Outside Now!

Out and About

Despite the weather, we’ve had a very active few months, with members travelling far and wide. Stef and Harry have recently returned from a fantastic trip to Peru, completing the Inca trail and Cordila Blanca, which you can read about further on.

Nigel M spent a fortnight in Chamonix with friends, ticking off the Aig du Tour south summit and the Cosmiques Arete (a great ice pitch) to name just a few.

Closer to home, climbers have made the most of any break in the weather to head to the Peak District and play. We’ve had very active and well-attended hut meets over the last few months, and although Coniston was a bit wet, members still managed to take in the Old Man amongst others. You’ll be able to read about these adventures in the next few pages!

Following our recent Presidential Election, Harry P has been elected the new President of the club—Congratulations, Harry! Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote.

Our annual skittles match against Rugby MC was a great success, even though we lost by a mere 3 points! We had a great turn out, and a good time was had by all. Thanks to Andy T for organising it!

Also, John M has recently completed his SPA at Plas y Brenin.

Thanks to all those who wrote articles for this edition, if anyone has any write ups, please email me

edwardsandi@hotmail.com

or take it to the Holywell on a Thursday night.

Presidents Meet 2007

It’s that time of year again! The Presidents Meet will again be held at the Chamois Hut, Llanberis in North Wales, on 12/13th October. Like last year, a few members will be locked in the kitchen until they produce a meal good enough for HMC appetites! The cost of the whole weekend is £30. Enclosed with this newsletter is your booking form and menu choice. If you want to go, could you fill in your meal options and return it, along with a cheque made payable to Dave (Chairman). The deadline for returning your form and money is Fri 28th September.

Please ensure that you have booked yourselves on by this date, as there are limited spaces available.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, there will be a photo competition, judged by Ted C, consisting of 3 categories;

“Action”, “TAT Worthy”, &“Landscape”. Each person can enter 6 photos MAX, which can be from the past or present. The entry fee is £1 per person, with prizes for each category and the possibility of the 12 best photos being put into a HMC desktop calendar.

Crianlarich May Bank Holiday by Dave P and Andy T

A few club members enjoyed 4 days walking in the Southern Highlands, staying at Crianlarich Youth Hostel. Those present were Dave P, Brian G, Tim ‘Son of John T’ , Ed and Andy T. Also there in spirit were Stanislaus, prospective members Sven and Hermione.

Sunday dawned and it wasn’t raining, so Dave and Brian drove up to the car park at Dalrigh, the starting point of their walk. They walked over the river Cononish and then headed up to very picturesque Allt Coire Dubhchraid following the stream until they reached the waterfalls at 1500ft on the slopes of Ben Dybhchraig. From there they crossed the top of the falls and headed into the forest of Glean Auchreoch following forest tracks back to the car park after a walk of 8 1/4 miles. Ed, Tim and Andy went on a mini epic along 3 munros; Beinn Chabair, An Caisteal, and Beinn Chroin. They were out for 9 hours and not even Ed’s two pork pies (perhaps they were too small…) could help him or Teeth catch up with Tim. Views were tremendous, as was the weather, with views of Arran, The Paps of Jura, Ben Nevis etc.

On Monday Dave and Brian drove to a car park on the shores of Loch Achray, to commence their walk to the summit of Ben Venue (2391ft). On their walk they encountered a herd of 8 feral goats grazing high on the hillside. The views from the top of Ben Venue were outstanding - they could see as far as the Cobbler (about 18 miles away). Their walk back took them through the forests in Gleann Riabhach and back to the car park, a walk of around 9 miles.

Both Ed and Andy had developed the characteristic “West Highland Way Shuffle” (see Ed for details). Tim was still fresh and keen for another mega day so they went out in the cold but clear air over Beinn Dubhcraig. Ed and Teeth called it a day there, but Tim continued over Beinn Oss before rejoining them at the col and descending into Cononish Glen for the walk back to the car.

