Gneiss climbing at Gorge dHeric - pitch 4 Photo - DB

GRITSTONECLUB NEWS

July 2013

2

Swiss granite 11 ndash 18 AugustCo-ordinator Derek ToleFollowing last years successful exploratory trip another visit is being plannedto Schweiz Plaisir Ost

Morecambe Bay Walk (Smithy) 30 August ndash 1 SeptemberCo-ordinator Alan MossHopefully the good weather will continue into August Climbing Walkingcycling and there are 15 places booked on the Saturday for a walk acrossMorecambe Bay Meet at Arnside at 115 please book with the meet leader forthis The crossing is weather dependent

Gogarth Climbing 7 ndash 8 SeptemberCo-ordinator Dan AmblerWell probably head over at some point on Friday to get setup and maybe geta route in Camping at the Outdoor Alternative site in RhoscolynwwwoutdooralternativecoukIf interested contact Dan

Ribblehead maintenance meet 7 ndash 8 SeptemberCo-ordinator Mike Wood

Lakes Circular Walk - Stage 4 28 ndash 29 SeptemberCo-ordinator Chris Ambler

This is the next stage of a series of walks that will take us clockwise aroundthe Lakes through some unfamiliar and hopefully interesting territory

The plan this year was to use High Moss as a base but unfortunately it wasfully booked by the beginning of January I have already registered our interestin a booking for 2014 but this year we will be again based at the Smithy

This year because of the transport logistics we will only complete onestage of the walk starting at Torver and finishing at Broughton On Sunday wewill walk from the Smithy

There will be a communal meal provided at the Smithy on the Saturdayevening but bring your own liquid refreshment Volunteers will be required fororganizing the various courses for the meal ndash starter main pudding and campb

Please let Chris know if you will be attending so that transport logistics andfood for the evening meal can be organized Full details will be provided in duecourse

Annual Dinner 11 ndash 13 OctoberThe 2013 Annual Dinner will be held at the Millstone Inn on Saturday

October 12th Accommodation has been booked at Platts Farm in Bamford forFriday and Saturday nights Please check your diary to make sure you havethe right date A booking form accompanies this newsletter Hope to see youthere Peter Jackson

FORTHCOMING MEETS

2

Swiss granite 11 ndash 18 AugustCo-ordinator Derek ToleFollowing last years successful exploratory trip another visit is being plannedto Schweiz Plaisir Ost

Morecambe Bay Walk (Smithy) 30 August ndash 1 SeptemberCo-ordinator Alan MossHopefully the good weather will continue into August Climbing Walkingcycling and there are 15 places booked on the Saturday for a walk acrossMorecambe Bay Meet at Arnside at 115 please book with the meet leader forthis The crossing is weather dependent

Gogarth Climbing 7 ndash 8 SeptemberCo-ordinator Dan AmblerWell probably head over at some point on Friday to get setup and maybe geta route in Camping at the Outdoor Alternative site in RhoscolynwwwoutdooralternativecoukIf interested contact Dan

Ribblehead maintenance meet 7 ndash 8 SeptemberCo-ordinator Mike Wood

Lakes Circular Walk - Stage 4 28 ndash 29 SeptemberCo-ordinator Chris Ambler

This is the next stage of a series of walks that will take us clockwise aroundthe Lakes through some unfamiliar and hopefully interesting territory

The plan this year was to use High Moss as a base but unfortunately it wasfully booked by the beginning of January I have already registered our interestin a booking for 2014 but this year we will be again based at the Smithy

This year because of the transport logistics we will only complete onestage of the walk starting at Torver and finishing at Broughton On Sunday wewill walk from the Smithy

There will be a communal meal provided at the Smithy on the Saturdayevening but bring your own liquid refreshment Volunteers will be required fororganizing the various courses for the meal ndash starter main pudding and campb

Please let Chris know if you will be attending so that transport logistics andfood for the evening meal can be organized Full details will be provided in duecourse

Annual Dinner 11 ndash 13 OctoberThe 2013 Annual Dinner will be held at the Millstone Inn on Saturday

October 12th Accommodation has been booked at Platts Farm in Bamford forFriday and Saturday nights Please check your diary to make sure you havethe right date A booking form accompanies this newsletter Hope to see youthere Peter Jackson

FORTHCOMING MEETS

3

Last Munro meet 18 ndash 21 OctoberCo-ordinator Ian Hargreaves

Thanks to invaluable assistance from Andrew Dyson who hasaccompanied me on most of the last 90 ascents I am now down to one Munroto go ndash Carn arsquoChlamain in Glen Tilt north of Blair Atholl

I cannot let this occasion go without some form of acknowledgement tothose who have supported me in the past from the first Munros 40 years agowith members of the ICI Harrogate Mountaineering Club to the last 14 yearswith the Gritstone Club mostly on Winter meets

To this end I have arranged a celebratory dinner on Saturday 19 Octoberat the Moulin Hotel Moulin Pitlochry (also used by Peter Haigh to celebratehis completion of the Corbetts) to which I invite all Club members

The objective is to climb the last Munro before the dinner on the Saturdaybut because the hill is on the Atholl estate and the stalking season will still bein full swing the walk (but not the dinner) may have to be postponed to theSunday

If you would like to attend the dinner (at my expense) please let me knowas soon as possibleSuggested accommodationMoulin Hotel Moulin Pitlochry PH16 5EW01796 472196enquiriesmoulinhotelcoukwwwmoulinhotelcouk(Two night minimum stay at weekends)

Pitlochry Backpackers Hotel 134 Atholl Road Pitlochry PH16 5AB01796 470044infopitlochrybackpackershotelcomwwwpitlochrybackpackershotelcom

Pitlochry Youth Hostel Knockard Road Pitlochry PH16 5HJ01796 472308 pitlochrysyhaorguk wwwsyhaorgukOther accommodation on wwwvisitscotlandcom

Ian Hargreaves

Bonfire Meet 2 ndash 3 November 2013Co-ordinator Andrew DysonBased at Ribblehead hut with seasonal fare and optional ascent ofIngleborough at dusk

Christmas Party Meet 6 ndash 8 DecemberCo-ordinator Fiona HutchinsonAt the YRC hut at Lowstern Clapham this time a bit nearer to Christmas

