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BUTTERMERE 7^th–9^th November 2003

Colin, Keith & Michele left Nuneaton at 7am on Friday not only missing the worst of the traffic but also ensuring a day on the hill as well.

At the Latrigg car park near Keswick there were blue skies and pleasant warm sunshine and by 11am we were on our way to the summit of Skiddaw.  It was warm going at first, but higher up there was a cool wind and we took shelter beyond the summit of Little Man for lunch.  On top it was decidedly cool and blustery so after recording the trig point flush bracket number and having a quick look around we turned for the descent.

The route was varied by descending over the grassy slopes of Sale How to Skiddaw House.  Recently a Youth Hostel, someone had scribbled a note to reprimand to the YHA about their habit of closing small hostels.  After all, there are few hostels in the UK where there is only access by foot.

Continuing, we followed the deepening valley of the Glenderaterra Beck before turning on a contouring path to return to the starting point before 4pm.  A much better way to spend the day than the rest of the group, who joined other friends of the M6 for a get together in Staffordshire and Cheshire.

 Saturday was less promising with cloud scudding across the tops.  Tony and Les headed off for Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale for some climbing while Eileen, Richard and Keith Hilton joined the previous days group to walk the hills on the south side of Buttermere.

At 8.50am we left Buttermere and headed towards Crummock Water where we ascended by the waterfalls of Scale Beck.  Higher up the wind strengthened considerably with gusts of up to 50 mph, and shelter was taken on the slopes of Red Pike.  Strangely this proved to be the strongest wind of the day, and though the tops were in mist, progress was straightforward. 

High Stile at 807 metres was the highest point of the day where again it was misty, but the walk to High Crag afforded the well known views down the cliffs to Dalegarth House on the far side of Buttermere.  Beyond, the steep descent to Scarth Gap and improving visibility gave good views to Ennerdale before what proved to be the final ascent of the day to Haystacks was made. 

There was little enthusiasm to continue to Fleetwith Pike so we descended to Warnscale Bottom, Gatesgarth (Richard was now far in the distance) and the shores of Buttermere.  Here Tony and Les passed after a successful day on the crags and even managed to take some rucksacks back to the hostel for us, while we walked the lake shore with its tunnel path back to Buttermere.

Sunday was also overcast but we had decided to go for the hills on the north side of Buttermere and Honister Pass. 

Starting from Chapel Bridge in Newlands at 9.05am the whole group took the track to Dalehead Tarn walking into a steady breeze.  Again the wind was strongest in the earlier part of the day and by the time we reached the summit of Dale Head the wind had moderated and it was even trying to clear.

Moving on to Hindscarth we all squeezed into a shelter for a bite to eat before continuing pleasantly to Robinson where the mist came in again.  Descending from here back to Newlands is the long ridge of High Snab Bank and its rock steps before the final steep descent to Scope Beck and the starting point.

An excellent weekend and two enjoyable nights in the local Buttermere pubs.  Special mention to the banter provided by the Australian barmen in The Bridge, to Richard for booking the hostel and to all the drivers.

Colin Green

Pyrenees walking holiday

 23^rd August – 7^th September 2003

 After last years successful trip to Sardinia, the Pyrenees was the venue for this years walking holiday.  Six members of the Club, Keith and Michele Kondakor, Richard Dean, Nick Barr, Keith Hilton and myself, Eileen Walsh, decided that we would like to go, so we sat down to plan and pre book, using the internet, our flight and accommodation for our expedition to the mountains.

 We left East Midlands airport late Saturday afternoon and arrived in Toulouse to a temperature of 37 degrees, and spent the first night in a hotel in the city. The next morning we caught the train, which was very clean and on time, to Lourdes and then a bus to Luz St Sauveur.  The bus to Gedre was not due for several hours and after looking at the map we decided to walk. The route was mainly on footpaths and fairly easy going, unfortunately it decided to rain, it was still very warm and the rain was not very heavy so we did not put on our wet weather clothes. The rain got heavier and we ended up getting very wet and turned up at our first hostel like a bunch of drowned rats.  The hostel was full of French school children but we had pre-booked and given a room with six bunk beds.  Richard had during the day found a ball of string, which came in very handy, strung between the bunks, making a line to dry our wet clothes.

 Next morning after a short bus ride we arrived in Gavarnie, a small village at the base of the mountains, were we purchased our food supplies and started our trek from Gavarnie (1365m) to Refuge des Sarradets (2587m).  The first hour was on a large track along side a river, this track goes as far as the Hotellerie du Cirque, where we stopped for some liquid refreshment before starting our climb up the valley and out of the Cirque de Gavarnie with its fantastic rock formations, glaciers and amazing waterfall, the Grande Cascade.  The weather was hot and sunny and we were not in any hurry so we were able to spend time admiring the spectacular views.  We reached the hut by early evening, Richard who always walks faster than any one else was already on his first beer when the rest of us arrived.

 The hut like many of the Alpine huts and Refuges was very basic, the standard sleeping accommodation being a long communal bunk with mattresses laid side by side. In all the huts we stayed in, we found the evening meals to be very good.  This hut like all the other huts we stayed in was very full and we were thankful that we had pre-booked or we may have struggled to get a place.

 The next morning we set out to climb up to the Breche de Roland through what was left of the snow field.  The Breche is a notable gap in the frontier about 40 meters across with walls 100 meters high. On the other side is a large boulder/scree field before the ground flattens off to a more enjoyable terrain and headed towards the Refuge de Goriz.   (2170m), where we spent the next two nights. During the walk we saw, as well as spectacular views, a lot of birds of prey and alpine flowers. The next day dawned very misty with lots of low cloud but we still set off to climb Monte Perdido (3355m) the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees. When we got to the glacial lake the weather was still bad, so Michele and I decided to return to the valley whilst the men slogged up the final slopes to reach the summit and were rewarded with a very brief view of the surrounding area.

 On our final night at the Goriz hut we were treated to the best lightening storm I have ever seen with hail the size of marbles pinging off the roof and metal walkways. It woke us all, except for Keith H who managed to snore through the lot of it, then in the morning declare that he never slept a wink all night.

 The next day we walked through the Ordesa Gorge, Richard took the high route whilst the rest of us chose to walk along the valley floor.  The Ordesa National Park is truly amazing with towering cliffs, spectacular waterfalls, forests and views to take your breath away, it must be one of the most spectacular regions in Europe. Our destination for the next three nights was Torla, a small town situated about 4 km from the Park, where we stayed in a hotel, sheer luxury after three nights in the huts.  The days here were free to explore the canyon, surrounding villages or to simply relax.

 Our route back was along side the River Ara which again afforded great views and splendid walking conditions staying at the Bujaruelo hostel and then through the Vallee de Gaube for our last hut night at the refuge des Oulettes de Gaube. The route up to this point had been well marked until we got to the valley floor when the markers ran out and we had to use our compass to find the hut in the mist that had come down.  From here we walked up through the  Pont d’Espagne back into France and continued alongside the river and through the wooded valley to the spa town of Cauterets. We spent two nights in Cauterets, giving ourselves time to rest and explore the area.  The cable car at Cauterets, afforded us with a quick and easy way to get into the mountains, cheating, but it was a rest day.

 From Cauterets we caught the train to Lourdes, and the least said about this place the better, where we had a stop over for one day before catching the train back for a final night in Toulouse before returning home on the afternoon flight.

 The trip was a great success. On the whole we were very lucky with the weather and managed to get a good combination of walking and relaxation days giving ourselves time to see a little of the area and to enjoy the local hospitality.

EILEEN WALSH