On the Tuesday, the rain had eventually found its way back into Scotland, but Dave and Brian weren’t put off, so they set off from the hostel at Crainlarich and walked the West Highland Way to Tyndrum, 8 1/2 miles. They had already decided that their transportation back would be a bit more comfortable, so they caught the train from Tyndrum back to Crainlarich. It seemed funny—2 1/2 hours walking there and only 10 mins back!

All in all, a very enjoyable trip.

Bits n Pieces Ed

Four members from HMC ran in the Joy Cann Memorial Road Race from Huncote Leisure Centre (1 Aug) - a ‘proper run’ (i.e. only speed is required) of 5 miles.

Kev T finished in 33 mins, Tim G (34 min) Ian E (51 min) quickly followed by Ruth T (51 min). After all the rain we’ve had lately, it would have been nice to have some on the night, as it was baking. Anyway, a nice run and “Tiger” to finish with!

Teeth and his brother, together with Richard and The Beast have been pedalling for England. They’re training for the Coast to Coast and hoping to do it in 3 or 4 days in late August although it could take them a bit longer than planned as it would appear that most of the accommodation revolves around pubs. Good luck guys. Sinc and Carolyn are also training for the same trip in September, but how Sincy is going to manage the training in the North Sea remains a mystery. Good luck to them also.

Climbers will no longer have to paint the snow yellow, after authorities in France installed a toilet on the snow capped peak of Mont Blanc.
The toilets are close to the summit of the 4,260 metres (14,000 feet) peak, and will serve the 30,000 visitors who climb the mountain every year.
So there should be no more recriminations about, "You should have gone at base camp," or a desperate search for a rock to hide behind, to spoil the summit moment. And as local mayor Jean-Marc Peillex said: "This move was much needed. Our beautiful mountain's white peak was full of yellow and brown spots in summer."

That’ll be handy for our trip to Chamonix next year!

Climbing 07 the story so far…… by Richard E

It is still an active year for the climbers despite the rain. The forecasts are not always right especially in the Peak district, and lately the afternoons have been great after a wet start.

The climbing wall scene has been active as ever, with Tracy leading the way followed closely by a recovering Lee L. Lee, who recently had a motorbike accident, isn’t at his best yet, but his best is very good. On the theme of climbing walls we have a new breed of climber - The Indoor Wall Climber (IWCs). It’d be nice to see some of you make it outside.

Kev and Ruth have been busy outside with a good number of days out. On a trip to North Wales they bagged the classic Amphitheatre Buttress (VDiff) amongst other routes. They have also been introducing new people to the sport, including Ruth’s friend Andrea, who has been out a few times. They all went along to the ill-fated “longest day” trip (21 June) when both Stanage and Birchens were visited. Lee S joined them at Birchens in time to catch the rain. A route was climbed despite the nasty weather. Good effort.

On a personal note my climbing year is going well so far with me having just passed 200 routes. Check the log book for details. Andy T has also been doing well for someone in full time work with 80 odd routes. Apologies now for a list, here is the rest of the people out and about in no particular order; Ackie, Elvin, Tracy, Megan, Beasley, Alison R, Dave G, Annie, George E, Mark, Ben and Alison H, Neil M, Lee L, Nigel, and Brian K. The new climbers are quickly getting into their stride. Maureen and her friend Ruth, Chris, James, Mary, Mark and Dave W have all been active, with many doing their first leads. Apologies to anyone I have missed out. Here’s hoping for better weather.

A Wet Weekend in the Lake District

It turned out to be a bit of a wet weekend in Coniston this year. After an excellent trip up (3hrs 40mins) we headed to the Black Bull for refreshments. At this point, the weather was OK—Dave and John had managed a walk in glorious sunshine. Richard, Tracy, Brian K and Pete B had also come up early to do some climbing at Wallowbarrow in the Duddon Valley, doing routes including Digitation (MVS4b) and Thomas (S). They then “sampled the delights of the Newfield Inn in Seathwaite”. Pete H arrived at 7pm and decided to go for a sunset walk. He climbed Wetherlam, but as it was a bit chilly, he didn’t stop, and instead carried on to do Black Sail, Sail How, Great Carrs and Grey Friars! So far, things were looking promising …

