This trip wasn't very successful... Last year's September Scotland trip had seen poor weather. When organising this year's, we were sure the club couldn't have the same again... So much for that! It was so bad (forecasts of over 100mph winds, heavy rain and low cloud for most days) that the trip was actually abandoned by those who had intended to take part in it. Still, two hillwalkers and two drowned rats that happened to be already in Scotland from the week before met in Fort William at the campsite near to Banavie. Half an hour before the trip had begun, they had already decided they were abandoning it! And so plans were made while crowded around a Tourist Information Office computer of how best the escape could be made from rainy Scotland. These four had a meal together in the Grog and Gruel and then drove south on Saturday, climbing Beinn a'Chrulaiste, in pouring rain and strong winds, en route to Glasgow. Ironically the only hill to be climbed on the Fort William trip is located 15 miles south of Fort William! (Still, all four had had some decent(ish) weather on some of the days the week before!) Let's hope that next year's summer trip is more successful.
[AW]

Participants

Andrew Williamson, Mark Jackson, Jo Smith & Dave Farrow.

Mark's Trip Report (MJ)

The first problem with this trip was that nobody was coming. The second problem was the weather.

After the washout of last year’s September trip, certain club members had naively hoped for a change of fortunes this time around – that is, for the percentage of rainy days to be less than 90%... Unfortunately, Scotland had other ideas.

The two pre-trips were moderately successful. I, Phil and Andrew spent a damp few days in Corrour – one of the wildest and most remote places in Britain. The only traces of civilisation were the railway station, youth hostel and a bothy (six miles away) – all of which we made good use of in our quest to stay warm and dry. Determined to get up some hills, we binned the idea of a two-day backpack involving six Munros, and went far to the west to the Staoineag Bothy, where we managed to get up two Munros and a Graham (an attempt on a Corbett was called off because the burns were high and wild). We had better luck with a linear walk the day after Phil left, and then the weather really set in. ‘Drowned rats’ was a not inaccurate description of our condition by the time we met Dave and Jo in Fort Bill. They’d at least had a car in which to drive around looking for sunshine, and had one good climb and a couple of good Munros.

But the forecast was truly dire.

Hurricane Katia’s remnants were on their way, and with 110mph winds on the tops, none of us were going to be getting up anything – least of all our tents. Faced with this, Michael F, Dave M and James called off their plans to come up for the weekend. Dave and Jo were heading home anyway. The campsite was pricey and midge-infested – although I think we would have had to move into a YHA anyway.

David P and Harriet (Burdett) were still planning on coming, but I was fed up. When it comes to a week in Scotland, four does not a crowd make, especially when three of them are crazy baggers and the fourth is on her first club trip. I’d poured enough of my money into the YHA’s coffers at Corrour and still my gear was wet.

We went into an internet café, phoned David, booked train tickets, and for the first time in 22 years, a club trip was completely cancelled because of the weather.

We ended up spending the money we’d saved by not buying train tickets from Corrour (shocking, I know) on a slap-up meal in Fort William. The next day, we squeezed into Dave’s car and drove to Glasgow, stopping briefly in Glencoe to storm up the Corbett of Beinn a’Chrulaiste, in strong winds and heavy rain. The car assumed the properties of a sauna from then on, crammed full of wet gear and wet walkers as it was; and thus the only ‘walk’ of the ‘trip’ took place twenty miles from Fort William and took about one and a half hours.

From Glasgow, we went our separate ways.

I know this has been a long write-up for a short trip, but I did feel the need to justify a once-in-20-years event! It seems that what has been a club staple for nearly two decades may be on its way out. Club members only have limited holidays and our attention is being drawn (quite reasonably) to sunnier climes – Corsica, Kyrgyzstan and an Alps trip or two beckon next summer – between spells of summer jobs etc. I even overheard one comment to the effect of: ‘I would make the effort to go, but if it’s just going to be baggers there…’!

So maybe in, maybe out, but as long as Scotland continues to throw rain, wind, snow and midges at us, perhaps I can bear the loss. There are many decisions I regret, but this was not one of them.

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Jo Smith
• Mark Jackson

From 59. CUHWC Fort William Trip

From 59. CUHWC Fort William Trip

After visiting the Swiss Alps for the past two years, CUHWC decided to pay some attention to France for a change. The Ecrins proved to be steep, jagged and pretty spectacular, if a little less friendly than the snowy peaks of Arolla. Based in La Bérarde, we dashed out of our tents between thunderstorms for a mixture of walking, climbing and mountaineering routes.
[Adapted from JS's Picasa album description.]

Trip Participants

Jo Smith, Dave Farrow, Doug Hull, Jeremy Leong, James Ritchie, Joe Hobbs, Matthew Graham, Kirsty Brown, Dave Mackenzie & Andrena Ball.

Photos

• Jo Smith
• Dave Farrow
• Doug Hull
• Dave Mackenzie
• Andrena Ball
• Kirsty Brown

For most people, this trip marked an end-of-exam celebration and so a large group of hillwalkers headed to the remote Ennerdale in the Lake District, where we stayed in Lower Gillerthwaite Field Centre. There were plenty of walking and climbing opportunities nearby, with one group each day choosing to climb Pillar Rock. Other groups opted to walk various versions of the Ennerdale Horseshoe - including one epic walk that walked the entire skyline! There was plenty of merriment on Saturday evening and we even managed to (almost) get through all verses of the Cow Song! Several chose to extend the trip afterwards and backpacked across the Lake District to Windermere.

Participants

Andrew Williamson, Mohammad Dmour, Michael Fordham, Tom Ashton, Tom Wright, Paul Cook, Jon Matthews, Gordon Williams, Helen Phillips, Bethan Gudgeon, Amy Bonsor, Marianne Park, David Pettit, Alex Pericleous, Alison Beresford, Chris Wade, Kirsty Brown, Kate Humphris, Jo Smith, Dave Farrow, Mark Jackson, Greg Chadwick, Joe Hobbs, Anne Moindrot, David Mackenzie, Valerie Brandt, Julia Narees, Alice Turski, Daniel Sigle, Larissa Moore, Carol Cheng, Ruth Pettit & Toby Speight.

Walk Reports

Small Ennerdale Horseshoe (DF)

Jo, Jon, Dave, Amy, Greg & Larissa.

