Meet Report: 21-23 May 2021.

After a long and challenging winter of uncertainty, Covid restrictions and minimal club activity the first meet was .always going to be a joyous occasion – sadly nobody told the weather! Following on from the best practice set out in 2020, it was another camping meet, this time at Stablefell campsite by Semer Water. Holding the title of the second largest natural lake in North Yorkshire, Semer Water had been swelled by the recent heavy rain and was even larger than usual, flooding nearby trees and much of the lakeside footpath.

Unfortunately, the recent bad weather continued through Friday. A wet day followed by a very wet and windy night. David and Christine’s tent was not up to the challenge and they had to resort to “glamping” in a wigwam.

Despite the bad weather on Friday, activities were undertaken. Michael, Helen, Arthur, John and Alan walked from the campsite to cross the sike feeding Semer Water where they tried but failed to cross Raydale Beck which had flooded the surrounding fields. Plan B was to retreat and head up towards Drumaldrace and on approaching the Roman Cam High Road, turn right and descend towards Countersett. Reaching the Hawes road, a direct return to the campsite at Marsett was made to be sure of getting to the pub in time for dinner. 

Saturday dawned and the effort of climbing out of a tent after a night of sleeping on the floor to be welcomed by 5°C temperatures in late spring reminded some members why there hadn’t been many camping meets on the agenda pre-pandemic. But after a warm coffee they were ready for another day of adventuring.

Tim headed over to Wild Boar Fell. Starting from Hell Gill, the way along the Eastern edge of the Eden Valley, down to Hazelgill then up to the summit of Wild Boar Fell was all pleasant going on dry ground. The plan was to descend Needlehouse Gill SE down to Uldale but the weight of water made a gill descent too risky. An easy but unremarkable route down the hillside had to suffice. Again, the planned return along the south side of the River Rawthey was deemed inadvisable in the conditions, so the “path” on the north side was followed. 8km of bog later, passing a herd of Galloway belties that appeared to have been crossed with dachshunds, so deep were they in mud, drier going led over the ridge back to the car. 25km.

David and Christine walked from the campsite to Bardale Head, returning to Marsett via the Roman Road and Wether Fell. They called in to see Aysgarth Falls at their finest on the way back; at least all that rain had one benefit!

Alan and John drove to Castle Bolton, walking east then north east to the waterfall on Low Scar.  This is usually a totally dry waterfall, as the catchment area has been severely reduced by quarrying, but on this occasion, after 48 hours of torrential rain, it was in spate. The pair then crossed Redmire Quarry, to head north east to the prominent chimney which is visible for much of the length of Wensleydale. They headed north to Snowden Man (an inscribed boundary stone), to the huge disused flue above Grinton Smelting Mill, and to the road on Cogden Moor.  They then turned  west to the grouse butts above Grinton Lodge, and south over Greets Hill to Apedale Beck at Dent’s Houses, and finally back to Castle Bolton.  This is what they described as “a fairly short walk at 16km, but passing through a fascinating geological area, with lead and coal mining evidence in abundance, and made all the more interesting by having a mining expert as company on the walk.”

The remainder of the party set off anticlockwise round the head of the valley, initially up Bardale to Outershaw Road at its head. Almost immediately they left the road and set off across the infamous Fleet Moss. This is a peat blanket bog known locally as The Somme and where a restoration programme is well advanced. Using the netting sacks of hair laid across the gullies in the peat made our crossing of these dips easier and less damaging to the delicate peat. Pausing after skirting Jeffrey Pot a split into two parties saw three continue along the watershed to Yockenthwaite Moor before turning north to Addlebrough while the remainder descended into Raydale and back to the camp site for lunch.  The latter party then drove to Thornton Rust to walk over Addlebrough and circle back round Worton Pasture. One remained there to ferry the other three back to Marsett. 

Saturday night gave the opportunity to socialise, something that has been much missed over the last year. Luckily the pubs had reopened so Richard Taylor was saved the horror of having to cook. Many members headed to the pub but some stayed at the campsite and were rewarded by some glimpses of the sun and an excellent BBQ.

My vision of a bright and sunny Sunday morning doing some open water swim training in a peaceful Semer Water ahead of an upcoming triathlon was not to be. It was rather too cold and grey for me but as I drove away from the campsite Barbara and Helen B were making their way down for a swim. Braver than me!

Instead, I stuck to dry land and headed for a walk with Michael, Helen, Dave and Mike. The novel names of Apedale, Gibbon Hill and Smithy Gill attracted us to park on the moor road above Castle Bolton. We walked up Apedale checking out en passant the Jingle Pot Quarry for a future rock climbing outing. Soon after starting the descent into Swaledale beside some stone turret-like shooting butts, a turn right was made to traverse over to the Harker Hills then another right, south to the unlocked shooting cabin above Grovebeck Gill for a lunch break. Heading east to the moor road a juvenile ring ouzel was spotted besides many scattering red grouse chicks. 

Arthur and Alan, heading up Bardale undertook a similar Marsett- Bardale- Fleet Moss- Raydale Grange route to the main party on Saturday. Peter, Conrad and Richard T followed two of the wild water swimmers towards Semer Water (weren’t tempted to take a splash) before climbing to the village of Stalling Busk with its ruined church and graveyard. They met one of the swimmers after their dip, who claimed the water had been warm. After passing Countersett with its Quaker Meeting House they climbed to Green Scar Mire before returning to Marsett.

It was a real pleasure to be back at a face to face meet again. Kudos to those who organised quizzes and virtual social events over the winter but nothing beats catching up with friends and meeting new people all while being refreshed by the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. For those of us who are still working from home with eight hours of video calls a day it really did recharge the batteries.

Thanks to Tim, it can’t be easy planning meets in the current climate, and thanks to everyone that turned up and made it a great weekend. 

Fiona Booker-Smith

Attending: Dave Booker-Smith, Fiona Booker-Smith, Bailey (four-legged mascot), Helen Brewitt, Peter Chadwick, Mike Gregg (PM), David Hick, Tim Josephy, Alan Kay, Christine Marriott (G), Felicity Roberts (G), Arthur Salmon, Barbara Salmon, Helen Smith, Michael Smith, Richard Smith, John Sutcliffe, Richard Taylor, Conrad Tetley (PM).