit of Scottish winter action a £10 deposit to either me or Eileen will secure your place.

We already have a few deposits so don’t leave it too long to book.

QUIZ NIGHT ABBEY SOCIAL CLUB 30^th MARCH Eileen

A big thank you to everyone who came, and brought guests, to the quiz night and especially to Brian who brought seven quests (one third of the total participants).

Despite the small turnout we had a very enjoyable evening. The scoring was very close at the end with Andrew, Angela, Keith K and Michele just managing to scrape home in first place.

I felt a little sorry for Derek who had spent quite a few hours over several weeks researching the questions and putting together an interesting and hopefully challenging quiz, for so few people to turn up on the night.

It rather begs the question, “Do we want social events of this nature?”

On the bright side we did raise £75 on the night from entry fees and raffle, (we had so many raffle prizes that every table got something) and with a couple of donations we were able to send a cheque for £80 to the Ogwen Cottage Mountain Rescue Team, so well done everyone.

CHURCH END BREWERY VISIT 27^th APRIL Michele

On April 27^th we had a departure from our usual Thursday night meeting and went on a trip to Church End brewery. This micro-brewery is at Ridge Lane near Atherstone. We had a tour of the brewery, followed by a meal, accompanied by some beer (or whatever you drink). The chap who did the tour (sorry, I’ve forgotten his name!) was really enthusiastic and it was most interesting to see how they had set up with cast-offs from other larger breweries that had closed. The hotpot supper was very good, with seconds available – I won’t say who had seconds! Those of you who didn’t go missed a good evening.

CARAVAN IN DEVON Derek & Eileen

Derek and I have a 6 berth static caravan located on a site in Paignton Devon. To help with our site fees we rent out to friends during periods when we are not using it. If you are interested please contact either Derek or Eileen Walsh for more details.

SURPLUS CLUB EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Eileen

Items donated to the club some time ago Rucksack - Wynnster Equador 80+ - £50 Ono

Air cooled Torso fit with fully adjustable back system and well padded shoulder straps and waist belt.

Base compartment, side and lid pockets. Colour white/graphite and black. New and unused.

Reversible Windstopper Fleece - £20 Ono. Outdoor Scene brand. One side is green soft feel shower proof polyester the other a black fleece. Zip front and pockets. Size M (12/14) unisex New and unused.

If you are interested in either item please contact Eileen 02476 739012 or email derekwalsh @ ntlworld.com

ANN IN ITALY AND THE USA

In January we went skiing to Sestrier in Italy with the Midland Ski Club. It’s a training week to help improve your skiing skills! All was going well and I was doing black runs, learning new techniques and yes I’m sure you have guessed I had two falls and injured my knees. On the same day a friend of ours fractured her shoulder blade. We were both lucky, things could have been worse.

Well the next holiday was booked to go to America. I was so looking forward to this trip. Yes it was another skiing holiday. I had damaged ligaments in both knees and could not ski but that did not stop me. I went to Colorado with a group of 12. I went daily to the gym to keep my physiotherapy up to date. Then I travelled with my trusted walking poles. I’m shy as you know but found the people so friendly and chatted away with them. I went dog sledding and had a go at driving the 9 dogs with one passenger in tow. It was great until I was the passenger and Cathy who was driving the whole thing turned it on its side and I fell out and the dogs shot off never to be seen again. No, not really, the guide caught the sledge and all was well. He took us through a lovely wooded area where it plateaued out to where a gold mining village used to stand and we had some lovely views.

One day I went to Keystone where there was a nature trail to follow. This is where I saw a woodpecker. I was only about 20ft away and luckily I had taken my binoculars with me. It just seemed to be there for ages tapping away at the bark of the tree. Then I went further along and heard a shriek in the tree. It was an almost all white squirrel with some pale grey colouring. I could see a mountain in the distance and aimed to get as near as I could to take a photo with my new digital camera. I really had walked too far and this blinking mountain wasn't getting any nearer, my poor old knees were hurting and water was running low.

I decided to walk along the highway back to Keystone, no map, they are no good to me. I don't do maps; they have a tendency to fly away! There was no one about, no traffic. I think it’s the longest time of silence I have had! Then out of the silence a big 4 x 4 pulled up and a man called and said in his lovely American accent, ‘Excuse me maam do you need a lift?’ Well what could a girl say but yes, and I got in.