FORTHCOMING MEETS

4

Smithy Spanish Theme New Years Meet 27 Dec ndash 02 JanCoordinator Susan Melia

The New Year Meet will be a mixture of walking on the tops and sitting bythe fire hellip hopefully with blue sky cloud inversions and snow to try Kahtoolamicrospikes that many members have invested in this last year

As quite a few of us have been to Spain amp Mallorca in 2013 the communalNew Years Eve Supper will have a Spanish Theme of Tapas Chuleta deCaballorlm Paella amp Spanish deserts (Gateaux Basque and Flan) and of courseSangria

Anyone intending to come for the New Year Supper please let Susan know

Scottish Winter Meet 22 February ndash 1 March 2014Co-ordinator Ian Hargreaves Location TBC

Ski-Touring Norway April 2014Itinerary A hut to hut tour on ski in the mountains of Norway in winter

Length of days governed by the locations of huts between 15kms and 25kmsa day

Time 4th to 15th April longer days and better chance of good weather thanMarch also before the Easter exodus of Norwegians into the mountains

Possible locationsHardangervidda easy to get to by train from Bergen or Oslo airports and

best suited as a first trip for those inexperienced in ski-touring but can bechallenging in bad weather

Jotunheimen location of the highest mountains in Noway spectacularscenery but some more testing ascents amp descents and more difficult toaccess from Oslo

Rondane similar mountains to the Jotunheim but longer distancesbetween huts

Skiing gear lightweight touring skis with steel edgeswaxing if you canlearn fast the waxing technique waxless if you want them to work straight outof the box free-heel bindings touring poles snow-shovel for emergencyshelter

Size of group the smaller the better between 3 and 6 is ideal for the smallhuts

Please contact John Anderson or Susan Melia (if interested with a view tofirming up arrangements towards the end of September

FORTHCOMING MEETS

5

WEDNESDAY EVENING CLIMBING

Date Pub NGR

07-Aug-2013 Elm Tree SE00853814-Aug-2013 Bulls Head SE15539621-Aug-2013 The Railway Spoffoth SE36650628-Aug-2013 Sportsmans Inn Bshaw Head SD92827304-Sep-2013 Manor House Otley SE20445511-Sep-2013 Stubbing Wharfe HBridge SD98427218-Sep-2013 Hunters Inn SE250464

Date Crag NGR Pub Pub NGR

07-Aug Crookrise SD987557 Elm Tree SE00853814-Aug Baildon Bank SE150390 Bulls Head SE15539621-Aug Spoffoth SE366506 The Railway Spofforth SE36650628-Aug Bridestones SD928269 Sportsmans Inn SD92827304-Sep Caley Crags SE225445 Manor House Otley SE20445511-Sep Shipley Glen SE131389 Bulls Head SE15539618-Sep Almscliff SE268490 Hunters Inn SE250464

For more details contact Mick Green

Be at pubprompt for

730 departure

The last two walks of the spring season wereTuesday 30 April ndash Sutton Bank Boltby Gormire Lake (Carol Pettifar)Tuesday 14 May ndash Kingsdale Yordas Cave Whernside (Susan Melia)

Walks are now suspended over the summer months as regular participantsdo other things They will re-start in October

If you would like to volunteer to arrange a walk then I would be glad to hearfrom you

Information on venues and meeting arrangements will be published on theClub website and sent by email to those on the ldquoDay Walkersrdquo distribution listIf you would like to be added to the ldquoDay Walkersrdquo email list then please sendyour email address to me

Ian Hargreaves

Mark amp Karen Stock walk most Tuesdays in the SheffieldDerbyshire areaand would welcome company so contact them if you would like to join them

WEDNESDAY EVENING WALKS

DAY WALKS

Chamonix ski touring

6

MEET REPORTS

South of France Sun Rock and Walk April 5 ndash 15Present David Bateman John Belbin Andy Causer Berenice Causer DennisChapman Mick Green Lynn Moss Alex Nicholson Derek Tole JackieRobertson (G)

This years mutation of the spring Hot Rock meet at the Southern edge ofthe Cevennes National Park was in a part of France new to almost everyoneand revealed an area little-known to Brits It showed a region full of interestthough this was of a more concentrated kind for the walkers than the climberswho sometimes drove quite long distances

There were wonders to be seen close-by of both the natural and man-madesort ranging from the stupendous natural amphitheatre of the Cirque deNavacelles to interesting old towns and villages There was an abundance ofprehistoric constructions (stone circles burial chambers and monoliths) andlimestone gorges and caves a-plenty Some of us have vowed to return

We started with the same type of weather we thought wed left behind andwoke on the Saturday to a cold wet morning We all mooched a bit thenundertook various exploratory expeditions in the dry afternoon Next day weawoke to the same but it soon cleared up and after that it gradually warmedup over the remainder of the time to end up downright hot

There were five walkers and five climbers in the party though the walkingparty was sometimes augmented by one or both of the B team climbers - DBand AC

There were two unfortunate occurrences on the trip David fell over andbruised his ribs curtailing his climbing to three and a half days Worse on herlast day Jackie slipped on a gravelly limestone descent path (we all know thesort) and broke her ankle If this had happened only half an hour earlier itcould have meant a full rescue situation due to the distance from a road

WalkingThe walks from Le Vigan took us through chestnut groves olive groves and

ancient villages lEsparon with its delightful cemetery was particularlymemorable There were also caves wild flowers beautiful rivers and bridgesto enjoy JB was especially drawn to the Menhirs and the Geocaching

We walked from Blandes to the Cirque de Navacelles and marvelled at theview We descended into the grassy plateau of the ancient oxbow lake visitedthe old village with its huge Madonna and took a lovely path along the windingriver We left the river at some old mills by a dramatic waterfall that passesaround and under the buildings Even the steep return route had manyrewards

Two walks began at the picturesque village of Montdardier The first tookus around the rocky peaks of Pic dAnjeau and the Rochers de la Tude givingsuperb views DB JB and BC ascended the above Pic(862 m) on the last dayThe villages of St-Martial and Sumene also proved to be good starting points

7

the highest point providing magnificent views including Mont Aigoual with itscap of snow On the descent the path passed through a huge cave Only LMhad the foresight to carry a torch

