Club Meets

1969-70

14 weekend meets were held during the year and one day meet; the average attendance was 27. In addition there was of course the Annual Dinner, the Ladies’ Evening and two lectures.

The Annual General Meeting was held at the Hotel Majestic, Harrogate, on the 15th November, 1969. The 56th Annual Dinner followed with the President, E. M. Tregoning in the Chair. The Principal guest was Sir Charles Evans, President of the Alpine Club. 133 members and guests were present. The attendance at the after-dinner meet on the Sunday at Sparth House, Malham, was 69. The Christmas meet was held at the Grove, Kentmere, with the Senior Vice-President and his lady as host and hostess. 43 members and 3 guests had the good fortune to enjoy this advantage. There was some snow on the hills though it was thawing and misty on the Saturday. Several parties did the round of the valley, one way or the other. Others ambled down the Hugill Heights, and one member even claimed to have reached the shore of Windermere. A splendid Christmas dinner was followed by the President’s punch and that in turn by a film made by Don McKay. Sunday morning was wetter and more cloudy, though those who persisted had a break in the afternoon.

The Hill Inn was crowded for the January meet. 76 members and guests were present for part or all of the meet. Saturday morning dawned cold with a little snow which fell on and off all day. Whernside was as usual knocked off before breakfast and the Three Peaks before dinner. Other parties visited the Howgills and Lowstern, and inspected the old bridge near Gearstones. An excellent dinner was followed by slides and a talk by Clive Rowland, on his climbs in the Alps. There was heavy overnight rain and low cloud on Sunday as members left for a short day on tops or in pots.

{Birkness Combe, Oxford and Cambridge Direct (note actually Grey Crag) by D.P. Penfold 350×494}

Somehow 47 members and guests were accommodated in and around Low Hall Garth for the February meet. There was snow above 1,000 ft. both on the ground and travelling horizontally on a very strong wind. Parties struggled through and against it on the Coniston Fells, on the Crinkles, Pike o’ Blisco and Side Pike. More mature members kept below the snow and enjoyed some patches of sunshine.

The Grampian Club Hut in Glen Etive provided an excellent base for a winter meet in late February. Twenty-three members and three guests filled the bunks and overflowed on floors, in outbuildings and in tents. The early arrivals had a day on Ben Starav and Glas Bheinn Mor on the Friday in hard snow and sunshine. Saturday could not have been better, with brilliant sunshine, crisp snow and superb visibility. There was a long queue on Aonach Eagach and parties on Bidean nam Bian. Other parties climbed the left-hand finish of Crowberry Gully and descended the Great Gully, others did the Curved Ridge, others skied on Meall-a-Bhuiridh. The weather broke on Sunday. There was heavy rain in the morning which continued for most of the day and drove members home early.

The experiment of holding the Easter meet at the Club Hut in Little Langdale instead of in Scotland did not encourage a larger attendance, only 7 members putting in an appearance. Those who attended had an excellent weekend, but that applies also to the handful who attend Easter meets—with a better prospect of good snow— in Scotland.

31 members and one guest camped with Denny Moorhouse at Deiniolen in April. Most members walked on the Glyders and Snow-don and some climbed on Tryfan. A tour of the Clogwyn Climbing Gear workshops on Sunday was followed by climbing and walking at Tremadoc, as well as Ogwen and Llanberis.