The gentleman had a very nice elderly wife in the car too. His name was Jim and he made recumbent bikes. As we were chatting I noticed he had just passed Keystone. I mentioned this small fact and he laughed and said don't worry honey were not kidnapping you. We all laughed and bless him he turned back and I was deposited in Keystone.

We were based at Copper Mountain at 9000ft and Mike arranged for a skidoo and a nice man called Jo drove me up to the top of the ski slope at 12000ft where there were wonderful views. The rest of the group came to meet us but could not stay long it was very cold. Mike took his skis off and we attempted to walk to the summit. It was difficult walking in ski boots so we returned to the shelter where Jo introduced us to the rescue dogs. They can detect a person buried in an avalanche 30ft deep. It was all a wonderful experience with snow sculptures in Breckonridge, ice sculptors in Frisco - an old mining town with lot of character and all I can say is the people there were friendly helpful and polite. Except after 2 weeks of.... ‘Have a nice day now’ I was sure glad to get home honey

ANN’S CAR ACCIDENT 7^th MARCH

Following an e-mail from Ann I can report the following.

On 7^th March Ann was hit from behind by a drunk driver. At the time she was stationary, indicating and waiting to turn right when a pair of dazzling headlights just kept coming and there followed a huge impact. Ann’s car was shunted

across the road, hit an oncoming car and ended up nose down in a ditch on the other side of the road. Fortunately no one was killed. Ann was probably knocked unconscious as she recalls nothing but the impact.

Injuries included lacerated eye lid and brow caused by glasses which were broken, whiplash and worst of all further damage to knees which require some arthroscopy and keyhole surgery to repair torn ligaments. The result is that Ann is presently unable to cycle or walk as the knee locks and is painful.

The drunk driver was also not insured and seems already to have been in court where he was fined £400, had a 20 month ban and has to attend a driving course.

COLIN’S CAMPING WEEKEND IN RHAYADER 7^th – 9^th APRIL

Eleven of us managed to get to Rhayader - Colin and Nick, Ian A and Richard M, Keith and Michele, Eileen and Mark while David travelled independently. Sheila gave us a pleasant surprise by also arriving by herself (I hadn’t realised she was still coming) and Len also came on Saturday afternoon. Colin and Nick arrived at lunchtime on Friday and had a very pleasant afternoon on Gwastedyn Hill overlooking the town. The campsite was very good and nicely situated by the River Wye with red kites and buzzards overhead. Ian and Richard had just arrived and a little later Keith and Michele turned up while David came just before it was time to go down the pub. Sheila managed to locate us in the right pub while Eileen and Mark arrived much later.

On Saturday Nick decided to do his own thing from the campsite and walked to Esgair Penygarreg 533m which is in the middle of a moor overlooking the Elan Valley reservoirs.

The rest of us drove up the Elan Valley. Water was flowing over the top of the main reservoir – no water shortage here – and we parked up. The streams were moderately high and at the first one David took the ‘splash across quickly’ option but slipped on greasy stones and twisted his little finger on the stream bed whilst trying to regain his balance. There was clearly some pain but he pressed on manfully.

At the next stream I recall a voice saying to Richard, ‘I bet you could jump across that’. Fortunately no one put any money on it even though it was Grand National day and before you could say Ian Arnold, Richard was in the water up to his waist. Yours truly pulled him out by his rucksack as the bank was steep and we eventually found the poor shivering lad some dry socks and two pairs of over trousers. Most alarmingly for Richard, whilst he was in the water his feet hadn’t even been on the bottom! Sadly, while all this was going on most people missed Michele trying to fall in. Nevertheless I can report that midstream she slipped on a large boulder and most inelegantly straddled it whilst holding on for all she was worth with feet in the water. After Michele changed socks, I tipped some coffee into Richard and when Eileen had strapped David’s poorly finger we were able to continue in the knowledge that this particular stream didn’t require crossing after all!

