Meet Report: 24-26 October 2025.

Challenged to place a bunkhouse in England and in “the middle of nowhere”, you wouldn’t go far wrong by putting it 5 miles down a single-track road at the end of College Valley where you will find Mounthooly Bunkhouse nestled beneath the Pennine Way as it descends from The Cheviot.  Inevitably approached via a circuitous route, you will also be in an area designated as Europe’s largest “dark sky park”.

It was this remoteness, and consequent lack of satnav signal, that almost defeated Imogen Campion and Nick Crapnell as they navigated “blind” for the last hour of their approach late on Thursday evening.  They awoke on Friday for a morning of remote working in both its traditional and more modern sense.  Anyone who was out on the hill on Friday afternoon was both brave and wet.  Imi and Nick had planned a 10km round trip over The Schil and past local crag Hen Hole but retreated early after what Imi summed up as “seven kilometres of… walking through a car wash”.

The biggest “weather-shock” was reserved for Mark Rothwell who flew in from Spain and drove through rainy, Friday-afternoon traffic congestion.  “Welcome back to Blighty, Mark!”  Peter and Carol Baker arrived after three showery days exploring the Kielder Dam, Thrunton Wood, long forays up the very military Coquetdale and a circuit of Saughy Hill.  Stuart Dix travelled south from Glencoe where he had spent the best part of a week in the SMC’s Lagangarbh Hut and from where he had ascended Buachaille Etive Mor and Bidean Nam Bian. 

Adverse weather conditions continued to pervade activity on Saturday.  Mercifully the clouds had lifted, and conditions overhead were dry and clear with views extensive all day.  However, it was particularly cold in the strong winds on top.  All parties reported seeking shelter behind rocky outcrops, various cairns and inside the very hospitable Auchope Refuge on the ridge between The Cheviot and The Schil.

Parties attempting The Cheviot generally did so in an anti-clockwise fashion by finding the ridge that follows the Pennine Way as it runs from Auchope Shelter in the west to The Cheviot itself in the east.  Descents were either direct to Goldscleugh in the Lambden Valley or the lengthier, more easterly roundabout way over Scald Hill and Broadhope Hill.  The return route to Mounthooly then followed the valley and crossed College Burn at either a “boots and socks off” ford or via a long detour over a footbridge. 

The group comprising Michael and Helen Smith, PM David Anderson and Richard Taylor found the Pennine Way ridge at The Schil due west of the bunkhouse.  After meeting grandson Vincent being fed by Richard and Felicity Smith at Auchope Cairn on the way to The Cheviot summit, Michael led the group as they descended via the Goldscleugh direct route.  Stopping at Dunsdale, the party pondered the climbing potential of Dunsdale Crag over a snack and a drink.  The conclusion reached was that despite its granitic nature, there were no attractive lines across its broken features.  A view confirmed by the UKC guide which lists no routes.

Steve and Wendy Richards followed the same route of ascent but then descended over Scald Hill and Broadhope Hill.  They met back up with the Smith party for a final stint of bushwhacking through brambles and an overgrown copse before reaching the bunkhouse.

Peter and Carol Baker made their ascent direct to the Auchope Shelter, peeking into Hen Hole en route.  After summiting The Cheviot they intended to take the Goldscleugh direct descent, but after missing their turning, ended up taking a route approximating to the one taken by the Richards party.  The misstep, peat hags and overgrown paths made for an arduous return on a day that ended up two miles and two hours longer than intended.

With Toby Dickinson recovering from a shin splint and, more significantly, Fe Smith having successfully completed her first Hyrox competition the day before, ambitions were calibrated accordingly.  Scrambling up the southern side of Hen Hole, they exited to gain the ridge west of Auchope Cairn.  They then followed  the Goldscleugh descent.  Having successfully forded College Burn, they ascended north and west to gain the northern ridge of The Schil and summited to enjoy views towards Roxburgh.  A swift descent by the same route took them back to the hut just before the sun dropped behind the ridge.

Mark Rothwell summited via Hen Hole, then descended direct to Goldscleugh before fording College Burn and returning up the valley to Mounthooly.

