NUNEATON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB NEWSLETTER 14 WEB-EDITION

NUNEATON MOUNTAINEERING CLUB

NEWSLETTER 14 October 2005

Edited by Colin Green

NOTIFICATION OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

VENUE CHANGE FOR AGM

**To be held at the Fleur de Lys Hotel, Coton Arches, Coventry Road, Nuneaton.**

On Thursday 20^th October at 8.15 pm in the first floor Function Room.

This is the agenda as it stands currently.

1 Apologies for absence.

2 Minutes of the last AGM.

3 Reports: chairman secretary meets secretary treasurer

4 Setting of subscription rate for 2005/6.

5 Election of committee for 2005/6. Nominations are sought for all of these positions:

• Chair

• Vice-chair

• Treasurer

• Secretary

• Meets secretary

• Social secretary

• other committee members

6 Election of officers for 2005/6. Nominations are sought for these positions:

• Newsletter

• Fundraiser

• Publicity

• Web site

• Quartermaster

7 Appointment of Auditor

8 Adopt BMC Child Protection Policy (See summary on page 2).

9 Venue for future club nights.

10 Dates of future meetings: committee, planning, AGM 2006

11 Any other business.

Items for inclusion on the final agenda to reach the Secretary, Andrew ASAP.

Late items will be included in AOB at the discretion of the Chairman.

VENUE VENUE VENUE VENUE VENUE VENUE VENUE

A committee meeting on 22^nd September decided that we should seek to move to the Fleur de Lys as from the AGM. In the meantime if the Rugby Club is full, or you can’t find us, try The Anker Inn opposite on Weddington Road.

PROGRAMME AUGUST 2005 – FEBRUARY 2006 Matt

October 5^th (Wednesday) Committee meeting at Andrew’s house in Witherley. Open to all members.

October 14^th – 16^th Llanbedr Youth Hostel near Harlech. CHANGE OF VENUE.

Bag a bunch of Rhinogs. Rough and remote mountains.

October 20^th (Thursday) Annual General Meeting.

November 11^th – 13^th Lake District. Bell cottage (near Helvellyn). Club pre - Christmas meet with Eileen. The bunkhouse is limited to 16 places so book early.

December 10^th White Peak. Dovedale / Milldale area with David

January 14^th – 15^th Camping / Bothy weekend in north Wales with David.

February 11^th Brecon Beacons with Nick.

February 17^th – 21^st Scottish Highlands. Crianlarich Youth Hostel with Matt.

Other Events - all welcome!

What When Make yourself known to

Wilderness survival course TBA Debra

French (with a mountain slant) TBA Andrew

And there’s much more than this going on. Visit us on a Thursday at Old Ed’s Rugby Club Weddington for impromptu activities, or ring Andrew or Matt if you can’t get down. And don’t forget our website at www.nunmc.org

BMC CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Andrew

I recently received a letter from Dave Turnbull (BMC CEO), concerning the BMC Child Protection Policy (which also applies to vulnerable adults).

Though we have no under18 members in the club, I believe we should familiarise ourselves with this document. We will be contacted again later this year to see whether we have formally adopted the policy or not.

At our AGM we will be deciding whether to adopt the BMC Child Protection Policy. The BMC urges all affiliated clubs who might find themselves in contact with children or vulnerable adults to adopt this policy. Its purpose is to protect children and vulnerable adults, and also club members who come into contact with them.

The BMC have made it clear that if we do not adopt this policy we would not automatically be covered by their insurance if a claim were made against the club or an individual member.

Please can you familiarise yourself with the policy before the AGM, so that we can make an informed decision?

You can find it on the BMC website: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/thebmc/pols/BMC_Child_Protection_Policy.pdf

Alternatively, let me know and I’ll get a copy to you.

It is a long and comprehensive document. There is no substitute for reading the whole thing, but to give you an overview I’ve summarized the main points below:

BMC CHILD PROTECTION POLICY – ROUGH GUIDE TO CONTENTS

Page

5 How to recognise signs of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and also signs of neglect.

7 Steps to take if you become aware of any of these signs.

8,9 Forms that physical and emotional bullying can take, particularly within climbing.

These could include sarcasm, humiliation, unnecessary physical contact or pressure to do routes that are too hard or dangerous.

10ff. What to do if you suspect or are told about abuse or bullying:

• Explain that you may have to tell other people.

• Make a full record.

• Pass on the details.

• Seek guidance before you act.

16 What to do if you are accused of an abusive action.

18 Good practice

• Keep physical contact to the minimum required for safety.

