OUTSIDE NOW

OUTSI= DE NOW!

November 2008=

Out and About

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Its been fantastic to see so many members getting out. Judging by the Forum on the HMC website, our climbers are out in force every week, whether its at the wall or out on the rock= . Hut meets have again been very successful, especially the recent President̵= 7;s Meet, which was an excellent weekend - the meal on the Saturday has been described as the best so far! Thanks to all the cooks for their hard work. =

The = AGM is fast approach= ing (Thurs 13th Nov @ 8.30pm). All members should make the effort to come = along as we need as many there as possible. Its at th= e Holywell Inn, London Road, and if you’re interested in a committee position, please give your na= me to Dave Pybus beforehand, together with two nominations.<= /p>

The Saga Louts are getting out regularly, as are the Thursday night bikers, bot= h of which always finish at a pub to re-hydrate! Of course, the climbers are nea= rly always doing something - they’re usually found at Warwick wall on Tuesdays and The Tower = some Thursdays, so if you fancy joining them, let them know, whatever your experience. In September, Neil, Rich, Kev and D= ave G had a ‘top day climbing at a sunbaked Roaches’ , ticking off <= st1:address w:st=3D"on">Central Route (VS 4a **) amongst ot= hers. On a trip to Stanage, many HMC members had a great day, with Andy T even g= etting to climb in his T-shirt!. Pete, Andy, Mo, Dave and Katie did Grou= nd Glass (VS 4c) and other routes ticked were Mantlepiece= Crack (Diff 4a) and Heather Wall (VS4c). This is just a taster of their activities - check out the forum if you can!

Thanks to all those who wrote articles for this edition, if anyone has any write u= ps, news etc, please email me edwardsandi@hotm= ail.com or take it to the Holywell on a Thursday evening. Thanks. = Andrea

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Help Required… = ; &n= bsp; = Lee

Now I'm coming back fr= om injury and happy again in the mountains and crags of the UK,

I need to finally fini= sh off getting my SPA...for which I need more group work with an SPA accredited instructor...
Basically what I'm asking for is the help of the SPA qualified members of t= he HMC to offer their time for me. The time I'm after is plain and simply to be with me at a crag whilst I run a session for anyone who wants a day on Rock= ...
This is where the rest of the HMC come in. Anyone who w= ants to experience a day of real, outdoors rock climbing please contact me via t= he forum or get in touch.
This isn't limited to members either, it could i= nclude friends, family (kids), and colleagues...
Please note that the way I will have to run the sessions will involve no-one having to lead climb, they will have the security of a rope above them at a= ll times...although you may learn how to belay out of the process!!! Also, previous experience is not necessary as complete novices are more than welc= ome. However, if some of the more experienced amongst you want to come along to = be bodies that will also be welcomed as I need to log group sessions, and it doesn’t say they have to be inexperienced people... (Also I could probably do with the loan of kit in the form of helmets and harnesses - if = you wouldn’t mind of course?) ☺
OK, so the ask for help and the offers out there…Let me know what you guys think?

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Sunny St Just

After completing the long journey down to St Just, Mo, Ed C and I arrived at the = Kellynack Campsite and bunkhouse in glorious sunshine – the perfect start to the weekend!

After sorting ourselves out, Ed and I found our way to the pub where we were join= ed by El Presidente and Stef.

Saturday dawned and John led a walk from the Bosigran hu= t to Zennor, joined by Netty A= , Andy and Hannah, Netty B and young Sam and Sophie. T= he weather was lovely and sunny, and they even managed some seal spotting. The= re was the obligatory pub stop at the Tinner’s Arms in Zennor, for a pint (or two) of Sharp Zennor Mermaid beer – John entertained the othe= rs for the rest of the day as he was giggling all afternoon! Meanwhile, Ed C and I went to Sennen for a bit of climbing, doing Sinner’s Route (D) and Junior’s Route (D), followed by a dip in= the sea, then a hot chocolate to thaw out! Harry and Mo also did Sinner’s Route, Senior’s Route (D) and then Junior’s Route (D), which Ha= rry had to lead, as Mo dropped her belay device! Their afternoon was spent on t= he beach and drinking! Stacey, Chris and boys had an excellent days surfing in= Newquay. Nigel and Katie also climbed at Sennen followed by a walk to L= and’s End, and the Whytes and Stef had a= great day on the beach. We all piled into the Wellington Arms in the evening, for some good food and a few drinks.

