Club Meets
1965/66
There were 15 Club Meets during the year and the average attendance was 23, not counting the Dinner and the Ladies’ Evening; this latter is now one of the Club’s most popular and successful ‘non-technical’ events.
The 52nd Annual Dinner was held on 20th November 1965 and for the second time in its 73 years’ history the Club sought new ground for this function. The Hotel St. George at Harrogate provided an excellent dinner and good facilities for both pre- and post-prandial activities. The President, Dr. W. P. B. Stonehouse, was in the Chair and it was a pleasure once again to welcome Sir John Hunt as Principal Guest. The Menu Card commemorated the centenary of the first ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper, who joined the Y.R.C. as its first Honorary Member very soon after its foundation in 1892. The attendance was 157 and of these about 80 turned out next day at the Hart’s Head at Giggleswick, now owned by the Kilburn family who for so many years were landlords at the Hill Inn.
The Club Year starts with the first Meet after the Dinner so, early in December, the President and 19 men struggled over ice-bound roads and backed out of snowdrifts to arrive at the Punch Bowl Hotel in Low Row, Swaledale and to herald the approach of Christmas. On Saturday all Y.R.C. precedents were abandoned and the entire Meet trusted itself to its President’s leadership. He, with the security of his ice-axe, led them up the west side of Gunnerside Gill by a sporting snow wall of some 100 feet on to the moor and into a white-out. Nothing daunted and compass in hand he soon afterwards announced that they were on Rogan’s Seat where frosty sandwiches were eaten and questions asked about who was Rogan and why did he sit there. Presidential directions dropped the party back into the valley and glorious sunshine below Keld where the impossibility of getting any tea (the Cat Hole closed years ago) led to macabre thoughts and a split into two groups, each determined to follow what it thought was the ‘corpse road’. One asserted that the coffins were carried over the top of Kisdon and went that way, the other took the more reasonable and easier route along the valley. All joined up for a splendid tea in Muker, then back to Gunnerside for Christmas fare, Presidential punch and seasonable cheer. Sixty-three Members and Guests were at the Hill Inn Meet in January. The frosty weather of the previous week broke to thaw on the Friday, so preventing the planned descent of Mere Gill, but Rift Pot provided an interesting second choice. Skiers had to hunt far and wide, though one party found good snow and thick mist between Cross Fell and Dun Fell. An active few disturbed the slumbering majority by making an early start on the Three Peaks. All returned to enjoy the traditional Saturday Dinner provided by Captain and Mrs. Flint, followed by the projection of an amusing cine film’ taken during the previous Whit Meet at Knoydart and a selection of Members’ colour slides.
The President and most of an eventual 36 Members and Guests arrived at Low Hall Garth on a Friday night in mid-February to eat a fine hot pie-and-peas supper and to plan climbs in snow gullies and ski tours on the fells. Morning light on Saturday showed no snow for ski-ing; the President’s party furiously assaulted but failed to surmount a gully on Helvellyn, what snow it contained was too soft and powdery and the sides were verglas. There was walking on Dollywaggon Pike and Scafell and a party did several climbs on Castle Rock. Steadily falling snow on Sunday spelt work on the cottage and, among the High Officials, discussion of budgets for further improvements to Club Huts. The March Meet at Lowstern was a success from the word go. Both stoves worked and water, both hot and cold, was to be had in abundance, a credit to recent working parties. A glorious Saturday with spring in the air saw a general exodus to the high hills, no mention of a pothole. The President’s day was made for him by the discovery of two burial grounds. The prodding, at 6.45 a.m. on Sunday, of sleeping laggards resulted in six men reaching the last cave pitch in Lost Johns’ and three of them going on to the Master Cave via Centipede Pitch. Walkers enjoyed excellent views from the summit of Pen-y-Ghent. The Easter Meet was at Ardgour where the President and ten men set up camp on the right bank of the stream in Coire an lubhair. If climbers’ reports can be accepted an epic ascent was made of Pinnacle Ridge on Garbh Bheinn. Two parties met unexpectedly while traversing Creach Bheinn by different routes and exchanged highly embellished reports of the large number of summits ascended on the way. A party reached the top of Sgurr Dhomhnuill, 2,915 ft., the highest point in the area, and a traverse was made of the ridge surrounding Coire an lubhair along an interesting route made difficult by cloud and new snow.
