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NUNEATON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB

NEWSLETTER 20 November 2006

Website www.nunmc.org

Edited by Colin Green

HO HO! YOUR BUMPER CHRISTMAS EDITION PACKED FULL WITH ALL THE VERY BEST INFORMATION AND LATEST NEWS YOU JUST CAN’T BE WITHOUT.

EDITORIAL

Since stating at the A.G.M. that I envisaged a cut down newsletter due to the difficulty of getting copy, many of you have come up trumps. Consequently, this is the largest ever edition, so many thanks to all who have contributed and I wait with bated breath for articles from those yet to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.

When writing for this newsletter you are also contributing to our web site which is probably our most important publicity tool. Few people read a static website, so help our club by keeping our site lively and up to date.

So, season’s greetings to all of you and a successful and safe 2007 on the hills. Printed below is our new programme and if you have difficulty in finding something of interest then all I can say is, “Bah Humbug!”

A.G.M. & MEMBERSHIP REMINDER Andrew

BETTER THE DEVIL(S) YOU KNOW... - REPORT ON THE A.G.M.

Here are some points from our A.G.M. in October:

1) The subscription is unchanged. It's due now. Please see Eileen with your £15.

2) The membership decided to hang on to the existing bunch of scoundrels rather than risk a new bunch, so all the committee and officers were returned for another year.

3) We are solvent. (Thanks, Eileen.)

4) Lots of ideas for future activities. Make your views known at the next planning meeting on November 16th.

5) Full set of minutes available from Andrew if required.

PROGRAMME NOVEMBER 2006 - AUGUST 2007 Matt

November 24^th – 26^th 2006 Rydal, Lake District. Annual Dinner meet and bash. NOT TO BE MISSED.

December 9^th 2006 Dark Peak with David.

January 13^th 2007 Brecon Beacons with David.

February 15^th – 18^th 2007 Crianlarich, Scottish Highlands. Book with Eileen. Bag Munros with Matt.

March 10^th 2007 Snowdon Horseshoe with that man David again.

April 20^th – 22^nd 2007 Yorkshire Three Peaks bunkhouse weekend with Keith & Michele.

May 5^th 2007 Mendips with Keith & Michele.

Mid May 2007 Exact date TBA. Blair Atholl backpacking weekend with Matt.

End May 2007 Exact date TBA Canoeing the River Spey with Andrew.

June 15^th – 17^th 2007 North Wales camping weekend including instructor lead scrambling and climbing.

See Andrew for details.

July 13^th – 15^th 2007 Lake District weekend in Keswick with Len.

August 10^th – 12^th 2007 White Peak weekend or day trip. Cycling and walking with Eileen.

September 2007 Dates TBA Trip to the Mediterranean? See Debra for sun, sea and mountains.

September 2007 Dates TBA Cairngorm backpacking? See Matt.

And there’s much more than this going on. Visit us on a Thursday evening from 8.30pm 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

COMING-UP - PEAK DISTRICT WITH DAVID Saturday December 9th

Location to be announced - but I expect it will be worth waiting for.

COMING-UP – BRECON BEACONS WITH DAVID Saturday January 13th

Still no exact plan to date, but you can expect the walk to be as cunning as any cunning walk could be. Details will be with you interfrasticly. Don’t you just love these mystery locations?

COMING-UP - CRIANLARICH February 15^th – 18^th 2007 Matt

Deposits are now being taken for this popular Scottish winter location. Half the places have already gone so get your skates/skis/crampons on and your cash out.

The venue is the Ochills MC hut, Crianlarich where we have sole use. Cost per night is £6.50 and a £10 deposit will reserve your place. See Matt or Eileen with cash soon. Website at http://www.ochils.com/cottage.htm for the Ochills club and hut.

SOCIAL EVENTS Michele

Panto - please contact Michele if you are interested. Either Aladdin from 12th-16th Dec or The Pied Piper from 9th-20th January, both in Nuneaton. I will try and find a suitable date with those interested so please let me know as soon as possible. Cost will not be more than £6.50 per person.

ARANS WITH NICK 23^rd SEPTEMBER

Nick, Les, Keith H, Debra, Eileen and new member Paul Stokes started from the excellent Cwm Cywarch climbing steeply to Pen yr Allt Uchaf and then to Gwaun Lydan before reaching Aran Fawddwy 905m the highest point of the day. Descending easily there was then a steep climb to Glasgwm before going out to Pen y Brwn-ffarchog the final top. After a damp walk through the forest the last section was the descending zigzags returning to Cwm Cywarch.

MALLORCA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2006 Eileen

Five of us participated in the, now annual, overseas trip, Keith H, Les, Richard, Debra and myself. This year’s destination was the island of Mallorca and the Tramuntana Mountains in the north of the country. This proved to be a great venue, with a cheap local flight from Coventry airport to Palma. Here we picked up a hire car and drove to Port de Soller where we had hired a superb apartment overlooking the harbour. As it was an early flight we arrived at Port de Soller by lunchtime and spent the rest of the day finding our way around and sussing out the best eating houses.

Our first foray into the mountains was from the village of Biniaraix through the gorge to the Cuber reservoir. (Approx 4 hrs, 850 m assent) The path was cobbled for much of its length but well signposted, and scenery that varied from olive groves to towering cliffs. There is a refuge at the reservoir but unfortunately it was closed so we had to content ourselves with our own food and water. Richard and Debra took the opportunity to cool off in the reservoir before we returned to Biniaraix for a well earned beer.

Our next big adventure took us by boat to Sa Calobra, a beautiful little cove and another spectacular gorge, the route follows the river bed and involved frequent climbs and scrambles over large boulders making it interesting and in places quite demanding. We returned to the cove for a swim and beer before the boat home. The highest mountain in the area was Puig Major (1,436m) but this is used by the military and out of bounds so we had to settle for the second highest Puig de Massanella (1,352m). As most of the land on the island including the mountains is privately owned we had to pay €4s each to climb the mountain, which was worth it once we got to the top for the views alone.