• Don’t pressure young climbers into taking on routes they are not ready for.

• Never allow young climbers to climb when injured.

• Avoid being alone with a young person.

• If physical contact is needed when you are bouldering, scrambling or spotting, make sure the young people understand what is happening and have consented to this physical help.*

• If the party is mixed, ensure that there is at least one male and one female helper.

• Don’t share a room with a young person, or take them alone on car journeys.

• Don’t do anything of a personal nature – such as tying on a rope, adjusting a rucksack or rubbing in sun cream(!) - for a young person if they can do this for themselves.

20 Recruitment of staff and volunteers (more for outdoor centres and youth groups).

22 Guidelines on use of photography:

(This guidance was developed because people have become the victims of stalkers or received other unwelcome attention after their photographs or details were published.)

• Get consent before taking photographs.*

• Get detailed consent before pinning up pictures or posting them on the web, etc.

• When you use photographs in a magazine or on the web, avoid identifying individuals, either by name or in any other way.

* Persons under 18 cannot give informed consent. Obtain the consent of their parents.

OCTOBER MEET – LLANBEDR (14^th – 16^th) Colin

This is a new venue as Kington (Original location) is full.

Llanbedr Youth Hostel is about 3 miles south of Harlech on the Welsh coast. Plan ‘A’ would be to walk on the very rough Rhinogs, certainly the least visited large mountain range in north Wales. Access to these mountains is most convenient from the coast, so from the Midlands it always seems a very long way which is why we hardly ever walk here. However, with this base we will hopefully get a couple of days on the hill in areas little frequented by our group. Some of you may remember the backpack across the Rhinogs. That was back in October 2002 so it’s clearly time to take the Rhinogs on again.

Sorry about Kington but in the middle of August it was already full for all October weekends, though we could have had any weekend in August!

NOVEMBER MEET – BELL COTTAGE, PATTERDALE, LAKE DISTRICT

11^th – 13^th November 2005 Eileen
The cottage is now full but there is still room in the Hostel which is just up the road for anyone else who wishes to join us. (Please let me know ASAP so that I can make the booking).

I have planned for us to all eat together on the Saturday night.

Proposed menu: Green pea and ham soup. Roast turkey or roast beef with vegetables and gravy. Apple and blackberry crumble or Black forest gateau. I will contact those going to ask their preference near the date so that I can cater for the right number.

Our computer blew up (11^thSeptember) so if you have sent any emails they have all been lost so please try again. We are now up and running again.

PLANNING MEETING

This will be coming up soon so get your ideas together for Spring and Summer of 2006.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME Michele
Friday 7th October - Stand-up comedy night at Bedworth Arts Centre, 8pm. £6 on the door.
Friday 9th December. Pantomime- Aladdin at Abbey Theatre Nuneaton.
Tickets £5, names and money to Michele by 9th November
Events in 2006
Friday 13^th January, Leicester comedy Festival preview night De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Tickets will be about £15. Booking will need to be done in mid-November to get good seats. Let Michele know if interested.
Saturday 29th January. Quiz night at Bedworth Arts Centre, 7pm. It'd be good to get a few teams together. Again, let Michele know if you are interested

Other events are likely to be short notice. I will send e-mails out accordingly.

BORNEO July/August Eileen

I set out on the 9^th July with 9, 15/16 year old pupils and their teacher for a month long expedition to Borneo.

It took us over 13 hours flying time to get there but we finally arrived at our first destination, Kuching. Kuching is a busy but interesting and attractive city. A city which reflects the diverse cultural mix of the population. Relics of the past colonial times mixed with Chinese and Indian influences, a place where mosques, Hindu temples and catholic cathedrals all live side by side and the old style streets, markets and houses sit along side modern high rise hotels, shopping centres and multi-storey car parks. The waterfront and markets of India Street are wonderful places to explore. We found the people here, as we did every where we went, to be very welcoming, friendly and helpful.

From Kuching we travelled by public bus to the Gunung Gading National Park. We were here to acclimatise ready for the jungle trek later in the expedition. Here we did two walks, both with full packs, one along a road to a beach and the other through the jungle to some spectacular waterfalls. After the exertion, heat and humidity on the walk plunging into the rock pools at the base of the waterfalls was pure heaven.