There were six Members and five Guests at the South Wales potholing Meet early in May. The main objective was the Southern Stream Passage in Agen Allwedd, the longest cave system in the United Kingdom. The underground trip took ten hours and was found to be sporting and very arduous; the party reached their objective, though a guest was unlucky enough to have three ribs cracked by a falling boulder. Other bruises, aches and pains meant that Sunday was spent walking the surrounding hills. For the Whitsun week the President and 15 men assembled at Poolewe on the Saturday morning in brilliant weather. The camping and other equipment was taken by Land Rover along the private track to the jetty on Fionn Loch and then by outboard down the loch to Carnmore. Cars were left at Kernsary and the party walked 3½ hours, to pitch camp 600 yards from the Carnmore landing stage, a superb situation with the Carnmore crags as background and mountains stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see. For the first half of the week the weather was perfect, parties completed the round trip of Sgurr Ban, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair and Beinn Tarsuinn, and on succeeding days of Ruadh-stac Mor and A’Mhaighdean. Eagles, ptarmigan, wild goats and deer were seen. There was enjoyable climbing on the cliffs of Ben Lair, A’Mhaighdean (Bell’s Route), Carnan Ban and Carnmore Crag; it was very evident that the area had been scarcely touched for rock climbing and that there were boundless possibilities with routes of as much as 1,000 feet. Although the weather deteriorated in the second half of the week a party climbed An Teallach in wind and low cloud while another got very wet climbing Slioch. The Club’s thanks go to the owner, Colonel Whitbread, fo^-permission to camp on his estate and for the generous loan of his transport. The Club was again in Scotland at the Midsummer weekend for “The Long Walk” which covered a distance of 30 miles from Glack, near Peebles, to Craigieburn on the A 708 just outside Moffat. The route was mainly along ridges and included some 20 peaks of which 12 were over 2,500 ft. The start was rather grey as Members walked up the ridge joining the Scrape and Pykestone Hill with Dollar Law and Broad Law (2,723 ft.). The walking was easy but the views elusive. A support party was waiting in the valley below Broad Law with soup and hot dogs; the walkers climbed back to the ridge near Loch Skeen but mist descended on them at White Coomb and deterioration in the weather after Rotten Bottom meant finding the way off the ridge with the help of compasses, streams and steep ravines. The support party was miraculously at hand to provide transport to the ready hospitality of the Balmoral Hotel at Moffat.
The High Level Camp was pitched at Pillar in mid-July; a party composed of the President, 12 Members and a Guest somewhat reluctantly left the shelter of the Wasdale Head Hotel at 9.30 on the Friday evening in a drizzle; enthusiasm waned as they ascended into cloud until a welcome decision was made to camp on the approach to Black Sail and to leave for Pillar in the morning. Saturday dawned fine and by 1 p.m. seven tents had been pitched west of Robinson’s Cairn and people were soon climbing on Pillar and the nearby outcrops. The President’s party left at 4 p.m. to walk the tops: when they had not come back by dusk, around 10 o’clock, the presidential tent was searched for possible clues and a bottle impounded. Toasts having been drunk to their safety they materialised at 11, once again from the direction of the Wasdale Head Hotel, while there was still enough in the bottle for the sacrilege to be overlooked. A glorious Sunday was spent climbing and walking and enjoying a notable absence of any other climbers or walkers. Thirteen men attended the Lowstern Meet at the end of July but owing to last minute changes the potholing party was not strong enough for the planned Swinsto/Simpson’s through trip. They did succeed in bottoming Simpson’s but were embarrassed to find on their way out that, in spite of their having booked the pot, the B-S.A. were on their way in. As a result there was a ladder mix-up. The President and 12 Members arrived from far and wide for the Camping Meet on Cader Idris early in September. Camp was pitched in the field of a farmer friend of a Past President and he was the Club’s guest on the Saturday. Cader Idris was found to be a most interesting mountain and the whole Meet climbed it by various routes. A party climbed the Wrekin on the way home.
There were 26 Y.R.C. representatives at the annual Joint Meet with the Rucksack and Wayfarers’ Clubs at the Robertson Lamb Hut at the end of September. As usual some stayed at R.L.H., some at L.H.G., with a sprinkling at Raw Head; but all were reunited with Members of the Kindred Clubs at the Old Dungeon Ghyll on Saturday evening. There was climbing on White Ghyll, Gimmer and Raven and one of the Y.R.C.’s sprightly older Members filled in a blank in his own record by adding a classic severe on Raven before doing a round of the tops, most of which were trodden by Y.R.C. boots before their wearers returned to the admirable culinary efforts of Harry Spilsbury at R.L.H. and the Huts Secretary at L.H.G. The Club made a welcome return to the Tees Valley in October and 26 Members stayed at the High Force Hotel. On Saturday parties walked to Cauldron Snout, High Cup Nick and Mickle Fell and the peat bogs were found to be as bottomless as ever. On Sunday under a blue sky with the sun shining and the birds singing, some climbed rock pinnacles a mile or two upstream, some waded up the bed of the lovely Tees, while others were surprised by a Warden/Naturalist who told them that a permit was now required to wander the desolate moors of Mickle Fell.
