St. Helens Mountaineering Club

2012 Membership Cards

2012-01-26T10:51:00.004Z

There has been a slight delay with the publication of the membership cards for 2012. The cards will be distributed to all fully paid members ASAP. In the meantime see either the last newsletter for a partial meets list, or see the website for the full 2012 meets list.

Annual Dinner Speaker Confirmed

2012-01-17T22:00:00.000Z

Saturday 24th March, The Royal Oak Hotel, Betws-y-Coed.

We can now confirm that the guest speaker at the Annual Dinner will be Joe "Morty" Smith. Joe was a member of the "Rock and Ice" and climbed with both Brown and Whillans, amongst others. In it's heyday, the "Rock and Ice" were responsible for setting new standards in climbing in the Peak District, the Llanberis Pass, and also on Cloggy. Joe has also climbed in the Alps, including an ascent of the West Face of the Petit Dru (TD+) with the Scottish climber Robin Smith who went on to make the first British ascent of the Walker Spur.

In the nineteen seventies, he was involved in exploration of Twll Mawr with Joe Brown, Claude Davies and John Woodhead. More recently, again with Joe Brown, he has been exploring and discovering new routes in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Given his association with Joe Brown, we can expect a very amusing talk full of anecdote and off-beat humour as this brief example shows: When they were first introduced, Joe Brown asked him what his name was and he said, "Joe Smith." To which Joe replied, " We can't have two Joes in the club, you're Mortimer." And the name stuck.

All enquiries to Steve Fletcher, either directly by telephone or by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Annual Dinner Menu

2012-01-17T21:30:00.000Z

Saturday 24th March, The Royal Oak Hotel, Betws-y-Coed.
Steve has now received the sample menu for the Annual Dinner. There is no need to pre-order, there will be full service on the night. Numbers will be limited to 30 people and tickets will be £35 per head. The guest speaker has now been confirmed, see the article elsewhere on this blog for more details.

Sample Menu

Saturday 24th March 2012

Starter:

Lightly Smoked Breast of Local Mallard carved on Roast Beetroot and Apple Salad.

Thai Spiced Salmon Fish Cake, Sweet Chilli Jam, Peppered Frisée Leaves.

Cream of Butternut Squash and Cumin Soup, Swirl of Curried Cream.

Main Course:

Roast Rhug Estate Organic Beef with Mini Horseradish Yorkshire Pudding.

Duo of Prime Rare Breed Gloucestershire Old Spot Pork, Bramley Apple Sauce.

Baked Whole Penmon Sea Bass stuffed with White Fish and Lemon Mousse.

Oven Roast Field Mushroom ﬁlled with Fine Cut Ratatouille, Couscous Coated Goats Cheese (v).

Dessert:

Classic Sticky Toffee Pudding Butterscotch Sauce.

Tiramisu.

Fresh Fruit Pavlova.

All enquiries to Steve Fletcher, either directly by telephone or by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Winter Climbing - Scotland

2012-01-15T22:30:00.000Z

24th - 26th February 2012

This meet is being organised by Steve Fletcher and is suitable for newcomers to winter climbing. Steve will have the assistance of Jason King who was involved in Steve's recent trip to Nepal. Jason is a lecturer in the outdoors at Leeds Met University and has climbed and guided in a number of places around the world. He is happy to impart to us his knowledge of winter climbing, including rope work, building belays, ice axe arrest, and avalanche conditions assessment.

The meet will be limited to around 6 to 8 people, so if you are interested, Steve needs to know by the end of January so that he can get things organised.

All enquiries to Steve Fletcher, either directly by telephone or by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

2012 Annual Dinner Weekend

2012-01-15T21:30:00.000Z

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th March, Betws-y-Coed.

This year's Annual Dinner Weekend is taking place in Wales and will be based around Betws-y-Coed.

The Annual Dinner is being held at the Royal Oak Hotel, Betws Y Coed on Saturday 24th of March. Numbers will be limited to 30 people and tickets will be £35 per head. The menu and other information will be posted on here as it becomes available. Once again we will be having a guest speaker, hopefully an associate of Joe Brown(once we have tracked down which pub he drinks in). In the mean time you may try to identify him from the photo below.

All enquiries to Steve Fletcher, either directly by telephone or by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Lyme Park to Bollington Walk

2012-01-15T21:00:00.000Z

Sunday 5th February, 2012

The walk starts at a car park on the Middlewood Way (a disused railway track) just east of Poynton GR 943826 at 10am prompt. It immediately goes through woodland to Hagg Farm, then heads up open country via Green Farm to the back corner of the mansion at Lyme Park. A visit to the outside of the mansion buildings can be made if you want at no cost. We then ascend to the Gritstone Trail and follow it to Sowcar and the excellent Poachers Pub at Bollington (tel: 01625 572086). Distance 6 miles.

A descent is made through Bollington to the canal aqueduct. Much interest at first with wonderful industrial mills at the side of the canal then a plod along the canal until it is possible to move to the Middlewood Way and back to the car park. Distance 4 miles.

This is a wonderful varied walk on good, dry paths with an ascent of about 1000ft.

NB. The organiser has been changed to Lionel Greenslade.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Lionel Greenslade.

Parbold Winter Walk 2012

2011-12-21T12:32:00.005Z

Sunday 8th January, 2012

Meet at the top of Parbold Hill (GR508108) at 10am. The walk starts off north then diverts south through the Fairy Glen eventually crossing the railway and the canal heading for the viewpoint of Ashurst Beacon.

This is a well-tried walk through very varied countryside. Walks within easy reach and feasible on short days are difficult to find.

Pub lunch is at either the Beacon Inn or Prince William as demanded on the day.

Return takes a kind of figure of eight as shown on the map.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Les Berry.

Christmas Drinks Cancelled

2011-12-14T12:25:00.001Z

The Christmas Drinks meet in Liverpool planned for Saturday 17th of December has had to be cancelled. The meet coordinator and several other committee members will be away that weekend working on the interior of our new hut.

If any member would like to run this meet, or something similar at another venue, then please advertise it on the Club's page on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/St.HelensMC) because our usual IT services and website updates will not be available until the new year.

December Walk - Winter Hill

2011-11-28T23:55:00.001Z

Winter Hill walk Sunday 4th December 2011

The walk starts at Walker Fold, grid reference 676123 on the West Pennines map (just west of Brownstones Quarry), at 10am. Most of the walk is on new paths not marked on the map, so it's a good introduction to the full potential of Winter Hill as a local training ground.
The bolt hole for lunch is the Black Dog at Belmont (a necessity if this wet weather continues).
Four miles to the pub and 4 miles return via a different route.
Ask the meet coordinator, Ian Craven, if any further details are required.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ian Craven.

November Walk - Teggs Nose and White Nancy

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000+01:00

Macclesfield - Sunday 13th November 2011

This is a change to the walk previously advertised on the website and printed in the membership card. Here are the latest instructions from the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles:

A walk from Tegg's Nose (2 miles east of Macclesfield) over Kerridge Hill via the White Nancy to the Poachers Inn at Sowcar, Bollington.

Starting point: Meet in the car park at Tegg's Nose Country Park(GR950733) and be ready to set off at 10am prompt. The walk combines a lot of the Gritstone Trail and takes interesting variations over Kerridge Hill via the White Nancy to the Poachers Inn at Sowcar (tel: 01625 572086). Distance 4 miles to pub and the same for return, total 8 miles.

The Poachers is an old world pub with a selection of excellent beers and good meals at very reasonable prices – a great bolt hole if the weather is inclement.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Thorn Crag Bouldering

2011-10-17T16:30:00.000+01:00

Saturday 22nd October 2011

Please note that this is a change to the date previously advertised on the club website and printed on the membership card. Due to family commitments, Will has had to bring the meet forward by one day to Saturday 22nd October.

Thorn Crag, in the Forest of Bowland, is natural gritstone in a pleasant moorland setting with distant views of the sea and is easily accessible from Junction No.33 on the M6.

There are links to photos and videos of routes at Thorn Crag on the Lakes Bloc website.

See the Rock and Run website for printable PDF guides to the Thorn Crag Bouldering and also for Thorn Crag Rock-Climbing.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Will Simm.

Annual General Meeting 2011

2011-09-17T14:30:00.000+01:00

8pm Tuesday 4th October 2011 - St. Helens Police Club

Members are reminded that this year's AGM is on Tuesday 4th October 2011 at 8:00pm prompt at St. Helens Police Club, Windleshaw Road, Dentons Green, St. Helens.

All members are asked to attend the AGM. This is your opportunity to scrutinise the running of your club, vote for the Officers and Committee for 2012, and generally have your say. If you have any questions or comments to make about meets, the club hut, the club's finances, the Annual Dinner, or any other aspect of the operation of the club, this is the place to do it.

The Club Secretary and the Club Treasurer are both retiring from their posts this year. Nominations for their replacement are welcome from all club members. Depending upon how things work out there may also be some vacancies on the committee. If you think that you can contribute to the running of the club, please come along to the AGM and get involved.

As was discussed at the Extraordinary General Meeting, the club hut is being rebuilt this year and this will have important implications for the future of the club. The work on the hut will require a commitment from the club of possibly both members' time and money. The club's financial position remains a matter for concern. It is vital that members fully debate these issues so that the committee has a clear mandate from the members about how to proceed.

The Meets Calendar for 2012 will be agreed within the following few weeks, so if you have a meet you wish to be included on the calendar, please inform the Club Secretary or any Committee member as soon as possible. This includes suggestions for meet venues and members who may wish to volunteer to organise their own meets.

Whilst the attendance at the EGM was a vast improvement over recent previous AGM's, it should be noted that it was still slightly less than half of the current membership. The committee hope that the attendance at this year's AGM will be similar or even better. This is your best opportunity to make your views heard and contribute to the operation and governance of your club for the next year.

For directions to St. Helens Police Club and any other queries either telephone our chairman, Trevor Jones, or e-mail enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Anglesey Camping Meet 2011

2011-09-17T14:00:00.000+01:00

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th September

This year's meet will follow the same basic format as the two previous meets in 2009 and 2010. We are hoping to be able to camp at Outdoor Alternative at Rhoscolyn again. This is a private campsite at an outdoor centre and camping is by prior arrangement only, so all members wishing to attend the meet are asked to notify the meet coordinator, Andy Gee, so that he can confirm the numbers attending when he makes the booking. The camping fee is £5.50 per night for tents and includes hot showers.

The site is convenient for all the classic crags around Gogarth, in addition to Holyhead Mountain and the sea cliffs at Rhoscolyn. It is approximately seven miles from the parking at South Stack via Trearddur and Porth Dafarch, and it is a similar distance through Holyhead to the Breakwater Country Park for access to Wen Zawn and North Stack.

The nearest pub, the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn, is just a short walk away along the sandy beach at Borthwen. This is usually a very busy pub, popular with the recently married royal couple, and serves good but quite expensive food(main courses shown on their website currently range from £11 to £16). If people prefer, we might be better off investigating other pubs around Four Mile Bridge.

Low tide will be approximately 2:30pm on Saturday afternoon. You can check the tide times for yourself on the Climbers' Club website.

For anyone seeking inspiration, on our website there are lots of photos and reports from previous trips to Anglesey.

For all enquiries contact Andy Gee either by telephone or e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

October Ramble

2011-09-12T18:00:00.000+01:00

Clwydian Hills - 10am Sunday 2nd October 2011

Winter is already on it's way and the Winter Walks re-start next month. Here are the details of the October Ramble in the Clwydian Hills from meet coordinator, Roger Sager:

Starting Point - Car park in old quarry entrance (Pystyll Gwyn Quarry) at SJ 188 573.
Arrive in time to leave the car park at 10 am.

Directions to start - Turn left off A494 Mold to Ruthin road ¾ mile after leaving Llanferres at SJ 185 593. Signposted B5430 to Llanarmon-yn-Ial. Continue along this road for 1 ¼ miles, car park on the left at SJ 188 573. The entrance is easy to miss, it is immediately after a minor road junction on the left.

Route Details - Lunch at Miner’s Arms, Maeshafn. Route out via Eryrys and the lower slopes of Bryn Alyn. Back via Big Covert. Total walk 8 miles, 1499feet of ascent.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Roger Sager.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

Wet and Wild

2011-09-01T05:30:00.000+01:00

Mid-Wales Camping Meet - Friday 26th to Monday 29th August 2011

A report from Graham about his recent meet over the August Bank Holiday Weekend:

I was starting to wonder if it was something to do with me, or whether it’s just what it’s like down in Mid Wales, because over the course of two previous weekend club meets there seems to have been a disproportionate amount of rain, wind, heather-bashing, and bog-trotting. Thankfully, there were several other keen club members willing to suffer for a flavour of what rock climbing in Southern Snowdonia is like.

I joined Andy G and Chris M at the campsite[Editor's Note: You actually met us in the pub, Graham! The Unicorn, remember?] on Friday, with Andy C and Mike A arriving hand-in-hand with the rain on Saturday morning. A decision was made – over a morning cuppa, naturally – to go bouldering down the coast at Cae Du, in the hope that it might see better weather than the hills further inland.

Good decision! The rock was dry, there was a handy cave for the one brief rain shower, the tide was out, and plenty of problems got done along with a couple of cheeky solos of a few easier and longer up lines.

Sheila B and Sian(who some members will remember from a few years ago) sailed in with the overnight rain, but it did dry out enough to goad us into the Rhinogs for a sample of the not-so-famed Welsh grit(really!). An expedition was launched last year to do the same, but a slight miscalculation led to a three hour detour to the crag, through heather and bog, only to not climb because we were all so knackered! However, we found we could get back to the car in only 20 minutes! So, everyone on this year’s trip was duly informed that it’s virtually road-side. But it turns out it's harder going uphill and takes more like an hour or so.