Our last big mountain was Puig Des Teix (1,064m 600m of assent). Debra and Richard opted for a walk through some of the picturesque villages surrounding Soller, whilst Keith, Les and I made for the mountain. Again we were treated to some spectacular costal views not only from the top of the ridge but from several viewpoints on the way up. Some of the path is cobbled (Archduke’s path) so easy to follow, however the path down is not very well marked.

As well as walking the mountains we visited places of interest such as Lluc Monastery, spent time on the beach and in the sea. Les, Richard and Debra hired kayaks and explored the coast and caves outside the harbour, we did short walks exploring the local area and spent time eating and drinking in the many bars and restaurants that surrounded the harbour. This holiday had it all - sea, sun, sand, mountains good food, good company, Keith snoring and beer. What more can you ask for?

BIRKS FELL - A NEW ENGLISH NUTTALL

Following information drawn to my attention by Trevor L it seems that there is a new English Nuttall in the Yorkshire Dales. The hill in question has been the subject of interest for a long time and is Birks Fell SD919764 on OS Landranger 98 about 4miles NW of Kettlewell in Wharfedale. My map indicates a height of 610 metres but nearby Horse Head Moor (609 metres) has until recently been accepted as the highest point and which is below 2,000 ft.

However, members of the RHB (Relative Hills of Britain) group have recently surveyed the hill tops in the area and give a height of 610.4m for Birks Fell and 609.3m for Horse Head Moor (on the assumption that the nearby trig point height of 607.1m is correct) making Birks Fell the highest point and over 2,000ft. This is likely to be definitive so if you’re looking for the set you need to get out there and add it to your collection. Rats!

The latest news from the website of the John and Ann Nuttall is as follows:

"The OS have just telephoned us to confirm that Birks Fell is 2001ft. The grid ref they quoted is SD919764 (the spot height on the current Explorer map is in a different place). And we are delighted to announce that they are going to update the Explorer map!

As Graham Jackson and John Barnard give SD918763 as the top we will use that as the official grid ref."

Don’t forget. You heard it here first. Ed.

MALLORCA AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2006 Richard

Members on the trip were, Richard D, Les B, Debra C, Eileen W and Keith H. We were based at Port de Soller. This is in the northern mountainous area of Mallorca called the Sierra de Tramontana.

An early Wednesday flight meant that we reached our flat at midday. I had to be dropped of at a bar because Deb had booked a four sleeper flat to save money and the owner was to let us in, so I was a secret as there were five of us.

The flat was in an almost perfect position, with a view overlooking a big bay with a beach. It had four balconies, washing m/c etc. The landlady lived next door and after a few days she noticed five people going in and out so grabbed me outside and said,” How many peoples are you living in my flat?" "Four" I replied. "No, there is five," she quickly answered. "Is there really,” I stupidly said. The upshot of this meant we had to pay an extra ten euros each.

The rest of the first day was spent in the sea and sunbathing.

The first night Eileen volunteered to go without a bed and sleep on a camping mattress, because she is used to them more than anyone else. There was a sofa but it was only a two seater. The snorer, Keith was safely locked away in a room with Les. The fourth night however things changed. Keith got too hot, so got onto the sofa in the lounge in the middle of the night. This was about six inches away from Eileen’s head so she was forced to sleep on a balcony under the stars to escape Keith’s strangulating sounds. The situation was settled by Eileen sharing Les's room for the rest of the week. Keith makes less noise cramped on a sofa.

The first walk we did was from a village called Biniaraix. This is called the Pilgrims Way and followed a tumbling stream up a gorge towering a few hundred feet above us. It was very hot so we took advantage of a pipeline carrying cold water down from the mountain to irrigate the olive groves. We crossed over a col at 2900 ft then descended down to a place called Cuba where there was a reservoir and a refuge (closed). There was an option to do a peak of 3600ft but as it was so hot Deb and I had a swim, we all had lunch and returned the same way.

On Friday I did a half day local walk with Eileen to the oldest lighthouse in Mallorca continuing as a round trip, then we met the others on the beach in the afternoon to do some snorkelling.

Next day was a visit to a gorge called the Torrent de Pareis. This entailed taking a boat trip about 10 miles around the coast to a beach which is where the river from the gorge discharges into the sea. This time of year however the water is not flowing, just a few pools with trapped fish swimming in ever decreasing circles waiting for the next rains. The walk starts as an easy walk along a shingle path about 10 ft wide with sheer limestone cliffs either side. The way then becomes more difficult with large boulders baring the way and scrambling under, over and around these made for a very interesting and enjoyable trip. We did not get to the end but chose to return to the gorge entrance to snorkel in the sea. The water was crystal clear, and we had a cold beer in time to catch the last boat back. There were wild goats leaping around on the sheer walls of the gorge and I was telling everyone that they never lose their footing but around the next bend, guess what, yes, there was a dead one at the bottom.

Sunday arrived and another rest day was proposed. We got in the car and drove across the island, visited a monastery, had lunch at Pollensa then had a swim at Porto de Pollensa. The beach here had beautiful soft sand but the water was not so clear. Monday we decided to get to the highest point on the island. Well, the second highest actually, because the highest has a military installation on it and is out of bounds. Our peak was called Massanella and is 4560 ft high. We parked at a point suggested by a guide book and had our wallets lightened by 4 euros each to climb the mountain by a man in a land rover. Debbie demanded in a snotty voice in her best Spanish to see his authorisation so he showed us his big brass belt, who would argue with that?

The walk starts as a series of zig zags through woods but then breaks out onto very sharp limestone outcrops. If you had ever fallen on this it would cause much bleeding. Between the rocks were patches of pincushion plants, which were as sharp as hedgehog’s spines as Keith found out when he knelt on one.