1966/67
The Club’s 75th Anniversary Year was a highly successful one; there were altogether 16 Meets, five primarily potholing, five primarily climbing, three walking and three social. There was a record high attendance of 73 at the Hill Inn, but a disappointingly low one of 8 at the usually popular High Level Camp; average was 28 not counting the Hill Inn and the Annual Dinner. The total membership was 192 and over 90 of these were actively attending Meets. The Ladies’ Evening was more popular than ever, over 1201 Members and their Ladies enjoyed a wonderful evening at the Craigland Hotel, Ilkley.
The 53rd Annual Dinner took place on 19th November 1966, again at the Hotel ,St. George, Harrogate. The retiring President, Dr. W. P. B. Stonehouse, was in the Chair and the Guest of Honour was Eric Shipton. Nine Kindred Clubs were represented and the total number of Members and Guests was 145. A settle and one of four benches, beautifully made in English oak, were on display at the hotel before being installed at Low Hall Garth as a memorial to Ernest Roberts. The After-Dinner Meet was again at the Hart’s Head at Giggleswick.
The year started with a most enjoyable Meet at the Milburn Arms, Rosedale Abbey, in December. The weather was fine, frosty and calm as the first party set off on Saturday morning to Rosedale Moor. One of its members had taken an active part in excavating the burial ground at Loose Howe in the 1930’s and told how wooden canoes had been found in excellent condition—they perished in the hands of the British Museum who allowed the wood to dry out and fall to powder (cf. The Vaasa at Stockholm. Hon. Ed.). At White Cross some Members made a detour to inspect Ralph Crosses, recently repaired after hooligan damage. The second party also started by Loose Howe, turned east for Cock Heads and Shunner Howe and came back to the valley down the ridge. Eventually 43 sat down to dinner and a Committee Member, who was going to be married the following week end, was honourably toasted on his great feats, the scaling of many Alpine summits and the bottoming of many pots. A Past President then asked all to stand and toast “The Potting of the first Bottom”. There was an all time record attendance at the Hill Inn in January, 73 sat down to dinner on Saturday—an excellent dinner upon which Captain and Mrs. Flint are to be congratulated. Low cloud and frequent heavy rain did not deter the potholers, who ended up the driest; they had planned for Pool Sink but this was flooded so they braved something of a traffic jam in County Pot, also in the Easegill system, and succeeded in reaching Easter Grotto and Montagu Cavern. Barn Pot was weirdly and wonderfully laddered and the elegant antics of the more hilarious were accompanied by the skirling of the pipes. Meanwhile the more sedate enjoyed a slide show of Richard Gowing’s stay in Japan and of Trevor Salmon’s in Nigeria. New Members were inaugurated over the beam in No. 4 bedroom and the bar finally became reasonably accessible as people began somehow to settle somewhere for the night—the Gritstone Club kindly lent the Gearstones Hut and it was rumoured that at Lowstern a wine and cheese party lasted far into the night. The newly installed central heating at the Hill Inn was put to good use drying wet gear. On Sunday there were Ramblers on each of the Three Peaks and a party visited Thorns Ghyll Bridge over the Ribble, said to be 13th or 14th century. This bridge, for which the local council is not responsible, had got into a poor sate of repair, but the Gritstone Club and the Y.R.C. are jointly preparing to do something about its restoration. The potholers went down Little Hull Pot.