Morning dawned revealing torrential rain! Ed, Sue and I did a gear shop traverse in Ambleside, while Annette, Sinc, Ewan and Ian B braved the elements to head up the Old Man. Dave P and Stuart did a short walk which guided them into the pub (@1 pm!). Lee L and new member Maureen also headed to Ambleside for a spot of shopping and a second breakfast, followed by Kendal Climbing Wall, managing to get up to 6C+! Pete and Richard also spent the day inside at the wall. Neil, Andy A, and the Whyte family went mountain-biking to Grizedale forest to do the North Face Trail, a 12 mile route. Duck boards proved a slight problem as the ground was so wet, but luckily there were no major injuries, and as Neil said “Thoroughly wet through, but good fun!” Elvyn, Pete H, and Brian K also decided to take a stroll in the rain, walking to Little Langdale, via Tarn Haus and had afternoon tea in the ‘Dog House’, part of the N.Trust.

On returning to the hut, members were met by the aroma of Ed’s Soup Kitchen! Minestrone and Oxtail soup, followed by tea and cake—a great way to refresh! Unfortunately there was no hot water, due to a problem with the heater in the hut, so instead of showering, we just headed straight to the pub for tea.

It was a great weekend, even though the weather wasn’t at its best, and people still got out there and enjoyed themselves! By Andrea

Driving up through half decent weather, it seemed a shame to waste the day, so Stuart and Dave called off for a walk just East of Kendal. They walked along Cunswick Fell to the large cairn at the top and returned following the top of Cunswick Scar, a 100ft limestone cliff. They then crossed Underbarrow road and walked along Scout Scar, and were able to see out over Morcambe Bay as far as Blackpool Tower. They returned to the car after walking 5 miles. On Saturday they decided that the inclement weather (it was pissing it down) wouldn’t put them off. They set off into Coniston and walked via a circuitous route to Bowmanstead, then up the hillside towards the Walna Scar road which they met just above Boo Tarn returning back to Walna Scar car park and then to Crowberry Haws, just above the Coppermines Valley. They returned to the hut after 6 1/4 miles. On the way home on Sunday, they called for a walk in Sedgwick, famous for being the family home of the Wakefields who set up a gunpowder manufacturing factories nearby. They walked over fields to Summerlands and down the banks of the deserted Lancaster Canal. On returning to Sedgwick, they had walked 6 1/4 miles. By Dave P

A Peruvian Diary: Part 1 by Harry P

27/6/07 And so it begins. Up at 3am for our flight to Schipol airport, Holland on our first leg to Peru. Then a 45min flight followed by a short wait before we boarded the flight to Lima, Peru. The flight took just over 12 hours, non-stop, with that time taken up watching films, listening to music, eating and trying to get some sleep, which didn’t happen. Arrived in Lima at 4.40pm, and then went to collect our luggage. After 20mins I was beginning to get a feeling of Deja Vue. I was right – our luggage was still in Holland. We had to fill out various forms along with about 20 others in the same position, before meeting with Alexander, our Lima rep, who took us to our hotel in Miraflores, quite a nice area of Lima (and once home to ex-member Ian Wilcock).

28/6/07 Following morning, up at 6am for breakfast and back to the airport for internal flight to Cusco, which took 1 hour. Awesome views of peaks 5000 – 6000m en route. Landed in Cusco at 10.35am, to be met by Manuel, our rep, to transfer us to our accommodation – very pleasant. Given nothing to unpack, we went for a walk to the centre (only 5mins away). We found the Cross Keys pub and had a Full English breakfast! Quite hot in the sun, and starting to feel the altitude – getting a bit of a headache. Drinking lots of water and coca leaf tea helped, along with Hedex tabs.