I reached the top first and waited ages for the rest. I looked across the valley I had ascended and saw Keith just topping the peak on the other side. He had gone the wrong way and the others were following him. After re-grouping, we met the only other walkers during the whole day, a German couple backpacking. On the way down we came across some steps going down into a cave. At the bottom was a small spring; this truly was a tiny trickle into a small font like pool. This had for centuries probably saved lives as the only source of water on the mountain. This did not impress Debbie; she had a wash in it,

My knees were giving me some stick on the way down so another rest day was called for. Deb suggested canoeing so on Tuesday Deb, Les and I rented single kayaks from the beach. Surprisingly there was no restriction on where we took them or when to bring them back so we left the harbour and followed the coastal cliffs for about a mile. The sea was very calm except when passing ships caused big waves to toss us about. I had paddled into a cave at one point and was at the back wall when a wave swamped me. I had to climb up a wall and pick up the boat to empty the water out. The sea temperature was so warm there would have been no discomfort to sit in it anyway. We returned to the beach after about two hours. Eileen had a walk on her own and Keith lay on the harbour wall getting redder.

Wednesday was the last day. Eileen, Les and Keith wanted a medium walk, so went up a ridge with peaks of around 2900 ft then down to a beautiful village called Deia. My knees did not want a steep climb; neither did Debra so we followed an ancient traveller’s path from Soller through Binibassi to a lovely old village at the foot of the mountains called Fornalutz. The whole route was through fruit orchards mainly lemons, oranges, pomegranates, figs and almonds. Strangely they seemed to be left to fall and rot. The village was very pretty with flowers around all the doorways and alleyways. We had a little book called Mallorca walk and eat so we had a snack in the recommended restaurant. The return route was the same but from Soller to our port we took the tram. This had been made by the English Electric Co and had previously seen service in either San Francisco or the Isle of Man depending who you talked to.

On the return flight Keith decided not to break the habit of a lifetime and tried to carry a knife in his hand luggage. Security pulled him out again. Surprisingly this knife was not spotted by the Bagington X-Ray staff when we left England.

Everyone enjoyed this holiday; it was a bit more expensive than the Picos De Europa or the Pyrenees in northern Spain but worth another visit. The hot climate made the ascents harder but it was a bonus for the other activities including being able to eat breakfast outside in the sun, and sit under the stars up till midnight, solving the problems of the world with a few beers and brandies.

YHA CLOSURES

At last the YHA have come clean and announced a list of closures in its Autumn/Winter 2006 issue of Triangle. In the event that a hostel sale fails to take place it may remain open for longer. The sad news is as follows:

Closing on 30^th September 2006 Acomb, Alston, Bellingham, Blackboys, Blaencaron, Bryness, Dartington, Earby, Greenhead, Keld, Kemsing, Malvern, Steps Bridge, Trefin and Wooler.

Closing on 31^st October 2006 Balderstone, Dentdale, Emscott, Hastings, Kirkby Stephen, Llanbedr, Meerbrook and Trycornel. (These will remain available for bookings until January 2007)

Closing on 30^th September 2007 Bakewell, Brighton, Capel-y-Ffin, Castle Hedingham, Dolgoch, Dover, Ivinghoe, Langsett, Lynton, Matlock, Quantock, Sandown and Stainforth.

Closing 30^th September 2008 Llangollen and Chester.

However there is some hope as local organisations are trying to keep hostels open. For example the Elenydd Wilderness Hostels Trust is trying to save Dolgoch, Ty’n Cornel (Trycornel) and Blaencaron in mid Wales. For further information see http://www.elenydd-hostels.co.uk/index.html

In Scotland Craig Hostel north of Torridon is now a MBA bothy.

SCOTLAND, CAIRNGORM BACKPACK 12^th – 16^th OCTOBER 2006 David

In attendance were David, Matt, Ian A, Alistair and Kim.

We met at the Aviemore SYHA having travelled by train; with Kim and Alistair by car. The hostel was very nice. Aviemore itself seems to be a ‘one horse town’ of a linear development with little or no soul. There was the usual number of outdoor shops and eating places but very few pubs!

On the Friday we set out by local bus for the Cairngorm top car park. Whilst on our journey we discovered that there were no return buses for the Sunday. We therefore decided not to carry on with the planned itinerary which was to go over Ben Macdui as this could have posed major problems in returning late on Sunday. Instead, we decided to go for the alternative plan. We therefore set out for Braeriach via the Chalamain Gap. This took us over and alongside the Lairig Ghru. Carrying full packs this was hard going, and we therefore did not reach the top of the hill until late afternoon. We only saw two other people the whole day. The weather conditions were steadily deteriorating with increasingly strong winds and it was very cold. By the time we arrived it was evident that we were not going to make the originally planned campsite. A sheltered spot was found upon the plateaux close to a stream, arriving for 5.30pm. We camped at over 1,200m; walking time 7 ½ hours, 880 metres ascent.

We reflected upon the fact that no one in the whole country would be staying out overnight as high as we were. It was a very windy night. Ian suffered with short tent pegs and I had a similar problem in the morning but otherwise all of the tents stood up to the riggers of high winds. Matt confided later that he was fearful in case the weather deteriorated further with rain which would have made our position untenable. My fear was in case we had thunderstorms as we were just about in the most exposed spot one can imagine. The next morning we were well into cloud. A mere fifteen paces away from the tents and it was impossible to see where they were. This was slightly problematic as the stream was forty five paces away!

