December ‘06
After
many years of hard work on behalf of the club and committee, Alison has stepped
down from her role as Publicity Secretary. I’m sure you’ll all agree that
she has done a fantastic job at compiling the newsletter to keep us all informed
with what’s been happening, both on and off the hill.
On
behalf of the committee, and the rest of the club, I’d like to thank Alison
for all her hard work and hope she enjoys a well earned rest, spending time
encouraging others to get out on the hills, and we hope to see her out and about
on hut meets.
In
the last newsletter, Alison mentioned the re-instigation of the Log Book, in
which you can record your outings for all to see and, (I hope), it makes
interesting reading for years to come, as you will see further on.
Please
take time to contribute to it, as it will make my life easier when compiling
news items, and it forms the part of the clubs history. It will be available
every Thursday evening at the Holywell from December and, as it’s December,
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
to
all of our members. Look forwards to seeing you during 2007 and if you have any
items for the next newsletter, don’t be shy, write or email me.
Thanks.
Andrea
November
9th saw a slide show at our new base, The Holywell Inn, in their huge tent at
the back of the pub.
A
good turn out to see Ian showing his photos of hammerhead sharks and such like
from his recent diving travels to the Galapagos. Hiring a boat to get from one
island to another, he got to see some rare and beautiful creatures of the sea,
with a couple of very close encounters!
Steve
made a special trip to the club to tell us about his travels to
Thanks
to both. A great night.
On
a superb autumn day in November, the Louts headed off to Derbyshire for a brisk
circuit taking in the
Now,
if you’re interested in joining the louts for a stroll, we usually go on the
first Monday of the month.
I
can’t tell you what a pleasure it is, knowing that half of the population are
at work whilst the other half are out playing. That’s another thing, how come
the pubs are so full on a Monday? The Saga Louts on this outing were
Trowie (32), Stuart (32), Brian K (32), Teeth (32), Ed (32) Monty (32) Matt (18)
and special guest Mildred (21) (loutette) with Rob (dog) and Jake (dog).
Anyone
interested in going on this trip should make themselves known as soon as
possible as the cost of the flights will be considerably cheaper if you book
early.
The
intention is to fly from Stanstead to Llublijana on Saturday May 28 and return
the following Saturday.
With
hired transport, we’ll be heading off to stay somewhere in the
The
mountains provide unsurpassed walking and climbing in limestone scenery that has
remained unspoilt since its glaciers first receded. Footpaths are well
maintained and signed and many mountain huts are strategically placed for us to
consider some hut-to-hut expeditions. As it’s early spring, there should be a
mass of flowers in the high pastures and the local wildlife includes Chamois,
Ibex, Choughs and even Eagles.
Once
we have a rough idea on numbers, we can book the accommodation, so let me (ED)
know as soon as possible. These trips are not expensive, so don’t be shy!
This
years packed trip (22 of us) to Patterdale in the Lakes was eventful to say the
least! It began on Friday night, having to drive through snowstorms, gales and
lightning to the hut, taking a detour via Keswick after having to reverse down
the
The
forecast for the weekend was that Saturday was going to be better than Sunday,
so as you’d expect, Saturday was extremely wet with snow on the tops, and
Sunday saw glorious sunshine and clear blue skies…! The George Starkey hut,
used by the club for many years, provided excellent accommodation, and with snow
down to 1000ft, the scenery was absolutely stunning.
Brian
K, Matt, Ted, Ackie, Tim and Ian attempted “St Sunday on Saturday” but were
beaten off by the weather. Sue, Ed, Teeth, Toni, Brian G, Dave and myself
opted for a walk along Ullswater, returning along the flanks of Place Fell,
where we bumped into Mark, Ali and Ben who had been for a splash in every single
puddle. He’d walked over a mile without being carried, so a chockie biscuit
and snooze was in order.
Ken
& Tracy put in two good outings, including High Street, as did Kev &
Ruth.
Harry
& Stef battled there way over Grizedale, returning just in time to join
everyone for homemade cakes and a cuppa in front of the log fire before heading
off to the White Lion for an excellent meal, and some bad karaoke from one of
the locals, which got worse back at the hut, with certain members thinking they
could do better...groan!
