CLUB MEETS

1949. – Members at the Coniston Meet in March enjoyed fine sunny weather on the first day, but Sunday turned to low cloud and rain.  Climbs done included Arete Chimney and Crack, Trident, Gordon and Craig and Giant’s Crawl.  Surprisingly, eight members only were there to enjoy the lavish fare at Heathwaite Farm.

The Easter Meet was held at Boot in Eskdale, when nine members enjoyed four gloriously fine days on Scafell and the Napes, one party doing Tophet Wall.  The Lake District is so heavily booked nowadays, that it was many years since we had met there at Easter, and twenty-five since we had been to Eskdale.

The attack on Notts Pot, Ireby Fell, on the 14th and 15th of May, using the Leek Fell hut as a base, was strenuous, but made in fine weather.  Remarkable work had been done the previous week by an advance party of four in collecting four heavy ladders from two miles over the fell, carrying thirteen ladders and other gear three quarters of a mile to the Pot, rigging the two short pitches, and putting the ladders down.  Even with this help fifteen men working in two shifts of twelve hours just failed to bottom the last twelve foot pitch.

Last year’s historic meet at Killesher near Enniskillen was repeated at Whitsuntide, when thirteen men led by the President again enjoyed Mr. Barbour’s generous hospitality and Chubb’s catering.

This year’s expedition was successful too, except that fewer pots were left to explore; Pollnatagha was descended again, and further minor discoveries made.  Two new small pots were done and a very fine discovery made in Pollaraftra.  Tyas, followed by Burton and Barton forced a tight passage opening into a large cavern which was followed for three quarters of a mile without reaching the end.  A search of the neighbourhood for new possibilities seems that the Enniskillen pots have now been well covered.

An outing not on our fixture list was due to the kind thought of Sir John Barran, one of our oldest members.  A party of twelve met on the 18th June at Sawley Hall and spent a fascinating afternoon walking through the Estate and gardens.  Sir John and Lady Barran’s hospit­ality will long remain a pleasant memory.

Fourteen members spent the week-end of July 8th to 10th at the Robertson Lamb Hut, generously placed at our disposal by the Way­farers’ Club.  The Meet took place in the middle of the heat wave, and Langdale was as hot as the Rhone Valley in midsummer.  Even the bathing pool and streams at R.L.H. were stone dry.  Many severe climbs were done on Gimmer, Pavey Ark and Scafell, some parties setting off early in the morning to escape the heat.  One member had a narrow escape as he came off leading Gimmer Crack, but was well held by his second.  A swim in the cool waters of Stickle Tarn finished the climbing day for most people.

The Rift Pot Meet on the 26th to 28th of August, drew fourteen men, ten of whom encamped at Clapdale on the Friday night.  Next day one party descended Rift Pot and another went through Long Kin, but could not find the end of the traverse, whilst the hopelessly rotten wall at the other end defeated the others.  Next day the whole party entered Long Kin, three made the traverse which was the same as ever and the others rigged the 200 foot pitch and sent down four men.

Langdale was visited a second time in September, when a dozen members gathered at R.L.H. with parties from the Rucksack and Wayfarers’ Clubs.

Seven men gathered at Dent on the Friday evening, to be followed by a like number next day for the meet at the George and Dragon Hotel in late October.

The December Meet was held at Buckden, when the party walked to Malham Cove via Mastiles Lane in clear frosty weather.  Next day an exhilarating ascent of Buckden Pike was made, with clear sky above and crisp snow underfoot.

1950. – The January meet at the Hill Inn was attended by twenty-nine members and guests, who enjoyed cold but sunny weather and a treasure hunt on the Saturday evening, followed by a demonstration of Tarbuck rope technique.  On the Sunday four men completed the Three Peak walk, and seven men bottomed Sunset Hole.

In February an attempt to reverse last year’s moorland walk, Marsden to Edale, was defeated by heavy snow, but those who stayed over the Saturday night were rewarded by a brilliantly sunny day.  W. Stoney led a fast moving party on a long tramp over the snow-covered tops to the south of Huddersfield.