Our main trekking phase was in another National Park. Here we set out by boat, where rivers are used like highways, to an enormous cave system which we visited before starting on the trek. The trail through the jungle was quite well marked, we had one major river crossing which had a rope hand rail across it so did not pose too much of a problem. We were wet from the river and sweat, so when it started to rain, no one bothered to put on waterproofs and we arrived at our first camp, dormitory style accommodation, soaking wet. The humidity is such in the jungle that nothing dries out, so in the morning you change out of your warm dry night clothes and put on your cold, still wet day clothes. Weather back to sunny, warm and humid. Today we set off along the “Head Hunters Trail” with a couple more river crossings, one on a rope suspension type bridge, to reach our second camp site. Here we had to put up our bashas and hammocks and cook over an open fire. It was quite an experience sleeping outside in the jungle, the noise from the insects and other jungle dwellers seems to increase in volume, so the night is quite noisy, not that it kept me awake. The gentle swaying of the hammock is very soporific, a bit like a cradle.

The next day we were back on the trail trying to avoid the ‘trippy over vines’, some low growing creeper which did its best, and some times succeeded to ensnare the feet. One of the lads put his foot down a deep hole and managed to damage his knee, so we had to sit on the path for several hours awaiting help. It was getting dark by the time the help arrived and we had an unplanned but exciting night walk to our next camp site. Our casualty was taken to hospital and we carried on the trek back through the jungle.

During our stay we visited the Orang Utang sanctuary at Sepilok where they are doing their best to save the orang utang and its natural habitat. We also stayed at a school near a Penan village where we had the opportunity of mixing with the local people and doing some classroom teaching. We went white water rafting, climbed a mountain and spent time on their white sandy beaches swimming in the warm waters of the South China Sea.

Borneo has a lot to offer, interesting cities, good trekking, climbing and caving, well kept national parks, lots of flora and fauna, lots of adventure activities as well as sandy beaches, warm seas and lots of sunshine.

CLIMBING MOUNT KINABALU, BORNEO Eileen

The “Team Challenge” on my recent World Challenge visit to Borneo was to climb Mt Kinabalu. At 4095.2 metres, Mt Kinabalu is Borneo’s highest mountain and situated in the Kinabalu Park World Heritage Site in Sabah.

On arrival at the park we had to book into the hostel, pay our park and accommodation fees, pay for insurance cover and arrange and pay for our guides (ratio1 guide per 8 climbers) for the following day. It is park rules that all climbers must be accompanied by a mountain guide whilst ascending and descending the mountain. The whole experience is a very commercial operation. A tourist honey pot.

We met our guides the next morning at 7.30am and were all given identity tags to wear. At 8am we boarded the bus to take us to the Timpohon gate (1866.4m) where the trail officially starts. We all had to show our ID tags and were ticked off on the list by one of the rangers before being allowed through the high metal gate.

The path is very well defined and at first went down hill but all too soon we met the steps and started to climb. Most of the first 6 km of the trail is stepped, over 2,500 of them, of all shapes and sizes, and very hard on the knees. There are shelters every 500 metres or so, most with toilet blocks and water collection points. We did not stop at the first one but with the climb, the heat and humidity and the altitude we were glad to stop for a short rest at most of the others. The trail has marker post giving the distance from the gate so you know how far you have walked and how much further you have to go. We were allowed to walk at our own speed with one guide up front and one at the back helping those that were struggling.

The first 5 km were not too bad but then the affects of the altitude started to take its toll and several of the team, including myself started to suffer with altitude sickness. I was handing out Diamox tablets like sweets. We finally reached the Laban Rata ranger station (3,272.7 m) by mid afternoon and booked into our accommodation which I was dismayed to find out was another 20 metres up the trail. I looked after all those not feeling well then went to bed myself. We had a storm during the evening causing a spectacular waterfall to cascade down the mountainside beside our hut. We ate dinner, some sort of rice dish, at the ranger station and then had an early night.

Everyone got up at 2 am the next morning to climb to the summit for sun rise. After breakfast of bread and jam it was obvious that even after a good rest quite a few of the group were still not well enough to go. Out of our group of 11 only 6 set out with the guides and two of those had to return to the hut. The 2.5 km to the top of the mountain is the most difficult and dangerous part. It is very steep; some areas are roped and narrow in places so not a place to be if you have altitude sickness.

The four who did make it to the top returned to the hut triumphant and we all made our descent back down all those steps to be checked back out through the Timpohon gate.

