Club Meets

1936.—Over forty sat down to dinner at the Hill Inn, Chapel-le-Dale, on February ist, and most went out to a Treasure Hunt afterwards, though some were left in peace. Weather mild and misty. The usual walks included a sweep over the Twistleton limestone plateau, the Ingleton ” Scenery,” Ling Gill, and to Bainbridge.

The Meet at the Greyhound, Shap, 29th February, was handicapped by heavy snow in the late afternoon. The Stembridges’ was the last car to cross Stainmoor that night; Gowing stopped at Bowes. Sunday was spent in a walk up West Sleddale and down Swindale, half the time in a blizzard. Hearing of a block on Shap Fell, the return was made by Tebay and after six miles there was no trouble, the snow having melted off in Lonsdale, and on to Leeds.

Miss Wight’s comfortable quarters at Hartrigg, Buckden, received the party of March 21st-22nd. The weather was inclined to be sunny, and was decidedly warm for the season, over 60° out of doors. The loss of the garage key, dropped in the road and carried off, kept the early arrivals busy over effecting an entrance. Davidson’s party visited Douk Cave and Sleets Gill; Bone and the Editor measured the new find, Birks Fell Cave, as 230 yards and Kirk Gill Cave as 30 yards.

The Irish expedition at Easter was again successful, adding the Skreen Hill River Cavern of 400 yards to the Marble Arch series. Another party of eight were climbing from Beddgelert. ‘ The Burnthwaite (Wasdale) Meet of May 1st-3rd, was undoubtedly the most successful of the year. Over twenty men came, and the weather can only be described as gorgeous. Four men crossed from Rosthwaite on Friday night, and climbed on Boat Howe on Saturday, the army arriving from Langdale. On Sunday two parties were on the grand rocks of the Pulpit and the others on Scawfell Crags.

Twenty-four, including five of the Leeds University Climbing Club camped at Gaping Gill the Whitsun week-end, May 31st. Heavy rain began early on Saturday and lasted till noon ; after that the weather was fine with a cold north-east wind. A party went to the Stream Chamber on Saturday p.m., and on the way settled the puzzle of Devenish’s and Frankland’s climb to the Alcove in Sand chamber, up to the right, on to a ledge and across the top of the Alcove and down. The second route into the Mud Pot from the Stream Chamber is now quite obvious, for thin men.

On Sunday Davidson, Matheson and E. E. Roberts went in by the Flood Entrance with a minimum of tackle. The forty foot pitch proved to be a real forty footer, not something less. At the first setting the 33 ft. wire ladder seemed hopelessly short, and the slipping of the last rung but one was an unpleasant incident. Don’t be short of ladder there ! F. S. Booth and F. H. Stembridge, with whom they exchanged, had strenuous work getting on to the ladder by the rope extension, for grappling with a wire ladder is quite a problem. Worse still their lamps went wrong after being refilled with muddy water, and after a trying time they were glad to get out !

The Letterbox Pot was laddered on Monday, but though the East Slope Chamber was found to have a newly collapsed entrance, those who had not been down did not seem very keen to chance a boulder off the scree after hearing about the 3924 descents.

A week later the tackle was used for descents by 18 Rover Scouts, organised by Armstrong. It was amusing to find from conversations with spectators that the apparatus is assumed to be provided and hired out by a proprietor, and that we were supposed to be ” making a bit.”

21st June, a joint meet with the Rucksack Club (5 men) and the Wayfarers (3), at Ingleton Bridge Hotel and a camp below Newby Moss. Pillar Pots and others were descended ; it had been hoped to do the long ladder climb into Long Kin West but the thunderstorms of Saturday interfered. It is a fact that a motor car lies at the bottom of the shallow Pillar Pot V, and logical deductions proved that it had been a trailer used by Hainsworth, for motor tyres taken up to the 1935 Jubilee bonfire. Hainsworth, however, says that he sledged the stuff over Newby Moss, and suggests that the wreck may be traced to the ” rockery men,” bandits who scavenge the clints for commercial purposes, and to whom probably the extraordinary damage to the Farleton Fell clints is to be ascribed.

Only nine men were at Horton for the 19th July. A visit was paid to the passage recently found in Jackdaw Hole by Mr. Watson.

Only Devenish was at Tal-y-Braich for 3rd August. In the autumn he returned the kindness of the Rucksackers by taking some of them down Swildon’s Hole (Somerset).

Much good climbing on Gimmer Crag was enjoyed on 13th September from the Robertson Lamb Hut.

A furious gale with very heavy showers spoilt the Saturday afternoon of the Keld Meet. Sunday, October 18th, was a lovely day, and the autumn colours were seen to marvellous advantage in the wonderful gills. Various parties went up Shunner Fell, Whitsundale, and Water Crag (much water and no crag).

An outburst of snow and frost was about the last thing expected on Saturday morning, 5th December. The first man reached Heathwaite Farm, Coniston, through some odd squalls, but at four a severe snow­storm began. Gowing, much handicapped on the last stretch, came in from Edinburgh after dark, four more at eight, and towards midnight a scuffling at the door called people out of bed to let in Rigg, Thomson, and Liebenberg who had somehow got through in nine hours. It is marvellous they ever found the farm. In brilliant sun, furious wind, deep snow, and hard frost, the Old Man and Dow Crags were crossed, and in some marvellous way people got home the same night over icy roads, so efficient is present day road clearing.