On the next day we continued along the ridge taking in The Angel’s Peak, Carin Toul and the Devil’s Point. From there, we retraced our steps and walked around the 1,000m contour in the general direction of Loch Einich. The latter stages were particularly difficult as the wind speed increased to a point whereby it was becoming pretty dangerous. However, we were able to make it down a steep narrow path to the north end of the loch where we camped, arriving for 5.30pm. This was a particularly long day of 8 ½ hours with somewhat surprisingly only 840 metres of ascent but 1,520 metres of descent for a walk of 17k. It was pretty exhausting.

To this point, we had been walking in a remote part of Scotland, with no one else around, in difficult conditions. The sense of isolation and height were quite incredible and with hindsight is probably one of the best ever outdoor experiences I feel that we could have experienced. On the Sunday we had the walk out along Gleann Einich back into Aviemore for a well earned few pints and fish and chips.

The experience was incredible and for anyone who doubts you should really try backpacking, although to be fair, this particular weekend was pretty extreme, and not for the faint hearted.

HAVE YOU PAID YOUR SUBSCRIPTION YET?

SEND CHEQUES (£15 payable to Nuneaton Mountaineering Club) TO THE TREASURER, EILEEN.

DO IT NOW. YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE.

THE ADVENTURES OF THE (ALMOST) MILE HIGH CLUB Matt

More on the Cairngorm Backpack 12^th – 16^th October 2006

After a pleasant journey by train we checked into Aviemore youth hostel at around 7:30. Without wasting too much time we settled into the dining room of the Cairngorm Hotel for salmon, venison, haggis and other hearty highland fare. All this was washed down with a couple of pints of Stag and a wee dram.

Friday the 13^th luckily didn’t live up to its reputation. We couldn’t have asked for a better October day in the Cairngorms – bright and sunny with a light wind. Our plans for the weekend had to be changed rapidly, for about the eighth time, when the bus driver to the ski centre told there were no busses from the ski centre on Sunday.

After consulting the map and the ranger we decided to do the Braeriach ridge and walk out via Whitewell taking in as many Munros as we could on the way.

Braeriach at 1296m, our objective for the day, is the third highest mountain in Britain surpassed only by Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui. Our route up Braeriach started from the Cairn Gorm ski centre. From here we made our way over the hillside to the steep sided boulder filled ravine known as the Chalamain Gap. Looking back we could still see the ski centre 100m below us. It had taken us an hour to reach this point and we soon realised it was going to be slow going with our heavy back packs. After reaching the top of the Chalamain Gap we then descended around 100m to the spectacular pass called the Lairig Ghru. After crossing this pass the route heads steeply for the summit via Braeriach's north ridge, crossing a subsidiary peak, Sròn na Lairige. The summit veiws were spectacular, and at this point we were for the first time fully able to appreciate the size and scale of the mountains that lay before us. It was getting on for 4pm when we reached the summit and with the wind speed picking up our minds turned to finding a campsite for the night. Looking at the map there were only two practical options. Either to drop down 300m on the sheltered side of Braeriach and camp by Loch Coire an Lochain or to find somewhere to camp on the Cairngorm plateau at 1200m. We continued along the ridge and found a suitable spot just after the Falls of Dee. The River Dee allthough shallow is a sizable river even at this height. Apparently it’s the highest scource of any river in the British isles.

After pitching our tents and eating we all settled down for a well earned rest. Soon I was woken by the sound of the wind howling at the 1000ft drop near by. Scilence, followed by a punch of wind that made the whole tent disstaut with the pole bouncing about just above my nose. This buffeting would go on for a short while followed by calm. Then you would hear the wind and the whole process would start again. A few trips out of the tent were needed to tighten the guy ropes and replace pegs. On one of these trips I looked over and saw Ian busy placing large rocks on the pegs of his super light tent. Thankfully conditions didn’t deteriorate and we all survived the night reletivly unscathed. David’s tent looked a little ragged in the morning. Ian suffered a bent pole and found one of his tent pegs 10m away, and several other items were scattered to the wind never to be seen again. Alastair and Kim fared best with only one loose guy rope, but the drama was not over.

The clag was down and in the dim morning light I put on my head tourch and set off towards the river to fetch some water. After about thirty paces I turned to where the camp should be. It was nowhere to be seen! No matter, only 15 more paces to the river and then turn and retrace your steps. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. No river! Shit! Panic set in. How could I be so stupid? Lost on the Cairngorm plateau in your boots and long johns. Pride was quickly swallowed. “Ian! David! Put a light on”. I heard some sniggering, then saw a head tourch. I was nowhere near where I thought I was. Other choice comments followed sutch as, “Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring,” and “Run to the light Matt”. Oh well, I guess I deserved it. I won’t make that mistake again in a hurry.

After breakfast we continued along the ridge in very poor visability towards Sgor an Lochain (The Angel’s Peak) at 1258m. We reached the summit in good time due to the high starting point.

Cairn Toul (from the Gaelic Carn an t-Sabhail, 'Hill of the barn'), our next objective, is the fourth highest mountain in Scotland at 1291m. The mountain towers above the western side pass of the Lairig Ghru. Shame we couldn’t see any of that. What we could see was the extensive boulder field surrounding the summit. Boulder fields can be tedious at the best of times, but with a heavy pack this was going to be a slog. We reached the summit at lunch time but with the wind again picking up we opted to have a quick bite and keep moving.

Next in line was The Devil's Point. The name is derived form the original Gaelic name, Bod an Deamhain, meaning “Penis of the Devil”. The English name is a result of a visit to the area by Queen Victoria. She asked her highland ghillie, John Brown to translate the name and to avoid embarrassing the Queen he gave her the name now in common use. Sadly again, there were no views to be had from the summit. Having a long way to go before evening we pressed on contouring round the impressive valley towards Loch nan Cnapan. The mist had now cleared, once again revealing a truly grand mountain landscape. By the time we reached Loch nan Cnapan the wind was once again picking up and with some ominous looking clouds moving in fast behind us we decided to drop down to Loch Einich and hopefully find somewhere out of the now very strong wind. After a few bit’s of dogy navigation we eventually found the only decent camp site for miles around. As we were pitching our tents we were joined by a couple from Yorkshire. Ian engaged them in conversation and proceded to tell them of the rough night we had on the top. “I’m not rightly surprised,” said the straight talking Yorkshire man. “Happen that’s a play tent lad. Not a right lot of good on hills like these”.