The March meet at Kirby Lonsdale was delightful; Lancaster Hole was found wide open and visited by ten men.

The Easter Meet with its plan of camping so that the more inaccessible of the Cairngorm Peaks could be reached, is a complicated story of five parties, gale and privation, very different from what was planned.

The April Meet was at short notice transferred from Patterdale to the newly acquired Cottage in Little Langdale, where the party did valuable work in preparing for occupation.

The Whitsuntide meet under canvas on Leek Fell struck the end of a drought, and was held in dreadful cloud and north wind, except for one day used for the descent of Gavel Pot.

A very successful privately organised meet was run by C. W. Jorgensen in mid-June at Tan Hill Inn, when members and guests engaged in an exciting test of speed over moorland country, combined with correct map-reading.

Two other privately run meets were also successful, having as objec­tives the descent of Gaping Gill via the newly opened Bar Pot entrance, followed by a descent of Jockey Pot led by George Spenceley, and the descent of Nick Pot led by R. L. Holmes, four men reaching the bottom of the 280 foot pitch.

In late June nine men camped for two nights above the 2,000 feet contour at Angle Tarn in mixed weather – a useful experience.

The few who were at the Bar Pot Meet in mid-July found that Gaping Gill now lies almost open to the world, but for the tight place at the top pitch.  A descent into G.G. can now be made by two ladder pitches of 30 feet and 100 feet, the chief danger being inexperienced gate-crashers.

Some stiff climbs were made by three members at a joint meet with the Rucksack Club at their hut in Llanberis Pass during August Bank Holiday, Longland’s Climb and Sabre Cut being done.

The joint meet at R.L.H. at the end of September was marred by continuous rain, and little climbing was attempted.  The Rosedale Abbey meet the following month was quite different, dry and mild.  Glorious walks, delightful autumn colours, and an interesting visit to the Roman Road.

1951. – The January Meet at the Hill Inn was attended by thirty-six members and guests.  Seven men explored Sunset Hole on Saturday, after threading their way delicately over the heaps of sodden discarded clothing which someone had left in the entrance.  On Sunday a large party rigged and descended Alum Pot.  On Saturday evening a special General Meeting of the Club was held, with the President in the Chair, at which it was resolved that young men between the ages of 17 and 20 years of age should be eligible for election to the Club by ballot as junior members.  Such junior members should be admitted to the Club on the conditions applying to ordinary members at half the usual subscriptions subject to certain other conditions.

Nine members met at Easter to enjoy the excellent hospitality of the Corrie Hotel, Arran.  As their arrival coincided with a wedding reception the week-end had a splendid start and a number of ambitious excursions were made in the pleasant weather of Good Friday.  Saturday was spent walking, and climbing an easy snow wall.  Sunday the weather turned bad and a tour of the island was made by bus.  On Easter Monday, despite a severe blizzard, a number of pleasant excursions were made, one party taking with them an Australian who had never seen snow before.

Only two members did the point-to-point walk from the Golden Lion at Horton to the Rose and Crown at Bainbridge which was arranged for the April meet.  On arrival at Bainbridge however they found a further twelve members who spent the week-end walking locally at Bainbridge.

Fourteen members camped at Mere Gill for Whitsun.  The stream had been dammed the previous week, and tackle was taken to the top of the 3rd pitch on Saturday afternoon.  Two Land Rovers were found of the greatest value in taking tackle over difficult country to the pot.  The third pitch was rigged on Sunday morning, and the exploring party which went down reported that the passage to the torrent was blocked.  Further operations were stopped by the call for help from Pen-y-Gent pot.  Six members went over in the Land Rover on Whit-Monday morning, went in at 3.15 to relieve one of the parties already inside, and brought the body out at 4.30 p.m.  The Land Rover was used to take it to Horton.

The joint meet with the Wayfarers’ Club took the form of an all night walk on June 23/34.  The Y.R.C. was represented by four men from Huddersfield, who returned to their base after some 15 hours of difficulty, dark and bad weather.