Category: Members Tales

Tom Anderson writes: Being a Hut warden is always a bit of a poisoned chalice.  But I did get a lot of support from members and the committee! This video was taken when I was on a service visit during a good snowy week and was a great day out as snow always enhances the hills.  The route round the group from High Moss is good either way round and does not involve driving.  Being warden was the only job I had that involved work and play and I am glad I did it for 10 years!  My early retirement worked well for me and the Club. Trust you all, enjoy the video, you can find it here. Regards Tom [Web sec note – it may not load instantly]

The Fall   In West Cornwall, the morning of Sunday 4th July 2021 dawned grey, dull and misty, not looking good for the climbing day we had planned. However, the forecast was for ‘improving later’, so we decided to have a look. The drive from my place to the main climbing areas of Penwith takes around 45 minutes, give or take. By the time we got to Penzance things were looking up, so we decided to go and climb on the black stuff at a crag called Trewellard, in the heart of the St Just mining district.   I had been climbing regularly in recent years, although, for various reasons, not as regularly as I would have liked. The previous winter I had trained hard, lost weight, got stronger and fitter and kicked off the climbing year in good style. I should point out that, then and now, I am operating firmly in the lower grades, leading up to Severe and occasionally seconding to VS. My teenage son Dylan, who was with me, had been climbing for about four years. We were feeling good and we were up for it, looking forward to a good season.   The approach to[…]

I climbed my first Munro, Ben Nevis in the Seventies when I was a teenager. My father dragged my brother and I up the tourist path on a hot, sunny summer’s day and I hated it! A few years later I had warmed to the hills and enrolled on a BMC scrambling course on Skye staying at the Glen Brittle Memorial Hut. Of course, it rained all week but we had a fantastic instructor who among other things took me up Sgurr na h-Uamha (the true start/end of the ridge) after we had done Sgurr nan Gillean. The other guys on the course having retreated to the warmth and dry of the Sligachan Hotel. I was hooked! Over the next couple of decades, Easter trips with my work colleagues from PA Technology and family holidays saw me amass 49 Munros. It was clear that I was never going to bag all 282 Munros but I had settled for visiting all parts of the Highlands and doing a sample of these hills. With Matthew and Louise on their first Munro, Stob Ban (Mamores) In 2016, with the kids having finished at school in Wells, I decided to relocate from Somerset to[…]

Summer Alpine Meet August 2008 – Randa This meet was a successful outing and typical of Alpine meets the club use to run until fairly recently. Just a group of RC members and guests having a go at some of the best mountains in the Alps. No very difficult routes but challenging enough if you’re not used to the Alpine scene. A good 40 people turned up for this meet based at Randa near Zermatt.  I’ve included the original meet report to jog a few memories.                                           Alpine Meet August 2008                                                                 Rae Pritchard Randa   Those attending this meet completely missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics but never mind we had our own Alpine Olympics in Switzerland.  The campsite at Randa was much the same as I remember from the last time the club had a meet here nine years ago with improvements to the facilities it proved once again to be a good base for various activities. About forty members and guests in various tents, caravans and campers attended. We enjoyed mixed weather and conditions but with only one day[…]

Young caver in a famous Peak District cave in 1965…who and where?!  

One of the Clubs ‘classic’ walks is the 75 mile Colne Rowsley which has appeared on the meets programme many times over the years.  I recently found a few pictures from the meet in 2003 which I thought were worth sharing. The start at Trawden on the outskirts of Colne And starting up the road. (L-R Andy & Gareth Llewellyn, Geoff Bell, Andy Howie and Andy Tomlinson) Rob Ferguson setting up the support stop at Marsden Andy’s Howie and Tomlinson enjoying (?) the evening meal at Marsden Two former Presidents and Honary Members.  John Richardson proving that he can eat his meal and tell a story while appearing to be fast asleep, while Geoff Bell listens on intently. Current President (Woolley) is he dreaming of conducting an orchestra while half asleep? Leaving Marsden and into the night. L – R Geoff Bell; Andy Llewellyn; John Richardson & Gareth Llewellyn Breakfast at Cutthroat Bridge. Andy Howie and Gareth Llewellyn A happy Ros Murray at Rowsley And yours truly fast asleep. But of course the ‘elite’ always have extra energy so John Richardson was heading straight off to a fancy dress party, but was he going as Bill or Ben? All photos[…]

For a blast from the past, Ged Cudahy recommends watching the video of the 1985 Karrimor International Mountain Marathon. It features the likes of John Richardson, Mike Cudahy and the infamous Joss Naylor. Here is a link to the video on YouTube (click here) and, ouch, that does look painful John!

With Ros Murray and Neil Harwood.  We were going to climb the three rock steps on the left to the central summit of the Breithorn and then descend to Klein Matterhorn from the col before the main summit on the rightFirst lift to Klein Matterhorn and now approaching the start of the climb.  Neil and Ros.The start of the first pitch.  Ros led the whole route.On the first step.Between the second and third steps.  The route went from the notch in the ridge ahead.Near the top.  We are heading for the col before the main summit.We were badly held up by another party towards the top and missed the last cable car down from Klein Matterhorn.  Rather than try and sleep in the cold, wet, dank tunnel at the station we walked down to Trockensteg, the next station.  We managed to get a workmens lift down to the next station (rather than the bottom) but then had a long walk into Zermatt and the train back to the campsite where Carole gave us a lift home.  We were tired!