North Wales 29^th-31^st July Tony

The 30^th of July saw Rachel, Lettie and Tony heading for North Wales. The journey was fast and uneventful apart form the brief detour through Shrewsbury due to a closed part of the ring road. We arrived in Capel Curig and pitched our tents at the same time as the first rain shower. Undismayed, we organised ourselves, polished off a bottle of wine and then settled down for the night. Our dreams were pleasant apart from the interruptions of bleating sheep and the occasional passing lorry. Saturday morning saw us up and eager to go by 9 o’clock and we proceeded to the Ogwen valley parking by the Milestone Buttress. Off we set up the north face of Tryfan. The scrambling that followed was very enjoyable, with lots of good jugs and secure foot placements. At least that’s how it started, but the onset of low cloud followed by intermittent drizzle tended to reduce ones confidence as the rock became increasingly wet and the friction uncertain. However, after about two hours, we arrived at the summit and lunched at the foot of ‘Adam and Eve’. We continued onwards and downwards to reach Bulch Tryfan where we decided that the day being relatively young, we would continue up Bristly Ridge. Although of the same grade as Tryfan, wet rock on Bristly Ridge was a very different proposition. However, after one or two hairy moments, we reached the relative calm of the Glyder Fach slopes which we ascended to the summit at 3,262 ft. Then onwards to the summit of Glyder Fawr at 3,279 ft all accomplished through the drizzle and crap visibility. The descent through the Twll Du (Devil’s Kitchen) was fairly straightforward especially since by now the drizzle had given way to a heavy downpour. Eventually we reached the car and returned to the campsite at Capel, where there had been no rain at all during the day. The evening saw us nursing aching limbs and joints at the nearest hostelry, as well as engorging our stomachs and trying hard to rehydrate. The treacle pudding was especially nice.

Sunday morning saw us setting out again for Glyder Fach, but this time from the Capel Curig car park. We knew from the outset that aching limbs and muscles would prevent us from getting anywhere near the summit, so at the Bulch Goleuni we descended a path shown on the map, but which proved strangely elusive, to pick up the main path returning to Capel. Hen it was back to the campsite, packing up of tents and full speed to Betws-y-Coed for some retail therapy; after which we returned home in record time. Overall a very enjoyable weekend.

USEFUL WEBCAMS David

www.lochaber.com Ben Nevis

www.thewasdaleweb.co.uk Great Gable, Scafell Pike, Pillar and Great Gable

www.cairngormmountain.com Cairn Gorm

www.fhc.co.uk/weather/live/ Snowdon

www.virgin.net/kings.house Glencoe www.mwis.org.uk/forecasts.php A useful weather website.

PICOS DE EUROPA 2^nd – 9^th September 2005 Richard

Les Ball, Keith Hilton, Eileen Walsh and I flew to Asturias airport on Sept 2nd. We picked up a hire car and drove about 70 miles to our first stop, a village called Soto de Cangas. I pitched a tent and the others found a B&B.

The next morning there was thick fog at valley level which did not look good for a mountain walk to about 5700ft. As we were doing daily walks returning to base every evening we needed to gain height before starting each walk, so the first day required a drive up to two lakes at 3600ft. The fog stayed in the valley and we were in sun all day. This was a local beauty spot so a lot of visitors went there at weekends. Unfortunately the 12 km drive consisted of all hairpin bends on a steep narrow road with rock on one side and big drops on the other, meeting coaches on one of these bends was dreaded. The walk took us up to the Ario plateau where some friends of mine found a cave in 1979 that was over 3000ft deep. There is a refuge nearby called Villaviciosca, and a sign on the path lower down warned that there was no water available - luckily they had cold beer as a substitute. The temperature was very hot so Eileen rested at the refuge and the rest of us carried on up to a couple of peaks which had views 4000ft down to the Cares gorge which we did end to end last year. On the return trip to the car there is a cold spring which feeds a cattle trough. It was so hot I stood in it to cool off. This does not put off the cows; they just nudge you aside for a drink.

The second day we did the same drive but took another path to a refuge called Vegarrredonda at 4600ft, where we had lunch. The path continued up to a viewpoint at 5700ft with a sheer drop over the other side of 2000ft. Walking back down, Les and I found a cave we could walk into and after a short distance it forked left and right. We chose right because daylight was ahead and a 15ft climb up a corner brought us out again. I read in the map info later that turning left goes down 1000ft in a series of shafts. Returning to the refuge for a beer we met a drunken Spaniard staggering out of the door. I spoke to him which was a mistake because he made his way over to me, tripped and fell on top of me spilling my beer. He had every intention of getting down to the valley but kept collapsing into piles of boulders. The sky was getting black at that point and I thought if one of the mountain thunder storms role in he would be in trouble. I told the refuge warden about him but they said he would be alright. When we made a move to descend he followed us. He fell again and broke his watch so Keith and I tried to persuade him to stay at the refuge and sleep it off but he just shrugged us off. In fact at this point he speeded up and started to run/stumble over the very rough path with drops both sides. Presently the path veered to the right but the drunk turned left up a grassy bank. Some Spanish walkers were with us now and they told him he had gone the wrong way but he shot off over the hill shouting and waving his stick as if he knew where he was going. We thought it was probably a short cut but when we got to a place where we could see the whole route up and down he was nowhere to be seen. So did he get back safely? Or is he lying at the bottom of a ravine with his head smashed in, we will never know.