1937.—The Hill Inn Meet, February 7th, was favoured by a spell of good weather following a damp and sunless January. Crawford and Roberts had a wonderful Saturday over Harter Fell and Cautley Crags. 28 were at dinner; pot-holing in the barn, and a view of Hastings’ gift of slides followed, Brodrick and Rule identifying the figures in the older ones. The President’s party on Sunday found the remarkable straight line of sinks and the ring revealed by the air photographs of the Gaping Gill area, discovering only that all were deeply covered with drift.

The Meet at the Robertson Lamb Hut, February 27th-28th, had almost the same experience as the Coniston Meet of December. Deep snow and a terrible westerly blizzard met the cars after passing Amble­side, and ice formed on the windscreens. The gale could not be faced for long on Sunday when there was a slight thaw. A lot of pushing had to be done on cars garaged at the hotel, and the hill from the Hut had to be cleared to get away. In spite of the extraordinary damage to telegraph posts and wires, people got home to the east the same night, Lancashire way being clear of snow.

Both Meets at an early Easter, 28th March, had sunny weather and found much snow on the high fells. The President’s party of nine at the Corrie Hotel (Isle of Arran), included Dr. E. A. Baker, and in the time most men climbed six or seven peaks of the Goatfell group. As ever, Nelstrop refused to sleep under a roof, and went forth every night to a tent on the moor. Rock-climbing could not be done, other than the Witch’s Step, which was hard, and the traverse of A’Chir, but there was one real bout of step-cutting down into the head of Glen Sannox.

At the Coniston Meet one man had an excellent run on ski from Great End to Bowfell and half way down Hell Gill. There was also climbing on snow in the Great End Gullies and in the rarely visited gullies on Dollywagon Pike.

During April twenty men spent a brilliant day in sweeping the Gaping Gill area, aerial photographs in hand, and in excavating various sinks which showed delusive promise.

The Lost Johns’ Meet on Leck Fell enjoyed delightful weather, and was very successful, seventeen men attending. The morning of Coronation Day, 12th May, was terrible up to 9 a.m., then cool and cheerless. A party of seven put in the ladders on the first two pitches, and escaped the heavy rain of the afternoon. It had been the intention of most of them to climb Ingleborough to the bonfire, but heavy clouds compelled Mr. Hainsworth to put off the lighting till Saturday. On that day, Davidson, Fred Booth, Frank Stembridge, Haslam, White and Roberts worked in six ladders, etc. to the Battleaxe, and visiting the Old Pitch found that the necessity of fitting beams for belays would take up much time if the round trip was attempted.

On Sunday twelve men descended. Hilton and Nelstrop did the whole of the Master Cave upstream, and Fred Booth, Stembridge, and Matheson went downstream through the pools till they stuck in the quicksands, distance made to be 1,100 yards. On Monday the President and Editor went down to the Master Cave and Lyle Chamber, Bob’s Pit being done on the return, and the supporting parties coming in by relays made a clean sweep of the tackle by 9 p.m.

Next morning Rumbling Beck Cave was measured as 64 yards to the pot and 54 yards over ground. A terrific downpour for five hours after noon interfered with loading and the marquee had to be taken down soaked.

Goyden Pot was the object of the Middlesmoor Meet. There were eighteen guests from kindred clubs, but except Hilton and Yates I understand the members present did not know the cavern. The whole crowd are reported to have met at the Sump, and made the ascent to High Rift in a dense cloud of tobacco smoke.

Only five shared in the Scawfell expedition in July, but they had a very jolly bivouac on Esk Hause and a great day afterwards.

Two men were with the Rucksack Club at Tal-y-Braich for August Bank Holiday. Nelstrop went up Bellevue Buttress and Longland’s Way on Clogwyn du’r Arddu with Alcock (R.C.).

At the Robertson Lamb Hut in September the weather was vile, but three parties climbed the Bowfell Buttress, one of which chose a very long way home via Eskdale.

A brilliant week-end in October showed us the autumn colouring of the N.E. to perfection at Hawnby. One large party followed the edge of the Hambletons, another went by Roffa to the edge of Helmsley Moor and along the Carlton watercourse to Fangdale Beck.

For once the night of the Annual Dinner was not densely foggy. Mr. H. W. Tilman, our principal guest, expressed a desire to get down a pot-hole, and there were many volunteers before the Dinner was over. Sunday was fortunately a pleasant day for driving, a large party went out to Alum Pot, and Mr. Tilman reached the bottom in quick time.

A snowy week preceded the Meet at Appleby (Bongate Hall), and it almost became a question of whether people could get there. The writer went by train, but the other eleven got through by car, Godley coming up all the way from Worksop, Sunday was a lovely day, and there was much good ski-ing, the whole country being deep in snow with a further fall during the night. Men were very fortunate to get through returning home.