Anyway, we arrived at the crag to be greeted by our old pal Mr Rain. Shelter was sought but not really found, cake was shared, the rain subsided, the crag was inspected and the rock slowly dried out enough for three teams to cover more ground in one afternoon than this crag probably sees in a year. As Andy G said, it was Welsh and it was gritty, and Chris M certainly seemed to enjoy his lead of Endangered Species (VS 4c, 1*).

Amazingly it only rained a little bit overnight on Sunday evening. But the chances of any of the big crags of the area being dry on Monday were slim to none. A brief morning shower was enough to convince Mike A and Sheila B to head home. Andy C drove over to Llangollen for a blast on his mountain bike. And for some crazy reason Sian opted for a run up CadairIdris.

That left Chris M, Andy G and myself to meet Ste M near Bala to make the supposed leisurely 30 minute stroll to Simdde Du. Ste M drifted in from St. Helens on a strong wind, shortly after we’d arrived at the parking, and we duly headed up the track to the small reservoir under the crag. This alone took 20 minutes, and the crag was high on the hillside, separated from us by a swathe of heather, boulders, and boggy ground. Andy G clocked the approach time as 1hr 45mins – so be warned!

Still, this part of the crag faces south, it was sheltered from the wind, and The Emperor’s New Toes (VS 4c, 2*) and the first pitch of Gyllion (HVS 5a, 3*) provided a large enough sample of quality rock and climbing to justify the effort. Given a day or so of dry weather the upper parts of the crag would also dry out and it would be a magnificent place to climb, with some excellent looking routes(look at the cover of the Meirionydd guide for a sample view).

And that kind of sums up what I’ve learnt about climbing in this part of Wales. Take what the guide says with a pinch of salt, put in the effort and persevere on the overgrown approaches, and allow a suitable dry spell beforehand (this can apparently be up to weeks for parts of Crag Cywarch!). Do all this and there is some excellent climbing to be found in remote and stunning locations, with an almost 100% guarantee of having a crag to yourself. Perfect.

August Hut Meet Rescheduled

2011-07-19T17:00:00.005+01:00

Friday 12th to Sunday 14th August.

Please note that this is a change to the meet information published on the membership card. The Lakes Hut Meet that was to have taken place from the 5th to the 7th of August has been put back one week and will now run from the 12th to the 14th of August.

Camping is available at the site of our hut and the washing and toilet facilities are currently in good order.

If you would like to attend this meet, don't forget to let Dave Lunt know that you are coming.

Photo Opportunity

2011-06-21T16:13:00.000+01:00

The club has received an enquiry from an amateur photographer who needs a climber, or climbers, willing to pose for some photographs for a competition based around the theme of "Rescue". The photos will be taken at Pex Hill, or another local crag, during one evening this week, or some time over the weekend, because the competition closes next Monday. In return he will also take some regular photographs of you climbing which you may keep for your own use.

If anyone is interested, contact the club ASAP by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk and we will pass on your details.

Beginners' Hut Meet Cancelled

2011-06-20T17:00:00.010+01:00

The hut meet that was to have taken place over the weekend of 24th to 26th of June has had to be cancelled. The meet coordinator, Steve Fletcher, sends his apologies. He cannot attend the meet because he is taking part in a sponsored climb in aid of the Himalayan Research Expedition 2011. This is all part of the build up to an expedition to climb Mera Peak in Nepal later this year. If anyone is interested in joining the expedition, there are some places still available, see the Himalayan Research Expedition website for more details.

Members who have already made plans to attend the meet, may still camp at the site of our hut. They will be pleased to learn the the frost damage that affected the toilet has been repaired and the shower has been re-installed for the summer.

Beginners' Sport Climbing 2011

2011-06-13T10:00:00.070+01:00

Saturday 18th June

Weather permitting, this meet will take place at Trevor Rocks near Llangollen. The news archive contains articles about previous trips to Trevor Rocks.

The purpose of the meet is to advise and encourage members who are starting to lead sport climbs outdoors. Therefore, any beginners who want to attend are recommended to acquaint themselves with this article:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=265

And also to read Chapter 9(including the diagrams) of this BMC booklet:

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcNews/media/u_content/File/safety_skills/publications/climbing_outside_booklet.pdf

Helmets are highly recommended, some of our members will not need to be reminded that there is a band of loose and friable rock running through some of the routes at Trevor and there have been a few near misses in the past.

Since limestone is notoriously slippery when wet, the meet depends on good weather.
If the weather forecast on Friday night suggests that it will be drier in the east then we could go to Harpur Hill near Buxton instead.
If we get rained off after arrival at Trevor then we could retreat to the climbing wall at Plas Power Adventure near Wrexham.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Andy Gee.

Cornwall 2011 - Part 1

2011-05-07T14:21:00.000+01:00

Here is Jeff's report on Part 1 of this year's Cornwall trip(with some additional photos by Graham):

1000 miles, nearly 20 routes, and 78 cans of Fosters.

After cunningly booking a caravan in order to avoid any tent faff, (hardcore huh?) Graham, Andy C and Jeff headed south for an assault on the sea cliffs of West Cornwall. Heroic driving by Mr Calderbank saw them at the campsite at one o-clock in the afternoon to be told, "Well, if we had known you were climbers, we wouldn’t have let you hire the caravan you know!" Charming. After assuring the owners that they would behave themselves and not trash the van as climbers ordinarily do, they took possession of the keys. This simple procedure took quite a while in fact, as Mrs Caravan brought the wrong keys no less than three times! This in spite of Jeff being under instructions to keep his shaven head and wild tattoos under wraps (Grrrr!).

Perhaps she was flattered, flustered and fooled by Graham and Andy’s witty charm and rugged good looks, or maybe she was disgruntled at being left to deal with these dangerous northern climbers, whilst Mr Caravan cavorted about on his sit on mower..... The author believes she was just afraid that they would get themselves killed and she’d lose her rental fee. As if. Anyway, caravan inspected, nods of approval, bags slung inside, and off to Sennen they went. They were to meet up later with Jess who was arriving by train at around 9 in the evening, and so had plenty of time to see how they got on with Sennen’s granite.

They made their way to the Sunday face area which was dry, in the sun and mainly composed of lovely golden Granite which gave all the friction they could wish for. First off was Dexter vs 4c which the guidebook describes as "quite bold for the grade". "You’re telling me squire!" It’s a sort of blunt arête/groove/pinnacle/hand traverse/mantle/flake thing, with a long reach up a smooth groove to finish......"Beltin’!" Next they did Vertical Crack hs 4c which Graham "stretch" Calderbank lead in fine style, by showing off his flashy bridging skills.

Whilst doing this route, our happy band chatted to a dude who was there with his infant son and his faithful black Labrador. He would rock his son to sleep and lay him on a blanket while he soloed about on the cliff, leaving the dog to watch over the little 'un. He described the dog as a "really good Climber" as it always came out with him, negotiating the scrambles and descents to the foot of the cliffs. Probably leads vs.

They finished the afternoon over at the demo area with the classic Demo Route hs 4b. Andy led this one, enjoying the fight up the chimney and the exposed pull up onto the finishing slab. Soon after this, it was time to go and get lost in Penzance before collecting Jess from the station, and finding a shop for beer and food. Really satisfying first day.

Day two then, and it’s off to Chair Ladders’ main face. They abbed into Ash Can Gully on their sixty metre rope, leaving the sunshine behind for the damp, cold, clammy, and very slippery rock on the sea washed ledges below. Andy and Jess intended to do Pendulum Chimney but reckoned it to be too wet, and "too full of birds and bird shit". Indeed, a couple of guys who had abbed in on their rope, found the first pitch of Pendulum Chimney to be very hard in the conditions. Jess and Andy then went off for a reccy, leaving Graham and Jeff to get to grips with another classic.

South Face Direct vs 4a, 4c, 4c, 4a. "Exceptional style and character" says the book and it isn’t wrong. Graham did a top job leading the first (very) wet and slippery pitch. This brought the pair up to a stance on a ledge below a shallow crack, which is then followed up to a weird "saddle horn" boss. Jeff actually sat on this before realising that doing so was of no help in the slightest, and completely prevented him from making the next move. "Bloody good fun" though, considering the exposure! Back off the boss then, or "Chicken Head" as it sometimes gets called, move out right...more exposure....lovely! And on in turns to top out in the sun shine. Ace.

They soon met up with Andy and Jess who had done Red Wall hs 4b and had had to fight through an awful lot of bird shit after all. They had some chocolate, sorted the gear and went to buy more beer and food.

Day three, Bosigran. More granite, more sunshine, and a bit more excitement than they had reckoned with. Let’s take some flying lessons! First route for Jeff and Graham was Anvil Chorus vs 4b, 4b, 4c, 4c. They had read the guidebook of course, and knew that any pitch described as being "the scene of several unfortunate accidents on the splendid crack of pitch 3, which can shrug you off without a second thought" was going to be serious. It sure looked it when viewed from the foot of the cliffs. A seventeen metre curving crack, on the right of a blank looking wall, ending just eight metres from the top. Very impressive indeed. Fazed? Nah, let’s go then. Graham’s lead, deftly running together pitches one and two to belay under the big corner.

Advised by the guidebook to place a cam in the base of the crack, (preventing your runners from being lifted out) Jeff stuck one in and got into it. In the event, it isn’t really all that hard as long as you don’t stop! Which is a bit problematical when it comes to placing gear. There are a couple of in-stitu pieces though, (probably crap if you fell on them) which he clipped, and even managed to get something of his own in there during his sprint to the top. It was the next section of the pitch which really provided the excitement. This being an airy traverse, followed by an exposed mantelshelf onto a rounded, blunt arête with an awful lot of air under your backside. Graham came up in fine style and topped out the route. Grand. Right then, that wasn’t too bad.....let’s try an e1.

The e1 in question being Thin Wall Special, e1 5b, 5a. Jeff had a go at leading the first pitch of this one, and although it was hard and felt very thin (thin wall, see) he managed to get to about three metres short of the top of the first pitch, which is where the crux is. He’d managed to get four runners in, each hard move having taken him further above his gear than was comfortable. This added handsomely to his growing tension. (Not to say alarm!) The crux move is a hard pull, well above the gear, with a smear up to a wide, smooth, flared crack. He tried to jam it before reversing the move, then tried again and had to reverse again, knowing now that he only had enough strength (willpower) to try once more. This time he found a sharp edged side pull hidden in the crack, but couldn’t work out how to use it.

Desperation followed as he tried to rescue the move by quickly moving left to a small edge for his left hand. This entailed bringing his right foot inside to enable a smear with his left foot into a grassy corner. He hit the corner with his left foot for a second before everything let go, and with a sickening but strangely fatalistic feeling in his belly he fell off. He remembers actually thinking "it won’t be so bad this..." and sure enough, the rope came tight, all the gear had held, and he found himself ten metres closer to the deck, upside down, and staring Graham straight in the face. "Shit! Shit! You alright mate?" And he was too. A bit scraped and bruised, and he’d properly banged his head at some point. (Always wear your helmet kids!!) But he was fine. Shaking, but fine. (Thank you Graham.)

What to do now though? Get back on the horse and get the gear out that’s what. He really didn’t fancy trying it again, so they devised the following plan. Jeff led up the first pitch of Doorpost hs 4a, 4b, 4a. From where Graham lowered him down Thin Wall to get the gear out. He then climbed back up Doorpost and lead through to the top, cunningly bagging a nice three star route and classic rock tick. (Thank you for that too Graham!)

Andy and Jess meanwhile had been commendably busy, doing Ledge Route, Ochre Slab Route, Black Slab and Alison’s rib. High time to retire to the pub before hitting the chippy for food, and the shops for more beer. Of course.

With the sun still shining on day four, and the caravan getting ever smellier (blame the collection of stinky rock shoes rather than any personal hygiene issues) they went for the second time to Chair Ladder. Jess and Andy went off to do the classic Terriers Tooth hs 4b, 4a, and also did Dexter/Mermaids route. They don’t mess about those two! Graham and Jeff went to have a look at Diocese vs 4c, 5a, 4a. Now, after the previous days excitement, it is hoped dear reader, that you will crave the boys’ indulgence, and understand that the presence of potentially nesting choughs up in the roof, coupled with the arrival of another team looking at Diocese, was enough to divert their attention to Flannel Avenue hs 4b 4a 4a.

The standard start according to the guidebook is to bridge the chimney of the first pitch for fifteen metres, moving first left then right to a belay. They were having none of that nonsense, the chimney looking decidedly wet and void of protection. An alternative start is to climb onto a ledge, directly below Diocese, then walk left and climb the right side of the chimney, before making a tricky move left and then right and up to belay. There is plenty of exposure on this route (which is nice) before a final strenuous 8 metre wall which Graham positively revelled in.

Time for another one then.......Pegasus hs 4b, 4a, 4a, 4a, 4b. "Interesting and intriguing" says the guidebook, although it is unclear as to whether this refers to noisy dive bombing seagulls, which, when not being noisy and dive bombing them, were either frantically having sex or smearing all the ledges, holds, slabs and grooves with guano. Cheers. Pegasus has it all really. A corner crack, a roof, a wall, another corner, a slab, and a mantelshelf. Shared leads, warm, warm weather, great climbing with enough interest and challenge made it a fine route for them. They really, really were being spoiled.

And still being spoiled on day five! Lovely weather still, and nice and comfy in the caravan. With snooker on the telly in the evenings and music from Jeff’s laptop, they had a think about what to do and decided on a chilled out day back at Sennen.

They set up a handy ab rope which was used by everybody on the cliff that day. Including a mad photographer who spent the entire day bobbing up and down taking pictures of sea spray, climbers and rock.

Of particular note that day was a couple who climbed Demo Route. The bloke persuaded his obviously reluctant wife/girlfriend/victim to do the route and led off, struggling a bit with the chimney. Having got to the top, he built his belay, called for his partner to climb when ready, who promptly untied, shook her head, crossed her arms, and refused to budge! He took ages cajoling her to make a start and when she eventually did, falling off twice under the roof, he ignored her shouts for a long time before practically dragging her up in anger. It is imagined that a rather frosty drive home ensued.