With no further incident the river valley was followed and we headed across the moor to Drygarn Fawr 641m where it was quite cold and windy. This really is (by UK standards) a wild and empty quarter and not surprisingly we saw no one else. Ian said it was like the Falklands, though I didn’t see any penguins and Hinckley MC guru John Trow always refers to this area as the Welsh desert (it’s a joke really as it’s notorious for its bogs). Today the going underfoot was tolerable and we all reached Gorllwyn 613m with relatively dry feet. A little further on and with the wind still cold we took a line down. The well marked bridleway seemed to be a figment of the map makers imagination and some tussocky and reedy ground followed before we got back on line. Just before the lane we came across a ewe with a new born lamb, Ahhh. Back at the campsite we were just about to tuck into Michele’s cookies when the skies opened and it hailed purposefully. Fortunately I eventually got one but Nick who arrived later and had been out in the hail seemed to get two!

On Sunday David sped off to the George Eliot to get his finger looked at while Len was staying on for a day or two at Rhayader. The rest of us drove to New Radnor and in sunshine and the occasional shower climbed Great Rhos 660m and Black Mixen 650m. Just before Blanche Hill 610m Keith and Michele went down while the rest of us wandered to the top. On the way it began to hail, snow and blow sufficiently that a very wintry scene soon developed. We lingered on the top just long enough for Nick to get a picture before we headed down through the snow to the forest and the village where the snow had turned to rain.

David Foster writes

Good trip to Rhayader via Welshpool and Newtown (not much to recommend this town) 2hrs 30m. Good run through really nice countryside. Good camp site - well done to Colin in finding it. Nice to be beside the river with red kites flying overhead! The Eagle Inn 901597 810400 was enjoyed by all, good mountain food at reasonable prices and good beer, just a few yards from the campsite. There was another type of "bird of prey" that just went after chips!

Now not that I’m one to gossip but…. for those not on the weekend this voracious creature can be identified as a Michele K…and it didn’t just restrict itself to chips either! Ed.

Unfortunately I had to leave without walking on the Sunday but had a good run back to the George Eliott - 2hrs 15m. No panic - just a very bad sprain, nothing broken.

ON HILL LISTS Part 2 Trevor L (continuing the hill-list story.)

Firstly an apology to Trevor for wrongly correcting Wainwrights to Wainwright’s and Corbetts to Corbett’s etc. in the April edition. It is of course The Munros or Munro’s Tables. Ed.

The Munros: Hugh Munro’s original listing of Scottish hills took account of location and height; all who read this will surely know that a Munro is a hill in Scotland with a height of 3000 feet or more. However in his effort Munro fell foul of the accuracy of maps available to him resulting in the omission of a number of hills now known to be over 3000 feet and including hills which are not sufficiently high, e.g. Beinn an Lochain which now has a mapped height of only 901m./2956 feet. If Munro paid any attention to drop, he certainly applied any rule inconsistently. Every few years the SMC revises Munro’s Tables and inevitably there are promotions and demotions as there is still no agreed drop figure in use. There are of course Munro purists who argue that The Munros is the list as declared by Munro himself and shun any idea of revision. There are also Munro Tops; these are 3000 foot hills which are subsidiaries of Munros, generally with less prominence. Again there are inconsistencies in Munro’s original listing and once more the SMC has revised the list with regularity. The current SMC list gives 284 Munros and 511 Munro Tops. An additional Munro related listing is of the ‘Furths’; these are 3000 foot hills of the British Isles outwith Scotland. Currently the SMC lists for England 6, Wales 15 and for Ireland 13; there are disputes as to whether all of these should be included as for some, the drop is very small.

The Murdos: This is an updated listing of The Munros and their tops with the important addition of a ‘drop’ requirement, that being 30m. All Munros are Murdos and so are many of the Munro Tops. 444 hills in the

current list as derived by Alan Dawson.

The Corbetts: John Rooke Corbett’s listing of Scottish hills between 2500 feet (762m.) and 2999 feet, (914m). Importantly there’s a stringent drop requirement of 500 feet or 152m. There’s a complication in counting the number of Corbetts; let’s just say that there are 219 and two halves - so 220…..?

The Grahams: This list is of Scottish hills with a height between 610m. (2000 feet of course), and 751m (2499 feet) with a drop requirement of 150m. A number of people have had a go at listing these hills, they have become known as Grahams in recognition of Fiona Torbet, (nee Graham), whose effort at listing was incomplete. She was found dead – murdered – in a guest house whilst on a walking trip to The Highlands!

