Author: Andrew W
Trip summary
With a promising weather forecast for the weekend, following a dump of snow over the previous week, trip participants were particularly excited by the prospect of the Club's first visit to the Yorkshire Dales for a few years! And for once we were not disappointed.
Friday evening began for some people with a short walk beneath the stars, which was only somewhat disappointed by the sound of a nearby barking dog, which broke the subliminal peace and tranquility. With the promise of superb conditions on Saturday, most people opted for ambitious walks. Crisp snow on the ground and a clear blue sky matched the forecast pretty nicely. A lot of people explored Gunnerside Gill and other hills close to the bunkhouse. A particularly keen group decided to walk all the way to Tan Hill (~20 km from the bunkhouse), the highest pub in the UK. Even though this resulted in a few people becoming a little tipsy, they all made it back to the bunkhouse in plenty of time for the evening's centrally coordinated CUHWC Christmas dinner, which has now become an annual tradition on this trip. Everyone participated to create a stunning array of dishes, which were nicely complemented by some carol singing (from memory).
On Sunday, the weather was not quite as remarkable, but a lot of people enjoyed climbing Great Shunner Fell or other hills from Reeth.
All in all, quite a trip to round off the calendar year!