Club Meets

1930. —The Meet with the Derbyshire Pennine Club at Longnor (Staffs.) was unfortunately put forward at the last moment to 2ist-22nd June, and many men were disappointed in missing the climbing on the Roaches. These crags have numerous gully and face climbs, many being over 100 feet high. Some men were tempted on to an innocent looking climb, but should have been warned by the expectant gathering of their hosts at the foot of rocks, who cheered each man as he struggled frantically with the last pitch, which required body, feet, and arms to assume impossible positions. We look forward to further climbing on the Roaches.

A small party spent a very jolly August Bank Holiday time with the Rucksack Club at their Capel Craig Hut. They climbed Craig-yr-Ysfa Great Gully, Tryfan Grooved Ar6tc, and the Monolith Crack. The latter must have been chosen as being something of the same kind as the tight 40 feet pitch in Flood Entrance, but a waterfall should be guided down the tight place to make us feel really at home.

At Horton-in-Ribblesdale, 27th-28th September, we were joined bv members of the Wayfarers’ Club, and twenty men did the through route, Long Kin East to Rift Pot, or vice versa. Although there was a fair amount of water down the short pitches in Long Kin East, the descending party dodged most of it, but the ascending party had to put in their speediest climbing.

1931.  —The ChapeLle-Dale Meet, January 3ist-Fcbruary ist, had the indifferent weather characteristic of that winter, but the blizzard of the afternoon and evening made such remarkable use of a few inches of snow, that it gave us a lot more fun than grey skies and rain. Over long stretches the roads were bare, but the absent snow had gone to build up heavy drifts in between. Up to five o’clock cars got through from Ingleton, but it was agreed that the Stockton men must be stuck in Widdale. However, Gowing burst upon us then with the news that they had got well past Ribblehcad. Armed with one spade and two coal shovels, a rescue party sallied forth, and in a whirl of powder snow, dug through the big drift, beyond which half the road was almost free till near the Inn. Twenty-five sat down to dinner, and then there arrived Marshall and Wood from a car abandoned at Ribblehead, and Butler’s party from a car left below White Scar. Macpherson came through from Ingleton at nine, and last of all, near midnight, Albert and Harold Humphreys, after dining at Ingleton, raising the party to 33 in all.

Sunday was quite pleasant with glorious views, and after two drifts had been dug through and after some indifferent ski-ing and walking, the column of cars left early, 2 to 3 p.m., in case there were any obstacles on the way. The snow was only thick in Ingleton and between Buck-haw Brow and Settle. Beyond Settle the country, except in Wharfe-dalc, was green.

The most sporting approach had been by Devenish and Slingsby, who came from Grassington, starting Friday night, via a hay barn in Wharfedale, the Stake, Bainbridge, and over the old road to Ribblehead.

The Malham Meet, 14th- 15th March, was made the occasion of a Scouts and Outposts ” affair over Fountains Fall with the Gritstone Club. Twenty Ramblers in five cars went over to Horton, crossed the Penyghent ridge and stringing out along the Silvcrdale Road, reached Malham in under the four hours allowed, but only collected two or three Gritstone men on the way. Unless someone interviews each man and writes a monograph on the subject, it is very difficult to find what occurred. One capture was made by striking successfully a man who had got through by crawling.

At Easter, wonderful weather rewarded the eleven members who met at Wastdale Head arrd who had excellent sport.

For Lost Johns’ the Club obtained permission to use the shooting hut on Leek Fell. Two of the pitches were rigged the previous week­end, and the night of the 25th-26th April was spent underground by eleven members and three guests. The first party went in at 9 p.m. and the last two men reached the surface at 4.30 a.m. Everyone got to or beyond Dome Junction, but heavy water defeated those who reached the Battleaxe pitches. Some criminal had broken the Bayonet off short. Owing to numbers, the work was not hard, but the expedition was an interesting example of the fact that nothing is gained in such a place by employing more than about eight. Three more men visited the Cathedral on Sunday, and the ladders were carried out by successive parties. The last to enter claim much merit for holding on through the asphyxiating fog produced by the photographers. Robinson performed prodigies in feeding the multitude of 18. Leek Fell’s usual storm began as the last cars were being loaded.

The Gaping Ghyll Meet was successful in two respects, though on the whole too ” jumpy ” to be really pleasant ; fresh ground was entered and it was shown that traffic up and down can be maintained through a bad flood. In spite of heavy rain on the Friday and showery weather on Saturday, the first men found it exceptionally dry below. Hilton and E. E. Roberts descended 132 feet to the pool finish of the Two Hundred Foot or Flood Exit Pot.

On Sunday, Sale pushed right through the glutinous mud of the small passage off the second aven beyond and a hundred yards of new ground was discovered. Then Fred Booth somehow climbed the ” impossible ” wall to the hole in the first aven, and excavation was about to begin when the party was recalled by news of a sudden flood. Everyone got out by five o’clock, traffic being steadily maintained under conditions which appeared to those below likely to give them a long detention.

Monday was again a miserable, chancy day, but not bad enough to stop an attack on the Flood Entrance. As the downward party found, no surveyors or supporters were allowed below, and the four of them had to drag out all the tackle. In spite of that handicap, everything was up above by six o’clock. More fortunate than in 1930, the campers were able to dry their things on Tuesday and pack up in glorious sunshine.

Eight members met six or seven Wayfarers at the elaborately fitted Robertson Lamb Hut in Great Langdalc, 20th-2ist June. The hut is on the south side of the new road, about a mile from Low Dungeon Gill Hotel. To make it perfect, a grass path is required alongside the two miles of pitiless tar macadam above it. The weather was misty until the Sunday afternoon, when came a touch of summer.

The summer was absolutely hopeless for any serious pot-holing, even straightforward eaves being repeatedly inaccessible when attacked. Though the days were fine, heavy storms by night spoilt the Kingsdale programme, 18th-19th July. Only two Rucksackers turned up, and with four of our men got thoroughly drenched in doing the old part of Marble Steps Pot.   Fourteen people stayed at Braida Garth.

On September 19th, some twenty-five of us met the Derbyshire Pennine Club at the Nag’s Head, Castleton, and after high tea proceeded in a body to the Peak Cavern. Nine of us and one D.P.C. man waded through both the deep pools to the far end described by Baker.

On Sunday, a grand day, 14 Ramblers and Mrs. Smythe went down Oxlow Mine with a strong detachment of our hosts. Those who stayed above, congratulated themselves on the better choice.

The Cat Hole Inn at Keld in Swaledale possesses more accommoda­tion than people think, for over 20 men stayed there, 17th-i8th October, the President confessing that Keld and its glorious waterfalls were new ground to him. Hollow Mill Cross Pot was done again, but no new finds have been reported.

1932.—The Chapel-le-Dale Meet was more popular than ever, fifty men managing somehow to sit down to dinner at the Hill Inn on 6th February while extraordinarily calm weather balanced the blizzard of [931.   The President organised a murder and a trial, with preliminaries which have left some doubt as to whether there is or is not a Water Pollution Research Board. The subsequent bonfire and rockets must have left Ingleton wondering.

Woodman drove to and from Ashford in Kent, 300 miles, and picked up Slingsby in London on Friday night.   This is real enthusiasm !