The Donalds: This, another Scottish listing is more restricted territorially and concerns itself only with 2000 foot hills of the Southern Uplands and the Ochils, (though, controversially the SMC have recently taken to including a small number of other hills north of Callander on the grounds that they are south of the ‘Highland Line’.) Percy Donald’s original list was unusual in that it took account by some complex formula, of distance as well as drop to separate hills. There is also a listing of these hills known as the New Donalds, (Dawson again); this is a tally of points within the same geographic region but with more certain criteria of 610m of height and a 30m. drop.

The Marilyns: A Marilyn has to be 150 metres or more high – with a drop of at least 150m. (The listing is Alan Dawson’s and was called by him ‘The Relative Hills of Britain’; they have come to be known as Marilyns – a play on the Munro name of course.) As the drop requirement is 150m. it follows that all Grahams and Corbetts are also Marilyns; only 205 of the Munros qualify. Additionally there are hundreds of lower hills which are Marilyns. Some can virtually be driven up, (very few of those), many are on islands, (any island that has a high point of 150m. or more inevitably has at least one Marilyn.) Two new Marilyns were ‘discovered’ during 2005 taking the current total for the UK. to 1554. Several mountaineers have a score of close to 1550! To complete The Marilyns will be a stern task indeed; several of them needed by those high scoring individuals are sea stacks in the St. Kilda group! In the UK Wales has 156 Marilyns, England 179 and the Isle of Man 5; Scotland has the rest.

The Yeamans: This is a listing of all Scottish hills that have a drop of at least 100m. all round, or, failing that, being at least 5km from any higher point on neighbouring hills. Prof. Yeaman’s book listing his hills, (published in 1989 but I think still available from him), is quirkily presented in the form in which it was created on a BBC ‘B’ computer; (remember those?). It has all sorts of additional information including an ‘energy rating’ for every hill as reached by the most logical/usual route! If you thought St. Kilda presented a problem for Marilyn Baggers, then Yeaman Baggers have to deal with the same St. Kilda sea stacks and The Old Man Of Hoy! Similar lists by other authors have been created for England and Wales.

County Tops: This is self-explanatory; obviously it’s a list of the highest points in the UK. counties old or new, including now the ‘unitary authorities’. In terms of hill listing perhaps this is the most curious category of all as certain county high points are not themselves at the local high point, and are the highest location on a county boundary on a rising slope. The old Tyne & Wear county top is an example of this.

The Kirks: This one is relatively new to me. A Kirk is a hill where its height added to its drop counted in metres is 1000 or more and where the drop is at least 50m.

The Allums: Now to finish with the truly bizarre. Andrew Allum is listing all points in Scotland above 30m that, on the OS. Landranger map series have an individual contour ring of their own. To the best of my knowledge he has so far completed his task for the Scottish islands, the total for those being 6566!

Here endeth this short discourse on hill lists. There’s much more…..Corbett tops, Corbett tops of Munros, Graham tops of Corbetts. There are Docharties and Clems. There are sub-Marilyns and subs of almost any hill list you think of; some hills are even double-subs! And this is without even broaching the topic of hill trig points – but I note from the newsletter in which part 1 of this nonsense appeared, that your esteemed editor has already begun to ease into your awareness the idea of Trigbagging as a pursuit in its own right!

ISLE OF JURA 14^th – 22^nd APRIL 2006 Colin

Setting off at 3.30am is a bit of a wrench but missing the Good Friday traffic and getting an extra day on the hill is a definite plus. So by 10.15am I was in Glen Fruin near Loch Lomond and ready for a walk. The ascent to Beinn Chaorach 713m was a bit of a pull on steep grass and there was a cold wind on the summit. But there were plenty of snowy mountains to look at in the middle distance. The descent was also steep and the re-ascent of 300m to Beinn a Mharaich 709m left me thinking I had taken on quite a lot after such a long drive. The descent was straightforward along a line of military signs inviting you not to stray to the west where there is some serious naval military activity along the shores of Gare Loch and Loch Long.