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day, the Anstees, <= span class=3DSpellE>Netty B and kids, Mo, Ed and I joined John for a walk= (yes, you read that right – Mo was WALKING!!!) from Ze= nnor to St Ives. It was a lovely walk – thanks to John for leading it R= 11; and we even managed to find a nice spot for a little bit of sunbathing, followed by a few drinks and Cornish pasties when we reached St Ives. Harry= and Stef raced to the beach for some body boarding, while Nigel and Katie climb= ed at Bosigran, followed by a trip to St Ives for = some retail therapy, and a cold dunk in the sea!

So all in all, a very active bank holiday weekend, with fairly good weather, a= nd it was good to see a wide range of members getting out and enjoying themsel= ves.

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Club Discount Make sure you read this!!!!

It has been arranged that the club will get a 15% discount at all Cotswold shops. However, it is dependent on us spending £1000 before November 2009, w= hen the discount will be reviewed. I’m sure you will all find this useful= for those days when you ‘have’ to do a gear shop traverse!

The club has a discount code, that you have to present in= order to get the discount. Membersh= ip is due from 1st Jan 2009, so once you’ve paid up, you will be given the discount code, and you can go spend! Remember, £1000 before next Nove= mber (as a club...not £1000 each!)

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BMC Lecture

Another quick reminder about the forthcoming BMC Winter Skills lecture.

Its on Thursday 20th November= , at Lutterworth College, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5 each, see Ed (short one) if you want to go.

The sp= eakers are Dave Hollinger and Rob Jarvis, who will share tales of their winter mountaineering and climbing and cover many topics that will no doubt be of interest, so make sure you get your tickets!

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Little Langdale Ed (short one)

ItR= 17;s been a couple of years since we were last in Little La= ngdale, a fine hut, in a peaceful position.

I reme= mber on one occasion there with a serious water-pistol battle, with pump action wat= er guns, followed by a “midnight mooning session” in the quarry nearby. Much tamer this time though.

To quo= te The Stones ….“What a drag it is getting = old” !

Anyway= , on the Friday, Rich & Mo did “Wall & Corner” (V.Diff) on Wallowbarrow - a 3 pitch route that “was closer= to HVS” said Mo. (“Well - it was sooo wet”).

Saturd= ay, having looked at the weather,= the majority of us opted for a ten mile walk, via Tilberthwaite and over to Coniston and The Black Bull= for refreshment. Lovely day and., wahey, ..we stayed dry!

Chris = & Dave G had decided the weather was OK for an attempt on the Wetherlam/Swirl How fells - and … got soaked! Never mind chaps - character building stuff.

And as for Netty B. Well. She lost her purse with cash and= cards in, drove back to Coniston and found said purse still on the floor of the p= ub, where we had been sitting. Lucky or what?

That n= ight, some dined at the pub, some at the hut, and we were joined by our old friend Robin B, who now lives in Dumfries. Many= of you will remember Robin for his guitar playing and climbing skills, and you’ll know which one he was best at! Nice to see him again, and he says he misses the club and the camarade= rie. Aah.!<= /span> We miss Rab as well!

Sundays weather was fine: Brian K, Chris, & Netty B ticked off Coniston; The Ed’s, Ewan, Theresa & Carolyn did the Elter Water circuit and Robin, Rich, Mo & Gianluca went climbing on Raven Crag, ticking Middlefell Buttress (4 pitches) and Hollytree Travers= e (2 pitches). Another fantastic weekend.