After her fall Jackie was stoical enough to bum and hop her way to thecar What a way to finish

Climbing A Team (Mick Alex and Derek)Derek Alex and Mick climbed as a team and enjoyed pushing their limits

on routes that they would normally expect to do relatively easily As the guidesays - dont expect to break any records Nevertheless there was someexcellent climbing particularly at Claret they came away suitably impressedon several occasions - very steep and unrelenting The base was a bitKilnseyish with piles of boulders and even tree trunks to get established on theroutes due to an excessively undercut base

Climbing B Team (David and Andy)The grading was hard Consequently for people like us operating near the

bottom of the sport climbing grades there was a restricted choice of routes inthe area We enjoyed most of what we did at Thaurac the nearest crag butfound at least one route that was ridiculously graded (Graded 4+ but weddone easier 6bs in the past) We concluded that we shouldnt be so inhibited

MEET REPORTSJB walking above the Cirque de Navacelles - photo BC

8

GR221 Bimbling through the mountains of Mallorca May 2 ndash 11PresentGillian (whatrsquos the Wi-Fi code)TravisSusan (another Puig mountain and Puig top to do) MeliaMaryannig (letrsquos all go to the beach for a swim) HorsfallDennis (Leki pole to ldquothwackrdquo Andrew when he snores) ChapmanAndrew (five-course breakfast on a lightweight day) DysonJohn (hard manhelliplast seen on a sun-lounger in FBI sunglasses) Anderson

A high-level traverse of the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana mountains inMallorca from south to north in May 2013 by 5 club members and 1 guest (3single men and 3 married women) ndash what could possibly go wrong

The Serra de Tramuntana lie along the northern coast of Mallorca thehighest point Puig Major reaching 1436m with many peaks over 1000mBeing limestone the mountains provide excellent walking and scrambling thegoing being consistently hard and rough with almost no loose rock

The GR221 starts in the south at Port drsquoAndratx and finishes on Puig deMaria above Pollenca in the north The central and northern sections aregenerally well marked and used but the southern section is not as reliable Thelack of accommodation between Port drsquoAndratx and Estellencs encouraged usto omit that section it was a wise decision The route makes use of someexcellent paths and tracks established for the ancient industries of charcoalburning and ice-making but many sections are pathless through some roughand thorny areas requiring good navigational skills

There are many guidebooks in several languages for the GR221 but mostomit to mention that it is a work in progress The Mallorcan system seems to

MEET REPORTS

about pulling on the odd bit of gear when necessary The very first route wetackled proved to be one of the best with a lovely last pitch up a rib that couldhave been in the Lakes The most memorable day our third day climbing wasfound venturing out of the limestone area to the Gorge dHeric a couple ofhours drive to the South West where the rock was gneiss Wed noticed thearea in the old Bill Birkett guide French Rock which described a five pitchroute given British V Diff and which Bill likened to Little Chamonix In fact thestart proved quite hard as the initial groove was running in green slime butthe rewards were to come and it gave us a memorable day Unfortunately itwas on the easy scramble at the top that David fell over and damaged his ribsputting an end to his climbing apart from a cautious half day with Andy andMick later Andy had a full day with Mick on that occasion and another on asteep classic multi-pitch at Hortus on the last day On this route unlike theearlier single pitch activity the bolts were particularly spaced so additional tradgear was essential to make the protection realistic - a bit more intimidating anduncertain but perhaps technically not so tough as the straight sport climbing

Berenice Causer Mick Green Andy Causer

9

be to establish the route mark it on maps and produce guidebooks beforegetting all the landownerrsquos agreement Bearing in mind most of the GR221passes through private land used for hunting and the intractable nature of theMallorcan landowner the result is dry-stone walls built across the route inplaces complete with threatening notices which everyone ignores

Our party split into two on the first day on leaving our palatial base at theHotel Maristel Estellencs Some in our group were keen on achieving as manyPuigs (tops) as possible so the Puigers took the high level option over Serrades Puntals while the low-level group took the GR221 to Banyalbufar Ourbase there was Hotel Mar I Vent where the terrace and pool gave animpression of opulence not quite matched by the kitchen and restaurant

The next day was exceptional as our group stayed together the whole waythrough Esporles to Valldemossa For months before the trip the lines werehumming with 1000+ emails to ensure that we got the cheapest possibleflights and places to stay Our planning included a ldquostreet-viewrdquo search onGoogle-Earth to ensure we got the correct addresses for the bookedaccommodation That did not work at Valdemossa where we arrived at ablock of flats near the centre but a short bus-ride put us right on track to theHotel Apartments el Encinar where the kitchen could not get everything rightin spite of only 3 out of the 50 tables being occupied

After morning coffee in Valdemossa the next day we set off as 2 groupsbriefly re-united at Deia at lunchtime then arrived at the Citric Hotel Port deSoller as 3 groups coming from 3 different directions The Puiger group took in

MEET REPORTS

photo GT

10

Puig Gros and Puig de Vent before dropping down to Soller while the non-Puiging A-team stuck to the GR221 route direct to Port de Soller The B-teamarrived after a cheap but crowded bus ride from Deia

The climb out of Valldemossa through forest emerges onto a rocky ridgeleading to the summit of es Caragoli 945m When returning from the summit tothe GR221 look out for the path as it drops northwards off the ridge into theforest it is not well marked so is easy to miss

Our rest-day at Port de Soller was utilised in many ways One intrepid teamset out on a 2-hour walk to Cala Tuent which turned out to be a 6-hour walkThey arrived just in time to make the return by a boat loaded to capacityOthers took a more traditional attitude to a rest-day the train to Soller beingvery useful

On our walk out of old town Soller we passed through the olive and citrusgroves of Binibassi and Biniaraix before the thousands of stone steps whichclimb in endless zig-zags to the Col IrsquoOfre There were shady Holm Oakgroves on the lower slopes with many dark-coated Mallorcan goats ThePuiging group was in form taking in Puig de lrsquoOfre na Franquesa and saRetata en route to the refuge at Tossals Verds Others followed the GR221around the reservoir Ebassement de Cuber dropping to the refuge from thenorth The refuge is served by a track so has everything the walker needs (iebeer food wine and bunks)Sanctuari de Lluc was our destination next day being originally a CarthusianMonastery but is now run more like a conference centre with very good visitoraccommodation and restaurant facilities