Jon, Amy and Larissa arrived back 30 minutes later after having a tricky traverse while skirting Pillar. We got back very hungry and slightly wet. On descent from Haycock it started raining heavily, so we put full waterproofs on. After walking over Haycock, we found a way down. From Pillar, we continued fast along the ridge (jelly-bean- & fudge-powered), missing Steeple, out west. The 'long' ascent of Pillar was taken steadily, watching many fell runners going the other way. Pillar looks like a nice big remote mountain. Jon, Amy and Larissa were found eating their third lunch after a good descent off Kirk Fell. (Despite other previous reports.) Jon, Amy and Larissa decided to skirt around Kirk Fell and go down the valley, leaving Dave to attempt to catch DP up on Kirk Fell (he was only 45 minutes ahead and going at full speed). Andrew's group met us and complimented our route choice (not realising we had not come from the Gables). We were under half way and thinking we should speed up. Green Gable & Great Gable were skirted around to shorten the day (and because they are always done, and rarely gazed upon from below). Second lunch had just after Haystacks (stacks of people as well), near the tarn. Descent off High Stile and over High Crag done slowly, talking much. First lunch (11.30) was had after ascending High Stile. After getting to within 50m of Red Pike, it was decided not to bag it, and we sensibly continued along the ridge. The day started sunnily and luckily we stayed out of the cloud all day. The route card stated an 08.45 start, so at 09.50 we wandered out of the bunkhouse. The sentences in this report are in reverse order.

Notable Quotes

• Mark: Just because we like bagging, doesn't mean we like buggering [on the relationship between Mark & Andrew]
• Alison: I think Fisherfield is further south than I think it is!
• Helen: I wouldn't walk with [David Pettit], but I would eat (with) him
• Kirsty: That bag was full of grass... Matthew: Herbs!
• Tom is hurriedly reversing the minibus into a narrow passing place...
  • Dave M: WAARK! [Minibus stops]
  • Tom: What was that?
  • Dave M: That was a bush...
  • Dave F: I didn't know bushes made that noise...

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Jo Smith
• David Pettit
• Michael Fordham
• Tom Wright
• Dave Mackenzie

From 27 & 28. CUHWC Ennerdale Trip

From 27 & 28. CUHWC Ennerdale Trip

From 27 & 28. CUHWC Ennerdale Trip

It might have been the looming shadow of exams, but there seemed to be a certain reluctance among CUHWC members to break new ground and join the club's first ever trip to the South Downs. In the end it was just five of us who made the short journey to the coast near Eastbourne, for a day out which it would be stretching a point to call "hillwalking", but which proved very enjoyable all the same.

For me and Andrew, the hills' lack of height proved no problem, as our following the creed of Relative Height ensured that the South Downs still held plenty of ticks for us. Being dropped off in Lewes, we tramped the crest of the downs for twenty miles to the amazing 500ft cliffs of Beachy Head, crossing Marilyns and HuMPs on the way - one of which proved an interesting challenge, standing as it did in the middle of a golf course!

Mohammad, Matt and Betsy had a fine walk tramping the full length of the Seven Sisters to Beachy Head with the wind behind them, and we finished up with fish and chips on the seafront in Eastbourne, while Matt, brave (crazy?) soul that he was (is?), took a dip in the English Channel and almost got thrown against a groyne for his trouble.

[MJ]

Trip Participants

Matthew Graham, Andrew Williamson, Mark Jackson, Mohammad Dmour & Betsy Mortensen.

Trip Statistics (MJ)

• 10 bemused golfers [upon seeing Andrew and Mark doing what they do best...]
• 9 hours spent in deepest Sussex
• 8 actual sisters
• 7 sisters
• 6 trig points
• 5 walkers intrepid explorers
• 4 HuMPs
• 3 Marilyns
• 2 separate walks
• 1 new frontier for CUHWC!
• 0 proper hills

Photos

• Matthew Graham
• Andrew Williamson
• Mohammad Dmour

From 26. CUHWC South Downs Day Trip

From 26. CUHWC South Downs Day Trip

As usual, this trip was a small and lively trip, mainly composed of those who have no exams, or have their priorities right!

Participants

Joe Hobbs, Andrew Williamson, Jo Smith, Tom Ashton, Paul Cook, Mark Jackson, Dave Farrow, Ian Kitley, Mohammad Dmour, Kirsty Brown, Jildou Sterkenburgh, Stella Lin, Eleni Charalampous, Simon Taylor, Mohammad Razai, Christian Scheppach, Larissa Moore, Andrena Ball

Sheep Impressions done on this trip (JS)

• Sheep
• Drunk Sheep
• Angry Sheep
• Suicidal Sheep
• Suicide Sheep (apparently different)
• Kamikaze Sheep
• Pathetic Sheep
• Rubbish Pathetic Sheep

Things I forgot/didn't bring on this trip (JH)

• Fleece & soft shell - on hooks in Cambridge
• Trousers (nearly) - found in bottom of rucksack
• Hat, gloves & warm clothing in general - thought it would be warm & summery
• Ketchup (for burgers)
• Boots - thought it would be dry
• Good sleeping bag - thought it would be warm
• Unmouldy tomatoes & onions
• Brain - last seen in Large Examination Hall, if found, I'd like it back!

The A-Z of Dave, Jo, Joe, Andrena & Kirsty's Saturday (JH)

• A is for Arete, Cyfrwy
• B is for Belaying, which Kirsty did, and Andrena did not
• C is for Cams, which Kirsty christened Colin, Clive and Cameron
• D is for Dave's Memory - all we had as he forgot the scrambling guide
• E is for Efficient, which surprisingly is what we were
• F is for Fleece, which Joe forgot (see above)
• G is for Guidebook (lack of)
• H is for Hotwiring, which didn't quite happen to the minibus
• I is for Incompetent Removal of Nuts - Andrena was guilty of this mainly
• J is for Jo(e)s, who were making barking noises
• K is for Kirsty, who was child-knotted into the middle of the rope and liked it
• L is for Laughter, at Jo getting stuck 1 foot off the ground
• M is for Moving Together, while the group behind continued pitching
• N is for Nuts, and associated innuendo
• O is for Opting Out, of a long walk after getting to the top
• P is for Punctuality, much to the (dis)pleasure of Paul
• Q is for Quite Cold, which it was, particularly for the trouserless
• R is for Rain. Which turned to hail. A lot of hail. Which was painful. Particularly for the trouserless
• S is for Scrislope (Andrena's spelling), which was the scariest part of the day
• T is for Trousers - some of us did without
• U is for Unusually Uneventful
• V is for Voluminous - everyone's rucksacks except Andrena's
• W is for Wind, especially while standing on the trig point
• X is for Xylophone - there were no accidents so no X-rays here!
• Y is for Yelling, climbing calls over the wind
• Z is for Zero Fatalities - Mark seemed very surprised!

Magic Jenga (AB)

An observer, upon approaching the Bryn Hafod bunkhouse on the evening of Friday 13th May, might have been surprised at the spectacle enacted before him. Around the perimeter of a cosy sitting room were gathered a curious collection of individuals, exhibiting no particular pattern in age, sex or sobriety, but all possessed of a certain ruggedness of apparel which marked them as members of some brotherhood. The attention of all these disparate individuals was fixed upon two of the brethren engaged in a strange ritual in the centre of the room. A tower of blocks had been constructed, and the two individuals were gleefully engaged in simultaneously removing the bottom layer. When this removal was perfectly timed, the rest of the tower did not topple, as one might expect, but rather settled into an increasingly skewed but still vertical state. This performance drew admiring whoops and applause from the gathered throng which in turn spurred the protagonists on the greater heights. What to make of this curious behaviour, and whether a rational explanation can be supplied, we leave to the reader.