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President’s Meet 2008&nbs= p; &= nbsp; Andre= a

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Another successful President’s Meet this year, with Harry doing an excellent = job of his President’s speech. Lee L was awarded the President’s Award for his strong comeback from = his motorbike accident to do a solo summit of Mont Blanc= in July.

Some m= embers managed to get there early to get a days activit= ies in, but most arrived on Friday evening.

Saturd= ay was a bit of a wet day! Harry, Stef, Ash and Alex did the Fisherman’s Walk = from the copper mines, up and down Cwm Bychan to Beddgelert, as did Andy A and Hannah.

Dave T= and Julie, the Whytes, Andy T, Dave G, Netty B, Mike, Teresa, Mark H, Ted, Elvyn and Ian B a= ll headed off together with the aim of Snowdon. Sinc and Carolyn started out a little after, and with= a bit of fell-running, managed to catch up with the rest. With a lot of bog-dodgi= ng, the group reached the summit of Cefn-du and c= ontinued to the summit of Moel Elio and along the ridge = to Foel Gron and Foel Goch. There was then a steep descent to Bwlch Maesgwm, where the = old miners track connects The Ranger Path with Llanberis. Carolyn realised that her boots were falling apart, so she, Teresa and Karen dropped off to get the bus back. The rest of the group carried on up the sl= opes of Moel Cynghorion and followed the fence down = to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog. After stopping for lunch, Sinc, Dave G, Ken, Tr= acy, Megan, Dave T, Julie and Mike G decided to call it a day and managed to get= a lift back with Andy A and Hannah, leaving Ted, Elvyn, Mark H, Ian B, and Netty B to conquer Snowdon!

Despit= e the weather, they met “...hundreds of walkers appearing out of the gloom = like the ghostly crew from the Pirates of the Caribbean walking on the seabed. It was just as wet at 3000ft.” (Ted) Congratulations to Netty B, on her first trip u= p Snowdon! After some discussion, they decided to hea= d back down towards the railway at Rhyd Ddu, where they almost missed the train, but Mark saved the day by throwing hims= elf in front of it, so they all managed to get on!

Climbe= rs were also out and about on Saturday. Lee, Hanna, Chris and Stacey went to Tremadog where, after some gentle persuasion by Lee, = they did Meshach (HVS 4c, 5a) and One Step in the Clouds (VS 4b, 4c, 4b). Hanna = was leading the final pitch as the rain came down, so Rich threw a rope so they could escape the rain and head back for dinner. Rich and Claire got out on = the rock, warming up on Boo-Boo (VD) and finishing on Hail Bebe (VD) before the ‘monsoon hit’. Ed C and I headed to Milestone Buttress to do the Rowan Route (D); we managed to get onto the second pitch before being rained off, so we then hit the shops!

Meanwh= ile, the chefs (Sue, Ed and Annette A) had been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. T= he meal was excellent- plenty of food and extremely tasty! A big thanks to all of them! Well-deserved TATs went = out to numerous members, and it was great to see so many good pics in the photo competition. The washing-up chain meant that within minutes everything was spotless! The night consisted of music, wine, beer, and a gr= oup chilling out in the ‘snug’ - Stacey suspected there wa= s a carbon monoxide leak as we were all wilting fast.

Sunday= was a late start for most (nothing to do with the beer and wine consumed the prev= ious evening). Most headed for the shops, and there were a few beach bums. Howev= er, the hardcore put the rest to shame—the biking group braved the weathe= r, for what turned out to be a very eventful day. Ken, Tracy, Meg, Annette A, = Ian B, Mark, and Neil set off to do Pen Machno. All= was going well, with much laughter and fun, until they reached the furthest poi= nt on the ride. From there, things went downhill (so to speak). Neil came off,= and badly injured his shoulder— looking ‘very white’, he said ‘Its ok, its definitely not broken ‘= cos it doesn’t feel like the other one did when= I was skiing. Its probably just muscular, I’ll try and carry on.’ However, things were a bit more serious, and eventually he ended up with Ia= n B in A & E. A three hour wait in a hospital waiting room persuaded him th= at it’d be better to just head straight home and let Emilie take him to = one closer to home. Luckily, Neil should make a full recovery, apart from a rai= sed shoulder.