The next morning we woke to brilliant sunshine and stunning views all round, but with 13k still to walk to the youth hostel we decided that more Munros were out of the question. We arrived back in Aviemore in the early afternoon just as the Aviemore half marathon runners were being cheered as they passed. Joining in the fun we upped the pace to a jog and took the applause from the crowd for a hundred yards before heading off to The Bridge Inn for a couple of well earned pints. Later in the evening we all went out for fish and chips at the chippy near the youth hostel which we would all recommend if you’re ever up this way. Brilliant value. A fish supper that consisted of fish & chips with peas, a pot of tea, bread and butter and a choice of deserts for a fiver.

UV RAYS AND YOUR EYES Andrew

In the Olden Days nearly all of us died of something else before UV rays could trouble our eyes. As our life spans increase, however, we need to consider the level of risk. Any hazard that might result in five years’ less driving at the end of our lives, for example, is worth taking seriously.

Risks

UV radiation consists of 3 invisible rays from the sun. The three bands of UV light are: UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC rays are apparently not a problem, as they are absorbed by the upper atmosphere and do not reach the earth’s surface.

In the UK on most days, UV exposure is small. However, some research suggests that people who experience frequent exposure to UVB over a long period of time may be more likely to get cataracts, other eye growths and macular degeneration.

UV light can pass through clouds. It is invisible and doesn’t cause discomfort or other warning signs.

Protection

If you wear prescription glasses you will be getting some degree of protection from UV rays, but it’s worth checking how much.

Contact lenses may also offer some UV protection, but they don’t cover your whole eye, so you will need sunglasses as well. Just because a lens is dark it doesn’t prove that it gives UV protection. Look for sunglasses that guarantee to protect you from 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB light. Wraparound glasses will prevent UV rays from entering around the frame.

Photochromic lenses, such as Reactions or Transitions, darken when there is more UV light about, and seem to be a flexible solution for walkers and climbers.

If you go for anti-glare or other extra features involving an outer coating, check that the coating is robust. I had a pair about eight years ago and the coating broke up on the hill and left them so scratched that I could barely drive home. Mind you, things may have got a lot better now.

Other ways of looking after your eyes.

Don’t smoke.

Smoking is strongly related to the development of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Cigarette smoke increases the amount of free radicals in your body. These stop you getting the right vitamins and minerals from food, and poor nutrition can damage the way cells regenerate and so damage your eye tissue.

Eat leafy green veg.

Free radicals are produced by oxygen. Anti-oxidants are thought to ‘mop up’ free radical molecules before they can contribute to the development of eye problems and other illnesses such as cancer. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. You get it from vegetable oils, soya beans, broccoli and leafy green veg. like spinach and kale. Leafy green veg. is particularly good because it also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, which were also found in a study to protect your eyes from UV light.

Finally, get your eyes tested every two years.

I’m off for my eye test now. See you soon.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Ed,

“It is a fine thing to be out on the hills alone. A man can hardly be a beast or a fool alone on a great mountain.” – Francis Kilvert

This sounds pretty good until we start to pick at it. But what about the survivalist in Montana with his assault rifle, or the walker who sets out blithely with the wrong kit and no experience? Is there, in fact, any truth in it at all? What do your readers think?

(Name and address supplied.)

CAMBODIA & THAILAND 13^th JULY – 13^th AUGUST 2006 Eileen

My World Challenge trip this year took me to Cambodia and Thailand and together with 15 students and one teacher we boarded a plane at Heathrow for Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh like many capital cities is a busy bustling place especially on the roads where the main carriageway has four lanes of traffic of all descriptions. They are all jostling for space and hooting their horns, not in anger, no road rage here, but to warn others that they are overtaking. We found that the only way to cross was to take a deep breath and keep walking allowing the traffic to avoid you, sounds risky but it works. We only had a couple of days to explore the city and one of those we spent visiting the Killing Fields and S21 the former prison camp now a museum, both very harrowing but interesting and well worth a visit..

From Phnom Penh we caught the local bus and spent 5 hours travelling on unmade roads to Siem Reap, the gateway to the temples of Angkor. Rising early at 5am the next day we travelled by tuk tuks, the local transport, to the heritage site and spent the day exploring these amazing temples. Moving on from Siem Reap again by local bus, we arrived in the town of Battambang where we spent the week living and working in a local orphanage. Our task was to sand to base level and then paint two of the houses. It was hard, dusty work but enjoyable as we had lots of help from the children and staff. There was also plenty of time to spend playing and interacting with the children who tried to teach us to speak their language.

From Battambang we travelled on open pick-up trucks to the boarder at Poipet where we crossed into Thailand. What a difference, all the roads were wide, surfaced dual carriageways and mini buses replaced the open pick-ups. Safer, but not so much fun.

We did our first trekking in the Khao Yai National Park, (trekking is too risky in Cambodia because of the land mines) where we did two day walks, one to the Hew Suwat waterfall as featured in the film The Beach and the other through the jungle to get acclimatised and practice river crossings ready for the main 7 day trek at Chiang Dao. The national park is home to over 300 elephants but we only caught a glimpse of a couple but we did see deer and lots of macaques and other monkeys as well as very large spiders and other creepy crawlies.