The final day of the walk took us over Tomir (1104m) first climbing throughBeech forest then over barren mountainside to Puig de Ca then droppingdown towards Pollenca The compact mediaeval town is invisible untilrounding the hill guarding its western edge but it was a welcome sight ourhaven for the night the Hotel Juma in the Placa Major where friendly staffmade us very welcome

Every trip opens new delights and this was no exception Apart from themagnificent mountain scenery with its Mediterranean blue backdrop welearned new skills Magicianrsquos tricks come in useful when making sandwichesat the breakfast table and secreting them away in an innocent-looking bag orother receptacle (in one case a hat) We learned from our Brittanique friendthe dire consequences of not looking directly into the other personrsquos eyeswhen toasting each other over the dinner table a disconcerting thought forthose who have for many years innocently clinked glasses across the tableWhat did go wrong Not much a few lost items those in trail shoes sufferedon the testing terrain whereas those in boots did not mountaineering boots areessential to cope with some monumental foot-bashing descents The Puigerrsquostrip achieved 9071m of ascent and 22 Puig summits along the way The wholetrip had continuous Mediterranean sunshine with a couple of drops of rain onemorning

John Anderson

MEET REPORTS

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

7

the highest point providing magnificent views including Mont Aigoual with itscap of snow On the descent the path passed through a huge cave Only LMhad the foresight to carry a torch

After her fall Jackie was stoical enough to bum and hop her way to thecar What a way to finish

Climbing A Team (Mick Alex and Derek)Derek Alex and Mick climbed as a team and enjoyed pushing their limits

on routes that they would normally expect to do relatively easily As the guidesays - dont expect to break any records Nevertheless there was someexcellent climbing particularly at Claret they came away suitably impressedon several occasions - very steep and unrelenting The base was a bitKilnseyish with piles of boulders and even tree trunks to get established on theroutes due to an excessively undercut base

Climbing B Team (David and Andy)The grading was hard Consequently for people like us operating near the

bottom of the sport climbing grades there was a restricted choice of routes inthe area We enjoyed most of what we did at Thaurac the nearest crag butfound at least one route that was ridiculously graded (Graded 4+ but weddone easier 6bs in the past) We concluded that we shouldnt be so inhibited

MEET REPORTSJB walking above the Cirque de Navacelles - photo BC

8

GR221 Bimbling through the mountains of Mallorca May 2 ndash 11PresentGillian (whatrsquos the Wi-Fi code)TravisSusan (another Puig mountain and Puig top to do) MeliaMaryannig (letrsquos all go to the beach for a swim) HorsfallDennis (Leki pole to ldquothwackrdquo Andrew when he snores) ChapmanAndrew (five-course breakfast on a lightweight day) DysonJohn (hard manhelliplast seen on a sun-lounger in FBI sunglasses) Anderson

A high-level traverse of the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana mountains inMallorca from south to north in May 2013 by 5 club members and 1 guest (3single men and 3 married women) ndash what could possibly go wrong

The Serra de Tramuntana lie along the northern coast of Mallorca thehighest point Puig Major reaching 1436m with many peaks over 1000mBeing limestone the mountains provide excellent walking and scrambling thegoing being consistently hard and rough with almost no loose rock

The GR221 starts in the south at Port drsquoAndratx and finishes on Puig deMaria above Pollenca in the north The central and northern sections aregenerally well marked and used but the southern section is not as reliable Thelack of accommodation between Port drsquoAndratx and Estellencs encouraged usto omit that section it was a wise decision The route makes use of someexcellent paths and tracks established for the ancient industries of charcoalburning and ice-making but many sections are pathless through some roughand thorny areas requiring good navigational skills

There are many guidebooks in several languages for the GR221 but mostomit to mention that it is a work in progress The Mallorcan system seems to

MEET REPORTS

about pulling on the odd bit of gear when necessary The very first route wetackled proved to be one of the best with a lovely last pitch up a rib that couldhave been in the Lakes The most memorable day our third day climbing wasfound venturing out of the limestone area to the Gorge dHeric a couple ofhours drive to the South West where the rock was gneiss Wed noticed thearea in the old Bill Birkett guide French Rock which described a five pitchroute given British V Diff and which Bill likened to Little Chamonix In fact thestart proved quite hard as the initial groove was running in green slime butthe rewards were to come and it gave us a memorable day Unfortunately itwas on the easy scramble at the top that David fell over and damaged his ribsputting an end to his climbing apart from a cautious half day with Andy andMick later Andy had a full day with Mick on that occasion and another on asteep classic multi-pitch at Hortus on the last day On this route unlike theearlier single pitch activity the bolts were particularly spaced so additional tradgear was essential to make the protection realistic - a bit more intimidating anduncertain but perhaps technically not so tough as the straight sport climbing

Berenice Causer Mick Green Andy Causer

9

be to establish the route mark it on maps and produce guidebooks beforegetting all the landownerrsquos agreement Bearing in mind most of the GR221passes through private land used for hunting and the intractable nature of theMallorcan landowner the result is dry-stone walls built across the route inplaces complete with threatening notices which everyone ignores

Our party split into two on the first day on leaving our palatial base at theHotel Maristel Estellencs Some in our group were keen on achieving as manyPuigs (tops) as possible so the Puigers took the high level option over Serrades Puntals while the low-level group took the GR221 to Banyalbufar Ourbase there was Hotel Mar I Vent where the terrace and pool gave animpression of opulence not quite matched by the kitchen and restaurant

The next day was exceptional as our group stayed together the whole waythrough Esporles to Valldemossa For months before the trip the lines werehumming with 1000+ emails to ensure that we got the cheapest possibleflights and places to stay Our planning included a ldquostreet-viewrdquo search onGoogle-Earth to ensure we got the correct addresses for the bookedaccommodation That did not work at Valdemossa where we arrived at ablock of flats near the centre but a short bus-ride put us right on track to theHotel Apartments el Encinar where the kitchen could not get everything rightin spite of only 3 out of the 50 tables being occupied

After morning coffee in Valdemossa the next day we set off as 2 groupsbriefly re-united at Deia at lunchtime then arrived at the Citric Hotel Port deSoller as 3 groups coming from 3 different directions The Puiger group took in