So, de= spite the weather, everyone managed to get out and do something, and the Saturday evening was, as usual, a great success. Once again, thanks to the Chefs, and we’ll look forward to next year!

A few words about the “Toscars” at the Presidents Meet <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Ted

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Anot= her good showing of pictures by members this year with a pleasing increase in entrie= s, particularly in the climbing section.

About 100 pictures were submitted by 8 members, with some exceeding their quota o= f 6 pictures per entry. I eliminated the excess leaving 42 shots for the show, = and then reduced those to about 12 for the final decision.

The stage was set for the Tat award with some club members having big parts, gi= ving a winning picture to Dave T, although I would suggest to Dave that he uses a close up lens next time! If there had been a runners up prize, that would have been Mo looking at the non existing Bus Time Table. However in my humble o= pinion it was too far away for maximum impact, never be afraid to shove a lens up someone’s nose, I do it all the time, but there again I get my face smacked sometimes.

The landscapes are always a subject for argument, but I like…yes you know= “ a bit of scale”, someone or something to= give some proportion to the scene. Harry’s Chamonix= pic was excellent as was S= inc’s, the winner, a difficult choice. Mind you Sinc w= as lucky, his disc had 51 pictures, so I selected the fir= st 6 that came up onto the computer.

Climbing pix were excellent all round, and as mentioned = many more than last year. Again two pictures grabbed by eye, Chris climbing with= the sea breaking beneath him and Dave G’s shot Tracey high on the crag. I went for the glamour shot of course.

Other notable pix, were Stacey’s atmospheric su= nset shot of a climber belaying, Andy T’s “Amai= zing” shot, although perhaps a little corny! And of course Gian Luca getting his leg over by Dave G.=

Winner of the “Ah” category, which didn’t ex= ist was young cragbabe Holly. Dad, Neil (aka Swampy) insisted it was entered in the Climbing section, but I put it with the Tats, poor child, no helmet, no harness, no top rope and pretty shoes. Although I suppose it could be argued that this is climbing in its purest form.

Finally many thanks to Mike for supplying the Digital Projector.<= /p>

PS Hoping to put some pix together for the Lutterworth= lecture night to be shown advertising the club before the lecture. A few more climbing pix = and especially ice climbing pix would be welcomed (= and the odd mountain biking pic). Also pix from foreign parts, just to show how far club mem= bers climb around the world.

Cragrats=

The route section of the forum ha= s been buzzing over the last few months.

Stanage is always very popular. I= t is the largest of the gritstone edges, and currently has over 800 = recorded routes, which grows every year. There was a time when access was forbidden, and climbers had= to bribe their way in with barre= ls of beer…something we wouldn’t have had a problem with! =

In August, Andy T went with Pete, Tracy, Rich and Julie to a ‘very midgy Stanage’, to do Limbo Severe, The Ariel (V. Diff), The Green Streak (= VS) and others. = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Andy T went again in September, this time with Pete, Gianluca, Rich and Claire. They had a fun day out, ticking off Tango Crack (VD), Tango Buttress (HS 5a), amongst others.

Sarah and Brian were there in September, to do routes such as Dover’s Wall route 4 (VS 4b) and Paradise Wall (HS 4b).

Burbage North has also been a pop= ular destination recently. At the end of August, there was a mass HMC day out, a= nd Mo’s posting on the forum says it all…

‘Well I can't remember whe= n I had such a great fun day on the crag! What a day it was in Burbage North and totting up the HMC members there.... me, Harry, Teeth, Stacey, Chris, Stace= y's daughter Katie, Rich, Debs, Tracy, Meg, Colin & Josh, Nathan, Ed C & Andrea and Swampy (perhaps can't really count Holly!)....that's 16 PEOPLE O= UT! Wow! And thanks to you all for making my friend Matt so welcome. A realllllly good day.’<= /p>

&= nbsp;

Others= active included Neil climbing in Spain, completing the Bernia= Ridge in 9 hours, and yet another impressive HMC turnout at the Roaches (bo= th upper and lower tier) with Tracy, Rich and Dave G, Andy T, Gianluca, Neil, Kev, Ruth and Daniel (aged 9 weeks!).