Meanwhile, your hero’s had a fun, mixed day, swapping partners (steady!) and collectively doing Sinners Route, Church Window, Juniors Route, Senior’s Route, Monday Face, Intermediate Route, Double Overhang and Corner Climb.

Wednesday night was curry night at the local pub so showered and changed; it was off for a curry and various monster deserts. They still went to the shop for beer though. Two boxes this time just in case. As you do.

Day six and Jess had to leave. Boo! Off they drove with her to the station at Penzance to make her train connection, before embarking on one of Grahams’ quests. Neither Andy or Jeff had had a proper look at the guide book for this one, but Graham certainly had. This is what happens when everyone goes off to bed leaving Mr Calderbank with access to beer and guidebooks. He sits up drinking and scheming, and plans get hatched. A three mile hike followed, on what was probably the hottest day yet. Uphill and downhill, (but mainly uphill) through swarms of flies, and heat haze to reach St Loy, and its friendly looking, flawless granite. It’s even non tidal, so that was promising. Less promising though was Grahams revelation that he had in mind to try another e1.

Chlorophyll Cluster it is then, at e1 5b. Graham’s idea, so naturally he got the glory of leading it. The first section follows a flake to a ledge, Graham stormed the flake by boldly laybacking way above his gear, (he likes that. Not) then hopping up nicely onto the ledge above to contemplate his next move. From here, he had to climb a short incut wall in order to enter the slanting jamming crack above. Not easy. Not easy at all, especially after several days of climbing. He decided in the end that discretion is the better form of valour and lowered off to give Jeff a bash. Different climber, same result. Fading strength and lack of will meant taking the gear out and down climbing. No e1. Not on this trip.

Notice if you will reader, the almost canine devotion with which Andy and Jeff happily followed Graham to some random climb. Not only to the climb, but back to the car as well. Graham claiming to have scoped out a different, shorter path back to the car park, which in fact got them lost, before putting them back on the same path as before, with all its ups and downs and ups. Naturally he bought the pasties.

Deciding that it was probably getting a bit late in the day to go and do Right Angle that afternoon, our happy band went off to do the touristy thing and go for a stroll around Lands End for a bit. They rebelliously ducked under the barrier to get closer to the "dangerous" cliff edges, admired a shiny motorbike, saw a cyclist bleeding on the floor (don’t worry folks, he was being helped by people, they didn’t just look at him), and then went to the shop to buy some food and beer. But you knew they would do that, didn’t you?

So, Friday, day seven. Bright and sunny. No need to check the weather forecast. (Oh really!?) Off they went to do the famous Right Angle, hs 4a, 4b, which, just for a change, is composed of Greenstone/Killas rather than the granite they had come to know and err, quite like.

Pitch one, a traverse to a good belay ledge. Nice, steady climbing, a bit different this Greenstone stuff, not as much friction as some of the granite but fine. Nice even. Jeff’s lead, big comfy belay ledge, still sunny, and across came the other two. Sweet.

Graham next, traversing out right before tackling the down climb to the second belay ledge. "Oh look, it’s started to rain" Nah, it’s only spitting. It’s stopped already and the rock is drying out rapidly in the sun......just a shower.....keep going. On starting the down climb, Graham, to his great credit, had figured out that a "back runner" would protect the belay below in the event of a fall. To this end, he shouted instructions to leave his wire and crab in place, and accompanied by the booming of the waves in the corner cave of Right Angle, disappeared from sight just as the rain started in earnest.

He was out of sight for a while as it happened. No wonder, as the committing down climb got wetter and wetter. He found himself, after some surprisingly hard moves (hs? oh really?) on the belay ledge below the final long corner pitch. He built his belay, shivering now in the rain, and called for the others to come across. Andy and Jeff followed then, thankful of Graham’s foresight in arranging his back runner when they, in turn, realised how daunting the pitch to the belay was in the rain. Brilliantly done Mr Calderbank!

Right Angle is inescapable at the same grade without reversing the whole route, and it was thought better to carry on at this stage rather than work out a way back with three climbers, when you are mostly out of ear shot of each other, and the rock has turned to glass. In these conditions, the whole atmosphere and mood changed completely. There was a definite feeling of worry in the air, but they kept things together, and decided positively to just get on with things and get safely off the route. To this end, Jeff started up the final pitch, carefully and slowly, placing plenty of wires, and also enjoying a bit of luck in finding the slightly overhanging section to be quite dry. He topped out, relieved to find a bomber belay and brought up Andy and Graham, watched by a cagoule clad family who obviously thought that some entertainment had been laid on especially for them. Maybe they deserved it, as they had obviously checked the weather report..............

What then? Need you ask? Pub, Shop. Pizza. Beer.

Saturday already! Clean up and pack up day. Give the keys back to Mrs Caravan....."No, we haven’t trashed it, we are still alive, and we have left the windows open to let out the smell......well, that Jess has been gone since Thursday so the girly pong is starting to fade........" Sorry Jess, You were missed! Off home then? Why yes, but not before they called in at the Dewerstone in North Devon to have a bash at an hvs 5a called Climbers Club Direct. You would have thought that they’d have had enough of this climbing malarkey after the week’s endeavours, but they felt they had the energy to at least try. Especially after having a top drawer sausage sarnie at a roadside butty wagon on the way there.

And try they did. Graham leading off on the route, before being spat off unceremoniously at the start of the steep jamming crack. Any skin left Graham? Not much. Damn good try though. Want a go Jeff? "Sure". Up to the crack, stick it in (ooh madam!) lose a bit of skin and get spat off. Hmm. "Let’s do Climbers Club Ordinary instead", vs 4b sounds more like it. It’s a classic rock tick too. Jeff’s lead this time, and he swears he has never felt so tense on a vs before. Tense? Frightened more like. Greasy feeling rock and tricky technical moves with sometimes marginal protection and lots of rope drag. He got the "pleasure" of leading both pitches, and was, in truth, very glad when first Andy and then Graham joined him at the top, and they could walk off together and head for home.

And that was it. They had driven a thousand miles, climbed nearly twenty routes, been scared, bruised, scraped, battered and exhilarated. Had laughed at and with each other, and had drunk between them, seventy eight cans of Fosters. They had bought eighty cans but the final two went home with Graham. Well, he had done all the driving after all.

Jeff B
April 2011

Styal Spring Walk

2011-04-12T23:00:00.000+01:00

Styal Country Park - Sunday 17th April 2011

Spring has sprung and Ken has organised an extra walk to make the most of a slightly unusual destination. Here are the usual instructions from Ken Fyles:

This unlikely walk for a Mountaineering Club is in undulating country just south of Manchester Airport. It is long(6miles to pub + 5 miles return = 11 miles total), not entirely flat and passes through some wonderful woodland scenery, particularly at this time of year when all the woodland flowers are at their best. Still good training for a mountain crag walk-in or, if you're alpine training, put a few bricks in your rucksack.

Meet at Styal GR 836835 on a side road (passing the Ship Inn) off the B5166 at 10am. N.B. This side road is no longer a through road to the A538 as Manchester Airport has expanded south. The best way to get to the start point is now south along the B5166 and turn right into Styal. The car park is 400 metres along this road on the left.

The walking route goes anti-clockwise through Styal Country Park and on the return leg visits the well-known Quarry Bank Mill. Lunch is at the Horse and Jockey pub SW of Wilmslow. The pub is very friendly with food and real ale at very reasonable prices.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

Pex Hill Evening Climbing Meet

2011-04-06T16:15:00.019+01:00

Monday 11th April 2011

The coordinator for this meet is Will Simm. Be sure to contact him for the latest news regarding the meet because it is dependent on good weather and dry conditions in the quarry.

Information about Pex Hill can be found in this article on UKC and also in the UKC database. There is also additional photos and route information in the Pex Hill wiki.

Parking is available in the car park at the top of the hill beside the astronomical observatory. See this printable map or this Google map for more details.

There is a previous article on this blog about last year's meet at Pex Hill and also a video of Mark and Andy on Green Monster.

Annual Dinner Weekend - Part 3

2011-04-06T15:30:00.070+01:00

The morning after the night before - more photos from the Annual Dinner weekend:

Derwent Water.

Kate, Phil, Steve and Malcolm went to Shepherd's Crag in Borrowdale.

Kate leading Little Chamonix.

Meanwhile, a few intrepid souls braved the "dangerous cliffs" of St. Bees Head
to attend Graham's bouldering meet.

AndyG.

JeffB.

Mark, spotted by Graham and JeffB.

Just in case anyone wasn't paying attention,

here is a reminder of what "L" was for in Pete's presentation.

The cliffs were quite loose and there was recent evidence of rock-fall. The boulders themselves are set a little further out from the base of the cliff and seemed safe enough provided that you did not linger directly beneath the cliffs. The bouldering was good with a variety of grades and generally smooth landings.The area caught the sun, was pleasantly warm all day and a good time was had by all.

Annual Dinner Weekend - Part 2

2011-04-06T15:15:00.185+01:00

Trevor, our current chairman, and Arthur, our first chairman from 1957.

This year's Annual Dinner was held at the Middle Ruddings Inn, Braithwaite, near Keswick on Saturday 26th March 2011. The dinner was well attended and attracted quite a wide range of the membership with many members attending the Saturday Walk and doing a little bouldering.

After a slightly chaotic but enjoyable meal, members were treated to an interesting and amusing presentation by Pete Chadwick. This was of particular interest because of Pete's extensive knowledge of the Merseyside and North West climbing scene which grew up around Pex Hill in the later years of the last century.

Jeff, Steve, Mark and Graham waiting for seconds.

Next came the presentation of the Club's Annual Awards. The Chairman's Award was made to Stephen Fletcher for organising the Annual Dinner(again). Club Member of the Year was awarded to your trusty news editor for his on-going efforts with the club website.

Mark Dempsey was awarded Mountaineer of the Year for all round climbing achievement. Mark has been a contender for this award for some time and last year Mark visited the Alps; did a great deal of winter climbing especially in Scotland; and he also climbed and bouldered to a high standard in the Peak, the Lakes and Wales.

The Peeler of the Year was Ste Millington for an unfortunate occurrence whilst "just warming-up on something easy" at Pex Hill.

Mark, our Mountaineer of the Year, holding the Peeler of the Year Award

which he collected on behalf of Ste Millington.

Has-Been of the Year was Malcolm Brentford. Last year Malcolm received the Mountaineer of the Year Award for his continued activity with the club and, in particular, a trip to the Himalayas in 2009. Unfortunately, it would appear that he has been resting on his laurels and didn't do much worthy of note in 2010.

Kate congratulating Malcolm on his award.

And finally, Gareth Rowlands was forced to accept the Piss Pot of the Year Award for quite prodigious consumption. We hope that he will take good care of the trophy.

After that members retired to the bar and a few keen souls even arranged a taxi to go clubbing in Keswick.

The three Kens(and Dave, and John).

Thanks to Steve for the photos.

Annual Dinner Weekend - Part 1

2011-04-06T15:00:00.004+01:00

Here are a selection of photos from the Saturday of the Annual Dinner weekend:

Camping in the woods at the site of our hut which we are hoping will be rebuilt this year.

Bouldering on Carrock Fell.

The Annual Dinner Saturday walk around Coledale organised by Ken Fyles.

On Rowling End with Causey Pike behind.

Ascending Sail on the new path.

The view back to Scar Crags and Causey Pike.

The summit of Crag Hill, 839m.

John was determined to find some snow.

Descending Grisdale Pike.

The final descent approaching Braithwaite and beer at the Coledale Inn

before getting ready for the Annual Dinner 2011.

Burbage Beginners' Meet

2011-04-06T12:00:00.081+01:00

Saturday 19th March 2011

Here are the photos of the Beginners' Climbing Meet at Burbage North. The meet was attended by fourteen people and there was a good mix of beginners and experienced climbers so we were able to split up into a number of independent teams and move quickly around the crag. Amongst other things, teams visited the Banana Finger area, Ash Tree Wall, The Sentinel, The Grazer, the Knight's Move area and The Grogan.

The weather was spectacularly good. Dry and sunny except for a brief period around lunch time when some thicker cloud blew past. The belayers felt the breeze on top of the crag but it was much better than last year.

Rob somewhere on Ash Tree Wall.

I don't know what these two found so amusing.

Jeff and Gina on Monkey Corner.

AndyG near the top of Ringo.

Dawn also near the top of Ringo.

Ringo and Ring Climb both Severe.

Jeff belayed by Steve on Ring Climb.

While we had lunch after climbing Black Slab, we saw somebody top-roping the Sentinel. This is is graded E2 5c and it was led in good style a few years ago by Mark(See the video on YouTube). [Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of all the photos by clicking on them.]

Chris and Malcolm ready for the pub.

We climbed until the sun went down and then retired to the Yorkshire Bridge Inn in Bamford for much needed refreshment and to compare our grit rash.

Thanks to Rob, Steve and Gina for taking the photos.

Scramble in Snowdonia

2011-04-05T23:30:00.015+01:00

Sunday 23rd January 2011

We have just received some photos by Gina which were taken on Dave's Scramble Around Snowdon earlier this year. After meeting at the Pen y Gwryd we made our way via Pen y Pas and the Miners' Track to Glaslyn. There we scrambled up the Gribin Ridge to Bwlch y Saethau and onwards to the summit of Yr Wyddfa. Descent was via Crib y Ddysgl and Crib Goch. The weather was excellent, not what we were expecting at that time of year. There was no ice or snow and the traverse of Crib Goch was unusually clean and dry, better than a lot of "summer" days. Dave and Steve maintained a brisk pace throughout and we were off the hill just before dark and got back to the cars by 5pm. A grand day out.