The area we were in, Asturias is a cider drinker’s paradise. The bars are called siderias. One place we had a drink advertised local made cider at 1 euro a glass. This was poured out of a plastic pop bottle and when it was empty was filled by a bucket. The bar where the others stayed was a hunting/shooting/fishing place with photos and trophies all around the walls. While we were having a drink there a land rover drew up with a shot wild boar on the roof.

The next day we moved on. This consisted of a 40k drive to the south of the Picos, a very picturesque drive but not very relaxing as it was nearly all narrow gorge with tight bends. The next two nights were spent at Espinama where I camped near to the cable car which next day would take us up from 3500ft to 6100ft. Last year we walked from here but had to retreat due to thunder storms. This year it was only slightly better. An hour’s walk takes you to a refuge which is an old gun turret from an American battle ship. This has 6 beds and a warden surrounded by strings of onions and garlic sausages and a 5 inch telly.

It started raining at this point and the path was very scrambly and wet so Eileen made a retreat. The rest of us continued up to a col at 7000 ft then a scramble down 700 ft, wire assisted in places to a plain. Another hour and half got us to the refuge Urriellu which is at the base of a mountain of the same name with a 1600ft 4b climb up to the top. We did not do this, trying instead some hot soup and cold beer at the refuge. On the return journey the rain turned to snow. My gloves were in the car so the ascent of the wire assisted scramble was hell. Also my knees were killing me and I have never been so knackered on a walk before. The café at the top of the cable car was a relief.

A rest day was required so the following morning we drove off going north again to Arenas, a place we stopped at last year. I camped 1km out of town and the others had B&B in a small hotel. The afternoon was spent on a local walk.

The last full day was Thursday. Eileen had not done the Cares gorge and as it is a place that should not be missed I decided to do it again with her. It is three and a half hours from bottom to top plus the return along a 5ft wide path cut into sheer rock walls with about 500ft down to the river and up to 10,000ft above you on both sides. There is a canal cut into the wall which takes water from the river at the top of the gorge down to a hydroelectric power station at the bottom. On this day it was dry probably for maintenance. At the top end there is a village with a few bars so we had lunch there and sat with feet in the river eating ice cream and drinking cold beer.

Les and Keith meantime did an 8 hour walk from the bottom of the Cares gorge up a tributary river valley through a village called Bulnes. There is a funicular railway up to here missing out 1500 ft of ascent but they only took this on the way down. The path continued up to the refuge Urriellu at 6900ft, (which we had reached from the south two days previously) this included massive scrambles which gave Keith really painful knees. The return to Bulnes down another valley is also a very tiring 4 hour scramble. They arrived back at the same time as Eileen and I.The next day was home time, calling in to a seaside resort just before the airport. In fact the runway ends at the top of a cliff down to the sea. In all it was a good value holiday. It cost me about £330, all in, flights, car hire, camping, food, drink and petrol to and from Stanstead.

SCOTLAND 3^rd– 9^th September David

This year I have led for HF Holidays for just one week based at their house at Glen Coe. It has a fine aspect and wonderful position on the shore of Loch Leven. A variety of walks were offered each day ranging from grades of "Harder" down to "Easiest". On the Saturday I took the high party across the Corrin ferry up Beinn Na Cille via Maclean’s Towel (waterfall). The weather was incredibly hot.

Great excitement was taking place on one of our other walks, as one of the party suffered a broken leg and had to be air lifted to Fort William. For the next two days I took the low parties to Loch Eilde Mor and Glen Nevis. The village of Kinlochleven has been much improved with EU money and is now almost attractive on a sunny day. It boasts the first indoor ice climbing wall in Scotland, which looks impressive. The village also now has its own new brewery - Atlas Ales. I was forced to try their wares, and must say that their 4.2 dark ale was very good.

On the day off, I made the ascent of Stob a’ Choire Mheadhoin and Stob Coire Easain taking my total Munros to 102

(12 new ones this year).