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The Glorious Summer That Was!&n= bsp; Dave = T

When y= ou are lucky enough to get six weeks off work, the best thing to do is make the mo= st of it! So this year I loaded the Bongo with gear for the hills and the beach and headed for Chamonix just in time to miss Harry and Stef and welcome Lee back from his solo on Mont Blanc. After = seeing off the remaining HMC members, I enjoyed another week up the valley in Les = Praz with daughter Laura before heading off for Milan where Laura was heading back to UK and Julie was arriving ready for our tr= ip to Corsica and Sardinia.<= /p>

I last= looked on Corsica’s fabulous landscape back in 1978 while dossing around Europe as young folk do, so I was a little anxious = that it may have succumbed to the usual holiday developments which have “modernised” so many other Mediterranean beauty spots. Driving = out of Bastia with temperatures in the 90s it looked as if somehow the island h= ad managed to maintain its character and charm and this feeling was confirmed during the next week as we explored the north and west coasts after passing through the old capital of Corte. Dramatic craggy mountains, spectacular go= rges and a dazzling coastline make this place an almost ideal location for touri= ng. The only downside is that the driver needs to concentrate on the tortuous r= oads so missing much of the unfolding drama. The island would make a great spot = for a club meet but definitely not in August. Our plans to tackle some of the famous walks and treks were quickly shelved in favour of relaxing in the sh= ade and enjoying the clear turquoise waters before looking for the evening̵= 7;s quiet and remote camping location. Fellow van campers will be pleased to kn= ow that staying off site is quite normal here as it is in the rest of France, and the only visitors to disturb our peace and were a flock of goats and several feral porkers!

Sardinia was another story and a very dif= ferent week spent relaxing at a beach side campsite and enjoying the glorious weat= her and very cheap wine. We will definitely be returning to explore the island properly on a future trip but for this year it was back to Corsica for the last few days on the beaches in the south east including the stunni= ng Palombaggia and a dramatic trip inland to Zonza and the Aiguilles de Bavel= la. After a really fabulous trip we spent the final day sailing back to Genoa on the Moby= Lines ferry and had our final night in a car park outside a cemetery near Malpensa airport! Julie flew back the next day and I = ambled slowly back to Dunkerque via Lake Maggiore, St Gotthard tunnel and the Vosges mountains of eastern France.

I always enjoy my summer trips bu= t this one was something really special. Corsica remains for me the absolute tops in European destinations and lived up to a= ll my memories from previous visits. So now for the next trip...looks like a Chamo= nix start again!

Festive Fun!

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Nibbles Night

Usually, on the Thursday before Christmas, we have our nibbles night at The Holywell. Free = grub and a chance to offload all those cards you’ve spent hours writing! <= span class=3DGramE>Everyone welcome. Keep your ears open for confirmation!= = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; =

Christmas Pud Walk =

John Trow usually leads a walk just after Christmas. Nothing too strenuous with a chance to work off the excess! Date and destination to = be finalised. Keep your ears open for confirmation!

Ted’s Travels and Failures and No Mu= nros in Scotland, Sept 2008=

Leaving the wet English summer behind Carol and I found sunshine. Blessed Ullapool = had had the driest summer for 50 years, the omens looked good.

Next day we headed for Stac Pol= laidh, a mountain that had fascinated me since I first saw it 40 years ago. Only 2= 008 ft high, but the last 8ft was to prove my first failure of the holiday.