Notable Quotes

• Simon T: Downhill did my knees, uphill did my everything else; my nose is fine though.
• Kirsty: Has Mark got one of my men?
• Dave (to Jo): You've got hold of my sword - you can't do that!
• Mark: When I say worst in the world, I mean quite bad in England.

"Blessed are the trouserless, for they shall inherit the earth"
Gospel of Mark, 5:5

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Jo Smith
• Andrena Ball
• Mark Jackson

From 24 & 25. CUHWC Aran Mountains Trip

From 24 & 25. CUHWC Aran Mountains Trip

There could hardly have been a bigger contrast between this year's Easter trip to Cwm Dyli, right at the foot of Snowdon, and the same trip last year - far from wind, cold and rain, we were treated to glorious sunshine and T-shirt-and-shorts temperatures, and heat haze was more of a problem for us than mist. It was hardly the weather for sitting about in the bunkhouse (barring the final day), and between us we managed the Snowdon Horseshoe (three times), the full range of the Glyders (three times), the Nantlle Ridge (twice), a waterfall walk, Moel Hebog, the Moel Eilio group (twice), Moel Hebog, Carnedd y Cribau, Moel Siabod, a Tryfan circuit, Cnicht and the Moelwyns, a dawn ascent of Snowdon, three scrambles of varying degrees of epicness (epicity?), and one rather impromptu walk to Llyn Llydaw and back at 11pm...

...and there were more moments that made this trip what it was. Eleven of us spelling out "CUHWC" on top of the Cantilever... Scarborough Fair echoing on a harp... that midnight visit to a Bangor kebab shop... a lot of Bananagrams... the track outside the bunkhouse playing havoc with big and small cars alike... mountain swims... headtorches lighting up the south face of Lliwedd as the night darkened... banoffee pie... that crazy game where Kirsty got mistaken for a Scottish dog and a harmless grid reference somehow turned into Snowdon being bombed... and the night's dark blue lighting up with the golden fires of dawn as Chris and Simon stood alone on Snowdon's frosty summit to watch the sun rise.

Participants

Bandrena All, Hecky Boward, Gethan Budgeon, Charol Ceng, Wis Chrade, Mave Dackenzie, Pavid Dettit, Houg Dull, Knoliver Evitt, Jillian Games, Cheg Gradwick, Lannah Hewis, Phelen Hillips, Wandrew Illiamson, Pane Jatrick, Leremy Jeong, Woe Jilliams, Hoe Jobbs, Birsty Krown, Marissa Loore, Jark Mackson, Gratthew Maham, Fichael Mordham, Dmohammad Mour, Caul Pook, Bimon Sateman, Wimon Silliams, Om Tashton, Wrom Tight, Toe Zolkien.

Walk Reports

Saturday - Y Lliwedd Scramble, Take I (MF)

Michael, Tom

It was on reading Steve Ashton's "Scrambles in Snowdonia" - it must have been in 2004 - that I decided, one day, to climb y Lliwedd by Bilberry Terrace. In the intervening years I have climbed Snowdon with y Lliwedd many times, but never had the confidence, skill or equipment to take on the route. A few weeks ago, Tom Wright and I completed a snow and ice climbing course in Scotland where we practised leading routes and, on signing up for the Easter Snowdonia trip, I decided to give Bilberry Terrace a go.

Tom and I prepared well. We went and ordered enough kit - rope, nuts, slings, hexes, karabiners - and prayed for good weather. Our prayers were answered. We set off in near-perfect conditions. Although the mist later set in, the day remained dry and calm. We had some difficulty finding the start of the route, including a false start, but eventually we found the line and climbed up to Bilberry Terrace. The terrace itself was an excellent, airy traverse. One or two tricky pitches provided some climbing interest. At the end of the Terrace the route-finding became more complex, and we didn't follow the guidebook line completely. The final pitch was excellent and we emerged onto a sunny ridge a few metres below the summit. We returned to the hut via y Lliwedd's east ridge. Our route today confirmed y Lliwedd as my second favourite Welsh mountain (after Tryfan) and I look forward to trying more routes on its north face.

Sunday - Snowdon Horseshoe (RH)

Becky, Joe W, Bethan, Simon, Kirsty, Jane, Greg (alias Geoff), Dave, Jeremy, Matt

Points to note/remember about the day

• The two peaks of Y Lliwedd are both taller than each other
• Jeremy should have worn a helmet when scrambling below Kirsty
• The pipe is big and green and quite fun to come down
• Matthew and Jane finally completed the horseshoe (3rd time, 2nd time lucky respectively)
• The two big groups just behind us before the Crib Goch turn-off all took the wrong turning to Snowdon
• Joe W and Bethan got told off for talking about falling about off Crib Goch
• Llyn Llydaw, when viewed from Y Lliwedd, looks like England with no Kent

Monday - Y Lliwedd Scramble, Take II (AB)

Rope 1; Bethan, Kirsty, Doug. Rope 2; Joe H, Andrena, Dave

To be served late at night with whisky and black tea.

Ingredients;

• two ropes
• six harnesses
• insufficient slings
• rather too many nuts and hexes
• a bag of jelly babies and a large malt-loaf
• about 300m of heather-coated rock face
• six excited hillwalkers with unrealistic expectations.

Time; 10 hours, with 2 hours' preparation and 2 hours' tidying up.

Method;

• Take the hillwalkers, march them up to the base of the rock face (at the double), and insert them into their harnesses. Set aside for a half hour photo-and-faff break.
• Combine the slings, nuts and hexes with the harnessed hillwalkers. Add the ropes. Stir gently so as to prevent tangles.
• Divide in two. Carefully apply the first half to the rock face, ensuring that the hillwalkers are not too close to the heather, since they do not mix well.
• Continue spreading the hillwalkers over the rock face keeping the two halves a little apart. After about 5 hours, add the malt-loaf, and continue as before.
• Despite the insufficiency of slings, attempt to smoothly and consistently transfer them from the lower to the higher hillwalkers. This may prove difficult when they are too tightly compressed, or in too much heather.
• After about 9 1/2 hours, as darkness falls, inject a slight feeling of panic and some head torches.
• When you run out of rock face, remove ropes, and stuff the hillwalkers with jelly babies. This will speed up the descent.