On the Thursday, there was an ascent of the Buachaille Etive Mor ridge (two Munros) and a lot of bog in the valley on the way down. Stob Dearg is the mountain that you first see before going into Glen Coe, and features on many a

calendar and may have been climbed by one or more of our group on our February trip to Scotland. The views from the top over Rannoch Moor were incredible.

Due to a lack of high level walkers for the last day, I acted as back marker for the low walk on the island of Lismore.

There was plenty of history with a Viking castle, prehistoric brock and old lime kilns. Just across the water is castle Stalker sitting on a rock surrounded by the sea.

NAVIGATING ON BLEAKLOW 10^th September Andrew

A PERSONAL VIEW

Debra, Len, Mark, Matt and I went up to Bleaklow on Saturday, September 10th. ‘We’ll need to get up there early,’ I had said, or there won’t be anywhere to park.

After an early start and a good run we arrived at the place where the Pennine Way cuts the Snake at 9.00 am. No other cars in sight. I also failed to warn Matt of the approaching parking place, with the result that we overshot and had to continue for about 2.5 miles before we could turn. Massively unimpressive. Was this a foretaste of my navigation skills?

Bleaklow was cool and rainy. It felt great after all the days of suffocating, sticky heat down in the Flatlands. The A57 Snake road was only about 100m below the clouds and we spent all day above the cloud base – ideal for tight navigation practice.

We had three successful legs early in the day, including locating the wreckage of the B29 Superfortress ‘Over Exposed’ in poor visibility. This felt good. Mark put up an Arctic hare soon after this.

Dinner time. I had forgotten just how much innocent enjoyment can be had from a group shelter, particularly if it’s too small. In the afternoon we went wrong on more than one occasion and had to practise relocation techniques. Most people agree these are the hardest skills to acquire.

To sum up: lessons learned varied from person to person. This is what I learned (or re-learned):

• Many hazards are simply not shown, even on a large-scale map.

• Trust the contours but treat everything else – especially man-made features – with

deep suspicion. They are often misleading or simply not there.

• Look constantly for confirmation that your decisions have been correct and you are

where you think you are.

• Pay closest attention in the areas where you think it is impossible to go wrong.

I loved it up there and would have gladly camped overnight on Bleaklow. Perhaps I’ve been sitting next to Nick for too long. Thanks to all who went for making it a good day. Special thanks to Matt for driving and introducing us to the Yorkshire Bridge Hotel in Bamford and their fine range of well-kept beers.

DISCOUNTS AT COTSWOLD OUTDOORS

David has received a letter from Cotswold with an offer for the club. They are offering an extra discount of 5% making a total discount of up to 20% on most items at their Royal Oak & Rock Bottom stores in Betws-y-Coed in December.
If any one is interested, can you confirm with David who will contact Cotswold to negotiate the dates for the discount to be made available. Contact David by email on. davidjfoster @ btconnect.com .

Their winter brochure has now also been received with the Trade Prices showing discounted prices. If any one would like to see it please contact David.

ROUND-UP JULY – SEPTEMBER

Yorkshire Cliffs 21^st July

Great cliffs on the Yorkshire coast north of Cloughton (Scarborough) and the Hayburn Wyke Hotel was open too! Worthy of consideration for a weekend hostel visit or camping in the North Yorkshire Moors. This is fine country but clearly does not match up by comparison to south Staffordshire. One Brummie I met on the cliffs tried to persuade me that his home town of Tamworth was in fact God’s own country!

Climbing Wall 30^th July

Keith and Michele were at the wall on Saturday morning and a bit rusty too from all accounts. But before you snigger, when was the last time you were there?

Shropshire 31^st July

From the car park at The Bog (no joke - and it’s well signposted too) on the flank of Stiperstones Colin, Keith and Michele headed across fields towards a distant Corndon Hill. On mostly well signposted tracks a low ridge was crossed before the base of Corndon Hill was reached. Here one of the disadvantages of summer walking became evident, head high bracken, but with a bit of height open country was reached and eventually the top. Stiperstones now looked a long way off but the walking was pleasant enough across ridges and through woodlands. The summit area of Stiperstones is very rough going underfoot as we scrambled across parts of The Chair before clambering to the airily placed trig point and summit. With rain threatening we moved off reaching our starting point just before drops began to fall.

Beeley, Peak District 7^th August

Keith, Michele, Colin and seven others from Nuneaton Ramblers (Yes you did read the word ramblers) had an enjoyable day on the edge of the Peak District. A significant number of the ramblers appeared to be called Dave which made learning new names easy as we headed for the pub at Beeley. This may not have beer quite as expensive as Matt’s Dorset vintage but it must be a damn close run thing.