Our main trek was at Chiang Dao and started with a white water rafting trip down the Maetang River before setting up our hammocks for the night. After breakfast cooked for us by our guides, we packed our kit and walked for 5 hours to the mountain village of Padeng Lahu where we spent the night in a bamboo hut. We were woken early at 4am by a cacophony of noise from cockerels, pigs, dogs and chickens. Taking our leave of the village we started out onwards and upwards along very narrow ridges. It was difficult terrain as recent storms had caused landslides and some of the paths had been destroyed while others were very muddy and slippery. The recent rains also increased the humidity levels which added to our problems. However everyone survived unscathed and we all arrived at the forest camp site where we put up the hammocks for what we hoped would be a quieter night. We reached the highest point the next day and had an easier day walking along the ridge and down to stay overnight in another mountain village house. We only had to walk for 3 hours the next day before being picked up by the transport and taken to the elephant camp where we had the opportunity of taking a one hour elephant ride. I know these animals are big but when you get up close they are enormous and I found it quite uncomfortable to ride. The seat slipped sideways on one of the elephants leaving two of the students clinging on with all their might before being rescued. We also had the opportunity of doing some calm water rafting, gliding down the river on a flat bamboo raft with just a pole for steerage, very nice and tranquil. We had the luxury of being taken by road to the camp site. After our short break from trekking we were back on the trail the next day with a long 7 hour trek through dense teak forests and tea and coffee plantations to arrive at a beautiful camp site with a waterfall flowing into a deep pool. It was great for a dip and to get rid of the trail dust as this was out last camp as next day we had a one hour walk to the shores of the lake and a ferry trip back to civilisation. It was a great 7 days, hard going at times but quite an experience for everyone.

RICHARD AND RITA IN THE USA Richard

This holiday with my wife and another couple was to visit some of the national parks in Nevada, Utah and Arizona over three weeks. The area we covered is called the Grand Circle.

We flew to Las Vegas for a two night stay in the Luxor Hotel, this is the one built to the same size and shape as the original pyramid in Giza, Egypt.

The size of the big hotels in Vegas is amazing. Ours only had 2000 rooms but the one over the road, the MGM Grand had 5005 with 38 check in desks and a lion enclosure in the lobby. It took me a half hour to walk past the hotel along the street.

A lot of these hotels are joined together by moving walkways or trams so you don’t need to get burned by the sun, usually over 100f in the summer. All are packed with thousands of sad people putting money in slot machines or playing poker or roulette etc. Me, I never gambled one single dime!

Two days later we hired a car, it was a Chevrolet Trailblazer Range Rover look-alike with a 4.2 litre engine and cruise control. It was wonderfully smooth to drive but I thought it was 4 wheel drive and only found out it was only two when Rita drove off the road onto sand after a rainstorm. The wheels dug in and would not budge. I walked back to the road to flag down some help and luckily the next vehicle along was a jeep with a winch on the front.

The first park we visited was Zion, about 70 miles north in Utah .This is a sandstone valley of about 18 miles in length with 2000 ft high cliffs both sides and a river in the bottom. Loads of walks go off up creeks and gullies along the sides. You cannot drive along the road, but shuttle buses go up and down every 7 minutes and you get on and off wherever you want at no charge. Well, the only charge is 50 dollars for a card which can be used in every National Park in the USA for a year. The bus drivers are very helpful, ours told us, “If you meet a mountain lion make yourself look bigger than you are and if attacked, fight back”. Then he added, “No one has ever come back and said if it works or not”.

I was the only walker in our party so I set off for the highest point 2144ft above the valley floor, called Observation Point. The weather was hot and sunny and I soon mixed in with another party and reached the top. On the way down there was a blast of hot desert air filling eyes with sand then a clap of thunder and torrential rain. Within 15 minutes there were three rivers running off the canyon walls over the zig-zag path and we had to walk under the same three waterfalls at every zig and zag all the way down.

The next day I did a walk up Hidden Canyon using chains along small ledges to a narrow passage in hot sun which the day before had spouted a river. There was just damp sand in the bottom and I did about a mile with a group of Canadians until we reached a flooded section with sheer walls either side.

The licensing laws are strange in Utah. You can only have alcohol with food. The first night we had a meal with beer and wine then moved on to another bar, when I asked for a beer the barmaid said, “What meal do you want?” When I said, “None cos I am stuffed,” she would not give me one. Some establishments are even more bizarre. You can have beer in the bar but drink wine only if the restaurant has a licence.

The next park was Bryce Canyon. Acres of rocks in amazing shapes like tall thin spires sculptured by wind and rain, with colours of white, pink, red, orange and yellow. I did a walk down 2000ft and back up on my own. The reason no one else was there was because another thunder storm was forecast and according to the guide book the last place in Utah you want to be in a storm was Bryce. There have been 13 people struck in 17 years. I was at the bottom when it came over. I have never climbed 2000ft so fast in my life even my dodgy knee did not let me down.

We stayed at a town called Panguitch which means in Red Indian language Big Fish, which are in the lake nearby. A speciality to eat is cut throat trout which has a red stripe under its throat hence the name. We all thought it was the best trout we had ever had.

Moving on we drove past Cedar Breaks Park. This was similar to Bryce but at10500 ft had a snow topping to it.

Leaving this area we drove along one of the most scenic roads in the USA called highway 12. This is 150 miles of the most dramatic rocky landscapes I have ever seen and I could have stopped every mile to take pictures. Every colour you can imagine. This road passes through Escalante and Capitol Reef parks and Dixie National Forest. We were going to take a 68 mile desert dirt road to Lake Powell but stopping for a beer at a bar (yes I did have to buy food again) they told us that the rainstorms over the last three days had washed the road away.

The main road then led us to the Arches National Park. This contains many fin shaped rocks which have been weathered by wind and rain to form arches some a hundred feet high. I did a 4 hour walk around here.

The town we stayed at was called Moab. It’s a Mecca for mountain bikers with miles of trails on slick rock some with long drop off edges. The guide book says, “Do not attempt without trying the practice trail first”, and then, “Novices should not use the practice trail.”