Wilton to Belmont Walk

2011-04-04T13:00:00.063+01:00

Sunday 3rd April 2011 (Mothers' Day).

A few photos from Ken's walk from Wilton to Belmont via Winter Hill:

The shooting range in Wilton Three with Rappel Wall behind.

Passing the reservoir on Smithills Moor on the way to Winter Hill.

The obligatory photo at the trig point on the summit of Winter Hill, just to prove we all made it.

The view north east from the summit of Winter Hill towards Belmont and Turton Moor.

The Black Dog at Belmont proved handy for lunchtime refreshment and also saved us from a soaking.

Longworth Clough.

Copulating toads.

More evidence that spring has arrived, trees in bud beside Gleaves Reservoir

on the way back to Horrocks Fold.

Wilton One - Chimney Buttress and the Outside Face of The Prow.

Wilton One - The Inside Face of The Prow.

Wilton Walk and Rock Climbing

2011-03-24T13:00:00.005Z

Wilton to Winter Hill - Sunday 3rd April 2011

This is a change to the walk previously advertised on the website and printed in the membership card. Since the route now incorporates a few important local climbing venues, we hope to see a few of our keener climbing members attend this meet.

Here are the instructions from the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles:

This walk has been changed to Wilton Quarries and Winter Hill area. The Styal walk will take place two weeks later when spring flowers are in full bloom in this woodland area.

Start 10a.m. Wilton 3 quarry car park GR696135 on Scout Road just below the quarry. The walk will go direct into the quarry and investigate the climbing there. The routes will be pointed out giving a description of their grade and importantly whether protection possibilities are good or not. For those who wish to spend the day climbing at Wilton 3, a guide book will be provided.

The walking party will go over Winter Hill stopping at the reservoir for a break. Descent of Winter Hill is by the little known path on the north side of the trig point going direct to the reservoir at Belmont. Lunch at the Black Dog, Belmont - good ales and food at reasonable prices. Return is via the valley of Longworth Clough.

To end the day, a visit will be made to Wilton 1 quarry to point out the routes in this formidable climbing ground recently bought by the B.M.C.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Annual Dinner Weekend Bouldering 2011

2011-03-22T12:00:00.004Z

Sunday 27th March 2011 at 10:30am BST - Postprandial Bouldering

This is the day after the Annual Dinner, so in deference to those who may still be experiencing difficulty walking, Graham has arranged a nice little trip to the sea-side for some bouldering at St. Bees Head. Here are his instructions:

Rockfax describe the bouldering at St. Bees as one of the nicest bouldering locations in the UK. The tidal ledge is a sun trap under the 100m cliffs of St. Bees Head, with just the sea and the seals for company. The boulders are sandstone, often highly featured and mostly very solid with great variety of crimpy walls, technical aretes, delicate slabs and burly overhangs. There are probles across the grades, with plenty in the V1 to V5 range. Due to bird nesting restrictions the meet will take place between Apiary Wall and Fishermans Steps areas at St. Bees North Head.

I will aim to arrive at 10.30am, but being the morning after the night before may be a touch later!

[Editor's Note: Please be aware that on Sunday 27th of March British Summer Time begins, the clocks go forward one hour (officially at 01:00 am GMT the time becomes 02:00 am BST).]

There is information on the Lakes Bloc website including pictures and a guide book(PDF).

Information can also be found in the Rockfax Lakes Bouldering guide, and the new Buttermere & St. Bees guide. Lake District Rock (p. 305) also has information regarding the approach and the sport climbing.

Directions: From Whitehaven follow signs to St. Bees and then Sandwith. From Sandwith, take the private road by the phone box all the way to Tarnflatt Hall Farm. Park here sensibly, and pay the £2 fee in the a box by the farmhouse door.

View this route in a larger map

There are two possible approaches to the Apiary Wall area:

From the farmyard follow the continuation path road on foot to the lighthouse. Carry straight on down a concrete path to the foghorn station. Turn north and cross the wooden fence just north of the foghorn station. Follow the path by the fence for 50m and cross the fence (there may be a stile). The path dives off down a short gully and under a small crag, heading north until it starts to descend steeply towards the sea (knotted fixed rope on the steeper sections).

A less steep descent follows the coastal path north of the foghorn station (on the landward side of the fence). Cross one stile and after a short distance leave the coastal path by climbing a stile over the cliff-top fence. A path leads down to sea level.

The Fishermans Steps approach is hazardous and bird banned, as is all climbing south of this path.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator Graham Calderbank.

[Editor's Note: Pictures from this trip are now available to view in this article. ]

Newstones Bouldering

2011-03-16T12:00:00.002Z

Mark, AndyO, Johnny and Graham have been getting a lot of bouldering done this winter and have supplied us with a little video of their latest outing to Newstones.

More videos of members and their friends can be found via the Club's YouTube Channel.

Annual Dinner Weekend Walk 2011

2011-03-13T23:00:00.008Z

Annual Dinner 2011 - Preprandial Walk

Following the success of last year's Annual Dinner, we are hoping to expand the range of additional activities on offer for those club members who are able to stay for the whole weekend.

Here are the instuctions from Ken Fyles for the walk before this year's Annual Dinner:

Meet at the Coledale Inn, Little Braithwaite at 10.15am on Saturday 26th March.

The walk starts easily over pleasant farmland and then southward along the side of Newlands Beck. Turn east over the little bridge towards Uzzicar, then south to the bridge on the main Newlands Valley road.

The easiest trail now goes up Stonycroft Gill(red on the map) then back to the Coledale – about 4 miles total trip, or 3 hours.

The main trail ascends steeply up Rowling End. Then easy ground to the start of the scrambles(or steep path of your choice) up Causey Pike. Walk over Scar Crags, then descend the steep track towards Outerside meeting the easy party near Barrow Door - about 7 miles total trip or 4 hours.

The fittest members will want to continue from Causey Pike over Crag Hill(a bit of a slog) but providing a great scramble descent to Coledale Hause. From here take in Hopegill Head or go direct for Grizedale Pike(the highest of the North Western Fells). This is a long route of 10 miles or about 6 hours.

All enquiries about the walk to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

Postprandial activities on Sunday 27th March will include bouldering at St. Bees head coordinated by Graham Calderbank.

[Editor's Note: Pictures from the walk can now be seen in this article.]

Beginners' Climbing Meet - Peak Gritstone

2011-03-09T10:00:00.004Z

Saturday 19th March 2011 at 10:00am

In the absence of any other better suggestions, we are hoping to hold our early season Beginners' Climbing meet at Burbage North. The meet will start at 10:00am in the car park at Burbage Bridge(GR: SK260829) and then we will walk along the old carriage drive to gain access to Burbage Rocks(see the maps below).

We will be concentrating on easier climbs in the Diff. to Severe range suitable for beginners, but if people request something harder it can obviously be arranged. See our blog for a report on last year's meet and also a Burbage Meet from 2008.

As usual any experienced members who can spare some time to assist our beginners, and prospective members, will be most welcome, please contact the meet coordinator Andy Gee to let him know you are coming.

Although the weather was dry last year, it was very windy so people should come adequately dressed to keep warm and should also be equipped for walking. If the weather is too wet or otherwise unpleasant, then we might undertake an easy walk via Higger Tor, Carl Wark and Millstone Edge to the Foxhouse Pub, and return via Burbage South and the Burbage Boulders.

If required, the usual refreshments will be available at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn near Bamford, on the way home.

The meet coordinator Andy Gee will be at the North West Face climbing wall in Warrington in the evening on Monday 14th of March to answer any questions. Please save your questions until tea-time because he needs the climbing practice.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the maps
by clicking on the pictures above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Andy Gee.

Pendle Hill to Downham Walk

2011-02-23T18:30:00.002Z

Pendle Hill to Downham walk – 10am 6th March 2011

This lovely walk starts in the mystical area of Pendle (witches and all) at the village of Barley on the south side of Pendle Hill. It's a tricky place to find and the best route to get there from our region is to take the M6, turn east onto the M65, exit junction 8 onto A56 – A5068 for 4-5 miles. Follow signs to Newchurch in Pendle then signs to Barley. Allow plenty of time for this as you are almost certain to get lost on the narrow roads.

At Barley, park on the main car park at the bridge, GR823403. This is an honesty box car park. There is a cafe and toilets on site.

The walk takes a very scenic and varied route up Pendle Hill to the Trig Point. We then descend north with marvellous views towards Downham. Downham is a very picturesque village worth a visit in its own right. It has all the old-fashioned facilities of a working Blacksmiths shop, Post office with old-fashioned sweets and articles, duck stream and pub.

There is a pub lunch at the Afferton Arms (a bit expensive but serves real ale) or you can use the nearby very good cafe.

The return walk is less dramatic but still remains in lovely countryside. 5 miles to Downham, 4 miles return, 9 miles total.

Contact: Lionel Greenslade

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Lionel Greenslade.

Appalachian Trail - Part 2

2011-02-23T18:00:00.002Z

After his previous article about walking the Appalachian Trail, David Breen has contacted us with some more tails of his adventures in America.

You can now read more about his experiences on the Appalachian Trail in David's own blog, there is an account of his ascent of Mt Katahdin and also an article about his last week on the trail.

Last Chance for Photos

2011-02-22T22:00:00.005Z

FINAL CALL FOR PHOTOGRAPHS

The 50th Anniversary of the St. Helens Mountaineering Club was in 2007 but the Journal celebrating that event is still awaiting publication.

Ken Fyles was in the pub last night and remarked that the final editorial meeting will take place within a fortnight. There is still a lack of pictures of members from the last ten years of the club's history. This is your last chance to appear in the anniversary journal.

Send any photos either directly to Ken Fyles or by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk

DON'T LEAVE IT TO OTHERS TO SUPPLY INFORMATION – ACT NOW.

[Editor's note: Anyone who is looking for pictures that they have had published on the website news pages can find and download them from - https://picasaweb.google.com/St.HelensMC/StHelensMountaineeringClub?feat=directlink - and also -https://picasaweb.google.com/St.HelensMC/StHelensMountaineeringClub03?feat=directlink.]

Extraordinary General Meeting to debate leaving the BMC

2011-02-17T16:00:00.004Z

Further to the announcement that the committee had decided to take the club out of the BMC, we now have a letter from Ken Fyles regarding the petition for an Extraordinary General Meeting(EGM) for members to debate the matter fully.

Now that an EGM has been called it is vital that all members make every effort to attend. The club has a democratic process for decision making and the election of committee members which should take place at the Annual General Meeting. Attendance at the AGM has been very poor, usually with less than one third of members attending in the last five years. So the committee has had no clear guidance from members as to what they want from their club.

Members should participate in the club's decision making process so that the committee has a clear mandate from members about how to procede. The committee spends your money and you should make it clear to them how you want that to be done.

Here is Ken's letter regarding the EGM:

The St.Helens Mountaineering Club Committee decision to leave the BMC (British Mountaineering Council) for two years.

THE PETITION
We the undersigned believe that the St. Helens Mountaineering Club should consult the members by AGM (Annual General Meeting) or EGM (Extra-ordinary General Meeting before pulling out of the BMC (British Mountaineering Council). The BMC is the only representative body for climbers, it consults access to crags and gives third party liability insurance to all members.

Signed to date: Ken Fyles, Dave Connelly, Maurice Rutherford, Alison Eaton, Jeff Dodwell, S Spencer, D. Sudlow, Anne ?, M.J.Anderson, Paul Howarth, J.L. Greenslade, Les Berry.
By Email: Ken Mc William, Jeff Bradley, Ann Bartholomew, Fiona Cheyney.
By phone: Bill Clayton, Mike Noyce, Sue Noyce, Neil McGovern, Roger Sager.

The background is that the St. Helens Mountaineering Club is suffering acute financial problems due to the fact that full rent is still being paid for the David Imrie Hut when in fact we have no hut to use – no hut usage fees coming in. The Committee unanimously agreed that the only solution to stop the Club becoming insolvent was to leave the BMC which would save about £660 per anum. (£11 of your membership is paid directly to the BMC).

Of the members who signed the petition above, five suggested that a levy of £10 per member be made for the next two years (after which the hut would be built and hut fees would be coming in). It is probable that many more members would prefer this solution than joining the BMC as an individual for £30 per anum.

The petition was presented to the four members of the Committee who were present at the Wednesday Abbey Hotel meeting last night (Wednesday 16th February).

The Committee honoured their promise to hold an EGM if more than 20% of membership signed a petition.

The EGM will be held at or near the end of March and members will be informed of the business of the meeting and the venue three weeks before it takes place. Please ensure that at many members as possible attend this meeting so that all aspects and suggestions can be discussed (and voted upon). It is hoped that a solution will be found to resolve the present problems and the club and its members will emerge stronger.

The new hut is soon to be built. If members could spend a day helping the build (digging foundations, making cups of tea) we would emerge as a very strong and social club. The new hut will be bigger, have modern facilities and will be well worthy of use in the beautiful region of the North Western Lake District.

Ken Fyles

BMC Membership Discontinued

2011-02-07T18:00:00.002Z

All members are asked to read and take note of this letter from the Club Secretary regarding important decisions that were taken at the last committee meeting:

Dear Members,

As a result of dwindling Club funds, linked to the financial liability of the Lakes Hut rental fee, with little or no revenue in return, the Committee of St.Helens Mountaineering Club (SHMC), at a meeting on 2nd February 2011, unanimously decided to reluctantly discontinue Club membership of the BMC.

This means that from this date, SHMC members will no longer hold membership of the BMC through the Club. If individual members wish to join the BMC, they can contact them on 0161 445 6111 or through their website at www.thebmc.co.uk. Membership of the BMC for individuals is £29.95p, for U18s/students/unemployed £17.35p, and for family membership £51.00p.

SHMC, as a member of the BMC, pays over £11.00p per member, out of each SHMC member's fee of £25.00p. Although the Committee is mindful of the large amount of good work that the BMC does for climbers, and other benefits such as 3rd party liability insurance from them, it was decided that in the financially squeezed times that the Club is experiencing, membership was a luxury we could do without.