Lambourn Downs and Ridgeway 10^th August

That’s Berkshire to you. Nice enough but too many of the byways were metalled so after 12 miles feet were sore. There were trig points as well and some pretty rich farmland and horse racing gallops.

Nick on his cycle

13^th August up the Goyt Valley, Derbyshire, 19^th August 28 miles locally and 29^th August 40 miles locally.

Montgomery 20^th August

Colin bagging new hills again. Pleasant enough countryside but not one for a group as the highest point, Caeliber Isaf, was only 352m and as it turned out finding the footpaths was rather a pain. Letter to Powys footpath officer already sent and signed, ‘Not ‘appy of Nuneaton’. The pub at Llandyssil was also closed on Saturday lunchtime!

Carnedds from Aber 27^th August

Derek, Eileen, Matt, Keith, Michele and Colin met up at Aber on a mild but dull day. The route took us above Aber falls to Llwytmor and Foel-fras 942m where the mist was showing signs of clearing. After Garnedd Uchaf Keith, Michele and Eileen took in Bera Mawr while Derek, Matt and Colin took the short cut (not so short in the mist) to Bera Bach. Here the sun came out to stay and having met up again we all wandered off to Drosgl. At this point the final peak of Gyrn Wigau was less than a mile away but there were mutterings of bagging, ticking and collecting from the ranks so we split up again with Derek, Eileen and Matt taking the direct line down while Keith, Michele and Colin took in the last hill. From here the views to Snowdonia, Llyn Peninsular, Anglesey and the sea were very fine in the evening sunshine. Not lingering too long we then headed off to try and catch the others up before finding a pub on the return journey.

Glyders 3^rd September

Tony, Colin, Keith and Michele set out from Capel Curig on a warm, sunny morning taking the path parallel to the A5. At Llyn Ogwen we made our way up in a general direction towards Llyn Bochlwyd with a short traverse to reach the lake. From here an ascent was made up the Y Gribin ridge with some straightforward grade 1 scrambling to the Glyder plateau. Turning for Glyder Fach a way was made over huge boulders to the summit where it was quite warm. Continuing on the high ground we made for Y Foel Goch and then onto the low ridge of Cefn y Capel from where a descent was made to Capel Curig and some liquid re-hydration both there and at the pub in Carog.

Nick off his cycle 4^th September

Miles 4 - Breaks 1. Nick fell off his bike crossing a small ford suffering a fractured ball joint in the left shoulder plus full supporting bumps, bruises and grazes. Before you say it could have been worse, it could have been his left shoulder, remember that Nick is left handed.

North Pennines 11^th-12^th September

After visiting old college friends from Ridley, Allendale (a top spot) Colin took the fantastically scenic route across the Pennines to Dufton to tidy up a few hills missed on previous expeditions. Dufton Pike was climbed on a very fine sunny afternoon followed by the smaller Knock Pike. I thought I’d arranged to stay two nights at the Youth Hostel but was told that it was closed for the second night as many VIP’s were expected the following day as they were having a grand opening and Open Day to celebrate the refurbishment of the hostel. A hostel closed to members for an Open Day – there’s irony in that somewhere! On the following wonderful day the track to High Cup Nick was followed and then on to Murton Fell on the edge of the Warcop firing range. Afterwards a line was taken to the Maize Beck and then a tough trudge across the heather to Blackstone Edge and back to Dufton. Further south I climbed the coastal hill of Arnside Knott with its fine views over the Kent estuary and Morcambe Bay before testing out the delights of Arnside YH. Here I was asked if I wished to pay extra for a room to myself as the hostel was quiet. When I said I’d take my chances with other hostellers I was directed to room 8. You take the stairs to the top. Then the next stairs, go as far as you can along the corridor and you’re there. I almost asked how much extra a single room would be, but resisted.

Climbing Wall 24^th September

Keith, Michele, Debra and Antony were on the wall at Warwick University.

Derbyshire Edges 24^th September

Len and Colin walked from Curbar to the Grouse Inn along the edges before descending Padley Gorge to the River Derwent and then back to Curbar. A very fine sunny day – and there wont be too many more of those this year.

SUPER-SAVER RETURN TO OSTEND or THE LAST GREAT FREEDOM

Steve Part 1 (Part 2 follows in the December edition)

It’s some ridiculous time in the morning and I’ve spent the last three hours listening to a certain crew members’ snoring; ploughing fields in his dreams by the sound of it. I think he’s found a rock! He’s stopped! No. Must have been time to light another cigarette. Skipper (me) and the crew, Julie and Keith are woken, in some cases, by the ringing of a multitude of alarm clocks and, beyond all reason, we surface to dress, take sea-sickness tablets then quietly slip the mooring lines from the finger berth.