Finishing at 3pm meant there was now the prospect of a gentle afternoon drive to Inveraray to meet up with friends Trevor and Sue and organise ourselves for the trip to Jura the day after. Jura is about 30 miles long and 6 miles wide on a similar latitude to Aran and Glasgow but further to the west. There is no direct ferry to Jura so a 2 hour trip to Islay, then a five minute crossing to Jura are required. The population of Jura is about 200 with a staggering 5,000 deer and according to the Scottish Mountaineering Club about the same number of snakes! (One of the few facts about Jura I omitted to mention to mother) The island has one pub, one shop and a distillery in Craighouse and by chance we were within a short walk of all three. There are also the iconic Paps of Jura - not Munros, but proper mountains.

There are few paths on Jura so we thought we would start off on Evans Walk which would get us into the hills. Needless to say it was a bog and we lost it very quickly and ended up in the long grass. It’s at times like this that you start looking at your feet for the long slithery things but it was cold and windy and none were to be seen. On Beinn Bhreac 439m it was bright and blustery and on Corra Bheinn 575m positively cold and windy. With enough done we descended and went to find a trig point. The next day was still windy so we opted to stay low and went to the north of the island. There is only one road on Jura and its best stretch is single track with regular passing places. Here in the north it was little more than a land rover track. The going across the moor was heavy but we eventually reached Cruach na Seilcheig where it was quite breezy. Here you can see the Gulf of Corryveckan which is often billed as the world’s second largest whirlpool. It is in fact a giant tidal race between the islands of Jura and Scarba caused by the funnelling effect of the tide and submerged mountains and deep trenches. At full throttle the roar of the tide can be heard miles away and today even at some three miles distance it was clear the water was very disturbed. Further on we visited the remote cottage of Barnhill where George Orwell completed ‘1984’ and was certainly a place to get away from it all. Interestingly Orwell almost lost his life at Corryvreckan in 1949 while trying to circumnavigate Jura.

With the weather improving it was time to get to the main course – The Paps of Jura. These three mountains all between 700 - 800m are very steep, covered in scree and all have re-ascents of 300 – 400m. At the base of Beinn a Chaolais after a three mile trudge across the moor we set off up the trackless boulder slope. Near the top we found a path and soon after the summit. The steep descending path started off well but soon we were on steep loose scree and then larger boulders before the col. Beinn an Oir did have a path but it was a long 400m ascent to the top where we met our first people of the week on the hill. The next descent and re-ascent went well but coming off Beinn Shiantaidh tempting scree runs took us off line and re-locating the ridge across steep boulder fields was less than wonderful. We were glad to get to the bottom of the scree and then started out across the grass looking as much at our feet as the sea and islands beyond. 1400m 10 hours! At the bottom were three fell runners sorting out the route in anticipation of the annual 17 mile Paps of Jura fell race at the end of May. As Trevor explained, sadly we were engaged at that time otherwise would certainly have taken then on!

The next day we went for the lighter option of Glas Bheinn 561m. The start didn’t seem that way as we fought our way across tussocks and wet moor land. Higher up the going became easier and even pleasant on the twin top of Dubh Bheinn 530m before we descended the lower slopes in drizzle. The next day I needed to recover so went to bird watch along the coast road. For those interested Great Northern Diver was seen every day and there was also Red-throated Diver, Black Guillemot, Rock Pipit, Eider, Oystercatcher, Red-breasted Merganser Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard and Shag plus a range of waders and migrants and other common stuff. There was also an otter seen from our dining room window in the sea and a seal. Needless to say T&S went off to find another hill to climb.

On the final day we headed for Scinadle 506m which involved climbing over a col, then descending before gaining the summit. All went well and with clearer conditions on the horizon we even managed to see the coast of Northern Ireland beyond Islay. Traversing Corra Bheinn proved to be straightforward and with the weather warm and sunny it was a fine afternoon to be out.

Sue then found us a deer tick to inspect on her gaiter. I’ve never knowingly seen one of these unpleasant critters but after Trevor had photographed the beast it was dispatched to tick heaven - or hell. Lower down Sue then found us our one and only adder alongside the path. It slithered off at first but Trevor rounded it up until it got into a defensive position so he could photograph it. By encouraging Sue to get closer to distract it Trevor was able to get profile views. Personally though, and purely out of consideration for the natural world, I stood at a more respectful distance to view the scene. In his book ‘Scottish Islands’ Hamish Haswell Smith confirms that there are many adders on Jura mentioning that on one 3km walk on a hot summers day he passed seven different rocks with adders sunbathing on them!