MEET REPORTS

photo GT

10

Puig Gros and Puig de Vent before dropping down to Soller while the non-Puiging A-team stuck to the GR221 route direct to Port de Soller The B-teamarrived after a cheap but crowded bus ride from Deia

The climb out of Valldemossa through forest emerges onto a rocky ridgeleading to the summit of es Caragoli 945m When returning from the summit tothe GR221 look out for the path as it drops northwards off the ridge into theforest it is not well marked so is easy to miss

Our rest-day at Port de Soller was utilised in many ways One intrepid teamset out on a 2-hour walk to Cala Tuent which turned out to be a 6-hour walkThey arrived just in time to make the return by a boat loaded to capacityOthers took a more traditional attitude to a rest-day the train to Soller beingvery useful

On our walk out of old town Soller we passed through the olive and citrusgroves of Binibassi and Biniaraix before the thousands of stone steps whichclimb in endless zig-zags to the Col IrsquoOfre There were shady Holm Oakgroves on the lower slopes with many dark-coated Mallorcan goats ThePuiging group was in form taking in Puig de lrsquoOfre na Franquesa and saRetata en route to the refuge at Tossals Verds Others followed the GR221around the reservoir Ebassement de Cuber dropping to the refuge from thenorth The refuge is served by a track so has everything the walker needs (iebeer food wine and bunks)Sanctuari de Lluc was our destination next day being originally a CarthusianMonastery but is now run more like a conference centre with very good visitoraccommodation and restaurant facilities

The final day of the walk took us over Tomir (1104m) first climbing throughBeech forest then over barren mountainside to Puig de Ca then droppingdown towards Pollenca The compact mediaeval town is invisible untilrounding the hill guarding its western edge but it was a welcome sight ourhaven for the night the Hotel Juma in the Placa Major where friendly staffmade us very welcome

Every trip opens new delights and this was no exception Apart from themagnificent mountain scenery with its Mediterranean blue backdrop welearned new skills Magicianrsquos tricks come in useful when making sandwichesat the breakfast table and secreting them away in an innocent-looking bag orother receptacle (in one case a hat) We learned from our Brittanique friendthe dire consequences of not looking directly into the other personrsquos eyeswhen toasting each other over the dinner table a disconcerting thought forthose who have for many years innocently clinked glasses across the tableWhat did go wrong Not much a few lost items those in trail shoes sufferedon the testing terrain whereas those in boots did not mountaineering boots areessential to cope with some monumental foot-bashing descents The Puigerrsquostrip achieved 9071m of ascent and 22 Puig summits along the way The wholetrip had continuous Mediterranean sunshine with a couple of drops of rain onemorning

John Anderson

MEET REPORTS

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

8

GR221 Bimbling through the mountains of Mallorca May 2 ndash 11PresentGillian (whatrsquos the Wi-Fi code)TravisSusan (another Puig mountain and Puig top to do) MeliaMaryannig (letrsquos all go to the beach for a swim) HorsfallDennis (Leki pole to ldquothwackrdquo Andrew when he snores) ChapmanAndrew (five-course breakfast on a lightweight day) DysonJohn (hard manhelliplast seen on a sun-lounger in FBI sunglasses) Anderson

A high-level traverse of the dramatic Serra de Tramuntana mountains inMallorca from south to north in May 2013 by 5 club members and 1 guest (3single men and 3 married women) ndash what could possibly go wrong

The Serra de Tramuntana lie along the northern coast of Mallorca thehighest point Puig Major reaching 1436m with many peaks over 1000mBeing limestone the mountains provide excellent walking and scrambling thegoing being consistently hard and rough with almost no loose rock

The GR221 starts in the south at Port drsquoAndratx and finishes on Puig deMaria above Pollenca in the north The central and northern sections aregenerally well marked and used but the southern section is not as reliable Thelack of accommodation between Port drsquoAndratx and Estellencs encouraged usto omit that section it was a wise decision The route makes use of someexcellent paths and tracks established for the ancient industries of charcoalburning and ice-making but many sections are pathless through some roughand thorny areas requiring good navigational skills

There are many guidebooks in several languages for the GR221 but mostomit to mention that it is a work in progress The Mallorcan system seems to

MEET REPORTS

about pulling on the odd bit of gear when necessary The very first route wetackled proved to be one of the best with a lovely last pitch up a rib that couldhave been in the Lakes The most memorable day our third day climbing wasfound venturing out of the limestone area to the Gorge dHeric a couple ofhours drive to the South West where the rock was gneiss Wed noticed thearea in the old Bill Birkett guide French Rock which described a five pitchroute given British V Diff and which Bill likened to Little Chamonix In fact thestart proved quite hard as the initial groove was running in green slime butthe rewards were to come and it gave us a memorable day Unfortunately itwas on the easy scramble at the top that David fell over and damaged his ribsputting an end to his climbing apart from a cautious half day with Andy andMick later Andy had a full day with Mick on that occasion and another on asteep classic multi-pitch at Hortus on the last day On this route unlike theearlier single pitch activity the bolts were particularly spaced so additional tradgear was essential to make the protection realistic - a bit more intimidating anduncertain but perhaps technically not so tough as the straight sport climbing

Berenice Causer Mick Green Andy Causer

9

be to establish the route mark it on maps and produce guidebooks beforegetting all the landownerrsquos agreement Bearing in mind most of the GR221passes through private land used for hunting and the intractable nature of theMallorcan landowner the result is dry-stone walls built across the route inplaces complete with threatening notices which everyone ignores

Our party split into two on the first day on leaving our palatial base at theHotel Maristel Estellencs Some in our group were keen on achieving as manyPuigs (tops) as possible so the Puigers took the high level option over Serrades Puntals while the low-level group took the GR221 to Banyalbufar Ourbase there was Hotel Mar I Vent where the terrace and pool gave animpression of opulence not quite matched by the kitchen and restaurant