The May meet at Lowstern was intended as a potholing meet, but no potholing was done. The total attendance over the weekend was ten, though only three of these slept in the hut, the remainder making a day of it on the Sunday and devoting their time to walking on Ingleborough and climbing on Attermire. The Whit meet was held on Arran with a camp site in Glen Sannox. The weather was generally poor—cold, wet and windy, and some of the tents were damaged. Despite this there was some good climbing on Cioch na h’Oighe, Torr Nead an Eoin and on the south face of Cir Mhor, and all the major ridges were traversed. For the Long Walk the Club stayed at the Barnsley Mountaineering Club Cottage on the Snake Pass in Derby-shire. The walk followed the Derwent Watershed starting and finishing at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn. 26 members and guests were present and 19 attempted the route of 37| miles originated by Eustace Thomas in 1918. It was a brilliant, hot and sunny day, the moors were powder dry with puffs of peat dust rising at every step. Feeding points were sited at Main Nick, on the Snake Pass, and at Cut Gate, and the support party did a magnificent job particularly in carrying water up hill to the last named. On the last stretch over Marjory Hill and Derwent Stones members welcomed the chance of a bathe in Abbey Clough. The last of them arrived at the Ladybower Inn around 7.30 p.m. Sunday was even hotter; the Alport River was popular: three tigers were seen with lots of rope.

Ten members camped at the foot of Cam Spout in July. Cloud lifted on Saturday and gave a good day to those who climbed on Scafell Pike and Pikes Crag and walked on Scafell Pike and the ridge to Great End. Sunday began dull and damp but became progressively fine to the delight of those who climbed again on Pikes Crag or walked around the head of Eskdale.

Marble Steps was the pothole designated for the August meet at Lowstern, and one member did bottom it by joining up with a Cambridge Party. Two Y.R.C. photographers, three potholers and a dog descended Great Dawk Cave and Hardrow Kin, enjoying some of the finest formations in Yorkshire. On the Sunday six members visited Dowlass Moss and spent an enjoyable day popping in and out of holes —Thorn Pot, Boggart’s Roaring Hole, Cave Hole and Trapdoor Pot.
 
Walking parties visited Halstead, White Syke and Cowsen Gill in bright sunshine. 15 members and guests attended.

17 members and guests travelled to Galloway in September, for the meet at the bothy at Back Hill o’ the Bush in Merrick. Saturday began cold and windy, though cloud lifted steadily during the day and there were only two showers of rain. Several parties climbed Merrick, one crossed three more tops northward and returned via Tunskeen bothy, another walked out the Rhinns of Kells. On Sunday cloud remained at 2,000 ft. all day, but all present set out, aiming to swap sides of the valley. A party on Merrick reported goats and an eagle; another party browsed on bilberry patches up Craigtarspn and then traversed the Rhinns.

14 members stayed at the Robertson Lamb Hut in September for the Joint Meet, as many again stayed at Low Hall Garth and ten or more used tents or cars. Albert Ravenscroft with understandable but quite unfounded hesitation assumed the role so splendidly performed for years by Harry Spilsbury. Parties comprising both clubs (the Rucksack Club was represented only by its President) were out together anywhere from Helm Crag to Wasdale. The weather was perfect. A number of ropes were in evidence, the most notable including an ex-President of the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club celebrating his eightieth birthday climbing on Scout Crag and Pavey Ark. Sunday was wet and misty and all parties returned wet enough for satisfaction.

The October meet at St. Patrick’s Well Inn, Bampton, was devoted to the art and craft of orienteering over a well organised and testing course, and fortunately in clear sunshine. The Lake District eagle was reported, as well as red deer and motor-cycle marks on High Street. Sunday was windy and overcast, the wind causing difficulty for those climbing in Swindale. Walking parties traversed Harter Fell, Nan Rield, Rough Crags and High Street.

The last meet before the dinner was held in November at the Blue Bell Hotel at Kettlewell, and attended by 25 members, who enjoyed a perfect late Autumn day on the surrounding fells on the Saturday. Conditions on the Sunday were atrocious. Two tigers in wet suits persuaded three amateurs that the volume of water flowing through Out Sleets Gill Pot, on the shoulder of Fountains Fell, was not excessive. At the top of the second pitch the discussion about volume passed beyond the academic and the last three members reached the surface as the flood overwhelmed the dam.