Like Tryfan, the ascent starts straight from the car= park and using a well-made new path that circles the mountain, we were at the bealach within an hour. The eastern and lower towers were a simple scramble= but the western and higher ridge looked impassable. We met a Canadian couple at= the bealach, so he and I pressed on. Following nail scratches on the rock we fo= und a thin path that worked a way through towers of rock, finally getting to the ridge proper. I felt confident that we would soon be at the top when he tol= d me that he had been in a blizzard in the Rockies three weeks earlier. But it wasn’t to be.

A “bad step” over a gully was solved when I felt a decent “jug” on the blind side of the crag, we scrambled around onto a cairned top only to find that the real summit, a few feet higher, was about 30 ft away, protected by= a 12 high convex slab of rock. Either side of that were wet gullies. Thinking of= the wives we had left (that’s as good an excuse as any) we gave up and le= ft it for another day.

I left my new companion and I returned, missed the route and found myself descending a vertical gully, which on the way up had looked unclimbable. It was very hairy and to be honest= I was stuck until I took off my sac, dropped it down 20ft or so leaving me to cli= ng on using fingernails, elbows, rear end and everything else to regain the initiative and descend.

Great little mountain, worth doing, but take a short ladder for the final bit.

Next day the English weather arrived, so a trip to the bone caves at Inchnadamph was taken. This was a guided walk by the Rangers, a Geologist and a Caver to the site at about a 1000ft where thousa= nds of reindeer bones were discovered. Best of all it was free…in Scotland!

This was however to be the scene of my second failure of the trip. Despite the r= ain about 20 visitors turned up and we trekked off up the limestone valley to t= he largest cave system in Scotland, very much like Dove Dale and the Manifold Valley only much bi= gger. The caves were also like Th= ors Cave in the Manifold Valley, high up the side of a crag. After a very interesting talk, we went into the next linked cave where one of the Rangers invited us to crawl along a passa= ge that led back into the first cave. Not wishing to let the club down, silly = me volunteered to try it. Well the first 10 yards was ok, on my hands and knee= s, but the exit hole was about the size of a large dinner plate. “Its easy”, shouted the Ranger “Everybody d= oes it” she lied. So adjusting my specs and head torch, I started to wrig= gle and writhe and jiggle and jerk and thresh and flounder and slither and…get stuck with my head in one cave and my body in the other. And = then to make matters worse, the Ranger’s dog, seeing this strange appariti= on appear, started alternately to snap and lick at my unprotected face. Wedged= and stuck, I lost my glasses, my head torch, and finally my courage. Thinking s= od this for a game of soldiers I retreated ingloriously rearwards, passing a younger guy who, borrowing my head torch, carrie= d on. Leaving that cave I went back into the first cave to see this guy scramble though the gap as his girlfriend took lots of photos of his struggles. Funny what people will do when someone is pointing a camera at them. Never seems to happen to me for some reason or other.

This cave system goes for a miles into the mountain w= here it joins up with other caves, and we were take up the hill to the main shaft which descended vertically into the bowels of the earth. The high tech Scot= tish engineering device to lower and raise men and materials was…three bicycles bolted together with a pulley driven by pedal power, giving a whole new meaning to mountain biking.

It continued to rain so we took a leisurely drive along the north west coast to the top of Scotland and the seaside village of Durness. A pretty place, next stop going north…the North Pole.=

Next day, Ullapool was getting busy, lots of policemen, squad cars, police CCTV vans, hippies and rockers, yes it was the annual= Loopallu festival (think about it) so despite the rai= n we headed up to Knockan Crag, another free site explaining the Moine Thrust Zone and why older = rocks can sometimes lay on top of younger rocks.

Opposite the crag is Cul More, a proper Corbett at 2785f= t, it was shrouded in clag but the rain had stopped. A good stalkers path led to = the main ridge and despite the mist three hours later we reached the top. And y= es it was the real top; there was a trig point. After a bit of compass work, d= own a bit, left a bit, up a bit, we reached the second summit and finally desce= nded back to the car park at the crag.