Monument Valley was the next park. You may have seen this on old John Wayne films with miles of desert with great 2000ft high blocks of sandstone dotted about here and there.

This is Navajo Indian country and they charge you $5 to drive your own car around some of the rocks, or charge you $40 to take you around in a jeep on a longer bit. Red Indians do not have a sense of humour. When I offered to take this Indian around in my car for half price he could not raise a smile.

Driving over the border into Arizona we stopped for the night at Tuba City. I went into a restaurant and asked for a beer, “We don’t serve alcohol, this is an Indian reservation” was the reply.

I had seen on the internet at home an amazing place called Antelope Canyon. This is a narrow slot canyon of which there are many in Utah but this one is open to ordinary tourists. We booked up with an Indian guide (compulsory). |He took nine of us in a truck down a dried up river bed to the entrance. The canyon is about 5ft wide at the bottom and 150ft high. There is no vegetation just bare sandstone and when the sun shines down from the top the whole place glows orange and red. The guide told us that two days earlier during the thunder storms water had risen 30ft high in side. Twenty years ago 13 people had drowned in a lower part of the canyon.

Driving south next day we had a quick look at Sunset Crater, a volcano which last erupted in 1064. There was an excellent visitor centre here, as there was also in every other park.

The Grand Canyon was next. The main tourist area is 18 miles from the south rim with free shuttle buses dropping off at about 15 different places. Also you can walk along the rim trail parallel to the road. I did this and two walks into the canyon of 3 miles which is down about 2000ft. The Colorado River is about 10 miles and 5000ft down. There are signs asking people not to do it there and back in one day. It can reach 100 degrees F at the bottom.

Next day all four of us did a helicopter ride of 50 min over the canyon. This is big business. There are four helicopter companies doing trips. The one we chose have 27 aircraft and take about 800 people a day at about £120 each.

Leaving the airport we had a quick look at the Hoover Dam. There has been a drought for the last 10 years and the water level is about 60ft down in Lake Mead. I had a swim in this while the others did a paddle boat ride.

When I asked the best place to stay in the area we were sent to Boulder. This is the town built for the workers who built the dam in 1931. It was a rough place then but now it is an oasis in the desert. All the gardens have sprinklers buried under them and there is thick lush growth everywhere.

The last national park we went to was Red Rock Canyon. It is only 10 miles from Las Vegas. It is another flat valley with an 8 mile drive round and loads of hikes going into the hills which completely surround it. There were loads of climbers on the rock wall which again were either red, yellow, pink and white or grey. I did 4 hours of scrambling around here.

The last two days were spent in the New York –New York Hotel (so good they named it twice) in Las Vegas. The exterior looks like the New York skyline and the interior is full of narrow streets full of shops and restaurants. It even has manholes in the road with steam coming out like you see on the movies. The weather was very hot so we lay by the pool chilling out to finish of a great holiday.

This is a fantastic place for an active holiday. I would like to go back and do deeper walks into the Grand Canyon and also do the inflatable boat trip down it www.gouldhome.com and follow some of the old Indian trails into Escalante Canyon. Have a look at the web site www.ecohike.com. This is a commercial walking tour company and is expensive but has great photos and will show you what wonderful places you can walk to.

We did 2550 miles but the driving is easy with very little traffic (except in Las Vegas). Petrol about £1.50 a gallon

I have hundreds of photos and loads of maps and guide leaflets if any one is thinking of going there.

Sometime in your life YOU must go there. Have a nice day. (Oh the times I heard that)

BHASTEIR TOOTH THE EASY WAY
The Basteir Tooth on the Cuillin of Skye is probably the most difficult of the Munro Tops, so take note.

From the RHB website. Alan Dawson wrote: A bit of trouble with the Bhasteir Tooth - technically it's easy enough, but the exposure on the last bit just before the summit blade is sufficient to require the reassurance of a companion and a rope.
Ann Bowker replied: I don't believe a rope is necessary if you take the REALLY EASY route. Rowland has done it which proves it's a doddle!!! As you come to the foot of the tooth from the west go down below the rocks on the right into Sgurr a Fionn Choire and quite a long way down look for a short easy scramble onto a ledge which takes you easily up a groove which is not very exposed. Very similar to Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark which is a grade 1 scramble. The only difference here being that you eventually need to reverse it but it really is easy. There was an arrow scratched on the rocks showing where to start when we did it but this was a LONG time ago. At the top of the groove pass behind a large squeezer rock to emerge on the col between the Am Bhasteir and the tooth from where it is up very easy angled slabs to the top with no exposure, although actual arrival at the very top is breathtaking! One of the best moments in my hillwalking life - not only an unbelievable place to be but a sudden realisation that I would be able to complete tops as well as Munros.
http://www.madaboutmountains.com is Ann Bowker’s website – a hillwalking and bagging legend!

MIDGE WISDOM Andrew

Midges are a pain and the cost to the Scottish economy is very high. Obviously, tourism is hit, but there are also significant costs to agriculture and forestry, where workers just cannot work at some times. Scottish red deer are lighter in weight than those in other parts of Britain, and the cause is believed to be the midges which drive them away from the better grazing and browsing and up to the leaner country.

Scottish midges are said to be in a league of their own for savagery; in fact they are the same species as is found in parts of Wales and the Lake District.

The males are benign little chaps who get their energy from plant sugars like nectar and do not bite. The females drink blood to enable them to mature their eggs. It’s hard to understand the point of midges, but apparently the larvae live in the soil, and like worms, play an important role in breaking down dead plant matter.

Scotland now has a five day region-by-region midge forecast (Midgeforecast.co.uk). The level of risk is given on a scale of one to five, with one being nae bother and five being awa hame or gang sooth. It remains to be seen how useful this will be.