The next day was exceptional as our group stayed together the whole waythrough Esporles to Valldemossa For months before the trip the lines werehumming with 1000+ emails to ensure that we got the cheapest possibleflights and places to stay Our planning included a ldquostreet-viewrdquo search onGoogle-Earth to ensure we got the correct addresses for the bookedaccommodation That did not work at Valdemossa where we arrived at ablock of flats near the centre but a short bus-ride put us right on track to theHotel Apartments el Encinar where the kitchen could not get everything rightin spite of only 3 out of the 50 tables being occupied

After morning coffee in Valdemossa the next day we set off as 2 groupsbriefly re-united at Deia at lunchtime then arrived at the Citric Hotel Port deSoller as 3 groups coming from 3 different directions The Puiger group took in

MEET REPORTS

photo GT

10

Puig Gros and Puig de Vent before dropping down to Soller while the non-Puiging A-team stuck to the GR221 route direct to Port de Soller The B-teamarrived after a cheap but crowded bus ride from Deia

The climb out of Valldemossa through forest emerges onto a rocky ridgeleading to the summit of es Caragoli 945m When returning from the summit tothe GR221 look out for the path as it drops northwards off the ridge into theforest it is not well marked so is easy to miss

Our rest-day at Port de Soller was utilised in many ways One intrepid teamset out on a 2-hour walk to Cala Tuent which turned out to be a 6-hour walkThey arrived just in time to make the return by a boat loaded to capacityOthers took a more traditional attitude to a rest-day the train to Soller beingvery useful

On our walk out of old town Soller we passed through the olive and citrusgroves of Binibassi and Biniaraix before the thousands of stone steps whichclimb in endless zig-zags to the Col IrsquoOfre There were shady Holm Oakgroves on the lower slopes with many dark-coated Mallorcan goats ThePuiging group was in form taking in Puig de lrsquoOfre na Franquesa and saRetata en route to the refuge at Tossals Verds Others followed the GR221around the reservoir Ebassement de Cuber dropping to the refuge from thenorth The refuge is served by a track so has everything the walker needs (iebeer food wine and bunks)Sanctuari de Lluc was our destination next day being originally a CarthusianMonastery but is now run more like a conference centre with very good visitoraccommodation and restaurant facilities

The final day of the walk took us over Tomir (1104m) first climbing throughBeech forest then over barren mountainside to Puig de Ca then droppingdown towards Pollenca The compact mediaeval town is invisible untilrounding the hill guarding its western edge but it was a welcome sight ourhaven for the night the Hotel Juma in the Placa Major where friendly staffmade us very welcome

Every trip opens new delights and this was no exception Apart from themagnificent mountain scenery with its Mediterranean blue backdrop welearned new skills Magicianrsquos tricks come in useful when making sandwichesat the breakfast table and secreting them away in an innocent-looking bag orother receptacle (in one case a hat) We learned from our Brittanique friendthe dire consequences of not looking directly into the other personrsquos eyeswhen toasting each other over the dinner table a disconcerting thought forthose who have for many years innocently clinked glasses across the tableWhat did go wrong Not much a few lost items those in trail shoes sufferedon the testing terrain whereas those in boots did not mountaineering boots areessential to cope with some monumental foot-bashing descents The Puigerrsquostrip achieved 9071m of ascent and 22 Puig summits along the way The wholetrip had continuous Mediterranean sunshine with a couple of drops of rain onemorning

John Anderson

MEET REPORTS

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

9

be to establish the route mark it on maps and produce guidebooks beforegetting all the landownerrsquos agreement Bearing in mind most of the GR221passes through private land used for hunting and the intractable nature of theMallorcan landowner the result is dry-stone walls built across the route inplaces complete with threatening notices which everyone ignores

Our party split into two on the first day on leaving our palatial base at theHotel Maristel Estellencs Some in our group were keen on achieving as manyPuigs (tops) as possible so the Puigers took the high level option over Serrades Puntals while the low-level group took the GR221 to Banyalbufar Ourbase there was Hotel Mar I Vent where the terrace and pool gave animpression of opulence not quite matched by the kitchen and restaurant

The next day was exceptional as our group stayed together the whole waythrough Esporles to Valldemossa For months before the trip the lines werehumming with 1000+ emails to ensure that we got the cheapest possibleflights and places to stay Our planning included a ldquostreet-viewrdquo search onGoogle-Earth to ensure we got the correct addresses for the bookedaccommodation That did not work at Valdemossa where we arrived at ablock of flats near the centre but a short bus-ride put us right on track to theHotel Apartments el Encinar where the kitchen could not get everything rightin spite of only 3 out of the 50 tables being occupied

After morning coffee in Valdemossa the next day we set off as 2 groupsbriefly re-united at Deia at lunchtime then arrived at the Citric Hotel Port deSoller as 3 groups coming from 3 different directions The Puiger group took in

MEET REPORTS

photo GT

10

Puig Gros and Puig de Vent before dropping down to Soller while the non-Puiging A-team stuck to the GR221 route direct to Port de Soller The B-teamarrived after a cheap but crowded bus ride from Deia

The climb out of Valldemossa through forest emerges onto a rocky ridgeleading to the summit of es Caragoli 945m When returning from the summit tothe GR221 look out for the path as it drops northwards off the ridge into theforest it is not well marked so is easy to miss

Our rest-day at Port de Soller was utilised in many ways One intrepid teamset out on a 2-hour walk to Cala Tuent which turned out to be a 6-hour walkThey arrived just in time to make the return by a boat loaded to capacityOthers took a more traditional attitude to a rest-day the train to Soller beingvery useful

On our walk out of old town Soller we passed through the olive and citrusgroves of Binibassi and Biniaraix before the thousands of stone steps whichclimb in endless zig-zags to the Col IrsquoOfre There were shady Holm Oakgroves on the lower slopes with many dark-coated Mallorcan goats ThePuiging group was in form taking in Puig de lrsquoOfre na Franquesa and saRetata en route to the refuge at Tossals Verds Others followed the GR221around the reservoir Ebassement de Cuber dropping to the refuge from thenorth The refuge is served by a track so has everything the walker needs (iebeer food wine and bunks)Sanctuari de Lluc was our destination next day being originally a CarthusianMonastery but is now run more like a conference centre with very good visitoraccommodation and restaurant facilities

The final day of the walk took us over Tomir (1104m) first climbing throughBeech forest then over barren mountainside to Puig de Ca then droppingdown towards Pollenca The compact mediaeval town is invisible untilrounding the hill guarding its western edge but it was a welcome sight ourhaven for the night the Hotel Juma in the Placa Major where friendly staffmade us very welcome