For the last couple of miles we spent further time looking at our feet before returning to our cottage to start sorting things out for the return journey.

ROUND – UP FOR APRIL – MAY 2006

29^th April Western Berwyns

Keith, Miclele and Colin took a day off canvassing for the local elections to hit a little visited part of the Berwyns. Beyond Lake Vyrnwy we found a parking spot in Cwm Hirnant on an excellent morning with only a light breeze. After the steep ascent to Foel Goch we walked the heathery ridge to the trig point on Foel y Geifr where there were splendid views of the Arans and the Arenigs. Down at the road we had lunch before setting off along a track for more summits. A male hen harrier flew across at one point before we tackled the deep heather of Cefn Gwyntog. The traverse to Cyrniau Nod involved two kilometres of rough going but it was livened up when Keith put his leg in a hole and came out with a foot full of water. There followed a ringing out session – worth the trip all by itself. From here the going got easier to our final top of the day Y Groes Fagl and then there was just the forest track. Here we met the dreaded trail bikers, but otherwise Keith won the days competition hands down. Number of other walkers met – zero. With a meal at Four Crosses it all made for a splendid day.

30th April Bamford Edge Tony writes

The day started OK and Anthony led Bamford Buttress (Severe). Tony then attempted to climb Neb Buttress ( HVS 5a). All went well until a final short traverse on to the face was required. At this point Tony's arms decided they had had enough, so this resulted in an undignified lowering off. By this time, Anthony fancied his chances, so the ropes were pulled through leaving the gear in.situ and off he went. He did extremely well but in the end his muscles rebelled at the same point as Tony's with the same consequences. After rescuing the gear we then proceeded to another part of the crag where Tony led Recess crack (VD) and Anthony led Bilberry Crack (HVS 5a). His lead was not without incident in that Anthony learnt that descent could be more rapid than ascent. In fact to make sure he wasn't

mistaken, he had two goes at rapid descent before he triumphantly surmounted the top of the route - a very creditable performance.

SCARBOROUGH – MOORS AND COAST 12^th – 14^th MAY

Derek, Eileen, Ann and Colin met up with Richard and Mark at the hostel for lunch in warm sunshine. While Derek and Eileen moseyed on to Robin’s Hoods Bay the rest cranked up their bikes to cycle the old railway track. It was too tempting to pass the Hayburn Wyke Hotel without stopping for a drink but by the time we left the skies had darkened and we soon found ourselves cycling in a thunderstorm. By Ravenscar it was still raining but Richard and Mark soldiered on to Robin’s Hoods Bay while Ann and Colin tested out the tea shop. Success all round, though Richard and Mark did catch the next rainstorm on the return journey. Later in the evening Keith, Les, Debra and Undala joined the throng as did Louisa who travelled independently. (Welcome to Undala and Louisa on their first weekend with us.

On Saturday there was steady rain which looked like it was set for the day. Nevertheless we all (except Derek who headed for Bempton Cliffs to watch the birds) kitted out and set off on the short, or not so short, journey to Lockton on the North Yorkshire Moors. Here it was a bit brighter, but still wet, and we set off along pleasant field paths eventually climbing to the moors and to the Saltergate Inn. Sadly the pub was closed for refurbishment (not a moment too soon) but by the time we moved on it had actually stopped raining and the walk across Levisham Moor was the best bit of the day. Here Louisa decided that some more substantial and purposeful walking was required and she set off with the object of reaching a distant trig point (you heard me right) not to be seen again until after we returned from the pub that evening. Meanwhile the rest of us found the pub in Levisham closed but the tea room in Lockton open before returning to Scarborough.

There was a second pub meal of the trip for most on Saturday with the group breaking up into the pool players (round of applause to Mark for capturing Keith Hilton’s crown) and those who spent some time debating the true meaning of what women mean when they say, ‘fine’. Furthermore, all talk that Colin has a medical problem can be explained by saying that regular cyclists must have custom made backsides to fit the saddle and that mine has some way to go before being bedded in.

