Newsletter
April 2001
Reports
YOULGREAVE 1 - 3 December (Moderate)
“Bedding, Ladies’ Lingerie, Men’s Underwear, ...” No, not a rerun of Grace Brothers’ “Are you being served?” but simply the names of dormitories in the Youlgreave hostel, a former Co-op store.
The party of 27 which gathered on Saturday included four dogs! The weather was ideal: cold, dry and clear. Our walk took in Bradford Dale, Elton and Robin Hood Stride. A very substantial evening meal provided by the hostel left most of us unable to do anything more energetic than contemplate the stairs up to the bedrooms!
On Sunday, a number of us worshipped at the Methodist Church in Bakewell before meeting at the Old Mill at Rowley. We took a contouring path along the hillside leading to the Nine Ladies Stone Circle. Views across the valley were superb; we even watched the steam-filled trail of the Peak Rail Saddle tank (number 68003 for enthusiasts!) as it meandered through the valley.
A relaxed, sociable weekend, led by Geoff, providing a refreshing break from the pre-Christmas rush.Sara Cooke - Colchester
WINDERMERE 27 Dec - 1 Jan New Year event (All)
The event could be summed up in one word - SNOW! It started on Wednesday night, after most of us had arrived, and didn’t go until Thursday afternoon, thus the cars were snowbound. Of course it didn’t stop us intrepid walkers, who set off under leaden skies on the first day. This changed dramatically when the sun came out for the next two days and a seemingly black and white scene was transformed to a brightly coloured one.Walks were re-arranged to be mostly from the hostel, though some ventured further afield by bus. On New Year’s Eve a 1½ hour traffic jam meant that some of these only just made it back for the meal, Jane Wood getting a round of applause after placing her feet atop her last Wainwright. The snowy conditions introduced several extra-curricular activities - snowball fights, tobogganing and making angels in the snow.
Evening activities included a Gamathon - Jenga, Take Two, Beetle and the Chocolate game, one group managing to consume over 70 pieces of chocolate (others only managed 40!). Roger Winterburn shared a video of his ascent of the Inn Pin, with some fantastic Skye scenery.
On New Year’s Eve, Joan led a service after dinner with Steve Graham encouraging us from Joshua 1. Then, after hot punch various folk entertained us, ending up with ‘The Wreck of the Hesperus’. It was then time for a short watchnight service to see in the New Year.
Thanks to Miriam and Andy for their organisation, remaining flexible with the changing weather conditions.
Gillian Blake - Scarborough
IDWAL COTTAGE 26-28 January (Winter Mountaineering)
This weekend was an excellent opportunity for some winter mountaineering for nine intrepid club members. We set off promptly at 9.15 am and headed down the Ogwen Valley to ascend Pen yr Helgi Du (833m). After this rather steady ascent, we headed west and, ably led by Roger, soon had Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m) and Carnedd Dafydd (1044m) under our boots. Packed ice and snow necessitated the use of ice axes and crampons on parts of the expedition, prior to the steep descent of Craig-adu.
The evening’s activities were centred round a meal in Capel Curig and a chat about the day’s events.
Sunday morning started with a meditation centered around the humility of Christ. Most of the group then set out to climb Tryfan (917m).
Thanks to Roger, for knowledgeable leadership, and to Andy, who gave expert tuition on the use of ice axes.David Lambert - Blackburn
OXFORD 9-11 February (Easy/Moderate)
The Charlbury/Oxford weekend was not straightforward as, at short notice, the Charlbury Youth Hostel was closed and the event transferred to Oxford. The Youth Hostel there is also shortly due to move to be nearer the railway station and is therefore in a somewhat dilapidated state! Also, our leader was ill and had to hand over to two other valiant recruits. And the weather? Well - a bit Februaryish ...
However, as always, it’s the people that count not the externals. A good group of walkers set out to explore the Cotswold countryside, with a scattering of deer and rabbits, on a 9 mile ramble across fields and woods. We stopped for lunch at Finstock, sheltering under the branches of a huge old yew tree in the grounds of Finstock Church, before heading to the pub to dry out!
In the evening some took advantage of being close to the city centre to stroll round the beautiful floodlit Oxford colleges exploring the sights. We somehow finishing (in true CRC style) in a cafe for a cup of hot chocolate while listening to an Elgar concerto (was it? - we couldn’t quite decide!). Others stayed at home to play Scrabble and catch up with Inspector Frost.
On Sunday we went to St Clements Church where, in true Oxford style, a visiting speaker applied Daniel 1 to the life of being a student! We then drove off to Woodstock to spend a happy afternoon exploring the magnificent grounds of Blenheim Palace which stretch for miles.
Thank you to Robin and John for leading, and Pauline for organising a memorable Cotswold weekend.Charlotte Stewart - Henly-on-Thames
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