Rosedale, 4-6 Mar 2022

On Friday, 19 lucky hillwalkers set off from Churchill college for the last trip of term. We were heading up to Rosedale on the North York Moors and were buzzing as we piled into the waiting rental cars. Although setting off first, my car arrived last, to a bunkhouse already explored and bustling. This was in part due to a detour to Wetherby Services for the superior fast-food selection as well as our chosen winding route over the top of the moors.

The Bunkhouse was large, and clean, with a fantastic communal area which we utilised effectively for increasingly fervent card games. On the first night however, we planned routes in small groups, and all inevitably ended up with the same walk planned. On realising this, we headed to bed, anxiously anticipating the landscape we’d wake up to.

The next morning, we all miraculously awoke on time, donned our waterproofs, and gathered as a group to start the walk. After a couple of obligatory loops of the village, we found the footpath and split into smaller groups: Tom’s heading off first, followed by Nick’s, with Annabel’s at the rear.

After a dangerously muddy climb up the first hill of the trip, Nick and Tom’s group merged into one, and we stayed together as we followed an old Victorian railway along the edges of the moorland. Huge archways, chimneys and the remnants of old houses littered our path, constantly distracting us with photo and climbing opportunities. Whilst the larger group traipsed casually along the right path, Annabel’s deviated slightly, bagging themselves an accidental extra hill and a trip past Bell End farm, before the groups finally reunited at the pub, where we indulged in some massive, or Yorkshire size medium, hot puddings.

The walk then followed the railway back into Rosedale, passing an intimidating mine shaft and some pigs on the way, and culminated with trips to both a second pub and, in my case, a tearoom.

We stayed up late playing card games (including a particularly political version of President), cooking (in my case sloppy bean fajitas), and making various trips back to the pub. The night culminated in the obligatory sing-song from the club song book, which of course included Bohemian Rhapsody and the Cow Song.

The next day we split into two more decisive groups, with a group of four choosing to visit some ruins whilst the rest of us drove for a walk deeper in the moorland. Our hike included some scrambling over rocks, a fantastic waterfall, and a trip to Hogsmeade station from Harry Potter, and, despite Isabel losing a shoe to a particularly boggy path, we had a great time!

We arrived back to Rosedale with time to visit the tearooms again, where we debated the best potato type whilst eating chips and toasties. We then cleaned the Bunkhouse and separated back into cars for the ride home, taking with us boxes of unfinished cake and chips, and some wonderful memories from a terrific last trip of term.

Trip List: Nick N, Stanimira G, Annabel M, Oona C, Ashray G, Thomas S, Grace S, Isabelle G, Eva C, Oliver B, Kieran R, Christian D, Rhoda P, Lucy D, Juan L, Pinzon R, Isabel M, Thomas G, Samantha A