29/6/07 Awoke early (am) then just dozed until 9.30am, with the headache subsiding. After breakfast we did a bit of sightseeing – 2 fascinating cathedrals, then out of Cusco and up to 3790m to visit Qenqu Saqsaywemon and Tambonachy. On return, our rep Manuel informed us that our luggage had now arrived at our hotel in Cusco. Then had a great meal at a restaurant overlooking the square.

30/6/07 A full day to Ollyantaytambo with Chris, our guide. En route stop offs at the Sacred Valley to see the different varieties of Llama and Alpaca, then to see how local women made Checha with sweet corn (potent). In the evening we met up with our fellow Inca travellers – Matz and Orsa from Sweden, Judy from the States, Tim and Liz who we had already met, and of course our guide Narciso or something like that!

1/7/07 Up at 5am for drive back to Ollantaytambo to get the train to our campsite. All except Stef went for a 3km walk up to some original restored Inca ruins at Wayna Qente. Great views back up the Urumbamba valley/river. The walk was quite steep in parts, Stef made the right decision to stay at camp not wanting to put any extra pressure on her knee. Dark at 5.20pm, and in bed by 8.10pm, amazing star constellations – saw the Southern Cross then watched the moon come up over the mountains after bed/sleep!

2/7/07 Woken up with hot drink and bowl of hot water to wash in! Set off at 7.50am, fairly flat with short inclines, on route some Inca ruins, then up to where we had to sign in with a guardian. At that point the terrain began to dramatically get steeper up until our overnight stop at 3800m. On route some stunning views back down to the valley and across to Veronica snow-capped range. Stef amazed me with her strength and stamina. Proud Hubby! I love her dearly.

3/7/07 A cold night, not surprising given altitude of 3800, tent covered in frost, and Stef added further injuries to herself by tearing a muscle in her side. Away by 8.00 with a slow grind up towards Dead Woman’s Pass at 4200m. Stef did brilliantly given her injuries. Downside was we now had to descend to 3600m before lunch. A good lunch set us up for the grind up to the West Pass at 4000m – start to see definite path - the Inca highway. A short descent to final tea stop, then on to our overnight camp perched high on a col with stunning views of Vilcobamba ranges and Salkantay. The day went through alpine levels down through sub-tropical with humidity of 60%.

4/7/07 I got up at 5.30 to watch the sunrise over Salkantay and Vilcobamba ranges. AWESOME is the only word. Following breakfast we had to say goodbye to the porters, who had done a brilliant job. Quite moving. 2-3 hours walking through tropical forest and drops over the edge of the path which seemed to go all the way down to the Urabamba. A stop for lunch at Intupata and a quick goodbye to the cooks who, for our last lunch, did a great beef stir-fry. Further stretch took us to Winay Wayna which I visited. Amazing site and architecture. We then carried on to Intipunku, again through lush tropical vegetation and butterflies of all sizes and colours. Then on rather steep set of stone steps which Stef needed Juan Carlos’s help. These took us to the Sun Gate and a first emotional view of Machu Picchu. Half hour walk down initially steep steps and path brought us to Machu Picchu itself. Photos, photos, photos before bus drove us down to Agues Calientes and our hotel, hot shower and out for a meal Alpaca, tasty. Tomorrow tour of Machu Picchu.

5/7/07 Early morning call at 4.30 as Narciso had us on a tour of Machu Picchu. On the bus up to the site, Narciso mentioned PASSPORT – I’d had my earliest senior moment having left them in the hotel. Ran back to get them, and still managed to meet up with the rest before entering the site. Sunrise across the Villcobamba range overlooking Machu Picchu. Narciso’s tour was wonderful, very informative and moving at the same time. He obviously loves his culture and heritage ‘a humane way’. After the tour I was the only one to climb Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain)2750m which gave another awesome view of Machu Picchu. Some hair raising situations on the way back down with stairs that if you fell off you’d end up in the Urubamba 1000’s ft below. Pleased with myself – did up and down in 1 ¼ hours. Met with Stef for a beer back at the exit to the site before bus ride back. Then headed back to Cusco, and went out for a final meal. It was an emotional farewell to Narciso, who will remain in our hearts forever.