The February Meet at Low Hall Garth was also well attended, the total was 32 of whom 22 turned up on Friday evening to eat the Hon. Hut Warden’s home made pies. On Saturday the elements had, as so often happens, to be braved. A party on Pavey Ark ascended Crescent Route in Wet snow, traversed the Langdale Pikes to Rossett Pike and reached the O.D.G. by way of Rossett Ghyll. Another party climbed Rossett Ghyll, got to the top of Great End and decided not to go up Scafell, by mid-afternoon they were on Esk Hause and thought that Bowfell would make an interesting route back to Langdala; but the fittest man had the worst sense of direction and a gap in the mist revealed after a long slog that he had led them to the summit of Hanging Knotts. On Sunday parties went to Tarn Hows, Pike o’ Blisco, Tilberthwaite and Birk Howe; some (to keep dry) made a passage through the “Halls of Silence” and Hodge Close Main Drain. High winds, a low tariff and a mixed reception greeted the President, 23 Members and 4 Guests at the Blue Bell Inn, Alston in March. Cross Fell had retained enough snow for ski-ing and excitement ran high when it was learned that there are still potholers who can walk 20 miles in a day; three Members camped by a windswept Cumbrian road. On Sunday skiers perfected their parallel turns and sections of the Pennine Way were investigated. One important and consoling point was that when Wales and the Lakes have reached saturation there are still vast areas of the Northern Pennines where solitude can be sought and found. The Head Stalker greeted early arrivals for the Easter Meet in Glen Affric with the news that it had rained daily since 13th February and he offered a dry comfortable gardener’s cottage and free run of cut timber lying around. One hardy soul pitched a tent. Water arrived during the night, Loch Affric rose 7 feet, the cottage was surrounded by new streams but the Hardy Soul’s tent survived. On Saturday a party got soaked by sunny showers on Sgurr na Lapaich and amateur lumberjacks made sure of enough fuel for two merrily blazing fires in the evening. On Sunday two Members made a determined carry-up of camping gear to the top of Mam Sodhail (3,862 ft.), a large party prudently turned back before reaching the summit while a third marched up the Glen, sheltered from a blizzard at the Youth Hostel and then climbed Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan (3,771 ft.) in blizzard and snowdrift, proceeding by compass and torch only.
To commemorate the Club’s 75th Anniversary the Meet at the week end of 5th to 7th May was at Gaping Gill, almost to the day 71 years after the Y.R.C. made the second descent on 9th May 1896, eight months after the first descent by A. E. Martel. The sky on Saturday was heavy and the moor waterlogged, making transport most difficult. The engine and gantry, kindly lent by the Craven Pothole Club, had been rigged the previous week end but it was some time before a successful form of damming was devised to divert the very considerable flow of the Fell Beck down the Rat Hole, so it was after 5 p.m. when the first man went down; only six people were down and up on Saturday. An anniversary bonfire nearly went amissing when all the combustible materials were left behind but two pyromaniac Members succeeded in firing a stack of motor tyres; flames were twenty feet high and a dark plume of smoke drifted over Ingleborough. Despite drizzle on Sunday the little petrol engine worked flat out for six hours lowering people down the 360 ft. shaft. Some tigers descended and ascended by electron ladder and many made the traverse through Bar Pot and out. Much of the success of the Meet was due to Edgar Smith and his small band of C.P.C. Members who did sterling work in erecting the gantry and winch and in operating the engine, all without ever seeing the bottom. The Y.R.C. is indeed grateful to the Craven Pothole Club for their co-operation and loan of gear and to the farmer for the use of his tractor and trailer to carry all the very heavy equipment over the moor. All in all a happy return by the Ramblers to the scene of their early triumphs in potholing.
Fourteen Members and four Guests assembled in Glen Brittle for the Spring Holiday Meet; the main body were at the spacious and well-appointed B.M.C. Hut, some camped on the beach and came into the Hut in the evenings to avoid crowds—rumour has it that they lived off a mussel bed below the camp lavatory, eked out with Loch Alsh Scampi and Hock. The hard men were at Cuillin Cottage and were little seen. From Sunday until Thursday night it was all blue skies, the moors dried out, the burns grew more inviting and conditions for climbing and for the ridge became steadily more perfect. Members took full advantage, putting in strenuous days on Sron na Ciche and on various parts of the ridge. Four parties tackled the whole ridge with and without bivouacs. The prospect of taking part in the best day’s hill walking south of Scotland drew 30 Members and Guests to North Wales for the Midsummer Long Walk over the Welsh 3,000 ft. summits. To be awakened before dawn on a misty mid-summer morning by somebody offering a cup of tea is only appreciated in retrospect but by 4 a.m. walkers were being ferried to Pen-y-Pass whence they started on a dark ascent of Crib Goch (3,023 ft.) followed by Crib-y-Ddysgl, they reached Yr Wyddfa (3,560 ft.) at 6 o’clock. A steep drop to Clogwyn Station led out of the clouds to Bewdy Mawr, kindly lent by the Rucksack Club as the first feeding point—7 a.m. Then came the hard section, the ascent of 2,700 feet to the top of Elidir Fawr (3,029 ft.)—9.30 a.m. After this the going was easier though the visibility remained poor, round Foel Goch to Y Garn (3,104 ft.). Another stop was made in Llyn Cwm, then Glyder Fawr (3,279 ft.) at 12.05 and Glyder Fach (3,262 ft.) at 12.30 were followed by some wandering about amidst a mass of near vertical broken rock and the loss of about an hour so that Tryfan was only climbed at 2.30. The indefatigable support party were ready with food and drink at Glan Dana, the M.A.M. Hut. Six Members and two Guests were strong enough to leave Glan Dana at 4 o’clock, climb to Penyrole Wen, reach Black Ladders at 6 p.m. and the summit of Carnedd Llewellyn (3,484 ft.) at 7 o’clock. They were then soaked by a thunderstorm and a Member was struck by lightning—not hurt. The final summit, Foel Fras .(3,091 ft.) was reached at 8.45 p.m. and the awaiting cars picked them up at Bontnewydd at 9.45.