1970/71

13 Club meets were arranged for the year and 12 were actually held. The average attendance was 31, excluding the social occasions of the Dinner, the Ladies’ Evening and Lectures, and the day meet for climbing at Rylstone. At the Annual General Meeting on the 21st November, 1970 the annual subscription was raised from £3 to £5, mainly to meet the increased cost of printing the Journal. The 57th Annual Dinner was held at the Hotel Majestic, Harrogate. The President, E. M. Tregoning, was in the chair, and the principal guest was Mike Westmacott, Hon. Secretary of the Alpine Club, and member of the first expedition to climb Everest. The attendance was 143 and approximately 70 members and guests attended the after-dinner meet at the New Inn, Clapham. Most of them headed for Ingleborough, disappearing into mist and snow.

The Christmas meet was based at the Bolton Arms Hotel, Leyburn. Saturday was gloomy with low cloud and rain. The President’s party made over to Swaledale and up on to Water Crag and Rogan’s seat, one pair detouring via Tan Hill. Another party was conducted round the old lead mines in Apedale and on Redmire Moor. Other members were still making their way to the meet, by various routes, including Dodd Fell and the Roman road to Bainbridge. The dinner was held in the Great Chamber at Castle Bolton, the company being played in to the meal by one of the Club’s resident pipers, and the traditional punch with the incoming President followed. A bus was hired to assist members back to Leyburn. Sunday was a beautiful sunny day and members were out early on the moors on both sides of Wensleydale.

With great regret the long tradition of holding the first meet of the year at the Hill Inn in Chapel-le-Dale was broken because of extensive internal alterations at the Inn. The meet was transferred to the New Inn at Clapham. 70 members and guests attended. The early start for the Three Peaks was continued, one party starting from Clapham and the traditionalists from the Hill. The Dinner on Saturday was an enjoyable if rumbustious occasion, and was followed by an excellent talk given by Peter Swindells and illustrated by slides from the Club’s library, on the Club’s early potholing ventures. On the Sunday there were parties on Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Gragareth, climbers on Attermire, farming talk at Rainscar and groups in Bowland.

No circulars were sent out for the February meet at Low Hall Garth because of a postal strike but as usual about 40 members and guests turned up; Dennis Driscoll was quite unperturbed in catering for the unknown, the meals were excellent, and the meet as usual a great success. After dinner on Saturday, Pete Watson, one of the instructors at Brathay Hall Outdoor Centre gave a talk, and showed a film on the work of the Centre.

28 members and guests assembled at the Grampian Club Hut in Glen Etive on the last weekend in February: this meet is becoming as firmly established as the Low Hall Garth meet. Cloud was down at 2,000 ft. which was also the freezing level. The President’s party traversed the Aonach ridge; others were on Sgurr na Ulaidh and Bidean nam Bian; others again were ski-ing. On the Sunday there were parties on Buachaille Etive Mor and up the Lost Valley.

A high level camp was intended at Red Tarn, Helvellyn, in mid-March. There was a blizzard on the Friday evening, the snow continuing for most of the night. The President spent the night in his car at the Glenridding mines, retreating to Patterdale next morning, where he joined three other members in a quick dash to Red Tarn. Six months later it was established that John Medley had actually camped there on the Friday night, but no signs of his sojourn were evident when the President’s party arrived. The meet was therefore transferred to Low Hall Garth where eventually 9 people assembled from various refuges. On Sunday in brilliant sunshine the President and a small party traversed Crinkle Crags. The Easter camp was set up at Auchertyre Farm, 2 miles south east of Tyndrum. Heavy road traffic, trains and the continuous night activities of oystercatchers and snipe made it a noisy site. The weather throughout the meet was splendid— hot sunshine all day and every day and brilliant moonlight every night. The snow was not in good condition but the swimming was excellent. The first day was spent on Ben Dubhcraig, Ben Oss and Ben Lui. On Saturday one party was on Ben Vorlich and the other did the full ridge of Ben Cruachan. On Sunday both coasts were clearly visible from the top of Ben More and the round of Stob Binnein and Stob Coire an Lochain completed the day. Monday was spent on Beinn a’ Chroin and An Caisteal. In all but numbers attending (7 members and one guest) a most successful meet.