Tuesday - Nantlle Ridge (Short) (KB)

Joe H, Dave M, Andrena, Kirsty

Leaving the bunkhouse (reluctantly) at 11:30am, we drove to Rhyd Ddu. Having established that the pay and display machine had been (very neatly) vandalised, we set off towards the ridge. The short stretch of bog made some of us regret having decided to wear trainers / boots with so many holes that socks were visible through them. Joe and Dave set off up the hill at quite a pace, with Andrena and Kirsty (just!) behind. Overtaking another group, we were pleased to discover that they were from Oxford. On hearing that we were from Cambridge, they rapidly made excuses for their slower pace, along the lines of "Let's wait for the others - they must be a long way behind and it'd be unfair to get TOO far ahead..." and "Yes, there's no point at all in rushing; after all, that wouldn't be making the most of the day and the views..."

Meanwhile, Joe and Dave increased their pace yet further and we were all at the top within 45 minutes. After a short phone faff (during which we discovered the somewhat disappointing results of the Boat Race... at least Varsity hillwalking would seem to go in our favour at the moment), we continued along the ridge. We spent a fair amount of time playing on some rocks (with the Oxford walkers still small specks in the distance), before running down a grassy section of the ridge and stopping for a spot of lunch. Following lunch, we carried on up to the obelisk (which both Joe and Andrena climbed). At this point, it started spitting with rain and I tentatively suggested that it might be a good idea to turn round if it came on to pour. Everyone else responded surprisingly enthusiastically and we started back immediately (despite the fact that the rain had failed to materialise...)

On the descent, a 'strange man' seemed unnervingly pleased to see me - entertaining the rest of the group. We cut off the ridge early and managed to find our way along some forestry tracks (distinctly absent from our BMC maps - unfortunately nobody had thought to bring an OS...) Having consumed a large proportion of a chocolate cake AND a malt loaf whilst sitting on a stone which read "Death by Yeti", Joe became even more energetic than normal (!) and we got back to the car in next to no time, with only a few short lamb faffs...

Altogether a good day was had by everyone and we were pleased to return for an epic cooking session (chilli, cake and a banoffee pie...)

The whole trip - (Excessive) bagging (of [pointless] hills) (AW)

Andrew and various companions (chiefly Mark)

Successfully arriving by train, we caught the bus to the bunkhouse via Bethesda, arriving by about 6pm. Hours were spent reading and generally being bored while we waited for those driving from Cambridge to arrive. The fire was also successfully lit, thanks to detailed instructions left by the meticulous female bunkhouse owners - what else does one expect?

Saturday saw me climb the Nuttalls (all twelve of them) surrounding Cwm Croesor with the three other Nuttall baggers in the club. The day was filled with (an excessive amount of) talk of Munros, Corbetts, Marilyns etc. We were the first group to return to the bunkhouse, but were soon followed by others.

Sunday saw an ascent of the Nantlle Ridge from Rhyd Ddu with a lower percentage of baggers on the walk. Unfortunately, the last Nuttall on the ridge was un-Nuttall-able, down to time restrictions (DP's fault), and we therefore would need to climb the ridge again. This reduces my efficiency ratio of Nuttall bagging.

Monday involved even more Nuttall bagging, this time taking in all of those along the Glyders ridge with Paul, Larissa and my seemingly-inseparable companion Mark. There was awesome weather again, and this walk was one of the best I had done, even involving a swim (for some), some scrambling, several Glyder kilometres (a near standard measure) and much sarcasm. According to some estimates, the walk was an epic; however, one could question such a contention. An interesting evening involving Mountain Rescue, a run up the Miners' Track and a kebab shop was then had. We had dinner at just after midnight and then slept for about three hours before the final day's walking (for me).

Carol and Helen joined me and Mark for a northern Snowdon horseshoe, which involved an unnecessary amount of faffing - animal faff (horses, sheep, cows, piglets and even seagulls were all involved), photo faff, summit faff and perhaps surprisingly, swing faff in Llanberis. Finishing on Llechog (our 34th Nuttall of the trip), we then descended the ridge to the south of the Llanberis pass. The evening was particularly entertaining, involving several highly amusing games.

We woke early on the final day to find driving rain, so Bethan and I were able to make use of Paul and his car to get a lift to Betws-y-Coed for our train. All in all, a truly fantastic trip, with better-than-expected weather.

Notable quotes

• Becky: (talking about a photo): "This one's quite good because you can't see anything."
• Paul: "Dave, your shorts aren't helping - take them off"

Photos

• Mark Jackson
• Andrew Williamson
• Kirsty Brown
• Michael Fordham
• David Pettit
• Chris Wade
• Mohammad Dmour
• Matthew Graham
• Andrena Ball
• Dave Mackenzie
• Helen Phillips
• Joe Hobbs
• Simon Bateman
• Doug Hull

From 14-17. CUHWC Cwm Dyli Vacation Trip

From 14-17. CUHWC Cwm Dyli Vacation Trip

From 14-17. CUHWC Cwm Dyli Vacation Trip

Less than a week after we returned from Swaledale, we were off again, this time on a day trip. As the day dawned bright and sunny above us, we sped down the M5 heading for the little village of Church Stretton, apparently nicknamed the "Zermatt of Shropshire". While this may be stretching the point, the hills of the Long Mynd and Caer Caradoc are surprisingly well formed, and provided us all with some cracking walks, which featured seven people crowding onto the Pole Bank viewfinder, a sheep being rescued from a barbed wire fence, some bouldering and some impressive scrambling on the Caer itself...

Participants

Kirsty Brown, Esme Chapman, Louisa Dinwiddie, Mohammad Dmour, Peter Forbes, Michael Fordham, Bethan Gudgeon, Anna Gurevich, Joe Hobbs, Doug Hull, Mark Jackson, Emily Mynott, Julia Narees, David Pettit, Anitha Thillaisundaram, Jessie Vahrenkamp, Andrew Williamson, Elena Yudovina

Photos

• Mark Jackson
• Andrew Williamson
• David Pettit
• Mohammad Dmour

From 12. CUHWC Long Mynd Day Trip

From 12. CUHWC Long Mynd Day Trip

From 12. CUHWC Long Mynd Day Trip

The third weekend trip of the Lent term broke new ground for the club - while our previous outings to the Yorkshire Dales had always been confined to the Ribble valley, this trip saw us head for darkest Swaledale. The weather stayed dry and (mostly) sunny throughout, allowing us to venture from our base in Reeth onto the wild moors of Rogan's Seat, the delights of Arkengarthdale, the open country of the High Seat ridge, and (after a fairly epic drive) the wonderful curves of the Howgill Fells; there was even a walk along the River Swale on the Sunday! But the excitement was not confined to the walking, with a didgeridoo-accompanied rendition of the Cow Song and the fire alarm going off at two o' clock in the morning...

Participants

Tom Ashton, Valerie Brandt, Alex Broekhof, Kirsty Brown, Paul Cook, Mohammad Dmour, Michael Fordham, Matthew Graham, Owen Graham, Joe Hobbs, Sophie Holmes, Becky Howard, Kate Humphris, Mark Jackson, Dave Mackenzie, David Pettit, Ruth Pettit, Helen Phillips, James Ritchie, Mathias Scharmann, Mike Simpson, Rowena Smith, Oliver Strickson, Jessie Vahrenkamp, Andrew Williamson.