The rain continued the next day so we took a guide book walk to Eas a Chual Aluinn, the= highest waterfall in Britain and no I can’t pronounced it either but its 658ft high or deep. That is three times higher than the Niagara Falls. After a very wet two-hou= r walk we arrived at the lip of the falls, but being on top of it couldn’t s= ee much. The view from the other side would involve a 30 mile round walk.=

The weather finally improved, it was time to tackle Suilve= n, another mountain I had waited 40 years to climb. Only 2= 398ft high but 2398ft of mountain. Towering over the village of Lochinver its looks both impossible to get up and close to the road. In fact it’s the opposite= way round. Even from the nearest car park on the north side it’s a 3-4 ho= ur walk in to the start of the climb proper and on the south side at least 4 hours. We decided to make it a circular walk and backpacked. Leaving the ca= r at the tourist office in Lochinver we set off in t= he sunshine for a late afternoon hike into the hills on the north side. Taking= the tarmac road to the shooting lodge at Glencanisp= , we passed a sign “Walkers Welcome but please leave cars here”, fair enough; the estate provided a small car park. We soon met an All Terrain Vehicle coming down the track with gillies and = their clients, hanging over the back were two shot stags, “Oh deer Oh deer” said Carol forgetting she had had venison the night before. We passed the Suilbeag bothy<= /span>, which would have been a good alternative to the tent but we pressed on to f= ind a camp site by an ruined building. Overshadowed by Suilven= this was one of the best wild sites I have ever used. However we did spend the evening wondering how we would get to the bealach it looked impossibly stee= p, especially with big sacs.

It rained during the night, but the morning was dry but overcast. It took an h= our to get to the start of the 1000ft ascent across the pathless bogs. But here= we found a definite path, and an hour later we were at the bealach. Much easier th= an it appeared. Leaving our sacs we carried on and up another few hundred = feet to the summit. And here was a surprise, the summit consisted of a small pla= teau with closely cropped grass, and there were the lawnmowers, three quite fat sheep munching away. As the entire mountain is surrounded by steep crags, I could only surmise that they arrived there by helicopter. This was definite= ly the top, the eastern ridge, which we left alone, is lower and requires abse= ils and dangly stuff to complete.

The descent on the south side, just as steep and far, disproves Naismiths Law, as it took just as long as the ascent. Here we met four blokes just starting the climb. They had taken four hours from their car to get to that point. We and four deer watched them as we had lunch and they took an hour before reaching the bealach.

We pressed on meeting only two more walkers, on and on until 10 hours after leaving the tent in the morning we reached the road. Be= ing a gentleman (!!) I left Carol at the roadside and hitched back to the = car three miles away. I walked for nearly half an hour before the first car came along…it didn’t stop but a few minutes later I got a lift by a local who took me back to Lochinver. Knackered, I drove back to Ullapoo= l, now free of hippies and policeman. And arriving in the dark we put up the tent = at the excellent site by Loch Broom and an hour later celebrated the end of our hols with an excellent meal and a few drams and a few beers.

And that was the end, it still took two days to get home, a scenic drive down t= he west coast, an overnight camp at The Red Squirrel site in Glencoe and back = to reality.

Saga Louts &nb= sp; = Ed=

Ten of us (including 4 loutettes) completed a class= ic 10 miler from Hartington: the Beresford, & Wolfscote<= /span> dale and Shining Tor route - following paths alongside the River Dove and through continuously changing gorge scenery, via The George at Alstonefield for lunch.

It was “er indoors” first outing with the louts and, considering her ski injury in March, she went we= ll.

Unfortunately for me, she’s got more time on her hands and intends getting out with= the boys even more. “I betta watch out!”. <= o:p>

Trowie; Monty; Netty B, Brian K and the newly retired B= rian G have also done some local walking from Whitwick= and continue to get out every week.

Stuart, Monty & Trowie are also regular visitors to the Charnwood forest and ca= n be counted on practically= every weekend to be doing something, somewhere within an hours drive.

Last weekend they slipped into The Curzon Arms at Woodhouse Eaves for the obliga= tory pub-stop. Just ask if you want to join us.

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