On the matter of 3rd party liability insurance:
It is difficult to see how an action in negligence (personal injury) would succeed against amateurs or a group of amateurs (the Club), particularly in the light of warnings given to the potential claimant about the obvious dangers of mountaineering and the commonsense understanding of the dangers of serious injury or death inherent in the activity itself. This is not to mention the well known legal defences against such actions.

All this is, of course, notwithstanding blatantly reckless, deliberate or stupid acts by individuals who injure others during climbing/mountaineering activity. Such acts might well be seen as criminal in nature as well as actionable in civil law. This could potentially negate any cover under the agreement, anyway.

N.B. If any members strongly disagree with this decision; under the Club Constitution (clause 5), if they can persuade 20% of the membership similarly, they can request the secretary, in writing, to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting, with a full members' vote on the object being the reason.

With best wishes for happy and safe climbing,

Yours sincerely, Will Simm (Secretary).

Club Website and E-mail

2011-01-22T15:00:00.000Z

Our website has been off-line since Tuesday. The website is hosted free of charge by Awardspace and they have had several server breakdowns following a DDoS attack.

The website is now back on line and should be working normally. Currently the only club e-mail address that works is enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Additional e-mail addresses are not supported by our present web host. Enquiries are underway with an alternative web host that may allow more e-mail addresses to be forwarded through our Google account.

2011 Annual Dinner Weekend

2011-01-13T13:00:00.006Z

Braithwaite 25th/27th March 2011

After the success of last year's event in Wales, the club Annual Dinner is returning to the Lake District this year. Feedback has indicated that a lot of members would like to make it both a more social event and also to include more organised outdoor activities. To that end, Ken Fyles has kindly agreed to organise a walk on Saturday, and Graham Calderbank will coordinate a bouldering meet at St. Bees Head on Sunday. It is hoped that anyone arriving on the Friday evening will be able to meet at the Coledale Inn for preliminary drinks and chat.

The Dinner itself will take place on Saturday evening at the Middle Ruddings in Braithwaite. The menu for the dinner is shown below. We will need to know numbers for the dinner by the end of February.

This year's guest speaker will be Pete Chadwick. Pete started climbing at Pex Hill when he was 14, he later produced a guide to Merseyside and Cheshire Sandstone which used computer drawn topos which were also used in the first editions of the popular Rockfax guides. He has climbed extensively, at a high standard, throughout Europe and the USA.

Once again we would encourage as many people to come along as possible, not only members but, friends and family as well. The cost per person for the dinner and speaker will be £30.

There is plenty of accommodation available in the area from camping to hotels so, if you want to attend, get booking as soon as possible, this function will take place regardless of numbers!

All enquiries regarding the dinner should be sent to the organiser, Stephen Fletcher. His phone number is on the membership card. Both members and non-members can contact Stephen by e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk(because of ongoing difficulties with our webhosting, this is currently the only club e-mail address that is definitely working).

Middle Ruddings Menu
St. Helens MC Annual Dinner

Starters
Soup of the Day
Ham Hock Terrine
Fan of Galia Melon
Pan Fried King Prawns
Sozzled Chicken Liver Pate
Garlic Mushrooms

Mains
Steak and Ale Pie
Venison Steak
Stumpie Pie ( V )
Cajun Salmon
Wild Sea Bass
Spiced Three Bean Wrap ( V )
Slow Roast Local Lamb
10 oz Gammon Steak
10 oz Rib Eye Steak
Beef Florentine
Medallions of Pork Fillet
Oven Baked Chicken Breast

Desserts
Chocolate Puddle Pudding
Boodles Orange Fool
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Cumberland Rum Nicky
Cumbrian Cheeseboard
Bread and Butter Pudding

[Editor's Note: Photos from the Annual Dinner Weekend can now be seen in these articles; Part 1 - Saturday Walk, Part 2 - Dinner and Awards, and Part 3 - Sunday Bouldering and Climbing.]

Winter Walk around Anglezarke

2010-12-21T18:00:00.003Z

Anglezarke to Limbrick - 9th January 2011

This is a new walk visiting one of the oldest Pubs in Lancashire for Lunch.

Meet 10am at Anglezarke car park (GR 620162). Note this is now a pay and display car park but free parking for a few cars can still be had at a lay-by on the road opposite the quarry. The route goes north staying close to Anglezarke Reservoir. A turn west is then made to the summit of Healey Nab with a tea break and time for some boulder problems at the quarry. Lunch is at the Black Horse, Limbrick. This old world Pub serves a selection of real ales and good food at reasonable prices. Limbrick is a surprisingly quiet village as the nearby motorway is shielded by a viaduct.

Return is via pleasant woodland paths and over the bridge at Anglezarke Reservoir. Total distance 7 miles. The walk can be extended a further 2 miles around Upper Rivington Reservoir.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Winter Walk around Parbold

2010-12-06T18:00:00.002Z

Winter Walk in the Parbold Area 5th December 2010

Only 6 members arrived for this the easiest walk on the calendar. The walk circled northward then southward to go through the beautiful Fairy Glen. Luckily, the ground was hard frozen throughout and this is the reason why we have these local walks in the winter months to get out whatever the weather and keep fit for other harder walking and climbing pursuits in the summer. As we crossed the canal it was hard frozen with a gaggle of geese begging for food. They enjoyed the bread but weren't so keen on the chocolate biscuits – no accounting for taste.

The valley was in fog but we were greeted by sunshine as we approached Ashurst Beacon. The views from the Beacon were as we have never seen them before as not only Winter Hill was poking out of the fog but all the smaller upland sections of Lancashire as well. Lunch was at the Prince William Pub close to the Beacon.

November Walk

2010-10-20T17:00:00.004+01:00

Sunday 7th November.

Here are the latest instructions from the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles:

The location of this walk is changed to the Peak District since the Delamere walk was done in March.

Start at the Cat & Fiddle Inn at 10am. Use the lay-bys not the pub car park.

The walk follows Danebower Hollow then turns east to visit disused quarry sites. A new stretch of valley follows to the break-time at Three Shires Bridge. The new route then follows east to the Crag Inn at Wildboarclough for lunch. Return is via small byways and Cumberland brook. Total distance 8 miles.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Bivvy Trip Postponed

2010-10-20T16:00:00.002+01:00

The Bivvy Trip originally scheduled for the 30th and 31st of October has had to be postponed. The meet will hopefully be re-scheduled later in November weather and other circumstances permitting.

For all enquiries contact Andy Gee either by telephone or e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

AGM Rescheduled

2010-09-20T23:30:00.001+01:00

8pm Tuesday 5th October

Most members should by now have received a letter informing them that the AGM has been rescheduled. The venue was not available for the previously advertised date shown on the membership card. This year's AGM is now on Tuesday 5th October 2009 at 8:00pm prompt at St. Helens Police Club, Windleshaw Road, Dentons Green, St. Helens.

All members are asked to attend this AGM. The club hut is due to be rebuilt this year and this will have important implications for the future of the club. The work on the hut will require a commitment from the club of possibly both members' time and money. It is vital that members fully debate these issues so that the committee has a clear mandate from the members about how to proceed.

Also, this is your opportunity to scrutinise the running of your club, vote for the Officers and Committee for 2011, and generally have your say. If you have any questions or comments to make about meets, the club hut, the Annual Dinner, or any other aspect of the operation of the club, this is the place to do it.

The Meets Calendar for 2011 will be agreed within the following few weeks, so if you have a meet you wish to be included on the calendar, please inform the Club Secretary or any Committee member as soon as possible.

For directions to St. Helens Police Club and any other queries either telephone Trevor Jones or e-mail chairman@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Jonah's Adventure Meet

2010-09-20T17:00:00.005+01:00

All day Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd October 2010

PLEASE NOTE: This meet has now been postponed until after the AGM following queries raised by some members. Anyone with questions or comments regarding this meet should attend the AGM and discuss them there.

Here are some brief explanatory notes for Jonah's Adventure Meet:

The meet is going to include a mega early get up on the Friday morning, drive to chosen location, put up tents, and go climbing until Sunday night, then go home.

It will hopefully incude lots of climbing / food / beer / and fun.

We don't usually bother with campsite cooking - eat in local pubs / takeaways. May take limited gear for morning fry-ups / brews.

Wouldn't plan to decide on the location until the Tuesday, or even Wednesday, and would look to follow the best weather.

Venues could be - Pembroke / Gower / Swanage / Devon / Cornwall / Gogarth / Llyn / Avon & Wye valleys (all usually have the best weather at that time of year), but if the Lakes / Snowdonia are looking good then they will also be considered.

Some of the venues need a good 'climbing head', i.e. abseil descents, some loose rock, multi-pitch routes and traversing. The ability to abseil, belay, making yourself safe at a belay and owning a helmet are essential.

To get the best out of most of the venues you would need at least to be able to second VS (there are multi-starred easier routes at all of the venues, but the choice is a bit more limited). Even if you can't, there will still be great walking / exploring / chilling out, all of the venues are great places (with equally great pubs).

E-mail Jonah for more info / questions. Any one who does not know Jonah's e-mail address can contact the club via enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk and we will pass on your message.

[Editor's note: For more ideas about what this meet might involve, see our previous articles about Jonah's trip to Lundy and also one of many previous trips to Cornwall.]

Anglesey Camping and Climbing Meet

2010-09-20T16:30:00.004+01:00

Friday 24th to Sunday 26th September

The Anglesey camping meet will follow the same basic format as last year's Rhoscolyn meet.

We are hoping to camp at Outdoor Alternative at Rhoscolyn. This is a private campsite, so all members wishing to attend the meet are asked to notify Andy Gee so that he can confirm the numbers attending when he makes the booking. The camping fee is £5.50 per night for tents and includes hot showers.

The site is convenient for all the classic crags around Gogarth, in addition to Holyhead Mountain and the sea cliffs at Rhoscolyn. The nearest pub is the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn.

For all enquiries contact Andy Gee either by telephone or e-mail to enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Jonah and the Helicopter

2010-09-15T18:00:00.002+01:00

Jonah has had his first ride in a helicopter. Here is his report:

OK Folks,

Should have called this one the adventure meet ...........

Drove down on friday with RichC & MarkB, too damp to climb so went for a v.nice Nepalese curry.

Saturday morning saw us on the boat to Lundy with blue skies, followed climbing Ulysses Factor on the Focal Face - top HVS felt really adventurous as was quite out of the way, big, and a bit loose.

Sunday - blue skies again, so went to Landing Craft bay to do Shamrock, but couldn't get to it due to the tide. We decided on Cow Pie (should have read the Lundy pub climbing log, or UKC). Two really nice VS pitches topped by approx 25m of steep, loose grass / mud / big rocks - just managed to get to the abseil rope and attach myself, when I touched a microwave+ sized rock which proceeded to hurtle down the crag just missing the boys - GULP - without the ab rope I would have been following it.
Then we changed the ab and did Shamrock - ace 3 pitch VS with a much more solid top-out.
Then over to Flying Buttress, and raced the incoming tide to do Horsemans Route - well exposed for the grade.

Monday - went to the top of the island and climbed a pinnacle called the Constable - like grit by the sea. Weather then decided to rain with us about as far from shelter as you can get on the island - got v.wet and retreated to the pub for lunch.
In the afternoon we went to the Knights Templar Rocks to get out of the wind. Rich & Mark climbed a steep VS called Saladin.

Tuesday - It all went wrong.
Got to the pub for breakfast to find that the boat was cancelled (high seas) and that we were going to be leaving by helicopter. Ace we thought, apart from the dense fog which was covering the island.
At 15:00 the staff called it all off - we were stranded. So up went the tents, and to the pub once more........

Wednesday - Got up to blue skies, and a heli briefing, caught my first ride in a whirly bird - totally ace experience.

Now home - top adventure.

Jonah

[Editor's note: Anyone who likes the sound of that might like to consider Jonah's Official Adventure Meet on the 1st to 3rd October 2010.]

Hut Working Meet

2010-08-04T10:30:00.002+01:00

13th to 15th August

Anyone who is not attending the Cadair Idris Camping meet might like to volunteer their services to help clear the site of our hut in preparation for the re-building work which we are hoping will commence later this year.

Camping is available at the hut site, together with running water, wash-basin, toilet and hot shower. The work meet will follow the usual practice with no charge being made for camping and the use of facilities.

Anyone wishing to attend this meet should either either telephone Trevor Jones (his number is on the membership card) or contact him by e-mail to chairman@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Lionel's Ramble

2010-08-04T10:00:00.003+01:00

Sunday 5th September

This is a change to the previously published details for this walk. Due to recent footpath closures an alternative venue has had to be found.

The walk is being led by Lionel Greenslade.

Meet promptly at 10am at Fell Foot below Parlick (GR 601443). The area of the walk is covered by OS Outdoor Leisure map OL41. Lunch will be in a pub in Chipping.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries by telephone to the meet coordinator, Lionel Greenslade.

Kinder Scout Walk Report

2010-07-12T21:00:00.003+01:00

Walk over Kinder Scout Sunday 4th July, 2010.

A report from KenF:

Eight people met at the Hayfield Car Park on a blustery Independence Day. Kinder Reservoir was the lowest we had ever seen. Shelter from the wind was found at the Kinder Downfall for a mid-morning snack. The stream was absolutely dry. Members were alternately pestered by sheep wanting to share butties. Having been unsuccessful, one sheep took a quarter size orange peel and no amount of wrestling could release it from its mouth. It then searched for other bits of orange debris including the pips. The lamb learning from mum looked on. A Robertsons Golden Shred Butty would have been nice!

The walk continued direct over the peat bog (now completely dry) to Fairbrook Naze – a good test of navigational skill for glacier crossings as a direct bearing is impossible to keep and compensations of up to 60 degrees off route have to be borne in mind. Descending the little worn path of Fairbook Naze is always a delight accompanied by the gurgling stream.