Walk Reports

Marilyn, HuMP and Nuttall bagging (AW)

Andrew, David P, Jessie & Alex

DP arrived early in the morning, having left before dawn in order to get here - he had a band concert the evening before. Mark was intending to come with us, but instead decided it would be an excellent idea to drive 45 minutes to the Howgills... (Next time the club visits the Howgills, they will be driving to Swaledale!)

We left Muker and ascended Kisdon Hill (new Marilyn for me - despite having walked over the hill before, I had not officially visited its summit) and then followed the Pennine Way to Tan Hill (Britain's highest pub, for those unaware of this fact). We expected quite a bog trot for the section to Water Crag (a Nuttall), but we were able to follow a fence to it and on to Rogan's Seat. Then followed the track to the Muker valley, finishing up the quite spectacular Swinner Gill valley, where a careless trip could quite easily have meant death.

We arrived back at the bunkhouse first, soon followed by Matthew's group, who had also ascended Rogan's Seat by a quite different route. The usual tea etc. followed, including an in-depth reading of Mark's book. We decided a club copy was definitely required, and ordered one upon our return to Cambridge.

The Howgills (MJ)

Kate, Mark, Paul, Mohammad, Helen, Owen, Mike, Rowena

It was a remarkable series of coincidences that led to this walk. First up was Mohammad mentioning on the way up that he was thinking of going west towards the Howgills, where the forecast looked better. Once he found out that a reasonable walk there would get us seven Nuttalls, Mohammad was suddenly very keen to drive there! Second up was finding that Kate had not only been to the Howgills about fifty times before, but was very keen to go again. Third was Paul signing up for the walk so that we actually had enough drivers to transport the eight people who ended up joining us. Fourth - and most crucially - was neither driver actually asking me how far it was from Reeth to the Howgills.

Nearly an hour (and one rather nervous I'm-running-out-of-petrol moment from Paul) later, we had decided that the Swaledale roads were awful and that the Howgills had better be worth the drive. Of course they were. The steep grassy slopes, deep V-shaped valleys and unexpected crags - Cautley Crag was definitely a highlight - reminded me far more of the Cheviots or the Southern Uplands than the flat, squelchy moors further east, and we didn't meet a single peat bog all day. As it was me in charge of the walk, we ended up taking quite a meandering route along ridges and across valleys, climbing 1450m and mopping up all the hills I wanted to climb - nine in fact, leading to nine pretty much identical-looking summit photos (it was pretty misty). But overall, as Paul repeatedly pointed out, it was a "cracking day".

The High Shunner Ridge (MJ)

Mark, David, Andrew, Ruth

Having stayed up until nearly one o' clock partaking in singing accompanied by a didgeridoo and having been woken up at half past two by the fire alarm going off in the bunkhouse, it was with some trepidation that I joined the Pettits and Andrew for a walk whose pace was marked on the route card as "AFAP" - apparently this stood for "As Fast As Possible", although I figured it probably stood for "As Fast as Pettit", i.e. even faster. This was also my first introduction to the intricacies of the two-car faff; cars A and B drive to X, car A is then left at X while A's driver C gets into B which is driven by D to Y; the party then walks from Y to X whereupon everyone piles into A and is driven back by C to Y where B is waiting for D to drive away in... crystal clear. Given the state of the Swaledale roads, all this took a long time, which led to us needing to beat Naismith's Rule by an hour in order to complete the walk. I had never walked so fast.

However, the lie of the land was in our favour, as we were walking from the Buttertubs Pass to the summit of the Kirkby Stephen-Keld road, which kept us above 500m for the entire walk. The route was a bit short on paths, but the ground was dry, the sun was out (eventually), the gradients were easy, and the birds were singing, and I was just about able to keep up with the other three as we strolled over Lovely Seat, Great Shunner Fell, Little Fell and High Seat. Finally, I and Andrew opted for the rather easier target of little Tailbridge Hill while the Pettits virtually ran up Nine Standards Rigg (which I and Andrew had already done) - even David commented that the pace had been "rather brisk" towards the end!

Notable quotes

• Paul: (Friday night): "I'll go on your walk if you take your top off, Mark"

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Kirsty Brown
• David Pettit
• Kate Humphris
• Dave Mackenzie

From 10 & 11. CUHWC Swaledale Trip

From 10 & 11. CUHWC Swaledale Trip

The weather for the second weekend trip of term (and the first to be run by the new committee) didn't quite measure up to the standards set by its precursors or successors, with low cloud and drizzly rain being the order of the day. Given the location of the bunkhouse at the entrance to the Newlands Valley, with several good walks available from the door, we confined ourselves to walks in the North-Western Fells; we had parties completing the Newlands Horseshoe, Coledale Horseshoe, and a breakneck-paced double-crossing of the fells to Buttermere and back, which paused only for ice-cream in Buttermere!

Participants

Tom Ashton, Simon Bateman, Valerie Brandt, Kirsty Brown, Greg Chadwick, Paul Cook, Michael Draper, Emma Fleetwood, Michael Fordham, Matthew Graham, Mark Jackson, Ian Patrick, Jane Patrick, Alex Pericleous, Ruth Pettit, Becky Shercliff, Jo Smith, Jessie Vahrenkamp, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson, Tom Wright, David Wyman.

Walk Reports

Newlands Horseshoe (JS)

Jo, Ian, Emma, Ruth, Tom, Mark, Greg and Alex

I'm afraid to say I was bagging today, and even though it wasn't actually raining when everyone got up, given the forecast I made the executive decision to head for Robinson, Hindscarth and Dale Head first, in case the pub proved too tempting halfway through the walk!

Up to just below the summit of Robinson was lovely, with blue sky and a conspicuous lack of predicted gale-force winds. We then ascended into cloud, which stubbornly refused to budge from the tops (at least while we were on them), but it was a good day nevertheless. Beyond Dalehead Tarn we merrily greeted what seemed like a continuous stream of people coming the other way, all enjoying being out despite the general dampness.

As we dropped out of the cloud towards Catbells, the fresh, squeaky snow also disappeared from beneath our feet, and views of Derwent Water and the Newlands Valley opened out before us. An hour well-spent in the Swinside Inn was enough time for the sun to come out and burn the cloud off Robinson and Hindscarth, which looked almost inviting enough for a second round as we returned to Stair.

The Saturday Evening Meal

Michael, Simon B, Andrew, Mark, Jo, Greg

Starter: Feta-cheese-topped bread with watercress and tomato side salad.
Main: Meatballs with cream sauce, cranberries and new potatoes.
Dessert: New York berry cheesecake.

I [MJ] think Michael should probably be elected Cookery Officer.