28 members and guests were present at Lowstern for the potholing meet in May. On Saturday the potholing party eventually found Sunset Hole and bottomed it. They then becked up Hell Gill, climbed the final fall and by diving established the depth of the pool below it. Gingling Hole was tackled on the Sunday in unusually dry conditions. The tight section, “The Thrutch”, four pitches from the bottom, sorted out the men of substance. The rest reached the mud wallow at the final siphon.

By Saturday evening 25 members and 2 guests were established at an excellent camp site at Lone, in Sutherland, for the Spring Bank Holiday meet. The weather was splendid for the greater part of the week, and stimulated members to full and strenuous activity. Arkle and Foinavon were traversed in both directions. Ben Stack, the small range around Meall Horn, and Ben Hope were climbed by several parties, a couple of members walking to the latter from the camp via the “Thieves’ Track” and Gobernuisgach Lodge. Others made the round trip to Gobernuisgach and back via Glen Golly. North/south and south /north parties traversed the cliffs from Cape Wrath to Sandwood Bay, sighting a peregrine en route. Virtually the whole meet spent a day on Handa Island, overwhelmed by birds in thousands, by diving skuas and bombing blackbacks. A memorable and varied week.

The Long Walk in June was a north/south traverse of the Lake District from Whinlatter Pass to Black Combe. Having first devised the route, Bob Chadwick most nobly and effectively provided the main support and cook waggon for the walkers from his brand-new motor caravan. Walking began between 5 and 5.30 a.m. and by the time the first group reached Grisedale Pike the cloud was down and the rain began, and with a strong wind behind it was soon driving heavily and horizontally, continuing in this fashion until mid-afternoon.

Routes diverged immediately. By the first feeding point at the top of Honister several walkers found that they were too lightly clad, and called it a day. A fair number of the 24 starters reached the second feeding point at the summit of Hard Knott, a smaller number arrived at the third point on the Eskdale/Ulpha road and only five hard pressed men pressed on to the fourth in about 17 hours.

Peter Swindells’ temporary residence in Northern Ireland led to arrangements for an ambitious weekend in the Mountains of Mourne in July. The political situation unfortunately caused a reluctant cancellation of the meet at the last moment, or rather the substitution for it of a working weekend at Low Hall Garth. One determined member did however join Peter Swindells and the pair had two fine days, doing the full round of the High Mournes on the Saturday with excellent visibility across to the Isle of Man and almost to Dublin; and on an equally fine and clear day on the Sunday completing the traverse of the Low Mournes. The working party did some work.

The August meet saw 12 members and 3 guests in Nidderdale. A strong party explored the labyrinth of Goyden Pot. A slightly older party made off over Dead Man’s Hill to Horsehouse and back over the shoulder of Great Whernside. Sunday was given over to becking up How Stean Gorge, and rounded off by exploring Elgin’s Hole.

Ten Yorkshire Ramblers represented the Club at Robertson Lamb Hut for the joint meet with the Wayfarers and the Rucksack Club in September. An overflow of nineteen Club members stayed at Low Hall Garth. Cloud was low on Saturday though it cleared later in the day. Parties scattered widely over Southern Lakeland, from the Pikes to Ulpha with “becking” thrown in on Blake Rigg. A climbing party on Wallabarrow Crag had a good day concluding with a rope of five on the Girdle Traverse. Several parties climbed on Sunday on Dow Crag, others walked on the tops which became cloud covered during the afternoon. Provisioning at both huts was as usual excellent—consumption was phenomenal.

Climbing and walking were combined with archaeology and history at the Roman Wall meet in October. The hotel staff gradually became accustomed to the vagaries of the Club. Neither the distractions of hunt balls and hunt meets, nor the lowness of the Saturday mist deterred members from starting early. Parties made for the Wall and Housesteads, for Dere Street and Chew Green Camp, for the Cheviot and for Crag Lough where the climbing was excellent. Sunday was damp and misty with a succession of sharp, heavy showers. An astonishing degree of expert knowledge and guidance was available on matters Roman for more ignorant members and was very much appreciated by them.