Dinner and beer at the Snake Inn was very reasonably priced. The way back began in woodlands but we soon emerged to trudge up Ashops Clough. At the col, rain threatened the steep descent down Williamsons Clough but we remained rain free to the car park.

The officially scheduled winter walks program continues with the November Walk in Derbyshire.

Kinder Scout Walk

2010-06-30T13:00:00.000+01:00

Sunday 4th July

Details and instruction for an additional walk in the Dark Peak led by Ken Fyles:

This varied walk takes in some of the best scenery in the Peak District. In its entirety it covers 13 miles and 2500 ft of ascent – a good training walk for the Alps. However, there is a good shortened version of 9 miles and 1500 ft ascent.

Start at the car park (GR 047868) on the Kinder Reservoir Road, Hayfield at 9.30am. This is a pay and display car park and quickly fills up so late arrivals will not get a parking place on a sunny day. There is a buffet bar on the car park for bacon butties and other delights.

The route goes direct to Kinder reservoir and follows its western edge to a small bridge. Here we turn east to the Kinder Edge and the Kinder Downfall – tea break. The route now takes the challenge of crossing the moonscape of Kinder east meeting the other side of the mountain at the top of Fair Brook Naze. Those taking the shorter walk now peel off and take the very pleasant walk along the northern edge of Kinder to the cross roads at William Clough. A steep walk south down the Clough brings you back to the reservoir and eventually the car park. Those taking the longer walk descend the delightful Fair Brook Naze to the Snake Inn – lunch stop beer and sandwiches or cooked meal.

The longer walk returns via the woodland valley path connecting to Ashop Clough. This slowly ascends to the crossroads at William Clough and back down to the Kinder reservoir.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

[Editor's note: Those taking the alternative shortened route would appear to miss out on a trip to the pub. I don't imagine that will be very popular.]

Beginners' Meet Photos

2010-06-28T12:00:00.003+01:00

The beginners' meet on Friday 25th to Sunday 27th of June was attended by about sixteen people. It all started on the Friday evening with the usual beers and planning in the Coledale Inn. Those too lazy or unprepared to cook their own breakfast were able to avail themselves of the excellent hot sandwiches, freshly baked bread and packed lunches available from the Braithwaite General Store.

On Saturday, parties visited Gillercombe Buttress, Raven Crag and Glaciated Slab. On Sunday most people went to Brown Slabs at Shepherds' Crag. After most people had left early for a variety of reasons, some not entirely unassociated with the football, those remaing were able to make a leisurely ascent of Little Chamonix on a rare crowd-free evening.

Nant Peris Camping

2010-06-14T17:00:00.002+01:00

Friday 11th to Sunday 13th June

Steve and Andy had a weekend camping in Nant Peris, staying at the usual campsite directly opposite the Vaynol Arms. After an ascent of Flying Buttress on Dinas Cromlech on Friday afternoon, they had a long day on Saturday walking up through Cwm Glas Mawr and across to the Crib Goch Pinnacles where they climbed Reade's Route. It rained on Sunday resulting in a visit to the National Slate Museum at Llanberis.

Hoghton Quarry Meet

2010-06-14T14:00:00.001+01:00

Friday 18th June 8.30am to 9.00pm

Here is the latest info from Graham about the Hoghton Quarry Meet:

Hello All,

Just a quick reminder that it's the Hoghton meet on Friday. It gets a mention in Western Grit (somewhere in the Lancs section I think), but for more detail you'll need Lancashire Rock. If you don't have a copy don't worry, my well thumbed version will be with me on Friday. Some detail is online here if you're looking for inspiration:

http://www.lancashirerock.co.uk/gb/results.php?step=3&country=&area=&guide=Hoghton%20Quarry&subarea=Blackburn

and

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=460

Some of the routes are big for a quarry - up to 35m in places, but with the restriction that it might not all be in the best shape. It only gets cleaning attention on an annual basis, so the more popular routes/areas should be clean. But having never been I can't promise anything - don't expect Stanage-like levels of cleanliness!

There is stuff across the grades but I doubt there'll be much worthwhile below VS (there's about two decent sounding HS's and one ok sounding Severe). HVS upwards is where it's at, and if you lead extremes I'm led to believe you'll have creamed yourself by the time you leave! Rhododendren Buttress, Mandarin and Boadicea are all E2 5c and all three stars - I've seen photo's and they look truly amazing. It's just a shame they're out of my league.

Anyway - this bit is important.

Access is sensitive, so here's a summary of the relevant stuff (including parking info) from the BMC's regional access database:-

The crag is owned by the de Hoghton Estate and has a history of access difficulties - please ensure you adhere to the following agreements or access could be lost:

Don't go towards towards Hoghton Tower from the top of the quarry.
Use the obvious descents.
No portable radios/CD players, etc.

BMC members and members of affiliated clubs can climb at Hoghton from 6th June to Friday 25th July inclusive once climbing restrictions have been lifted.
Sunday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5.30 pm.
Friday and Saturday, 8.30am to 9.00pm.

Please park carefully, to avoid jeopardising these arrangements, on Chapel Lane outside the Chapel near the railway bridge or, if full, elsewhere on Chapel Lane in places not causing an obstruction.

I'll aim to be there between 9am & 9.30am. Let me know if you plan to come.

Cheers,

Graham.

Beginners' Hut Meet - The Lakes

2010-06-08T13:00:00.004+01:00

Friday 25th to Sunday 27th June

There are a few slight changes to the details previously advertised for this meet.

Although this has been described as a hut meet on the website, it is in fact a camping meet at the site of our old hut. The camping is reasonably well sheltered in the trees and we have the use of a toilet, washbasin and shower in the old hut annexe.

Due to complicated personal committments, Derek is no longer available this weekend so the meet is now being coordinated by Trevor Jones.

Anyone wishing to attend this meet should either either telephone Trevor Jones (his number is on the membership card) or contact him by e-mail to chairman@sthelensmc.org.uk.

[For photos of this meet see our article Beginners' Meet Photos.]

Brownstones Quarry

2010-06-07T19:00:00.003+01:00

A few photos from the Climbing Skills meet held at Brownstones Quarry on Sunday 6th June:

Afterwards, we retired to Bob's Smithy for a well earned drink. However, some wag must have told them we were coming because we were greeted with this notice on the car park wall:

Ogwen Camping

2010-05-16T23:00:00.003+01:00

A few photos of some of our members on a recent wild-camping expedition near Ogwen:

Our Website

2010-05-15T18:00:00.001+01:00

Our website used to be hosted free of charge by Heart Internet. They are withdrawing their free service with effect from the end of this month. As a precaution, the website is being transfered to another host this weekend. While the DNS changes are propagating the site may be temporarily unavailable at the usual address i.e. sthelensmc.org.uk.

If you are unable to see the website at anytime this weekend then try one of these alternative addresses; sthelensmc.xtreemhost.com or sthelensmc.cz.cc.

The news will continue to be available as normal because it is, as always, hosted separately on blogspot at sthelensmc.blogspot.com.

Climbing Skills

2010-05-14T06:00:00.000+01:00

Sunday 6th June 2010

The subject of climbing safety has been much discussed at recent committee meetings. The committee generally feel that not all members are properly following basic safety procedures. Members are reminded that even top-roping can be dangerous if climbers are not attentive, do not communicate correctly, and do not perform simple checks of their equipment.

It has been suggested that the club should organise a series of climbing skills refresher meets to ensure that our members follow basic safety procedures when climbing. The committee has proposed that a series of meets be devoted to this and it is hoped that all members will make the effort to attend in either an advisory or a learning capacity.

Therefore, the venue for the previously advertised meet at Trevor Rocks or Harpur Hill on 6th June has been changed. The meet will now take place at Brownstones and Wilton Quarries in Lancashire on the same date.

It is expected that the meet will cover the following basic skills:
Basic equipment checks and "buddy" checks.
Climbing calls and basic procedures.
Belaying and the need for alertness and attentiveness to the leader.
Multi-pitch belaying.
Safety at height and personal attachment.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Andy Gee.

Helsby (Evening Meet)

2010-05-13T18:00:00.003+01:00

Wednesday 12th May 6pm

Despite some really ominous looking black clouds and the ocasional spots of drizzle on the M56 Will's evening climbing meet at Helsby went ahead as planned. The crag was quite busy with a couple of other groups and also a few brave soloists.

Routes climbed(mostly on top-rope) included End Crack 10m Sev. 4b, The Wart 1om E1 5b and Twin Caves Crack 14m Sev. 4b 2*. The two best climbs of the night were Flake Crack 14m VS 4c 3* and Woods Climb 12m HVS 5a 3*.

The midges, although present, weren't too persistent and we were treated to a spectacular sunset as we descended the hill prior to the customary drinks at the Ring O' Bells in Frodsham.

Here is a selection of Steve's photos of the evening:

Green Monster

2010-05-13T13:00:00.003+01:00

Pex Hill, Monday 10th May

Video by Graham of Mark and Andy climbing Green Monster E4 6a.

[Editor's note: The shared use of a helmet is a useful tip for safe climbing during the credit crunch.]

The Garswood and Sankey Valley Walk

2010-05-06T21:00:00.007+01:00

Sunday 2nd May

While everyone was enjoying the traffic jams of the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, ten St. Helens Mountaineering Club members decided to extend the winter rambles to include the very local region. Beginning in Garswood, the walk ascended the very gentle Weathercock Hill before entering woods lining the Goyt Brook. These little known wild woods are now an obstacle course of fallen trees, stream crossings and steep stream banks requiring careful negotiation. We expected a few refusals from older members of the team but curiosity and the wonderful woodland flora at this time of year won the day.

After a mile of total wild wood, the walk continued along properly made footpaths to Carr Mill Dam. This reservoir was built to feed the 15 mile Sankey Canal connecting St. Helens through Warrington to Widnes. This canal, opened in 1757 to carry coal from mines around the St. Helens area to the markets of Liverpool and Cheshire, was the first true canal in England and pioneered the canal building age.

Sandy Bay at Carr Mill

Our route continued under the railway viaduct at Carr Mill to enter the woods of the Sankey Valley proper. Here, a second wild diversion was made to include a very old industrial region now completely taken over by woodland. Recently the remains of the Stanley Bank Slitting Mill (built in 1773) have been found and these are now beginning to be faithfully restored to include the water wheels which were supplied at that time by overflow water diverted from Carr Mill reservoir.

Woods near the Slitting Mill

Ore originating from the Parr Tyrer Estate, and from Staffordshire, was brought by the canal extension to Carr Mill Smelting Plant. The iron ingots were then reheated at the slitting works and passed through a set of rotary disc cutters which cut or slit the sheet iron into rods. The rods were then sold to nail makers, wire drawers and coopers for use in their respective trades.

Dinner was at the Ship Inn thankfully served by "Hobgoblin" for the lovers of real ale. The way back took a completely different set of paths along the Sankey Valley, passed the fishing pond full of thousands of tadpoles, and around the Carr Mill reservoir proper.

Beryl helped by Ivan and his dog cross the stepping stones near the Ship Inn

A heron stalks the water at Carr Mill

The group have decided to extend the monthly walks throughout the summer months.

The next two walks are of great contrast:

The walk in June continues the relaxed ramble type using the Trent and Mersey canal at Preston Brook and the Weaver Navigation. Contact Alison Eaton for details.

The July walk takes the high moors of Kinder Scout, crossing the mountain direct from the Downfall to Fair Brook Naze (a navigational nightmare). Here there is an "easy" alternative to walk back around the Kinder edges to Hayfield, but the main party will descend the beautiful Fairbrook Naze to the Snake Inn. Return to Hayfield is via the Ashop Clough Snake Path. This is a long walk of 14 miles and 2500ft of ascent but it's the summer with plenty of time to do it. Contact Ken Fyles for details.

Extra Walking

2010-04-28T16:00:00.005+01:00

Sunday 2nd May 2010

Arthur Helsby has suggested that we continue the monthly walks with a pub lunch through the summer period. Ken Fyles has volunteered to do the first walk on Sunday 2nd May.

The walk starts from Ken's house at 10 am and meanders through fields and woods carpeted with bluebells to the Ship Inn at Blackbrook. Footpaths all the way. Territory woodland, fields and lakes.

About 7 miles total with only slight hills (What is a mountaineering Club doing here? But it's still training for higher things).

Food at Ship Inn reasonably priced - usually 2 meals for £10 offers. Reasonable selction of ales.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Cornwall Meet Changed

2010-04-28T15:30:00.002+01:00

Pembroke - Saturday 1st to Tuesday 4th May

Due to the current poor weather forecast for Friday and Saturday morning, the scheduled Cornwall meet has been changed. The meet is now expected to take place in Pembroke from Saturday 1st to Tuesday 4th of May.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Andy Gee.

Joint Merseyside Clubs Meet

2010-04-28T15:00:00.002+01:00

11th – 13th June 2010

The Joint Merseyside Clubs Meet brings the St. Helens Mountaineering Club, the Wayfarers' Club and the Merseyside Mountaineering Club for a weekend in Langdale each year on the second weekend of June.

Accommodation is at the Wayfarers' Hut (called Robertson Lamb Hut RLH) situated just half a mile from the New Dungeon Ghyll/Stickle Barn Hotels. Each Club is allowed 8 to 10 places. There are 30 bunks and since reciprocal rights rules apply for this weekend the price is just £5 per night.

A Saturday evening dinner (usually 3 courses) will be provided this year by the Merseyside Mountaineering Club normally at a cost of £5 per head.

Anyone who has been to the RLH Hut will know that it is ideally situated for the Langdale hills and crags. The large kitchen has ample cooking facilities and the very large lounge is comforted by an open coal fire. There are two showers and three toilets.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

Windgather 2010

2010-04-25T23:00:00.004+01:00

Sunday 25th April

The beginners' meet was attended by about eighteen people. A variety of routes from Diff. to VS were climbed in a variety of styles. As is usual at Windgather, although the climbing itself is very pleasant, belays at the top always require some ingenuity.