To be continued in the next issue…..

Your Club. Our History: Jottings from old Log Books

1983

Climbing at Brassington in August, Don W & Brian G completed The Long Climb (S) Overhanging Chimney (HS) and Face Direct (VS), however, Don reckoned the hardest V Diff he ever climbed was Brassington Crack - strenuous and overhanging. They both did new routes in Sapcote quarry -Rupert Goes Climbing VS 4b(70ft) and Don/Pete L doing “Oops a Daisy” (HS) (65ft). Yes. Sapcote quarry!

Kev H completed the Snowdon Marathon (3hrs 53) and Harry the Worksop Half in 1hr 19min.

In October, the club teamed up with other local clubs on a 14 miler from Kington to Knighton along Offas Dyke, led by John T in memory of John B, a former committee member of the club. The same month, the Moelwyns hut was full and with great weather –snow on the summits, very clear and routes completed on Moelwyn Mawr; Moelwyn Bach & Cnicht. The evening entertainment by that great duo: Geoff K & Brian G, comprising of their own special brand of wit, sarcasm and bawdy humour. (Nothing changes eh, Brian).

1990

Fame. At least it was for a young Matt Birch who appeared in High Magazine. “We taught him everything” said a proud President (Don) although I suspect his natural climbing ability had something to do with it.

Dennis G had agreed to be our guest speaker at the Fernleigh for the clubs 10th anniversary, his fee being “some beer, some petrol money and somewhere to doss”.

No money was spared and we even had Asti Spumanti!!

During the year, members ran various training nights including First Aid (D Pybus), Map & Compass (J Marston) Planning & Leading (J Trow). All well attended.

The very first skittles night (against Rugby MC) took place on Thurs 15/11 at the Heathcote, and we won.

Phil R got engaged to Helen, whom he later married and now lives happily ever after - in the Lakes (aah).

Mick B of the Climbers Club cancelled our hut meet at Cwm Glas because “their committee wanted it that weekend” so Pete L wrote to the Climbers Club expressing our annoyance. Didn’t get anywhere though.

(Again, nothing changes. Ed’s tried booking Bosigran 3 times and still can’t get anywhere. Mr B is indeed, still a plonker.)

Saga Louts Weather The Elements by Ed

After one of the hottest springs on record, the saga louts (Trowie/Ed/Monty/Stuart & Brian K) ventured to the Cotswolds in early May - in pouring rain. It lagged it down all the way down the old Fosse, only to stop whilst we got kitted up in Blockley. By the time we got to the Great Western Inn, the sun was shining and the “Old Hookey” was flowing. Alison R (22) was the honorary loutette for the day, and as a care worker, it must have been like a bus-mans holiday!

The following month (June) was a trip to Sherwood Forest. Guess what. It pissed it down.

Lunacy had taken over from common sense so we sallied forth. There was no sign of life. Even the ducks had buggered off. Not to be outdone by Nick Crane (Coast), I walked all day with an umbrella. Not one of our best walks, but we did get some fine views and a decent pint.

PS. Monty Pybus has now clocked over 1600 miles this year, despite the rain.

You Could Be Here

Our next weekend away is at the Rockhall Cottage in the Roaches. A couple have dropped out at the last minute, so if anyone's interested, get in touch ASAP. It’s taken me two years to get this hut so I’d really like to fill it. Don’t be shy.

It’s not long to one of our favourite huts, Grasmere on Sept 8/9th and those of you that have been before will know that it is “Probably The Best Hut in the World”

Now, I know it’s been really hot lately, a bit like myself, but start thinking cold. Very cold. Snow in fact.

Yes. It’s skiing. And forward planning’s the name of the game.

March 15th 2008 is when we’re going.

Val Thorens; S/C; Many apartments.

I have 10 confirmed names, and up to 20 will be good. Beginners; Intermediates; Maniacs & Bad Ass boarders all welcome

Let me know – if you want to go.