Stuart joined Ian Hawkes and Steve McCain eschewing The Cheviot summit for an ascent of The Schil via Hen Hole and the Auchope Refuge.  Progress north on this clockwise route along the Pennine Way was hampered by numerous detours to avoid desperately boggy sections.  Past Black Hag the terrain becomes much more pleasant and grassy and Steve and Stuart raced each other to the summit of White Law – a draw.  From here the view north and west was spectacular and Ian pointed out the three tops comprising the Eildon Hills near Melrose, the starting point of St Cuthbert’s Way.  Shortly after, the party took a right turn off the Pennine Way onto St Cuthbert’s Way themselves.  They followed the path gradually downhill to the east.  Time gained by the swift ascent of White Law afforded a relaxing “third lunch” in the valley, where the main topic of conversation was favourite varieties of apple.  The party’s leisurely pace was facilitated by Steve’s overnight brain-wave of leaving a car at the Hethpool car park, enabling a swift return to Mounthooly.

On Steve McCain’s recommendation, Nick and Imi headed east by car to Lowick to scout out Kyloe out the Woods, an impressive crag with some mean, punchy routes.  Nick was boldly undeterred and led the pair up some impressive pitches in what felt like sub-zero temperatures.  Routes completed included Bird’s Nest Corner (VD), Parity (HS 4b), Trinity (VS 4c) and Saint’s Progress (S 4b).

Tim had spent part of the day at the coast and on his journey down the College Valley spotted a large raptor on a fencepost.  He was convinced this was likely a goshawk, a rarity in this country. Disappointingly, other than grouse that had escaped “The Glorious 12^th” and the odd bird of prey, there had been very little other wildlife on show for the rest of us. 

However, on Saturday evening the stars were out in Europe’s largest dark sky park and the Milky Way made for a wonderful spectacle. In a strange moment, David and Steve were both convinced they had spotted a UFO as they observed a bright light seemingly moving erratically high above them. Binoculars showed that this was not the case – it would be nice to blame the beer, but Steve insisted he had only had one can!  Perhaps they fell prey to the moving object phenomena (the autokinetic effect), whereby after staring at a bright stationary object for too long at night, the brain becomes convinced that the object is moving.  That was Steve’s excuse anyway!

Sunday’s forecast was poor, but with the weather looking more promising further East, Fe and Toby opted for a relatively early departure to enjoy a coastal walk.  Although rain was forecast for around midday, north-westerly winds usually give a more pleasant experience on the Northumberland coast than winds whipping in off the North Sea.  So, parking in Beadnell, they took the coastal path south, enjoying the views afforded by the relatively clear weather.  They reached Dunstanburgh Castle just before the drizzle arrived.  On the return leg the pair stopped at the Joiners Arms in High Newton for Sunday lunch before continuing back to Beadnell and the drive south.

Similarly, Steve and Wendy headed for the coast.  Driving to Alnmouth, they enjoyed coffee and toast in a cafe before walking up the beach and coastline to Boulmer and back.

Mark headed off early up The Schil via the hut then along and over Black Hag, dropping down to the nice valley of Trowupburn.  A wet walk up and over Saughieside and Blackhaggs Rigg ended in a soggy return up College Valley to the bunkhouse.  With the following day’s forecast improving Mark decided to sleep in his car and stay on for a further day.  Monday, he ascended Yeavering Bell then over the Newton Tors in fine sunny weather, dropping down for a poor walk along an overgrown path down the College Valley and back to the Hethpool car park.

For the Smith family and Richard Taylor, Sunday started with clearing the thick frost from car windscreens.  This, and the inclement forecast, determined a short outing.  From the Hethpool car park, they headed up by Elsdon Burn to turn south, passing Little Hetha on the way to Great Hetha, both of which have the remains of hillforts.  They were afforded a sheltered descent east to the valley road and their return.

Imi and Nick decided to head to Hadrian’s Wall, hoping to sneak in a few climbs at the iconic Crag Lough.  Sadly, attempting any climbing would have been sheer folly in such wet conditions, but they did consider it a location that warranted a return at some future date.

On Saturday evening Tim Josephy had served us a fine meal of spaghetti Bolognese and apple crumble (the latter courtesy of Steve and Wendy) from the small kitchen.  It is probably worth pointing out for future reference that, apart from the fridges, there was very little space for food storage.  However, the showers and drying room were both excellent and added to the overall feeling of comfort in the weekend’s accommodation for what was an enjoyable and well-attended meet.

Attendees:

David Anderson (PM), Carol Baker, Peter Baker, Imogen Campion, Nick Crapnell (PM), Toby Dickinson, Stuart Dix, Ian Hawkes, Tim Josephy, Steve McCain, Steve Richards, Wendy Richards, Mark Rothwell, Felicity Smith, Fiona Smith, Helen Smith, Michael Smith, Richard Smith, Vincent Smith, Richard Taylor