The Hunting of the Snock (MJ)

Mark, Simon, Jane, Becky, Michael & Jessie

Number of companions I expected to have on my silly bagging walk: 0
Number of companions I actually had: 5
Number of companions who knew what they'd let themselves in for: 4
Number of summits bagged: 1
Number of Wainwrights climbed: 2
Number of decent views obtained (from summits): 0
Number of snocks seen: 0
Number of piles of stones which may or may not have been snock droppings: 1
Number of group members who'd done pretty much the whole walk the day before: 2
Number of knackered-looking hillwalkers met at Rigg Beck: 5
Number of the above who looked like a garden gnome: 1

... And a few stats from yesterday:

Number of group members below the age of 22: 1
Number of summits climbed: 6
Number of teachers on walk: 3
Number of pints consumed: 7
Number of past trips been on by group members: ~219 [at time of writing]
Number of snocks seen: 0

Notable quotes

• Emma: (on seeing Paul): "I forgot how big men were" [Ian's reaction to this is not recorded]

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Kirsty Brown
• Jo Smith
• Mohammad Dmour
• Matthew Graham
• Simon Bateman

From 8 & 9. CUHWC Stair Trip

From 8 & 9. CUHWC Stair Trip

From 8 & 9. CUHWC Stair Trip

We enjoyed absolutely stunning conditions for the first weekend trip of term to the heart of Snowdonia: cold, clear, dry and perfectly calm. On Saturday, many people took the opportunity to complete the Snowdon Horseshoe, with others reaching the summit via the Pyg Track. On Sunday we branched out to the Glyders and the beach, with one party re-ascending Snowdon from the other side. Some of the photos are fantastic, so do take a look at the links below.

Participants

Jacob Abolafia, Tom Ashton, Simon Bateman, Valerie Brandt, Roger Brass, Lizzy Brickley, Phil Brown, Greg Chadwick, Ameera Chowdhury, Paul Cook, Mohammed Dmour, Dave Farrow, Michael Fordham, Mark Jackson, Ashish Mitter, David Pettit, David Ponting, Juraj Sibik, Jo Smith, Jildou Sterkenburgh, David Trethewey, Gordon Williams, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson, Elena Yudovina.

Walk Reports

Snowdon Horseshoe (AW)

Andrew, DP, Dave, Jo & Paul

This was only my second Snowdonia trip, and the area was growing on me rapidly. It is more Scottish than the Lake District and is therefore preferred. My first trip was Caseg Fraith in October 2010, during which I attempted the Snowdon Horseshoe in its entirety. However, due to bad weather, we were forced to abandon the Crib Goch section. This trip allowed such an impossibility to be rectified, with an ascent in perfect (almost) weather. Walked with Jo, Dave, DP and Paul. After the tremendous arguments that had ensued the previous night, it was good to be on a decent walk. We drove in DP's new Fiesta ('Titanium' model) to Pen-y-pass, from where the walk commenced. The ascent of Crib Goch was relatively straightforward and we arrived upon the ridge, with spectacular views evident all around. The actual Crib Goch ridge was more exposed than I had imagined it to be (despite being told by several family members that it was so!). Anyway, the ridge was followed well and we arrived at Snowdon summit with ease, having taken the full Crib Goch ridge and many photos too. At this point, Dave and Jo descended by the Pyg track, while DP, Paul and I continued to complete the horseshoe. (It is also worth noting that we met Michael's group a short distance from Snowdon's summit, walking with them to it.)

The remaining section of the walk was completed at Pettit Pace. However, Paul led, commenting that it was seemingly impossible to 'get rid' of DP from his tail. (DP, at this stage, noted that the only person who may have partially succeeded [more than others] in doing so was Simon Williams.) We arrived at the last principal summit on the horseshoe, having enjoyed the climb at a fast pace, and were, once again, greeted by quite stunning views. They were the factor that characterised the day as a whole. From here, we descended by the Miners' Track to Pen-y-pass, and waited for Jo and Dave to join up with us once more. While we were waiting, we decided, in aid of warming up, we could climb a small spur on the opposite side of the valley. We also discovered much about DP's new car. Then, returned to the bunkhouse and were inevitably first back. Then spent a pointless time attempting to light the fire. Cooking of the evening's meal also happened (which was not pointless).

Notable quotes

• Mark: "As far as I'm concerned, it's a vehicle, not a love-child"
• Tom (to Mohammad): "I'd like to meet your mother"

Photos

• David Pettit
• Andrew Williamson
• Lizzy Brickley
• David Trethewey
• Juraj Sibik
• Simon Bateman
• Gordon Williams
• Mohammad Dmour
• David Ponting
• Jo Smith

From CUHWC Capel Curig, 28-30 January 2011

From CUHWC Capel Curig, 28-30 January 2011

From CUHWC Capel Curig, 28-30 January 2011

6-11 January

For the tenth year running, our New Year Trip returned to High House, at the head of Borrowdale in the heart of the Lakes. Though the weather was a little grey at times, the sun made a valiant effort, resulting in some spectacular views through the glowing clouds. With snow and ice persisting on the tops through the week, our walks were varied in character and took in most of the surrounding fells, including Great Gable, Glaramara and Scafell Pike (not forgetting Base Brown and Seathwaite Fell). On the first day, Dave ran an informal winter skills course for some of those new to winter walking, while the rest of us got some unintended navigation practice in near-whiteout conditions. We whiled away the long evenings in the bunkhouse with (among other things) beer, Bananagrams, pictionary, whisky and a spectacularly frustrating/entertaining game of Therapist (thanks Greg), plus an excellent pub dinner at the Scafell Hotel in Rosthwaite on Saturday.

Participants

Simon Bateman, Rowan Brackston, Kirsty Brown, Greg Chadwick, Paul Cook, Mohammed Dmour, Dave Farrow, Michael Fordham, Matthew Graham, Alastair Gregory, Bethan Gudgeon, Rob Halbert, Joe Hobbs, Becky Howard, Doug Hull, Gillian James, Oliver Knevitt, Freya Morrisey, Jane Patrick, David Pettit, Ruth Pettit, Becky Shercliff, Mike Simpson, Jo Smith, Rowena Smith, Chris Wade, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson.

Walk Reports

A failed attempt at Scafell Pike (JH)

Joe, Jo

After the tiring journey from Scotland, I rose late and joined the latest-leaving walk with Jo, heading up Scafell Pike via Great End up & the Corridor Route down. We ascended into a complete whiteout, complete with blown ice (not the last time of the week). We decided to turn back at Ill Crag, returning to the bunkhouse via Allen Crags, Glaramara and Thorneythwaite Fell.

Skiddaw in Numbers (DF)

Jo, Dave, Ruth

• 2 MLs
• 1 Navigator (different from above)
• 11 pairs of gloves
• 17 clothing layers
• 15 hats, hoods & buffs
• 3 first aid kits
• 2 bivi bags
• 1 emergency shelter (4-6 person)
• 2 ice axes
• 1 avalanche probe
• 1 shovel
• 9 sandwiches
• 4 Wainwrights
• 1 hill worth bagging
• 2 Wainwright baggers

Bethan's Seathwaite 2011 (BG)

Seeing as no-one else has written up any of their walks so far unless you're counting 'Skiddaw in Numbers', I thought I'd write up all three of my days so far.