All
in all, a wonderful weekend, despite the weather.
Winter
is upon us, and our climbers are doing their thing inside. Almost every
Thursday, and occasionally Wednesday or Sunday, our merry band have been at the
wall, honing their skills in preparation for spring.
Regulars
include Richard, Beastly, Teeth, Brian K,
The
first Thursday of the month, we also try and get as many bods down to The Tower
as possible, although I see we’ve managed to clash with a committee meeting
this month! It’s an excellent chance for you to try it out or brush up on your
skills, so get yourself down there. Get in touch with any of the above if
you’re interested.
As
usual, we head out after Christmas for a stroll to work off that excess pud.
Everyone is welcome and the walk is just about long enough to get the joints
limbered up and the lethargy shook off.
This
year’s pub stop will be at The Grouse Inn, Froggatt in the Peak District and
we’ll be leaving
Anyone
wanting a lift, just let us know in advance.
This
annual event, instigated by John in nineteen hundred and frozen to death, has
always seen a great turnout for the club and it’s a great way to catch up with
friends old and new and plan next year’s activities. Feel free to bring along
anyone else who might be interested.
In
the unlikely event that John can’t lead the walk (he’s recovering from
another op on his foot) Ed will be doing the honours.
The
committee for 1981-2 was Brian, Don, John B, Dave G, Brian A and John T.
They’d discussed the prospect of buying a minibus or club hut but decided it
was “too ambitious”. Club subs went up from £1 to £2 and a coach trip to
Hathersage, organised by Jenny was full. Dissatisfied with the attitude of the
landlord at The Hollybush (he’d let out our room out to the CND without
consulting us) the club later moved to The Holywell Inn. Meets for that year
were: Froggatt; Roaches; Ogwen; Snowdon; Lakes; Nantle; Brecon Beacons; Moelwyns;
Forest of Dean and Cheddar Gorge, however, the Beacons meet was cancelled
because of “increased Government action” in the area with many parts closed
off.
During
1991-92 we rented our own hut (barn) in
In
use most weekends, we held joint meets with
Over the last few months, Mark H and Ian B (and Alison on one occasion) have been competing in the Midlands Trailquest series.
A
Trailquest is an orienteering event, ridden on a Mountain Bike, and is currently
the fastest growing branch of off-road cycling in the
Any one interested in taking part, or wanting more information should see Mark or Ian.
The
next events are:
7
Jan Tilton on the Hill (3hrs); 21 Jan Coleshill (3hrs);
11 Feb
The
year kicks off in
If
you want skiing this winter: see Harry P for his trip to the French
In
February we’ve got Ben End Cottage, Glencoe, and this is booked SUN to THURS,
departing FRI am for a weekend in the lakes. If you can’t make the week, why
not join us for the weekend in the Lakes. Note: For Glencoe you will also
need to bring a musical instrument, whether you can play or not! See you there!
NOTABLE
DATES
DEC
9/10 INGLETON HOSTEL TRIP YORKSIRE
DEC
14 Free NIBBLES & SKITTLES Heathcote Arms, Croft
DEC
27
JOHNS CHRISTMAS PUD WALK
JAN
8 SAGA LOUTS DAYWALK IN THE
PEAK
1st
Thursday of the month over the winter, meet around
6-ish
at
In addition to the advertised meets, we have a range of activities including climbing, walking and mountain biking, all arranged on an ad-hoc basis at The Holywell Inn on a Thursday night.
To
book on a hut, simply contact Ed and pay your deposit of £5. Unless informed
otherwise, you’ll need a sleeping bag, food for the weekend (all huts,
including hostels, have cooking facilities - although some members tend to
gravitate towards the local hostelry) and your kit. All huts have showers, are
heated and wherever possible, our ladies get a room to themselves.
Last
year, all our meets were blessed with fine weather and the long range forecast
paints a similar picture for 2007- but don’t get lulled into a false sense of
security: “Be Prepared” and you won’t be disappointed.
If
you need to borrow any kit, the club does have some crampons, ice axes and
helmets and members are renowned for hoarding boots, sacs, waterproofs and just
about anything you might need, so just ask.
If
you need a lift, mention this at the time of booking as we try to maximise car
spaces in order to keep costs down.