The weather definitely favoured those keen enough to be up early. Although it was warm and bright for much of the morning, the clouds looked increasingly menacing and eventually, a little after 2pm, it started raining. A swift retreat to the cars resulted in a rendezvous at the Bull's Head in Kettleshume before the journey home.

Windgather Beginners' Meet Rescheduled

2010-04-22T09:25:00.000+01:00

This meet is now on Sunday 25th April 2010.

Derek's beginners' meet at Windgather Rocks has been moved back one day from Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th April. This is a change from the information previously advertised on the website and published in the membership card.

If, for some unfathomable reason, anyone associated with the club does not already know what Windgather looks like, they can refer to this previous article about a meet in 2008.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Derek Hatch. His contact details are in the membership card and also in the last membership list. Don't forget to let Derek know that you're coming so that he knows how many people to expect and can arrange appropriate supervision.

Non-members who would like to attend this meet, and anyone else who does not have Derek's contact details, should see our website for instructions on how to attend a meet.

Pex Hill

2010-04-22T09:00:00.005+01:00

Monday evening 19th April

The evening climbing meet at Pex Hill was well attended with just over a dozen people turning up for both bouldering and top-roped climbing. Despite the rain in the night and early on Monday morning, conditions were dry and it stayed light well into the evening.

Special thanks is due to the meet coordinator, Will Simm, for sharing his extensive knowledge and experience of the place and also for showing us how it should be done:

Pex Hill Evening Climbing Meet

2010-04-18T22:00:00.001+01:00

6pm Monday 19th April

The coordinator for this meet is Will Simm. Be sure to contact him for the latest news regarding the meet because it is dependent on good weather and dry conditions in the quarry.

Information about Pex Hill can be found in this article on UKC and also in the UKC database. There is also additional photos and route information in the Pex Hill wiki.

Parking is available in the car park at the top of the hill beside the astronomical observatory. See this printable map or this Google map for more details.

Skye in April

2010-04-13T10:00:00.005+01:00

Over Easter Maurice braved some quite atrocious weather on Skye and managed to stick around long enough to be rewarded with a few sunny days. Here are a selection of his photos:

Spring in the Clwydian Hills

2010-04-12T15:00:00.005+01:00

Sunday 11th April

A very prompt report, by Ken Fyles, on yesterday's ramble:

Eleven people turned up for a rather unusal ramble in the Clwydians - it took no summits but meandered along lonely tracks you would never have thought existed. Weather was perfect for walking and the views across the valleys were magnificent in the spring sunshine. Roger Sager, a native of Ruthin was the guide.

Anne and Alison fell in love with two new born lambs with mother keeping a watchful eye.

The second photo was taken along the Leet path which goes to Loggerheads. This is an old mining trail which helped to drain many of the mines in this area. The photo is on a bridge spanning the entrance to one of the mines about 60ft below. Of interest to the climbers, the steep wall on the left of the photo has bolted routes whilst the right wall has steep slabs which look as though they give nice, not all that easy, climbing.

Lunch was at the pub "We Three Loggerheads".

April Ramble

2010-04-05T10:00:00.006+01:00

The Clywdian Hills - Sunday 11th April 2010

Here is the latest information on Sunday's ramble from the meet coordinator, Roger Sager:

A walk taking in some of the foothills of Moel Famau, the Alyn Gorge and some woodland.
Not a flat walk, but no long ascents.

Start:
Forestry Commission Car Park SJ 173 611; there are toilets.
Arrive in time to start walking at 10:00 am prompt

Directions:
Turn right of the main A494 Mold to Ruthin road at Tafarn y Gelyn (SJ 188 617) half a mile after leaving Loggerheads. Brown “tourist” sign for Moel Famau.
Follow minor road straight ahead for 1.4 miles. There will be a wooden sign “Coed Moel Famau” on the right, a Forestry Commission access road on the right, then the exit from the car park, then the entrance.
Automatic coin operated barrier, pay on entry, fee £1 all day.

Pub:
Lunch is booked at the “We Three Loggerheads” at 1pm (SJ 198 625, tel. 01352 810337).

Distance:
5.6 miles to the pub, 4.1 miles back to the start.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Roger Sager.

[Editor's note: Photos and a report on this ramble can now be seen in this article.]

Burbage North

2010-03-29T21:00:00.009+01:00

Beginners' Meet Sunday 28th March

The day was a bit windy but it remained dry and we had a decent day's climbing. Surprisingly, we found the popular climbs around Twenty Foot Crack unoccupied and so we were able to but the beginners to the test with a few classics.

Although not everyone stopped to climb, twenty-five people known to the club showed their faces at Burbage on Sunday which is a very impressive turnout: Maurice, Emma, AndyC, AndyG, Dawn, Rob, Frank, KenMc, Spenner, PaulD, Amanda, "Pope" Paul, Gail, Fiona, Kate, Malcolm, MarkW, MarkD, Graham, Jeff, Justin, Trevor, Dave, Gareth and Derek.

Thanks to Rob and Spenner for the photos:

Website Off-line

2010-03-29T20:19:00.002+01:00

Just in case anyone is wondering where we have gone, our main website "sthelensmc.org.uk" is off-line because we have exceeded the monthly bandwidth allowance on our free web hosting account. Normal service will resume next month i.e. on Thursday 1st of April.

Maurice is Improving

2010-03-27T21:00:00.001Z

The ever enthusiastic Maurice has just returned from a week at Plas y Brenin brushing up on his skills by attending their "Rock Improvers" course.

Burbage North Beginners' Climbing Meet

2010-03-17T09:00:00.004Z

Sunday 28th March 2010 at 10:30am BST

Please note that on Sunday 28th of March British Summer Time begins, the clocks go forward one hour (officially at 01:00 am GMT the time becomes 02:00 am BST).

Therefore, to accommodate the narcoleptic and the temporally challenged, the Burbage North Beginners' Climbing Meet will start at 10:30am BST. We will be meeting in the car park at Burbage Bridge(GR: SK260829) and then walking along the old carriage drive to gain access to Burbage Rocks(see the maps below).

We will be concentrating on easier climbs in the Diff. to Severe range suitable for beginners, but if people request something harder it can obviously be arranged. See our blog for a report on a previous meet at Burbage.

As usual any experienced members who can spare some time to assist our beginners, and prospective members, will be most welcome, please contact the meet coordinator Andy Gee to let him know you are coming.

If required, the usual refreshments will be available at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn near Bamford, on the way home.

The meet coordinator Andy Gee will be at the North West Face climbing wall in Warrington in the evening on Monday 22nd of March to answer any questions.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the maps
by clicking on the pictures above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Andy Gee.

Point Five Gully

2010-03-15T20:30:00.004Z

Scotland 11th to 14th March

Jonah is making full use of the continuing winter weather:

Evening Folks, Just back from another jaunt up north - top trip.

Left home with MarkB at 20:00 on Thursday, got to the north face car park by 2:00 Friday, slept in the car for the grand total of 2 & 1/2 hours (two people + kit in an ibiza = snug).

Headed up the Ben and got to the CIC for 7:00ish. Headed out towards the North East Buttress, but got to the middle of tower gully and noticed no-one was on Point 5 - well what can be said...

Led the up to the rogue pitch in two long pitches, I got the first complete with a mega spindrift shower, Mark got the second chimney pitch (best pitch of the climb). I pulled over the last bulge of his pitch to see him happliy belayed to the base of the rogue pitch. So up and over I went (really steep for a few moves), and into the upper gully. A couple more pitches, some moving together, a dodgy cornice, and all of a sudden two climbers with big daft grins were standing on the summit.

Funnily enough the Ben was descended quite rapidly to showers and hero beers...

1) Looking up the gully from the bottom.

2) Mark starting the 2nd pitch.

3) Mark belayed to the bottom of the rogue pitch.

On saturday we joined up with Si, Martin, and AndyM and went to Stob Coire Nam Beith in Glen Coe. Conditions were not brilliant, so Andy and Mark elected for Rugby and beer. Si, Martin and myself climbed the first couple of pitches of No 1 Buttress, and then finished off up Arch Gully to the summit. Made for a really nice long climb of about 240m grade III. Went down far Clachaig beer, and went and found the boys - another top day.

Looking forwards to the next adventure...

Jonah

Moel Hebog

2010-03-15T20:00:00.004Z

At the Annual Dinner DaveA and KenF hatched a plot to go on the Carneddau on the Sunday with a "Plan B" to go to Moel Hebog if cloud was still on the higher mountains as it had been on the previous day. Hebog won and the group was augmented on the Sunday by Lionel , Alison, DaveC and AngelaC. Photos were all taken from the summit of Moel Hebog (2568ft).

From the summit they completed the round back to Beddgelert by going over Moel yr Ogof and Moel Lefn.

Annual Dinner 2010

2010-03-15T19:00:00.012Z

Saturday 13th March at Plas y Brenin

About forty people attended the newly revitalised Annual Dinner. After assembling in the bar we were eventually installed in the main dining room at Plas y Brenin for a fine three course meal.

Here is a brief selection of photos, and a few comments, from the dinner, after-dinner talk, raffle, and the club prize-giving:

Mike turned up in his own national costume
and gave our Welsh hosts something to think about.

The after-dinner speaker was Dave Bunting MBE who gave a very inspiring talk on an expedition to the West Ridge of Everest. Amongst many other things in a busy mountaineering career, Dave has written a book about training and preparation for mountaineering and expeditions of all kinds. See Amazon for more details of Dave's book.

Steve was awarded the "Club Member of the Year"
for all his hard work arranging this Annual Dinner.

DaveA receiving the "Chairman's Award"
for having just "compleated" all the Munros.

Malcolm was awarded "Mountaineer of the Year"
for his recent exploits in the Himalayas.

Ken receiving "Has Been of the Year"
for his long service to the club.

This was an amusing personal moment for Dave Bunting
as our chairman waits to present "Peeler of the Year" to RichC.
Inspecting the "trophy," Dave noticed that it was donated by John Doyle
a former member of the club who is an old friend of Dave's
and who currently works with Dave at "My Peak Potential"
providing adventure activities, training and motivational speaking.

Finally, the club would like to thank all the sponsors who supported the event and donated prizes for the raffle:

Go Outdoors (Wigan) donated a Montane pertex smock. In addition to on-line sales, their store in Wigan carries a wide range of outdoor clothing and equipment. http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/wigan

The North West Face climbing wall and gear shop donated a 70m super-dry rope. The club makes regular use of The North West Face climbing wall for our Monday evening indoor climbing meets. http://www.northwestface.com/

The Adventure Centre, Warrington, donated a pair of Seal Skinz, waterproof socks. They operate two specialist websites retailing tents and outdoor equipment. http://www.cheaptents.com/Aboutus.htm

Needle Sports donated a £25 Voucher. Needle Sports is the premier technical gear oriented shop in Keswick, Cumbria. Stephen Reid and his staff are all keen climbers and have been most helpful to club members both in person and on-line through their website. http://www.needlesports.com/

David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club (Warrington) donated one week's family membership to their excellently appointed sports and fitness centre in Great Sankey, Warrington. http://www.davidlloyd.co.uk/home/clubs/warrington

The Coledale Inn donated one night's bed & breakfast for two. The Coledale needs no introduction to members, their hospitality is legendary. http://www.coledale-inn.co.uk/

Plas y Brenin donated a taster session consisting of climbing, skiing and canoeing. Plas y Brenin is run by the Mountain Training Trust, a charity for the provision of training and promotion of safety in the hills. They also do good cake. http://www.pyb.co.uk/

Boothsdale

2010-03-10T10:00:00.004Z

Sunday 7th March

A photo and a brief comment by Ken Fyles regarding Sunday's ramble:

The walk took place on a wonderful, crisp winter day, with excellent views from
Pale Heights. The photo is of club members emerging from Boothsdale, locally
known as "Little Switzerland" because of its hilly nature.

Scotland - A Long Weekend

2010-03-08T23:30:00.004Z

A report from Jonah on his latest Scottish adventure, with photos by TrevS:

Drove upto Tyndrum with MarkB and TrevS on Wednesday night.

Thursday morning went into the Eas Anie waterfall on Ben Chuirn (icefall at the mo) and climbed it in beautiful blue sky conditions - really good. Then spent some time talking to the gold miners at the bottom, impressive plans.

Then drove over to Fort Bill, booked somewhere to stay, and went and did the Steall waterfall (icefall) in Glen Nevis. Really good, rarely forms, 150m high, not hard, and timed so all the crowds were leaving when we got there so had it to ourselves.

Friday, avalanche city everywhere, so walked into a low lying cliff on Aonach Mor and climbed a gully/icefall called Smoking The White Owl (ace name). Bottom pitches were not fully formed, but the top (crux) pitches were, and wwere very good. Finished a few hundered metres from the top Gondola station, so strolled across and was back at the car in no time.

Sat, still avalanche city, so head north to Applecross, went in to do Mare Hare's Gully on Beinn Bhan, but decided not to climb as it was about 5 degrees in the corrie, and big icicles were falling off and the snow had the consistency of porridge. Some brave souls were climbing, awesome place, and need to go back there. Buddle's recommended route Silver Tear is an amazing line, and now on the must do list, along with March Hare's and Mad Hatters gullies. Then walked into the next corrie (home to silly hard stuff, Gully of the Gods is possibly the most intimidating line I've ever seen), scrambled up to the ridge and traversed the mountain - fantastic. Finished off with beer and food in the Applecross pub (9 degrees by the sea).

Sun, climbed Taxus with the icefall finish on Ben Dothaidh, very good including Trev's first grade IV lead. Then the weekend went to pot when the M80 was shut in front of us in the middle of a hugh set of conta flows, and road works. 2 hours later we were still driving around Falkirk B roads trying to find a way south - got in at 1:00am this morning.