1971-72

There were 15 meets during the year, excluding the Ladies’ Evening and the dinner and the average attendance was 29.

To relieve the Secretary of the additional burden of organising meets a successful experiment was tried of appointing a different member to do this job at each meet. The Annual General Meeting and the Annual Dinner had to share the Hotel Majestic at Harrogate with the 1971 International R.A.C. Rally. Two inches of very wet snow fell between 5 and 6 p.m., making road conditions difficult for those travelling to the dinner, which had to be delayed about a quarter of an hour.

The President, A. B. Craven, was in the Chair, and the principal guest was Professor Fred Hoyle, who is both a Yorkshireman and one who has completed his Monros. The attendance at Dinner was 143. 85 members and guests turned out for the after dinner meet at the Racehorses Hotel, Kettlewell. Most people made for Great Whern-side and Buckden Pike, although Old Cote Moor Top on the opposite side of the valley was also visited, and one seasoned party crossed Great Whernside into Nidderdale and had to cross back again, losing one guest in the process. The attendance of 68 members and guests at the Christmas Meet testified to the popularity and hospitality of Dennis and Margaret Driscoll at the Grove, Kentmere. Climbing parties were out on Saturday on Buckbarrow and Gimmer, walkers completed the Kentmere Horseshoe, others reached Kilnshaw Chimney via Thornthwaite Crag and John Bell’s Banner, and two parties were reported on Helvellyn and Bowfell.

A superb Chistmas dinner was followed by a sophisticated show of concurrent cine film and slides of the two previous Whitsuntide meets (Inchnadamph and Lone), to a musical accompaniment of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. The President’s punch followed. Spontaneous activities continued in the bar which very much later became, like the front lawn, an extension to the sleeping accommodation. Sunday morning brought low cloud and light rain. Again there was climbing in Longsleddale and walking around the Kentmere Valley, Hawes-water and Troutbeck. Sparth House, Malham, was the venue for the January meet. 45 members and guests were soon spread out in the prevailing low cloud over Darnbrook and Fountains Fell, Malham Cove, Goredale, Attermire and the surrounding moorland and limestone. In some cases expectation was confounded by navigation and when Malham Cove eventually loomed up in the mist it did so in the indisputable shape of Attermire Scar. Dinner was followed by slides of the 1971 potholing expedition to Iran. Cloud was still down on Sunday; there was climbing on Attermire and walking within the limit of a shorter day, rounded off by an excellent ham tea.

The February meet at Low Hall Garth was attended by 38 members and guests, for whom Dennis Driscoll again catered with five-star sangfroid. There was no snow but the morning was bright and frosty and there was enough ice to test a climbing party of three on Hutable Crag in Deepdale. Walkers traversed the Coniston fells, Helvellyn and the Langdales.

The meet at the Grampian Club Hut in Glen Etive has achieved traditional quality in every way. 22 men attended, including 4 guests. According to the meet report, 40 man-monros were produced, as follows: (a) Six men on Friday round the Glenduror horseshoe, (b) on Saturday: (i) Seven men via Aonach Mor to Stob Ghabar and back via Sron a Ghearrain, (ii) Four men on skis, power assisted, up Meall a Buiridh, (iii) Eleven men in three parties up Bidean nam Bian. (c) on Sunday—various parties up various mountains (including three up the Curved Ridge on the Buachaille). A satisfactory record of activity in view of white-out conditions on the Saturday.

March saw the Club at Edale, at the Church Hotel, for a weekend of warmth and sunshine. 22 members and six guests were present. There was climbing at Castle Naze and other outcrops, potholing in Giant’s Cave, and walking on the Kinder and other Edale Edges.