Day 1 wasn't the most walking day in the world seeing as I spent the day along with Kirsty and Jane in the bunkhouse doing work... At one point Kirsty stormed out to refresh her brain by marching up to Stockley Bridge and later Jane and I set off walking down the road until we stumbled upon Doug. He'd walked back from Keswick over High Spy in trainers (by accident) because his car has broken down, which had been the eventful event of the day before.

Day 2 was quite a bit more hillwalkery interesting as we set off to thread Napes Needle (Doug, Alastair, Andrew, Joe and I). To cut the description short our thread was a bit frayed... Basically the walk there was nice and we found it pretty easily and the steep snow up to it was also pretty nice. The scramble was however a little too snowy and slippy for us to be able to complete it in a reasonable time. It was a little scary, I'm not used to only one axe now... It was getting down the other side that we decided was stupid so instead the 3 of us that had got up downclimbed. The next eventful, rather stupid on my part, thing to happen was as we got to the top of the scree slope, just after a lunch break, we decided it was time we should put our crampons on. I'd put mine at the bottom of my bag and underneath my dry bag...which I somehow managed to let go of and that was it it was off, 300m down the snowy west scree slope of Great Gable. We therefore split the group and Doug and I descended until Doug found the bag. We then took crampons off as we didn;t want to wreck them and ascended back up until we put crampons on again before ascending to the summit. The view was atmospheric with mist sweeping over and views across to the sea with orange sun. It continued this way as we followed our original route over Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts.

Day 3 - Today even though I got up pretty late, I managed to make the walk along the reverse of what Doug did the other day: High Spy-Maiden Moor-Catbells. This was a nice walk to stay out of the cloud although it was pretty slippy with snowy slush everywhere so I fell over quite a bit, but I wasn't the only one. On the way back along the valley we made the small climb up Castle Crag, which I found out is apparently the smallest Wainwright. That's because we did have two Wainwright completers on the walk (DP and Andrew) among the eight (Simon W, Jane, Greg, Joe, Becky H and I).

Day4 - I plan to go out along the Buttermere ridge on Joe's walk, so I might write that up tomorrow...
Bethan did indeed start off on this walk - but was back in the bunkhouse, dripping wet, by 10am, having abandoned the idea of spending the day in pouring rain in order to do some work (before certain other members of the party had even left the bunkhouse...ahem). Oddly enough, nearly everyone was back by lunchtime that day!

Notable quotes

• Simon: "The first thing Paul makes is love"
• Paul (to Dave): "Do you have spatial needs?"
• Doug: "There's some good pictures of people and Matthew"

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Simon Bateman
• Simon Williams
• Jo Smith
• Ruth Pettit
• David Pettit
• Kirsty Brown
• Michael Fordham

From CUHWC Seathwaite, 6-11 January 2011

From CUHWC Seathwaite, 6-11 January 2011

From CUHWC Seathwaite, 6-11 January 2011

We found our first snow of the year in the Lake District, waking up on Saturday morning to a substantial dusting. Making the most of the blue skies and fantastic visibility, everyone walked on the Coniston Fells on Saturday. With temperatures well below freezing, we were all glad to return to the cosy YMC Hut in the evening with its coal fire! Even better conditions on Sunday saw some of the group back on the Coniston Fells, while the rest of us explored the wider surrounding area. We even managed to get out of the hills and back on the motorway before the snow set in properly - just!

Participants

Tom Ashton, Valerie Brandt, Kirsty Brown, Paul Cook, Michael Draper, Matthew Graham, Alastair Gregory, Bethan Gudgeon, Joe Hobbs, Doug Hull, Mark Jackson, Dave Mackenzie, Betsy Mortensen, Jane Patrick, James Ritchie, Anshul Sirur, Jo Smith, Lucy Stone, Oliver Strickson, Gordon Williams, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson, Elena Yudovina.

Walk Reports

Our day with 'Instructor Joe' [highly abridged version] (AW)

Andrew, Dave, Jane, Kirsty, Mark & Valerie

Weather = no rain today! Awesome blue skies and snow. Air temp at about -4 but probably -10 with wind chill. Should have been meeting the instructor at the bunkhouse at 8.30am, but he was running late as he had to dig his car out - it had snowed the night before. He did live in Shap, so perhaps had a valuable excuse. Route: Bunkhouse-Coniston-Walna Scar Road-Goat's Water-Goat's Hause-Coniston Old Man-Low Water-Bunkhouse. Returned at ~1600.

See the actual trip book for some highlights of the day...

Last one out, turn out the lights (and lock the door...) (JH)

Joe, Paul, James, Lucy & Anshul

We were the last to leave, shortly after Tom A's group. After setting off along the track, I realised I'd left the map on the table, so I ran back to collect it. On catching up the rest of the group, I then realised we'd missed the turning.

Making our way up Wetherlam, we got talking to a trio of walkers, leaving them to head on towards Swirl How and on to Grey Friar. We stopped here for a spot of lunch, admiring the view towards the Isle of Man.

After lunch, we continues on to the Old Man, meeting one of the trio we'd met on Wetherlam. On asking where his friends were, it transpired that one had broken his arm a few minutes after we'd parted, and his other friend (a doctor) had escorted him off to hospital.

Notable quotes

• Kirsty (to Joe): "That's a fairly long and weird logic" Jo: "Well that pretty much sums Joe up really doesn't it!"
• James: "On me they were normal shorts, on Dave they were like Lederhosen"

Photos

• Andrew Williamson
• Jo Smith
• Simon Williams
• Dave Mackenzie
• Jane Patrick

From CUHWC Coniston, 26-28 November 2010

From CUHWC Coniston, 26-28 November 2010

The location was certainly a talking point in the run-up to the trip, with about half of the attendees having deciphered the clues before Friday and the other half deliberately keeping it a surprise. As we followed sign after sign to Edinburgh, those still in the dark could have been forgiven for thinking we were going to Scotland - but in fact we stopped just short of the border, finally arriving at Mounthooley YHA bunkhouse in wildest Northumberland some seven hours after leaving Cambridge. This remote base (around 10 miles from Wooler, the nearest town of any size, and reached via a 3-mile private road) proved ideal for exploring the surrounding hills. Enjoying the cold, breezy sunshine and taking a variety of routes, nearly everyone made it up the Cheviot itself on Saturday, and on Sunday we found snow on the high ground - and one group found a WW2 aircraft wreck. We also took advantage of the isolation and clear skies to practise some night navigation - and effect a border crossing or two!