Sunday was much better and we all drove to Ravenscar for the linear walk back to the hostel along the coastal section of the Cleveland Way. The first half of the walk proved to be t-shirt walking weather with fine views from the cliffs across the sea and along the coast. At Hayburn Wyke the path dropped to the beach before we climbed up to the pub for a short stop. Here Ann entertained all and sundry by attempting to try out various ancient children’s amusement rides. Top show. The afternoon was cooler and cloudier but the rain held off enabling us to reach the hostel and for the drivers to recover the cars before we all went our own way. Others headed straight home but Derek, Eileen, Ann and Colin dropped in at Bempton Cliffs to have a look at the seabirds including Puffin (and for some a Great Skua) before making the return journey.

Good weekend with the best made of the mixed weather. Thanks to Eileen for organising the hostel and to all the drivers.

BACKPACKING IN SCOTLAND 11^th – 15^th MAY David

David, Matt and Ian

This time we travelled by train to Glasgow and on to Corrour Halt. The only way to describe this trip was one of "scenery overload". The journey far surpassed my expectations once we left Glasgow. It is difficult to describe the views as they are so good, and the only thing I can say is that the train journey is well recommended.

On arrival it was 9.30 pm in the middle of nowhere, followed by an hour’s walk to a suitable place for the first night’s camp. The next morning we moved our camp a further three hours up the valley to a small island (was that a good idea? Ed.) on the stream surrounded by mountains. The tents were pitched and we set out to climb Ben Alder in poor weather at noon. Unfortunately I started to feel unwell and gradually became worse as the day wore on, which made everything a real struggle. It was cold and windy and no real fun. After a steep descent we went up Beinn Bheoil, and by the time we reached the top the cloud lifted and provided fine views towards Dalwhinnie. The return was long and tedious particularly as I was constantly slowing down. The tent was reached for 9.30 pm making the day from our first camp 13 hours and 1300 metres. It was a very cold night.

On the Saturday, I was still unwell and therefore the others went off together. I resigned myself to staying at base all day. It was warm and relatively clear with fine views out of the tent down the valley. At noon the temptation was greater than the feeling of being unwell so I thought I would go for a little stroll. Heading up the valley meant going up hill. At between 800 - 850m there were substantial remains of an aircraft. There after I took in a top at Sgor Iutharn with clear views on three sides. Temptation led to climbing through snow to reach Geal-Charn, Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn making a tally of 1 top and 3 Munros which wasn’t too bad after the day before. I reached the camp about an hour after the others. 975m and 5 hours. They may have had a small suspicion that I wanted to walk on my own which wasn’t correct, but turned out well.

On Sunday, with full packs we went up hill and contoured around to Sgor Gaibhre and Carn Dearg, returning to our stashed gear left on Thursday night and to the Youth Hostel at Loch Ossian. This was in one of the most fantastic positions one could imagine, a small hut next to a loch with small islands surrounded by mountains. There is no shower, no electricity (lightning had knocked the supply out) but there is a pit for a loo. 740m 6 ½ hours. The total walking distance for the trip was 60km. The train was caught at 8.20am the next morning for another scenic journey.

The good things were: a fantastic trip, the train journey, 7 Munros, having a stash of food and drink for the Youth Hostel and scenery overload. As a mark of the success we can’t wait until the next trip.

The bad things were: army rations! They seemed like a good idea to start with but did not provide enough energy to tackle mountains. I would not recommend these again.

SCOTLAND 11^th – 15^th MAY Matt (The Official Report!)

Traveling by train turned out to be a very pleasant way to arrive in the highlands. After a wonderfully scenic journey from Glasgow to Corrour, me and my two intrepid companions Ian and David found ourselves on the deserted platform of Corrour station. One other passenger got off the train with us but soon disappeared into the growing gloom. It had been a very warm day and with the moon rising we set off to find our first camp site for the night and stash our bag of goodies for the final night at Loch Ossian youth hostel. After a decent nights sleep we woke to find the weather had turned from warm and dry to wet and chilly. Setting off at about 8:30am we walked through the Corrour estate grounds admiring the fine display of rhododendrons where we encountered our first heavy shower and were more than a little concerned by the distant rumble of thunder that accompanied it.

