Club Meets

1952.—Twelve Club Meets were held.  Little Langdale has been fairly well used and has paid for outgoing.  Much work has been done at the Cottage and further gifts of equipment made, culminating in the munificent presents of a slow combustion stove and a hot water tank.

The Club wishes to thank George Spenceley, who has undertaken the Office of Club Cottage Warden, for the time and thought he has given towards making the Cottage a successful venture, also Harold Armstrong and A. H. Griffin for their earlier labours to the same end.

The Club also thanks those members who have generously donated equip­ment and others who have given freely of their time and skill in work at the Cottage.

The December Meet at the Buck Inn, Buckden, was distinguished by a special Christmas Dinner.  Much snow plugging and rain was the lot of those who walked on the fells.

The Hill Inn Meet on the week-end of 9th February, drew the usual big crowd.  For perhaps the first time ice-axes were brought and used on the Saturday on the ice expected on the fells.  Fierce wind and snow on Sunday changed to heavy rain and thaw by noon.

At the Cottage in March the weather was mild and pleasant but very cloudy.

Easter at Dalwhinnie was a great success for the few who assembled, five at a discovery under Ben Alder, Culra Bothy, and two at Loch Ericht Hotel, but much too far for most men.  Spenceley was a climbing instructor at a Glenmore Lodge course.  Except on Good Friday the weather was really good, followed in the week by four hot summer days, many Munros were done and three cars did long-distance drives.

Dent (May 10th-11th) opened with an expedition into the new Easegill network and a search for pots in Barbondale, but Sunday was too unpleasant for the descents proposed.

May continued to be abnormally warm but after that the summer became most erratic, some people having continuous bad luck and others having really fine spells.

The legend of Ireland’s miraculous weather was entirely destroyed in Leitrim at Whitsuntide.  The party of six who were lucky to get into camp and out dry, suffered continuous cold wind and much rain for four days and finished with two grand days, though the wind was arctic.  It was only possible to do one worthwhile obvious pot; Teampol and four shafts of 80 ft.  The number of minor shafts appears incredible, of caves nil.

The Kingsdale Meet was planned to take Punch’s writer and artist down Rowten Pot.  Two feet of water where the beck is usually dry wrote off all ordinary pot-holing as impossible, and all that could be done was to go over to Bar Pot hoping for the best.  We have all read Punch.

Dolgelly for August Bank Holiday was again too far though the four or five who camped there were delighted with Wales and the journey.

The Crummock Dale camp and the great bonfire to celebrate our Diamond Jubilee were favoured with a fine interval in a cheerless period.  Hearty thanks are due to John Lovett and his helpers for providing and transporting fuel.

Mrs. Winthrop Young, daughter of Cecil Slingsby, for ten years our en­thusiastic President, was present with about forty Club members.  Juniper Gulf was partially descended.

Members who enjoyed the hospitality of Harry Spilsbury and the Way­farers’ Club at R.L.H. in September, had heavy rainstorms on the Saturday but Sunday was a glorious day.  Gimmer Crag was fairly dry and several parties spent the day running up and down that delectable face.

Late October gave twenty-seven of us a last and really warm and delightful week-end in the luxury of Lastingham Grange amid the wonderful colouring of the North Riding.

1953. — There were twelve Club meets during die year, three being at the Club Cottage.  The comfort and popularity of this Club asset continue to increase.  It is now fitted with Calor gas and a hot water supply, thanks to the gifts and efforts of various members.  The Committee wishes particularly to thank the warden for his dictatorial rule which has proved a great benefit.

The first meet of the year at the Falcon, Arncliffe, was accompanied by snow.  Thirteen members attended, enjoying the ridge walk between Wharfe and Skirfare to the Horsehead Pass.  At this point the President deserted but was easily tracked and recovered in the conditions prevailing.

The January meet was made memorable by a very high wind, some members reporting that on Ingleborough it had been necessary to advance to the cairn on hands and knees.  The evening was occupied, by young and incautious members in the usual energetic revels.  A visit was made to Easegill on the Sunday, one party entering Slaughterhouse Drain.

Nine men went to Low Hall Garth in February and enjoyed bright sunshine on Dow and Gimmer.  The contrast of thick fog on the return was not so good.

A party of eight men spent Easter in Fort William and did a fair amount of walking in a snow-covered world, encountering a blizzard on the Ben Nevis — Carn Dearg ridge.  There was also Kelsey in command of the R.A.F., Kinloss, Mountain Rescue Team.

The meet for April was in Rosedale and again had good weather and an excellent inn.  The days gave complicated excursions in Farndale, Rosedale, Great Fryup and Danby Dale, and the evenings some equally complicated story-telling.

The Whitsuntide pot-holing week-end was spent by five men chiefly in the hospitable recesses of Harden.  No members camped and only one visit to Juniper Gulf was made, where the party turned back due to excessive water at the second pitch.  A larger meet of nine men and a dog was at Low Hall Garth, chiefly climbing.

The next camping meet in Easegill in June was more successful, twelve men being spread round the valley, the main party on a very pleasant site overlooking the Upper Kirk.  Some arduous crawling was done in various places but the party then retired to Lancaster Hole for sight-seeing in all directions, this being continued on the Sunday.

There was another full house at Low Hall Garth in July.

Bank Holiday followed its usual pattern with a joint meet with the Rucksack Club at their Hut in Nant Peris.  Five members and guests attended but the meet was abandoned following the death of Avilia.  He fell whilst leading up Yellow Slab, Lliwedd, and by a fatal mischance severed the rope.  He was buried in Llanbeblig, Carnarvon.

At Low Hall Garth in September there were seven Ramblers and six guests from the Army Engineer Regiment in Ripon.  The weather was misty but entertaining and climbs were had on Scafell and on Bowfell Buttress.

The eight members who attended the joint meet with the Wayfarers’ and Rucksack Club at R.L.H. were favoured with glorious weather.  Beginning the Saturday with climbs on Bowfell, most men took advantage of the sunshine and walked along the ridge until the evening.  Sunday was spent chmbing on Harrison Stickle in continuous sunshine.

The last meet of the year was the Punch Bowl, Low Row, instead of Keld as planned, fourteen men attending.  The weather was excellent and a good round was done over Rogan’s Seat and down East Gill.

It has been reported that the Hut Warden and his Labour Force held a New Year Dinner at Birk How.  It has also been reported that the dinner was highly successful.