Many clubs keep an eye on their local crag to make sure its doing OK and BuxtonMC is no different. Ours is a slightly different situation as Aldery is one of the few crags which is actually owned by the BMC.
Therefore at the start of April those available and willing headed to Aldery on a Sunday morning armed with pruners, saws and the odd strimmer for help. We spent a good few hours working hard with a few helpers from the Mynydd and Phil from the BMC
Gardening at Aldery has become a bit harder due to the lack of anchors from the top of the cliff. A combination of the vandalism a few years back but also the loss of some Ash to die back means finding suitable ab points for some routes is near on impossible… the area around Carmen for example may need to be cleaned and swept ‘on lead’ or it may be lost.
A good amount of headway was made but what the area really needs is some traffic early in the season. Phil assures us that there is still someone organised to come and mow down the long grass and bracken mid season so there is no excuse.
Thanks to everyone who came and helped out physically or with moral support.
The weather was mild and snow conditions were not good so few hills were climbed. John, Robert, Andy and Adrian went onto the Feshie plateau in thick mist on the first day, and John went there again on the next day. Andy and Adrian tried to play on the Cairngorm ski slopes but there was little snow so they gave up.
Robert climbed Carn Dearg Mor whilst Darryl, Derek and Wendy went up Am Buchaille near Glenmore lodge.
There was plenty of good walking and mountain biking in the woods nearby, though numerous fallen trees were a problem at times. The local hospitality at Loch Inch and Inerdruie was sampled and the company and food at the hut was up to the usual high standard. Altogether a good week!
The weekend started for Derek, Wendy and Robert with a nice Friday afternoon sunny( at times) 7k snowy walk from Settle up the Pennine Bridleway to Attermire Scar and back. hut. The others, Adrian and Karl, then Issac and Hannah arrived by 8pm ish to a nice warm
Saturday dawned not to the spectacle of promised double spot rain. A snifter of Gammendansk to go with breakfast prepared many for the day ahead though isn’t obligatory for weekend meets!
Derek went to Gisburn to practise sliding on snow, ice, slush and gravel on his bike, but no mud.
The others all set off towards Ingleborough, Wendy sauntering back at Trow Gill, while Robert ,Issac and Hannah went up the Gill for some icy fun.
Adrian, Biscuit and Karl went up Ingleborough to check just how strong the wind was. On the way back they discovered that the New Inn Hotel was offering a special 3 course meal for only £7. (Dogs only) Biscuit got a drink of water with the promise of Haggis biscuits later.
The evening Burns night meal began with a choice of 2 soups Carrot and Coriander, followed by Cullen Skink. The Haggis was expertly stabbed by Robert to the strains of voice activated piping music and was served with neeps, tatties, carrots and a whisky sauce. Pudding was Cranochan (of course) served with a tot of single Malt. The evening was rounded off with Fromage, wine, beer and more Malt.
We all learned interesting things we needed to know about Alpine Climbing a few years back from an old guide…when to leave a body on the mountain and how to prepare a Hotel room for surgery. Surprisingly Robert calculated the evening meal to be £5, cheaper than a Canine meal !!
Sunday was obviously when the rain and wind was coming in with a vengeance and I think the consensus by all was for a leisurely breakfast, cleaning up and sauntering home. Members of the Yorkshire Ramblers arrived to do mucky jobs outside the hut in the rain.
All in all a good weekend.
The next meet is Feb 16-18th At Rydd Ddu near Beddgelert, Lots of walks direct from the hut, including Yr Wydffa via the South ridge.
BMC Christmas Meet at George Starkey Hut in Patterdale 1-3 December 2023:
We had 26 attending this meet, which is always the most popular of the year, mostly due to the presence of Brussels sprouts I’m sure. It was especially nice to have a couple of young families attending, lovely to meet new people and the children were a delight (honestly!).
Apart from the outdoor activities, the main focus of the weekend is the Christmas meal, which as always came to just £6 per head, a real bargain. We are by now a practised team, with everyone contributing and taking on a task. It all went smoothly this year, with no burnt offerings, although there was a bit of a panic that we might not have cooked enough brussel sprouts. There were a few members of the Alpine Club using the hut, so thank you to them for putting up with us noisy lot!
We came up early on Friday to deliver to a gallery in Ambleside, after which I drove up The Struggle (fun) and parked at the top of the Kirkstone Pass on a gloriously sunny day. Robert, Wendy and I walked up the steep and icy ascent to Red Screes and were blown away by the clear blue skies and wonderful views. Other early arrivals had done various things in the afternoon, including walks, a gallery trip in Kendal (Mike) and even a bit of gear shopping (Pauline).
The people who still have to work arrived at different times in the evening and joined in Karl’s cheese feast!
The forecast on Saturday was for snow later, so various smaller groups ventured into the hills, equipped with lots of cold weather gear.
Robert and I were up and out first I think, with Harry joining us to bag a few Wainwrights, so we ploughed on to Angle Tarn, Rest Dodd and The Knott, whilst Harry went off to one side then the other, bagging peaks. When we arrived at the summit of The Knott the weather took a turn for the worse and it snowed, on and off, for the next few hours. We decided to descend to Hartsop and walk back along the valley, but we found the service road from Hayswater was a hard sheet of ice, covered by an inch of dry powdery snow – not a good combination. I think all of the various walking groups had members who had fallen over at some point. Everyone was ok, apart from Adrian who twisted his ankle a bit, although thankfully still able to drive later on. Meanwhile the two family groups had gone up to Angle Tarn and had a thoroughly good time making huge snowballs.
Sunday morning (with some of the group nursing slight hangovers I’m sure ) dawned cloudy but clearing, a thin fresh covering of snow on the road. So again, we split into smaller groups and went out to enjoy the snow. Place Fell is usually a favoured shorter route, which on this particular day had tremendous light snow conditions and fabulous views. The mist was rolling and flowing in all the valleys around us, apart from our own, we felt blessed. The sight of the cloud inversion South of Kirkstone Pass, with a thin tongue of fog rolling down the road towards us was a truly magical sight.
According to the news the snow conditions around Ambleside and Windermere had caused traffic chaos and real local problems, whilst Patterdale just a few short miles away, experienced mostly clear roads and a beautiful covering of snow.
All in all a wonderful weekend which I’ll remember for a very long time.Â
Buxton Mountaineering Club 