Every trip opens new delights and this was no exception Apart from themagnificent mountain scenery with its Mediterranean blue backdrop welearned new skills Magicianrsquos tricks come in useful when making sandwichesat the breakfast table and secreting them away in an innocent-looking bag orother receptacle (in one case a hat) We learned from our Brittanique friendthe dire consequences of not looking directly into the other personrsquos eyeswhen toasting each other over the dinner table a disconcerting thought forthose who have for many years innocently clinked glasses across the tableWhat did go wrong Not much a few lost items those in trail shoes sufferedon the testing terrain whereas those in boots did not mountaineering boots areessential to cope with some monumental foot-bashing descents The Puigerrsquostrip achieved 9071m of ascent and 22 Puig summits along the way The wholetrip had continuous Mediterranean sunshine with a couple of drops of rain onemorning

John Anderson

MEET REPORTS

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

10

Puig Gros and Puig de Vent before dropping down to Soller while the non-Puiging A-team stuck to the GR221 route direct to Port de Soller The B-teamarrived after a cheap but crowded bus ride from Deia

The climb out of Valldemossa through forest emerges onto a rocky ridgeleading to the summit of es Caragoli 945m When returning from the summit tothe GR221 look out for the path as it drops northwards off the ridge into theforest it is not well marked so is easy to miss

Our rest-day at Port de Soller was utilised in many ways One intrepid teamset out on a 2-hour walk to Cala Tuent which turned out to be a 6-hour walkThey arrived just in time to make the return by a boat loaded to capacityOthers took a more traditional attitude to a rest-day the train to Soller beingvery useful

On our walk out of old town Soller we passed through the olive and citrusgroves of Binibassi and Biniaraix before the thousands of stone steps whichclimb in endless zig-zags to the Col IrsquoOfre There were shady Holm Oakgroves on the lower slopes with many dark-coated Mallorcan goats ThePuiging group was in form taking in Puig de lrsquoOfre na Franquesa and saRetata en route to the refuge at Tossals Verds Others followed the GR221around the reservoir Ebassement de Cuber dropping to the refuge from thenorth The refuge is served by a track so has everything the walker needs (iebeer food wine and bunks)Sanctuari de Lluc was our destination next day being originally a CarthusianMonastery but is now run more like a conference centre with very good visitoraccommodation and restaurant facilities

The final day of the walk took us over Tomir (1104m) first climbing throughBeech forest then over barren mountainside to Puig de Ca then droppingdown towards Pollenca The compact mediaeval town is invisible untilrounding the hill guarding its western edge but it was a welcome sight ourhaven for the night the Hotel Juma in the Placa Major where friendly staffmade us very welcome

Every trip opens new delights and this was no exception Apart from themagnificent mountain scenery with its Mediterranean blue backdrop welearned new skills Magicianrsquos tricks come in useful when making sandwichesat the breakfast table and secreting them away in an innocent-looking bag orother receptacle (in one case a hat) We learned from our Brittanique friendthe dire consequences of not looking directly into the other personrsquos eyeswhen toasting each other over the dinner table a disconcerting thought forthose who have for many years innocently clinked glasses across the tableWhat did go wrong Not much a few lost items those in trail shoes sufferedon the testing terrain whereas those in boots did not mountaineering boots areessential to cope with some monumental foot-bashing descents The Puigerrsquostrip achieved 9071m of ascent and 22 Puig summits along the way The wholetrip had continuous Mediterranean sunshine with a couple of drops of rain onemorning

John Anderson

MEET REPORTS

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

11

Smithy ndash 4th5th MayPresent - Chris Ambler Nigel Callaghan Tim Elliott Mick Green Peter HaighDave Pettifar

The original objective of this meet was to enable members - who had notclimbed for some time and others who had never climbed but might wish to try- to get onto the rock In the event it turned into a lsquoPast Presidentsrsquo meet Theweather was not very promising at the Northern end of the Lakes so Langdalelooked to be the best option and Raven Crag being south facing was likely tobe dry Although it was fine and the rock dry the higher crags didnrsquot lookinviting and there was still a large patch of snow at the bottom of Bowfellbuttress ndash there might even have been a bergschrund

On Saturday the above with the exception of NC headed up the well-made path up to the foot of Bilberry Buttress MG opted for Bilberry Buttresswith CRA who followed with many calls lsquokeep the rope tight Irsquom movingrsquo At thetop of pitch 3 MG said that the next pitch looked rather damp with seepageand that the top pitch of Pluto (HVS 5a) would be a better alternative CRArealised that recovering the well place protection would mean that he had tofollow Once again there were calls for tight and even tighter rope TE and DPmoved further to the right and climber Revelation whilst PH spectated from arecumbent position

MG and CRA then climbed the much more amenable Evening Wall and asDP had never set foot on Middlefell Buttress that seemed like a good way tocomplete the day At the top of Evening Wall the wind was cold and strongstrong making it very unpleasant A sociable communal meal was enjoyed inthe evening

NC arrived on a rather damp Sunday morning Thoughts of climbing wereabandoned and a trip to examine the state of the top of Overhanging Bastionproposed We were unable to get close enough to really assess the problembut the loose tree that PH had seen on an earlier visit had gone At the bottomof the crag there was much speculation regarding the likely devastation shouldthe cliff collapse MG TE and DP headed home whilst NC and CRAcircumnavigated the Rigg before heading home PH stayed a further night

CRA

Grits - Calderdale Chapter at Carnmore

MEET REPORTS

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

12

MEET REPORTS

Spring Bank Holiday Meet May 2013Present Tom and Jenny Greenwood Adrian Hall Peter Lilley Neil HuttonSteve Skelton and Rosie the dogVenue Gairloch and Carnmore North West Scotland

Older and wiser Grits will nod sagely when Carnmore is mentioned eyeswill glisten and breath will be taken through pursed lips No climber worth hissalt would avoid a visit The Fisherfield Forest is said to be the last greatwilderness in Britain