A little further down the track we came across the estate buidings and the new Corrour Lodge. The lodge is an impressive modern building of steel and glass that our own modern day Bonnie Prince Charlie would most probably regard as a “carbuncle on the face of an old friend”. The estate now belongs to the Scandinavian millionaire who invented Tetrapak, you know, those cartons that you can’t undo and when you finally do, spill the contents into your lap. The lodge comes complete with a glass sauna building and wooden jetty for the after sauna plunge into the loch. All this can be yours for a mere £30,000 per week!

Our accomodation for the next few days was going to be a little more modest, and after another two hours walking we came to the site of our base camp by the river in the shadow of Anoach Beag. The plan for after lunch was to tackle Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil.

Ben Alder is mostly renowned for its remoteness and sheer bulk. However, it is also reputed to be where Bonnie Prince Charlie’s treasure is buried. Ben Alder at 1148m is a big walk whichever way you do it. We approached it from the north west side. Climbing up a very steep slope for the first hour with only the prospect of a summit in thick cloud to keep me going was begining to sap the strength out of my already tired legs. As the slope levelled out towards the summit plateau the thought of bagging my first remote Munro began to lift the sprits. With the first summit in the bag we decended into the bealach between Ben Alder and Sron Coire na h-lolaire.

It was here that a grey looking David announced that he was not feeling too well and might have to sit the next one out. I think that might have been a good idea for me too, but for the fact that it was very unlikley that I will be passing this way again, and not to do these two as a pair would have been a terrible sin. With only Ian on top form he took the lead with his trusty GPS and map and led us eventually to the summit of Beinn Bheoil at 1019m. We enjoyed a brief stop to admire the ever clearing view of Ben Alder and its surrounding peaks. Decending once again to the bealach we cheerfully asked Ian, “How far to the camp on the GPS?” 5.5 km was his reply. After an hour of decending and contouring we asked Ian again, “How far to the camp on the GPS?” 5km was his reply. By this time David had gone past the point of talking but if he had been able to I think his reply would have been unprintable. We continued down slowly to a good path that was to become known as the trail of tears. This apparently unending path then took us back up at a steady gradient to the next valley where we were camped. This leg of the journey was very slow going indeed with David doing his best impression of Beau Geste and me having run out of water some time ago. Eventually we arrived back at the tents at about 9:00pm twelve and a half hours after setting off this morning. This was probably the hardest mountain day I have ever had. That evening I dined on dehydrated cheesy pasta (2/10 disgusting). Ian’s army ration shepherds pie tasted like stuffing mix with crunchy bits. Even he didn’t like this one (1/10 V Poor).

David dived straight in the sleeping bag. His appetite had failed him.

We woke the following day to bright sunny conditions. It had been a cold night and there was a good frost in the early hours. A light breakfast of dehydrated chilli con carne (Ian 2/10 beans a bit crunchy) and mashed potato with peas and ham (3/10 truly bland) to set us up for the day and we would be off. Then we heard a trembling voice waft up from the tent in front, “I don’t think I will be going anywhere today,” cough! “You’d better carry on without me,” said a still weary David. As the two of us ascended the ridge to the col between Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn still in beautiful sunshine I couldn’t help thinking we’d been given the slip again. From here we continued to the summit of Anoach Beag up a nice narrow ridge with great views on all sides. From here an easy walk over to Geal Charn at 1132m it was the highest point of the day. The ridge was now quite busy with walkers for such a remote place. We now re-traced our steps back over Aonach Beag to Beinn Eibhinn our final munro of the day. By now the clouds were beginning to roll in and with the camp almost below us we found a sunny hollow with a view up Loch Ossian and stopped for a well earned break. Continuing down to the camp we arrived to find David’s tent empty. Twenty minutes later David bounded into the camp announcing that he had done the three Munros plus a Munro Top, and how he was planning to do two more at least the following day! Dined on Hungarian beef and noodles. (5/10). Ian agreed best dehydrated meal of the trip.

Sunday saw us tackle Sgor Gaibhre and Carn Dearg. We then descended to Loch Ossain for a well deserved beer by the loch. Can’t wait to do it again. Next time will be Loch Lomond area this October.