{Tide Mark, Cioch Na h’Oighe, Arran, Easter 1970 by S. Goulden 350×522}

For the Easter meet six members and one guest had an excellent campsite by the loch in Glen Callater, with a 3½ mile carry on which to loosen up. Friday was warm and sunny and a first party of three had a good day in Corrie Kander: the rest of the meet arrived during the day. Saturday was wet until early evening: the second party up the Corrie Kander gully found conditions less pleasant. The whole meet walked over to Lochnagar on the Sunday, via Cam an’ Sagairt Mor and the Stuic in low cloud and heavy, persistent showers. Because of the poor condition of the snow no climbing was possible, and it was a damp party that returned to camp. Two members stayed on on Monday and had a splendid day of alternate sun and snow showers on Tolmount and Tom Buidhe.

Gale force wind and torrential rain greeted eleven members and three guests as they struggled to set up tents at Deiniolen in April. Conditions were no better on Saturday morning and most people took up Denny Moorhouse’s offer of a conducted tour of the Clogwyn Climbing Gear Factory. Some men moved off to the coast on the Lleyn peninsular where there was sunshine, seals and iron-age forts, others inspected the nearby copper mines and when the weather began to clear around 4 p.m. a party did a fast round of the Snowdon Horseshoe.

(Crack of Doom, Direct Approach, Sron Na Ciche, Skye by R. Harben 350×495}

The site chosen for the Spring Bank Holiday meet was Coruisk. Because of gales on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, it became the most disjointed meet of the year. Thirteen members and guests did eventually camp at Coruisk and spent most of the time surviving. On the only fine day (Thursday) two of them traversed the ridge in 9½ hours. Others were less ambitious but climbed or scrambled. Four other members got to Skye but did not camp at Coruisk. The first boating party (Hon. Sec. and Senior Vice-President) arrived hazardously at Scavaig on Tuesday evening and left on Thursday. The second boating party (four members) failed to arrive and finished up sans boat at Low Hall Garth. The President and the remaining eleven members of the meet spent most of the week in reasonable weather conditions amid considerable activity at Inchnadamph.

The Long Walk in June followed the Yorkshire-Lancashire boundary across the Trough of Bowland, starting near Dunsop Bridge and ending at the Club Cottage in Clapham. Detailed arrangements had been made prior to the meet with landowners and keepers about the exact route. Mist and rain over the first section led to some variation in the exactness. The first pair came home in just over 9 hours. Two ran, twenty walked and ten did a superb job in support.

At Lowstern in July a party made the Club’s first descent of the recently discovered Rainbow Sink on Newby Moss. The weekend was hot and sunny. Walkers were out on part or all of the Three Peaks, climbers on Attermire Scar, and a party as far afield as Keld. Attendance was nineteen. The high level camp in August was in Eskdale, below Cam Spout Buttress. The pack ponies made available from Brotherilkeld did not reach the camp but nineteen members and guests arrived. Climbing parties were out on both days on Esk Buttress and Pikes Crag, and walkers on Harter Fell, Scafell and the fells ringing the head of Eskdale.

The joint meet with the Rucksack Club and the Wayfarers in September was attended by 32 Y.R.C. men, distributed between R.L.H. and L.H.G. Albert Ravenscroft was again responsible for the arrangements at R.L.H. and therefore largely for the success of the meet. As usual there was an element of doubt about all the activities of all the parties out on the weekend, but there was no doubt about the general enjoyment.

The October meet, organised by the Teeside contingent of the Club took the form of an orienteering search for the stone crosses that are to be found widely dispersed over the N.E. Yorkshire moors. 30 crosses were listed with an elaborate points score for each one found. The search covered two days, the weather was superb and the meet was comfortably based on the Milburn Arms at Rosedale. 26 members and guests attended.

The potholing meet in late October was held at Lowstern, with 8 members and one guest present. Saturday was devoted to Bar Pot through to the Main Chamber and Mud Hall. On Sunday two members climbed on Malham Cove, the remainder walked.