The 20 horse engine goes on and we head out into the River Orwell, still dark at 3.55am. Everything is still, only our wake disturbs the surface and the wind hasn’t awoken yet. Soon! We hoist the main sail, pull out the genda and let them flap in the non breeze. Then bacon sarnies and a cup of coffee and we motor on to Harwich and the industrial container port of Felixstowe, helped along by a slight breeze that varies by 360°, hinders and helps, causes constant tightenings and loosings of sheets and thwarts any sailing prowess or ability.

We’ve got a plan written down of the route we are taking, the GPS will guide us through it, all of our waypoints are installed and soon we’ll lose sight of land as first Languard (gateway to the Orwell and Stour), then Medusa (gateway through the sandbanks), north-east Gunfleet, Long Sand Head and South Galloper come and go.

The wind has veered yet again, down to a force 1, and is only just enough to add a fraction of a knot to Tigger Too’s momentum. We motor-sail onwards, sparing the revs of the bukh diesel in case we don’t have enough fuel to make our destination. Just before an imaginary buoy named SL1, our guide point for crossing the busiest shipping lanes in the world, we dip the fuel tank. More than half left! We can open up the throttle a bit and shift quicker over the next ten miles of big ship motorway. Thank God! All hands are on deck, no one is lying back taking in the rays of a hot sun; all six eyes are necessary to discern collision courses, angles of attack or retreat. Any closer than a quarter of a nautical mile across the stern of a ship doing 20 knots and we’ll be doing pirouettes, mid-lane.

At Twin, an actual buoy that marks the yacht-cross path, we relax a little, shift patterns for crew and skipper resume, with sleep taken in a few short moments in the afternoon heat. We try and revitalise our flagging mentality. Then we see it, it would have been easy to miss, a small trawler, fishing or trawling or doing something, just on the edge of the Windgather Anchorage. Course changes are instigated and we run into the anchorage area, concerned now for the biggest of the container ships should they slip anchor and away. The trawler goes two nautical miles leeway before we alter our course back and everything relaxes again.

Land Ho! Or is it? It’s approximately where Ostend should be but it doesn’t look like Ostend, more a wall out at sea, just off the coast. Ideas for its value are contemplated. ‘A floating harbour, remnant of the war,’ says Keith (Keith will tell you what he thought and named) Bilberry? or some such! So why isn’t it on the charts? Mulberry? (Isn’t that off Normandy. Ed)

GZ towards MBN and the tall block of flats in Ostend are an obvious target but Raspberry! is still undecipherable. It becomes apparent. Rows of hotels, flats, loom from the evening heat haze in a broken castellated line for as much of the coastline as we can see all in a straight line.

At 19.30 hrs we are 1 hour from Ostend harbour. Our mobiles don’t work (because we forgot to get them activated for Europe) so we get on the radio and call Ostend signal point to gain entry to the harbour, the nice lady also gets in touch with the ‘Royal North Sea Yacht Club’ to arrange a berth. And then we’re heading in, through a narrow lane that is difficult to see against the skyline and only becomes apparent a few hundred metres form the entrance. Turn to starb’d and heave too, there’s no one to tell us where to berth! A quarter of an hour passes as we wait, unsure, gentlemanly hove too. Then, who cares any more, we go in and look for a space. Berthing in the RNSYC is very different from the UK. A buoy floats fifty or sixty feet from the harbour pontoon and we have to thread a line on it as we approach; swing the line to the stern of the boat and motor forward towards harbour pontoon, enough to get a bowline ashore. The aft line should be tensioned and you are left tight between the buoy and the wall like a disc between two fingers held on a string. You pull the string and the disc spins and you relax your pull and go again, the disc spins and whirrs ad infinitum. Our first attempt, we pick up the buoy and motor forward. The line is under the pulpit rail so we reverse. Second, the line comes aft and I hold on to it, motor forward, the line slides straight through my grasp before we reach the pontoon, we reverse.

Third, I tie off the line at its very end, motor forward and we pass a bowline to a helper ashore, but, no matter how hard I push the engine we have a twelve foot gap! We reverse. Fourth, I tie another line to the first and we motor forward and then we stop, 3 feet from the pontoon, the aft line is tensioned, we’ve done it! It’s 20.30 hours BST, we’ve been out for nearly 17 hours, 21.30 hrs Belgian time. Shore power is connected, we need a drink.