Participants

Tom Ashton, Andrena Ball, Amy Bonsor, Valerie Brandt, Kirsty Brown, Phil Brown, Sarah Carl, Greg Chadwick, Mohammed Dmour, Dave Farrow, Michael Fordham, Joe Galvin, Anna Gurevich, Joe Hobbs, Mark Jackson, Ian Kitley, Jon Matthews, Jo Smith, David Trethewey, Andres Villar, Chris Wade, Gordon Williams, Andrew Williamson.

Walk Reports

Dave's Day (DF)

0800: Get up. Use "experience" to give "advice" to those walking
0900: Start work
1100: Get bored
1200: Eat lunch
1300: Bake brownie
1400: Fall asleep
1500: Others get back
1630: Go for walk
2000: Get back, broken

A Northumbrian Trio (of walks) (JS)

Having never been to the Cheviots before (and due to the club's shocking lack of maps - I blame the President), I didn't have much idea what I'd be doing this weekend. As it turned out, three excellent contrasting walks proved a great introduction to the area - and added up to a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.

1. Saturday, 0900-1515
As it was so close, the obvious thing to do was to go up The Cheviot. Hen Hole, followed by direct ascent to the summit plateau and a tramp through the mist to the trig point, added interest. (Nothing like a good bogtrot.) Having descended out of the cloud on the Pennine Way, we enjoyed beautiful sunshine for the rest of our route over Comb Fell, Hedgehope Hill, descent to Langleeford and return to Mounthooley.

Interval: Tea and freshly baked brownies - amazing

2. Saturday, 1630-2000
In preparation for those times we might find ourselves still on the hill at night, we went out to practise navigating in the dark. (The clear night, bright stars and perfect view of the Forth road bridge were a bonus.) After three hours of timing, counting paces, interpreting contours, taking bearings along fences and a detour into Scotland, we were glad to return to the bunkhouse (only an hour late) for dinner!

Interval: Homemade Castle burgers, Irish Snap, Mafia etc...and sleep

3. Sunday
I've never had a proper lazy Sunday on a trip - and rather enjoyed it! (Though stopped short of visiting a teashop.) After drinking lots of tea and waiting till everyone was out of the bunkhouse, I took the trip's resident cripple (Dave) on a short rehabilitation potter* up Black Hag. We were accompanied by Jon and Amy as far as Scotland, where they crossed No-Man's Land; we bid each other adieu and wondered whether we'd meet again...(In case you're wondering, we did - about 2 hours later when everyone returned to the bunkhouse.)

*Only so-called to justify our failure to take a map...and since we'd borrowed a pile of them from next door by that point, the excuse of there not being any was no longer valid. I still blame the President.

Notable Quotes

• Dave (referring to the stick of celery he was eating): "Good composite material, this."
• Chris: "Can we have a prostitute?"
• Jo: Joe, you're far too much like Tigger you know."
• Joe: The Cow's not a mascot, it's more of a...deity"

Photo links

• Andrew Williamson
• David Trethewey
• Jo Smith
• Joe Hobbs

From CUHWC Cheviots, 12-14 November 2010

From CUHWC Cheviots, 12-14 November 2010

For our first weekend trip of the year, we returned to Caseg Fraith, University of London M.C.'s excellent hut in Snowdonia's Ogwen Valley. After nearly 4 weeks of term, it was more than time to escape Cambridge for the hills - and 43 hillwalkers (a mixture of new members and old hands, plus a couple of duffers) agreed! Taking advantage of the hut's fantastic location, we walked and scrambled on Tryfan, the Glyders and the Carneddau on both days, with some parties driving over to Snowdon on the Saturday. Saturday evening's activities included apple bobbing, some enthusiastic singing (including an inspired performance of Monty Python's 'Lumberjack Song') , and the consumption of copious quantities of 'Rat's Blood' and 'Cat Bile' throughout!

Participants

Tom Ashton, Valerie Brandt, Kirsty Brown, Phil Brown, Jacob Conalty, Paul Cook, Mohammed Dmour, Carmen Dudley, Lim En, Emma Fleetwood, Michael Fordham, Joe Galvin, Matthew Graham, Owen Graham, Bethan Gudgeon, Joe Hobbs, Doug Hull, Mark Jackson, Ian Kitley, Leon Liu, Dave Mackenzie, Sylvain Massip, Jon Matthews, Anne Moindrot, Betsy Mortensen, Guiseppina Pace, Ian Patrick, Jane Patrick, Alex Pericleous, David Pettit, Lucy Richer, Anshul Sirur, Jo Smith, Rowena Smith, Simon Taylor, Hannah Untiedt, Andres Villar, Joel Westberg, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson, Mark Wilson, Tom Wright, Elena Yudovina.

Notable Quotes

• Joe: "I'm not an alcoholic...but I still need drink"

Photos

• Joe Hobbs
• Andrew Williamson
• David Pettit
• Tom Wright
• Matthew Graham
• Simon Williams
• Jane Patrick
• Mark Jackson

Sunday dawned frosty and clear as a coachload of hillwalkers sped up the M1 towards the Peak District. Even the Edale veterans among us had rarely seen the valleys, fields and moors looking so good! Eager to make the most of the day, we quickly split into groups and went our separate ways, mostly heading up onto the hulking mass of Kinder Scout. We enjoyed fantastic views along both north and south edges, and had fun exploring the peat hags and groughs of the plateau. At the end of the day, we reconvened at the Royal Hotel in Hayfield, taking over all the outside tables and spending a fair bit at the bar!

Participants

Jacob Abolafia, Tom Ashton, Joe Beecham, Ben Bonetti, Lizzy Brickley, Kirsty Brown, Phil Brown, Rosie Brownell, Greg Chadwick, Charlotte Chang, Eric Chang, Adam Clark, Stephen Cross, Jamie Dalzell, Tim Davies, Mohammad Dmour, Ori Even Zur, Carlos Ezcurra, Cara Ferrentino, Pascal Firges, Emma Fleetwood, Iain Flint, Peter Forbes, Michael Fordham, Yidong Gong, Julia Graham, Matthew Graham, Alastair Gregory, Bethan Gudgeon, Carlos Hernandez, Joe Hobbs, Martin Hufnagel, Doug Hull, Kaloyan Kapralov, Jeansun Lee, Betsy Mortensen, Ian Patrick, David Pettit, Lucy Richer, James Ritchie, Joe Rogers, Angelica Schiza, Marco Selvi, Becky Shercliff, Kedron Sislbee, Kat Smallwood, Jo Smith, Jildou Sterkenburgh, Kerrie Taylor-Jones, Vivek Thacker, Natalie Thompson, Simon Williams, Andrew Williamson, Crispian Wilson, Nathan Wilson, Elena Yudovina, +1 anonymous.

Photos

• Jo Smith
• Kaloyan Kapralov
• Mohammad Dmour
• Elena Yudovina
• Betsy Mortensen
• Joe Hobbs
• Matthew Graham
• Simon Williams
• Andrew Williamson
• David Pettit

From CUHWC Edale, 17 October 2010