Top weekend though, Jonah.

Snow on Snowdon

2010-03-08T23:00:00.003Z

Rich and Ste were out in Wales today enjoying the excellent conditions on Snowdon.

Annual Dinner - Latest News

2010-03-03T09:00:00.002Z

Saturday March 13th 2010 at Plas y Brenin

News from Stephen Fletcher about the Annual Dinner:

Late Availability
There are some places available for anyone who would still like to come along. See all our previous articles about the Annual Dinner and contact Stephen Fletcher.

Accommodation
Steve has been in touch with Plas y Brenin and they have told him that they now have some accommodation available for the night of the dinner. Contact Plas y Brenin directly to arrange their accommodation.

Prizes
Go Outdoors have donated a Montane Pertex Smock as an additional prize for the draw. See this article for more details of the prize draw.

Transport
Malcolm Brentford is still offering a lift to Wales on Friday 12th March prior to the Annual Dinner. If anyone else can offer lifts or needs help with transport, then get in touch with either Malcolm or Stephen Fletcher.

Saturday and Sunday Activities
Graham Calderbank and Andy Gee are thinking of going for a walk/scramble/climb around Ogwen on Saturday and running a hungover bouldering session in the Pass on Sunday. If you would like to come along, or have any other ideas for activities, then get in touch.

For all other enquiries regarding the Annual Dinner, please contact Stephen Fletcher.

Winter Walk - March

2010-03-01T13:00:00.001Z

Sunday March 7th 2010

Note this walk has changed venue and will now be led by Ken Fyles.

Meet at 10am in the car park in the middle of Delamere Forest on the Hatchmere to Mouldsworth Road (Grid Reference SJ542716).

This walk explores very pleasant Cheshire countryside taking in much of Delamere Forest, the Ranger Station, and the new paths over Pale Heights opened up since the millenium. The Pub stop(the Boot Inn) is in Boothsdale often called "Little Switzerland" because of its hilly nature. Meals are rather expensive in this area of Cheshire but it is possible to get "lite bites" (soup and a roll) at more reasonable prices. There is a good choice of drinks.

Return is via Kings Chair and Eddisbury Lodge. Total distance 8 to 9 miles.

The scheduled Peak District walk will take place later in the year on 7th November.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator, Ken Fyles.

[Editor's note: A photo from this walk can now be seen in this article.]

Website Off-line

2010-02-27T11:45:00.001Z

Skye at Easter 2010

2010-02-22T14:34:00.003Z

Thursday April 1st to Sunday April 11th 2010

Maurice Rutherford is planning a wee trip to Skye:

"If anyone is interested, I'm planning to go to Skye on Thursday April 1st returning Sunday April 11th, staying at Glenbrittle campsite(yeah, I know there's no pub there). It's extremely handy for taking immediate advantage of breaks in the weather. The plan at the moment is to scramble the main features on the ridge. If anyone wants to come and climb as well, all the better."

If anyone fancies joining him, contact Maurice directly or email enquiries@sthelensmc.org.uk.

Langdale Weekend

2010-02-22T13:30:00.001Z

19th to 21st February

A brief report from Maurice about the meet in Langdale at the weekend:

Walk on Saturday was good - from Grasmere via Easdale tarn, Sergeant Man and Pavey back into Langdale. Snow was dry and crunchy, didn't need crampons. Sunday morning was very wet snow falling - abandonned mission and went home.

And photos by Malcolm:

Helvellyn on Wednesday

2010-02-20T09:16:00.004Z

A report on Trevor's trip to the Lakes on Wednesday:

I set out from the car park in Glenridding heading for Catstye Cam Gully. The photos show the weather conditions I was faced with. There was fresh snow down but on entering the gully, my axes found hard stuff beneath and it was most enjoyable.

I branched out right and picked my way through the rocks ( as mentioned on UK Climbing winter conditions page) to arrive at the highest point of Catstye Cam. You can see my steps to the summit in the photograph. It's an extremely long gully and it just keeps coming, well worth doing.

Then I traversed from Swirral Edge into gully number 1 in the Red Tarn area, only to discover a rope, DMM Fly axe, ice screws insitu, etc., as if someone had just vanished from the scene. Two other climbers arrived in the gully and we shared the task of recovering the gear as we ascended. ( Nice steep groove of ice two thirds up).

I handed over the retrieved gear to the other party as one of them was based in Patterdale.
Of course these days no chance of keeping the bounty as folks put notices up on UK climbing...can I have my gear back please... sort of thing and one feels obliged to do the right thing. (You can look at the posting under Lost and Found to see the list of gear that was left, but the guy gives no explanation of why it was left there, last time I looked).

Plenty of hefty cornices on top of Helvellyn, but not from the exit of Gully No.1, as can be seen. To be honest it's the only safe wat up at the moment in my humble opinion.

We came back along striding edge, notice the picie with no one on the edge except me.

All in all an excellent day out on the hills in superb conditions.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I do get out from time to time and therefore do not wish to be nominated for "has been of the year" for a second year running.

Have fun if you are out this weekend.

Trev S.

Transport

2010-02-17T13:53:00.003Z

Annual Dinner

Malcolm Brentford is attending the annual dinner and has a bunkhouse booking in Capel Curig for the Saturday night(13th March) but he would prefer to arrive in N Wales on Friday if he had some company. Are there any members in Warrington or North Cheshire that would appreciate a lift to Wales on Friday 12th March?

Also Langdale 19th February

Malcolm is also attending the Langdale Meet this coming weekend, travelling on Friday.

Any members who would like a lift to either meet should contact Malcolm directly. Malcolm's contact details are in the members list that was circulated with the last newsletter.

Cwm Cneifion & Clogwyn Du

2010-02-12T23:00:00.003Z

Jonah allowed himself to be led astray again by the infamous MikeB:

Jonah and I climbed Pillar Chimney today on Clogwyn Ddu. Great fun. The main pitch was lean with thin ice and verglass, but with reasonable gear. Very tight squeeze chimney thoughout and it went with a combination of hooking, torquing, stein pulls (!), ice placements, heel and toe boot cams (!), knee jams and arm bars! Falling would have broken limbs for sure. Top pitch was plated in ice and was a dream.

Annual Dinner - Latest News

2010-02-10T13:30:00.000Z

Saturday March 13th 2010 at Plas y Brenin

We are pleased to announce that sufficient people have now agreed to attend the Annual Dinner for it to go ahead as originally advertised.

The tickets will be available either from Stephen Fletcher in person at the climbing wall on Monday evenings throughout February, or by post. We need everyone to pay up by February 28th 2010.

For all enquiries regarding the Annual Dinner, please contact Stephen Fletcher.

Farleton Knott

2010-02-08T18:00:00.005Z

MarkD, GrahamC and RichC went bouldering at Farleton Knott on Saturday. Judging from Rich's photos they enjoyed good weather and found some amusing problems.

Nicky Nook

2010-02-08T13:00:00.002Z

A few photos supplied by KenF from Sunday's ramble in the Garstang area showing members near both the summit trig point and the cairn on Nicky Nook.

Ordeal on Mt. Plata

2010-02-05T18:00:00.006Z

My 7 day ordeal on Mt. Plata by David Breen.

Last Tuesday I got a taxi to 12 kms from where you start the walk to Plata. I only just arrived at Pirrie Grand camp and the heavens opened. No time to inflate my sleeping mat. I crawled into my sleeping bag and I was inside the tent all Wednesday due to freezing rain. I could not aperate my stove. Thursday it was a bit sunny, then the rain and thunder storms came back.

Friday I climbed to Salto base camp 4,200 m. Then returned to my tent in a storm. Saturday and Sunday was bit better. A cafe gave me the brown runs. Monday climbed to Salto camp to stay the night.

A big snow storm came at 8.30pm and it never stopped for 7 hours. It was like being in a tomb inside my tent. I had no sleep at all fighting the snow wrecking my tent. The snow also stopped the air coming into the tent.

I honestly never felt right, was I going to die? Suddenly, I was fighting for breath, I had to do something to escape the tomb. I got out clearing the snow and I felt a bit better, but got no sleep at all. I found thermals and a goose down sleeping bag no good at all, and I had to put on my Belay jacket. Time passes so slowly in extreme conditions. I was on my own and my watch never got as much use.

The sun did arrive at 8am, crawling out to a deep snowy landcape, and it was freezing cold. I was able to get breakfast. Coffee and a sandwich. After, I spent time digging the tent out.
I was the first to break trail down. On the steep traverse, bouders were flying down ahead of me. I felt tired, so I came back to Mendoza to rest after my ordeal.

The highlights were time spent at Pirrie Grand camp 3,200 m. The birds kept me entertained. They enjoyed my cracker crumbs and a yellow hammer came to look at me. I also suffered with a groin stain and wondered did I have an hernia. After some rest it stopped hurting.

I will be resting in Mendoza for a few days. I will have to plan easy walks that don´t involve extreme conditions.

Lakes Ice

2010-02-02T19:00:00.003Z

While Graham and others were in Scotland this weekend, Jonah and MarkD went to the Lakes on Saturday in search of entertainment and it sounds like they found it:

Had a great day on Saturday in the lakes with MrD. Went into Hart & Scrubby Crags on the Ulswater side of Fairfield - most impressive, with loads to go at.

Did, Hart Crag Icefalls - nice multipitch grade III.
Something in the middle of the crag which we thought was another grade III, the crux 10m of which was more like V, 6 (top lead from MrD, doing some very techy mixed shenanagins a long way above a crap nut).

We then went over to Pendulum Gully, a really atmospheric grade II/III and did it rather speedily moving together - can really recommend this one - has some great chock stones to climb.

Finished the day on the top watching the moonrise - amazing sight as it was orange, and almost matched the colour of the setting sun to the west.

Spotted some more stuff up there that will be worth going back for - Pendulum Ridge looks particularly good - but not in condition on Saturday.

Scottish Winter Meet

2010-02-02T18:00:00.001Z

A few pictures by AndyC of the recent Scottish Meet organised by GrahamC. Splitting into two parties, Graham and Mike ascended the Carn Mor Dearg Arete while Andy, Maurice and Steve climbed Ledge Route.

Your Club Needs You

2010-01-25T09:00:00.004Z

Saturday March 13th 2010 at Plas y Brenin

Stephen Fletcher is organising this year's Annual Dinner. So far he has provisional bookings for thirty people. The club needs a minimum of forty people to attend to ensure that we can cover the costs of the catering, after dinner speaker and other entertainment. Therefore we need at least another ten people to attend to ensure that your Annual Dinner goes ahead as planned.

Steve needs ten more people to contact him before Friday 29th January.

Don't ask what your club can do for you,
ask what you can do for your club!

The Annual Dinner is open to all friends of the club including, but not limited to, members, their spouses, partners, friends and family, prospective members, beginners, and anyone else that knows us. Steve has already put a lot of hard work into organising this year's dinner so that it will be of interest to everyone and not just the die-hard climbing members.

The guest speaker will be Dave Bunting MBE, Everest expedition leader and ex British Forces mountaineering specialist who spent many years as the Chief Training Instructor of the Joint Service’s mountain training centres around the world and led a team of climbers from the British Army on a groundbreaking expedition to become the first British team to climb the formidable West Ridge of Mount Everest.

This year there will be a prize draw including prizes donated by at the North West Face climbing wall, David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club, and The Adventure Centre retailers of tents and also walking gear.

This is also when the club makes it's annual awards to recognise those members who have contributed to the life of the club both in terms of both outstanding technical excellence and sheer embarrassment.

A list of accommodation local to Plas y Brenin is now available by e-mail.

For all enquiries regarding the Annual Dinner, please contact Stephen Fletcher.

Don't forget that if you do not have e-mail, his telephone number is on the membership card. Steve's contact details are also on the membership list that was mailed to all members with the latest newsletter.

Nicky Nook Ramble

2010-01-21T13:00:00.002Z

Garstang - Sunday 7th February 2010

[See our more recent article for photos from this meet.]

Instructions from Dave Archer for February's ramble:

Meet at 10am sharp in the riverside carpark, Garstang.

Lunch at The Priory, Scorton.

Distance is about nine miles, five miles before lunch and four after.

All enquiries to the meet coordinator Dave Archer. Members are reminded that Dave's telephone number is on the recently circulated membership list.

[Don't forget that you can view an enlarged version of the map by clicking on the picture above.]

All enquiries to the meet coordinator Dave Archer.

[See our more recent article for photos from this meet.]

Scottish Winter Meet

2010-01-19T09:00:00.003Z

Fort William - 29th/31st January 2010.

[See our more recent article for photos from this meet.]

Here are the arrangements for the Scottish Winter Weekend from Graham Calderbank:

The meet will be based in Fort William on the weekend of 29th/31st January. I'll be travelling up after work on the Friday evening(with probable battered haggis & chip supper in Lockerbie!) and returning after Sunday's excursion.

What we do when we get there is dependent on numbers, experience, our desires, and more crucially the weather and snow conditions(!) - but there are some great winter walks, ridges and climbs for most conditions and folk of all experiences.

I'll be booking my accomodation early next week - please let me know if you are coming and if you want me to include you in the booking.

Kit List (a minimum!):

Stiff Boots (crampon compatible)
Walking Axe
Walking Crampons
Clothing adequate for the worst weather Scotland can conjure up and a rucksack to carry it all.

A rack, ropes, harness and helmet will also be necessary if you intend to climb.

There are a couple of members with spare kit so get in touch if you need to borrow something.

Please e-mail graham.c@sthelensmc.org.uk if you need any more information about travel/accommodation/gear/food/beer arrangements (or telephone - the number is on the member list sent to you recently with the club newsletter).

Fingers crossed for cold, crisp, sunny weekend.

Graham

[See our more recent article for photos from this meet.]