The team assembled at the very good campsite of Strath in Gairloch onSaturday 25th May At this stage the weather was very unsettled JG hadnailed her colours to the mast by walking most of the way from Corrour Stationto Gairloch the previous week NH ascended Beinn Eighe to test out his newboots whilst the rest of us sorted out our gear and checked out the area

By Tuesday the weather had settled and we set out to plod to Carnmore inwe went led by Rosie NH had sneaked in the previous evening to begin hisexploration of Fisherfield The day was absolutely splendid and we set upcamp near to the lodge NH arrived back at 1000 pm goodness knows whathe had been up to

Wednesday was equally splendid and rounds of the remote Munros weredone and Red Slab was ascended by TG and NH

We really only scratched the surface at Carnmore the crags are huge andsteep On Thursday we de-camped after a circuit of Dubh Loch which was farfrom ldquodubhrdquo and sparkled in the sunshine Its ten miles out to Poolewe butseveral pairs of very hot feet made it by six orsquoclock pretty good going ascombined ages reached towards 360 years

The pub at Gairloch had sold out of real ale and stopped serving food at800 pm so the meet co-ordinator drank Irish cider got a slight hangover andopened a tin of chilli con carne

Tom Greenwood

Fuar Loch Beag PL amp AH photo NH

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

13

MEET REPORTS

Jack Bloor Races 14 MayMarshalls Chris Ambler John Anderson David Bateman Dennis Beard JoBeard (G) Ian Collins Barry Cummings Tom Greenwood Neil Hutton KenJaquiery Nicky JaquieryGate Keepers David Rhodes (G) Alan StansfieldSweeper Susan MeliaCompetitor Brian MeliaWe were lucky again for conditions for the races The number of runners in theSenior Race was a little down on last year but made up for by the youngsters305 runners in all Chris Smithard of Deeside Orienteers was the first man homewith a time of 3840 and Jo Waites the first Lady with a time of 4640 Our ownMember Brian was happy with his time Full details can be obtained by puttingJack Bloor Races into GoogleMy thanks go to all who gave their time so willingly and thanks were expressedto the Gritstone Club by the Race Organiser Rob King I was asked to presenta Trophy but as it hadnrsquot been returned by the previous winner I was fortunatelyspared

Malcolm Hopkins

Smithy Anniversary Meet 14 ndash 15 JuneEighteen Grits arrived in eager anticipation of thebarbeque on Saturday night The forecast was forthe weather to improve late afternoonUnfortunately no one had told the rain Chris hadbrought a gazebo and a tarpaulin which kept thecooks dry in the downpour The rain did notdampen our appetites and large quantities of foodwere consumed including a celebratory puddingmountain There was some walking and cyclingdone despite the weather Herersquos to the next twentyfive years

One of the many cakes - one layer for each year

Summer Solstice Meet - Ribblehead 22 ndash 23 JuneYes the rain continued for this meet as well Roger Hobbs came from warmAustralia to a soggy cold England Saturday saw Roger climb Whernside Sunday morning Peter Haigh left to go home Bill Hinde turned up on Sundayto lead a walk in the rain as usual it was full of local information along theroman road the Pennine Way passed Ling Gill round back to the hut

Lynn Moss

IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO RECEIVE A PDF VERSION OF THENEWSLETTER VIA E-MAIL PLEASE ADVISE THE EDITOR

14

BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

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BANK DETAILS

Roy Ruddle writes

Roy Ruddle did his own mini Scottish camping meet over the Spring BankHoliday Two days climbing with highlights being Jack the Ripper (E1) on StacPollaidh and Just add lib (HVS) Primitive dance (E2) and Gravitys rainbow(E1) on Ardmair Then his statutory 5 a day (Munros not fruit amp veg) on theMonday (Am Faochagach Cona Mheall Beinn Dearg Meall nanCeapraichean amp Eididh nan Clach Geala) and Tuesday (AChailleach SgurrBreac Sgurr nan Each Sgurr nan Clach Geala amp Meall aChrasgaidh)

High camp 1314 JulyTaking advantage of the heatwave the Ruddle family had a high camp at RedTarn (Helvellyn) swimming in warm water on the Saturday afternoon andclimbing Striding Edge (descent via Swirral edge) on the Sunday Perfect for 5year old Sebastians first Lakeland summit

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Derbyshire Midsummer meet

Midsummer Tuesday in the Peak saw a small but jollyteam brave the burning sun to walk along FroggattEdge We dipped our toes in Stoke Ford andmeandered up Abney Clough Arriving back at the BobDownes hut (CC) to enjoy it all to ourselves complete

with late night BBQwhich we just didnrsquotwant to end

Blue rememberedhillshellip

Karen Stock

Payments to the Club may be made by the following methodsBank transferTo Yorkshire Bank sort code 05-04-24 account number 34105666 Pleaseensure that your name is included as a referenceChequePayable to THE GRITSTONE CLUB Please send to the TreasurerCashPlease hand to the Treasurer

15

MEMBERSrsquo NEWS

Brian Melia reports

Subject Ultra-Trail Mount Fuji 201329 April - Just returned back from Tokyo to recover from the Mount FujiUltra-Trail with my good friend Chiharu Watanabe We both had fabulous racesin one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to The race is 100 milesover a very technical course and very exciting

I finished 53rd in 27 hrs 36 mins Chiharu was 22nd in 24 hrs1 minsThe race was won by Hara from Japan19 hrs 29 mins

Amazing place httpwwwutmfjp

Verbier Trail St shyBernard Boucle 110 kmrlm67 July - Just returned from a beautiful Ultra trail race It is set in and aroundVerbier Switzerlandhellip with constant views of the magnificent Grand CombinThe event covered some very high cols which were covered in deep snowmaking racing very difficult in extreme heatI finished 26th in 19hrs 38 mins and was pleased to have run so well Not sureI will attempt it again as the final climb from Loutier to La Chaux is one of themost difficult climbs I have encountered

wwwtrailvsbch - if you want to see some Facebook video of ridiculous descents

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Meet coordinators Please send your Advance Notice (for meetsNovember to January 2014) and Meet Reports (for meets in July toOctober) to the Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the Octobernewsletter Any format accepted (including dictated over the phone)The deadline for the next newsletter is 25th October 2013

Tuesday walk - pot holes and caves photo SM

At the summit of the Ranc de Banes - Photo AC