The July High Level Camp in Upper Eskdale was attended only by the President, 7 Members and a Guest. Another party was apparently lured aside by greater comfort and fewer midges at Low Hall Garth. The camp site had been selected beforehand as free from bovine occupation—despite much evidence to the contrary—and was found by several people after dark by torchlight. On Saturday two Members climbed Woodhead’s on the Pinnacle and Moss Ghyll Grooves, others walked the skyline. Crowding into one tent for the traditional evening wine party gave some protection from midges and clegs. On Sunday two men climbed on Pikes Crag, two on Esk Buttress and others took a dip in the beck in glorious weather. In contrast bad weather for the third year in succession reduced attendance to only 12 at the Lowstern August Meet. Sword dances were performed and the bagpipes skirled far into the night; luckily the Hut is far enough from human habitation and the ceilidh did not disturb local residents. On Saturday a lone Member went climbing on Twistleton Scars and the rest laddered three pitches in Bull Pot of the Witches and bottomed the pot. Their enthusiasm was such that on getting back to the Hut they inspired two late arrivals, who went off in rain of monsoon proportions and repeated the route. On Sunday the President organised a work party in the Hut, another section climbed on Attermire Scar and a third got wet going up Wild Boar Fell and Swarth Fell.
The Meet at the Golden Lion Hotel, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, at the beginning of September was healthy and blustery for the walkers, moist for the potholers. One of the latter wanted to photograph another on a ladder pitch, his flash apparatus was found to be out of order so it had to be a daylight pitch; after a somewhat prolonged discussion the party ended up in Bull Pot-of-the-Witches. A third member wanted to find an exceedingly beautiful cavern that he remembered having visited in this pot eight years before. Several muddy hours later the phantom cavern was still eluding them all, though they did visit the downstream sump. Meanwhile a party of adventurous walkers had set out early from the Golden Lion and battled over Blea Moor and Widdale Fell to arrive hopefully at the Moorcock Inn—and to find it closed. Defeated, they took the next train back to Horton. Two men did the Three Peaks. The Golden Lion provided a most enjoyable and satisfying dinner to 30 Members and Guests, after which David Handley laid on some entertaining films of the Matterhorn and Jungfrau.
The outstanding features of the Joint Meet at the Robertson Lamb Hut with the Wayfarers’ and Rucksack Clubs were first and foremost Harry Spilsbury’s superb meals and, at other times, the wet. Parties climbed on Gimmer and were driven off by heavy rain. The walkers after traversing the valley of Langstrath, found various routes back difficult to follow owing to low cloud and heavy rain. The President’s party did the Bowfell round in record longest time and saw somebody do a spectacular fall off Bowfell Buttress without hurting himself. A Member who catered at Low Hall Garth for a party most of which did not turn up was justifiably incensed and it took most of the R.L.H. contingent of Y.R.C. Members most of Sunday to soothe him, they walked over to do so and got wet on the way back. The President and 27 men were back in the Lake District in October, at Mungrisedale. On Saturday parties climbed Blencathra by Sharp Edge, some of the older Members were succoured with tea by a lady in Scales who owned 8 cats, 2 dogs, a budgerigar, and a turtle which stimulated unworthy thoughts in the mind of the Oldest Member about soup that evening. For those who climbed Skiddaw the view was spoilt by cloud above 2,000 ft. On Sunday some returned to Sharp Edge, others visited the old wolfram mines and the Roman Fort in the Carrock Area. The thanks of the Club are due to Mrs. Robley of Mosedale House Farm for most ably looking after the Meet at short notice owing to the illness of the proprietors of the Mill Inn, where accommodation had originally been arranged.
And so ends yet another, this time the 75th, of the Club’s many happy and successful years.