Meet Report: 5 December 2020.

“He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade-stand.” Elbert Green Hubbard 1915.

Is there anything you can’t do by Zoom? So far this year, the club has held committee meetings, the AGM/EGM and a series of quizzes by this ubiquitous program. The time had come to see if it could replicate a meet; no small task!

Although the Peak District participants were still on the hill as the sun went down, they still made it back in time to join over 50 members plus partners, guests, cats and dogs logged onto Zoom for the alternative Christmas Meet on the evening of 5 December 2020. With representatives from Inverness through to southern Germany and a day packed with activities from hillwalking and exploration through to long distance mountain biking, there was a distinctly “meet” feel to the evening.

Mick Borroff delivered the first presentation and described the Morocco meet from March this year. This saw the club maintaining and enhancing our connections with this intriguing and beguiling country. Although international events cut the meet short, much was achieved and there was strong interest in the prospect of a return visit to complete the intended trek. Sales of Alan Palmer’s excellent guidebook improved by at least 1 during the presentation.

Hon Member Alan Hinkes is of course best known for being the only Briton to summit all 14 8000m peaks. This evening, he gave us a bit more insight into life beyond the 8000’s including developing outdoor skills in both his grandchildren and the Swaledale Search and Rescue Dogs teams

In the spirit of proving you can’t keep a good club down, Michael Smith also presented a short video of the club camping meet in Ravenstonedale from September this year. There is always a solution to any situation and if we can’t meet in person except under canvas then so be it! Along with the earlier Swaledale meet the club at least maintained some activities despite all the year has thrown at us.

Traditionally the Christmas meet involves a deal of good food. This year 25 participating households enjoyed some very fine British cheeses in a tasting session led by Andy Swinscoe of The Courtyard Dairy in Austwick. Each household had received their cheese boxes during the week and were ready to tuck in to cheeses from artisan producers across the country along with crackers and quince jelly. Given the pungency of the box contents, there was relief that Zoom afforded some distance from Andy’s position, sitting atop 50sq metres of maturing cheese. John Varney related his experience of making farmhouse cheese at High Trenhouse and how valuable an advocate like Mr Swinscoe would have been in those times.

Matters came to a close around 9.30 with little cheese left to consume. There were a number of empty wine bottles starting to appear behind some members present on screen which may or may not indicate a good evening had been enjoyed.

Current circumstances regarding freedom of movement and meeting in groups will not last forever, but in the meantime there are plenty of options that can be utilised to deliver some semblance of a meet. Here’s hoping we don’t need to deploy too many more of them before more traditional gatherings can be held again.

Outdoor activities over the weekend were varied although only a few people have recorded their adventures.

Fiona and Dave Booker Smith take the prize with a 102km cycle ride from south Leeds to Bolton Bridge and back, including 940m of ascent.

Richard Smith and Felicity Roberts walked 16km from Rothbury over Tosson Hill in cold, wind chilled sunshine.

Alan Hinkes made a weekend of it with a snowy ascent of Helvellyn, up Striding and down Swirral Edges on Friday, Place Fell on Saturday and Ingleborough on Monday.

Richard Josephy was out walking in the Shotover hills near Oxford.

Michael and Helen Smith, with Christine and Jim Harrison and Helen Brewitt walked in the Ladybower area of the Peak District in search of Bronze age carvings.

Tim Josephy had an exciting trip with his daughter down the Cwmorthin slate mines near Blaenau Ffestiniog, involving lots of climbs, traverses and zip wires. This was organised by a company called “Go Below”; a voucher from an indulgent parent/grandparent would make an excellent gift to an (older) child.

Mick Borroff walked on Pockstones Moor near Greenhow, the light providing great opportunities for photography.

Becca Humphreys

Attendees (my apologies for those I have failed to list – too many screens to monitor!) There were also many spouses, partners and family members too numerous to mention.

Becca Humphreys (Meet Leader), Alan Hinkes, Mick Borroff, Richard Josephy, Roy Denney, Tim Josephy, Adam Linford, Iain Gilmour, Bob Peckham, Judy Humphreys (G), Catriona Deakin (G), Christine Harrison, Jim Harrison, John Varney, Andy Syme, Helen Smith, Michael Smith, David Hick, Andy Eavis, Richard Smith, Jennifer Tennant, Peter Tennant, Arthur Salmon, Bill Gibbs, Fiona Booker-Smith, Dave Booker-Smith, Richard Dover, Paul Dover, John Middleton, Alan Palmer, Barbara Salmon, Raymond Harben, Phil Dover, Rory Newman, Martyn Trasler, Alan Kay, Robert Crowther, Paul Glendenning, Trevor Salmon, Richard Sealey, Alan Linford.