Bruised leaves of bog myrtle are a traditional highland insect repellent, with crofters putting myrtle in their beds (no pun intended) to ward off ticks and bed bugs.

Bog myrtle essence is now produced commercially and the sellers claim that it:

• repels midges

• has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties

• has a soothing effect on bites

• can bring peace to the Middle East if only we use enough of it.

Walkers swear by all sorts of different repellents. My daughter suffers from eczema and cannot use Deet or anything similar. She found that chewing brewer’s yeast tablets helped her when she went bothying in Knoydart. The theory is that the vitamin B works itself out through your skin eventually, masking the scents which midges love. We all smell a bit different, and so maybe we each need to cast about for the repellent that best masks our own individual scents.

Write in and let us know what works for you.

ROUND – UP OF OTHER ACTIVITIES

PAUL AND ANDREW’S DAY OUT IN THE BER MOELWYNS, 28^th October Andrew

The forecast for the Moelwyns said cloudy and wet all day, with the cloud base down at 300m, so we changed to the Berwyns, hoping that it would be a little higher there.

We went in from the east, starting at Pystyll Rhaeadr falls. The river here drops in a long cascade for 73m, making the waterfall taller than Niagara Falls. There was plenty of peat-stained water coming down, giving a great roaring noise. The car park at the foot of the falls was deserted, apart from an old man, two little girls and a very small brown dog.

A well-built zig-zag path will take you safely from the bottom of the falls to the top. However, being good mountaineers we naturally scorned to use it, choosing instead to find our own way up parallel to the falls. Our route naturally took in all the false leads, fallen trees, clinging vegetation and greasy, moss-covered stones that you would expect to find in a deep, east-facing gorge watered by the highest waterfall in Wales (and England). Of course we got to the top – just after the old man, the two little girls and the dog.

Next we struck out NE for about 1km along the river valley before turning right up the slope to reach the ridge between Trum Felen and Moel Sych. The base of the clouds was just brushing the ridge at 660m, so we had a great view down into the river valley to our west.

Then up into the cloud and north along the ridge to Moel Sych, Cadair Berwyn and Cadair Bronwen. The most memorable thing was the unexpected high wind. Most of the time it blew from the west, but occasionally it backed to the south. This tail wind helped me to get up the slopes at a speed which would have astounded anyone who has ever been walking with me. What speed was the wind? Hard to say, but it was sometimes hard to breathe when we faced into it and a walking pole dangled at arm’s length was deflected 65° from the vertical. The wind never knocked us over, but it did blow us off the board walk a couple of times.

After dinner at Cadair Bronwen we retraced our steps southward, with good views of the cliffs and the scarp to the west and an occasional glimpse of Lynn Lluncaws far below.

From Moel Sych we headed WSW over the moor for about 1.5km before turning due south to drop into the valley of the River Disgynfa again. It felt good to drop back out of the clouds at about 500m, back into the land of sighted people, and find ourselves just where we wanted to be – and this with only one peep at the GPS. The plan was to locate the stone circle at ref. 057 303. The monument was duly found and we satisfied ourselves that it was indeed made from (very small) stones and was also a circle, though it also had a long line of stones spurring off, like the stick on a lolly. We thought it was probably a Victorian fake, though the Megalithic Portal web-site takes it very seriously.

Then downstream to the top of the falls again, and back down to the bottom – this time by the zig-zag path.

Best bit

Having the Berwyn entirely to ourselves and the exhilaration of being knocked around by the wind.

Most interesting bit (Andrew)

Finding cowberries – like redcurrants, but growing low in the moorland grasses like bilberries – a first for me.

Most interesting bit (Paul)

Finding a slime mould – like blobs of gel. Paul dissected some with his walking pole and found that they went down into the soil. Does anyone know anything about these?

Funniest bit

The obligatory plunge knee-deep into a peat hag.

Thanks, Paul, for your company, for a good choice of route and for putting up with my slow progress.

“A good time was had by both.”

SNOWDON 5^th November

Andrew and Colin with Andrew’s exchange German teacher friends Jorg and Christian plus their coach driver Jo made it to Pen y Pass but not before the car park was full. Being a gentleman, Andrew took the car down the road while we were able to pop into the café before the ascent began. Higher up it was cool and misty and Jo the coach driver decided that whereas the teaching staff might be expendable, the only man able to get the coach back to Germany for the staff and exchange students was not. Consequently Andrew and Jo had a more relaxing day in Llanberis. The three of us scrambled onto Crib Goch in the mist and along the ridge in the hope of better conditions. It took surprisingly long to get to Crib y Ddysgl before we made it to the summit where it appears that the café has been demolished and another one is being constructed. Once we turned away from the railway to descend we were out of the wind and it became quite pleasant on the Miner’s Track below the mist. Lower down Andrew and Jo met us on the track where they had even found a free space at Pen y Pass. Stopping in the first pub for a quick drink we couldn’t help but notice the fire was being lit so we had a meal and then watched a rather impressive firework display before heading off for home. Thanks for Andrew for a safe journey.

SHINING TOR AND THE GOYT VALLEY 12^th November

Keith, Michele, Tony, Eileen, Colin and Mark met at Derbyshire Bridge near to the Cat & Fiddle pub west of Buxton. The morning was forecast to be the best part of the day so we set off for Shining Tor. To avoid the road a diversion was taken across the moor before we reached the path and soon afterwards Shining Tor, the highest point of the day. From here the path is paved for some distance, but whilst not pretty it does prevent serious erosion. There were rock climbers at Windgather Rocks braving the elements before we dropped down out of the breeze for a bite to eat. Soon afterwards alongside Fernilee Reservoir it began to rain and continued to do so until we were half way along Errwood Reservoir. Although it began to brighten up we continued along the Goyt Valley reaching Derbyshire Bridge by 3.35pm. 20km.