Chippings
THE ERNEST ROBERTS MEMORIAL. When Ernest Roberts died in June 1960, the question naturally arose as to how his memory could best be kept alive in the Club. A memorial fund was started to which Members generously contributed and it was ultimately agreed that the memorial should take the shape of furniture for the Club Cottage at Low Hall Garth. On February 4th, 1967, the President brought to L.H.G. a settle and four forms which had been made for the Club by their old friend Tom Pettit of the Craven Pothole Club. To use our President’s own words in a letter to the Hon. Editor: —
“Incidentally, the memorial is quite something—four forms, beautifully carved and a settle which fits in the alcove of the fireplace. The settle is simply carved with the White Rose and the inscription ‘Ernest E. Roberts, Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club, 1908 to 1960′. They are really magnificent pieces of furniture, beautifully made of really solid English oak, waxed and with not a nail, all pegged. It really seems a pity to have such marvellous pieces in a Club Hut!”
The Y.R.C’s most sincere thanks are due to Tom Pettit for the care and craftsmanship that he has devoted to this work.
H.G.W.
THE ALEXANDER RULE LEGACY. When Rule (President 1934— 36) died in 1960, he left a legacy of £50 to the Club. This has now been devoted to the completion of the Low Hall Garth furniture by the addition of two oak tables, also made by Tom Pettit.
H.G.W.
MORE HYDRO-VANDALS. {Les Alpes, Monthly Bulletin, August 1967, page 183). Only a few hundred yards below the bridge at Rossiniere in the Canton of Vaud, the River Sarine divides into three streams running between gravel shoals. This is “Les Vernex” and is a treasury of botanical and ornithological life. Here are found five varieties of the Alpine Orchid, The Columbine, the Martagon Lily, two types of Helebore, Trollius, Housewort, Toadflax, Balsamine, Clematis and several high Alpines such as Gentians and Aconites whose seeds have been brought down by the current. Among the birds are Chiff-chaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Stonechat, Dipper, Mallard, Goosander, Sandpiper, Heron, Great Sedgewarbler, Water Rail and Corncrake. Of the predators there are Kestrel, Sparrow Hawk and Buzzard.
But, alas! not for long. To the hydro-electric vandals Les Vernex means a barrage, an artificial lake with bare sides, spreading its damp mist over the countryside. Already the evil omens of survey have appeared. Why, in these days of Nuclear Energy, must the few remaining refuges of what is rare and beautiful be wantonly destroyed?
H.G.W.
NAMES FROM THE PAST. In The Climber for July 1967, page 315, Walt Unsworth gives, under the above heading, an interesting and delightful biography of William Cecil Slingsby, President of the Y.R.C. from 1893 to 1903, and pioneer of countless climbs in Norway, the Alps and the Lake District.
J.H.
A NEW ROCK IN ANGLESEY. The Sunday Times for 22nd January, 1967, in an article entitled “A Dinosaur in Wales” by Peter Gillman, describes how Joe Brown and Peter Crew teamed up in June 1966 to conquer ‘extreme’ climbs on Craig Gogarth, a 500 ft. sea cliff in Anglesey. Much of the rock, as well as being vertical or overhanging, is very loose; new techniques are needed to avoid pulling on handholds, in fact it is nearly a reversion to the classical principle of moving up in balance on footholds. The partnership set a high ethical standard by keeping pitons to a minimum. The first climb they did together they called ‘Dinosaur’ (needing few brains but a long neck), they took 8 hours for the 400 ft. climb. The next they called ‘The Rat Race’ (much competition for the first ascent); by the end of the year they had put another five new routes, all in the ‘highest extreme’ category.
A.J.R.
THE ULTRASONIC ‘VOICES’ OF BATS. In New Scientist, 24th February, 1966, John Hooper describes an apparatus, “quite a small box”, whereby the ultrasonic sounds made by bats can be translated down to audible frequencies. Such an instrument is now produced by the electronics firm Holgates of Totton and is known as the Holgate Ultrasonic Receiver, Mark IV. By tuning it can be made to produce a ‘bleep’ which may be used as an aid to the identification of a particular species. For example the frequency at which the Greater Horseshoe Bat emits is about 85 Kc/s, for the Lesser Horseshoe it is about 115 Kc/s whereas for the ‘Vespertilionid’ bats, those other than the Horseshoe, the frequencies start at perhaps 80 Kc/s and sweep down through an octave or more to 30Kc/s. Hunting Noctules and Pipistrelles can be identified with fair certainty, the former in the 20 to 30 Kc/s range and the latter around 45 Kc/s, but work with such detectors is still very much in its infancy. The instrument is a definite step forward in that it enables bats to be studied at a distance of up to 30 feet, thus the observer is less likely to disturb them. The Editor thanks Mr. Hooper for sending him a reprint of the New Scientist paper.
H.G.W.
A GLOSSARY FOR MOUNTAINEERING. The Swiss Alpine Club has produced a handy pocket glossary of mountaineering terms in four languages. A cardboard folder contains four booklets in which: I German, II French, III Italian and IV English terms are set against their equivalents in the three other languages. The object is to help mountaineers in making use of guide books and reports on climbs written in languages other than their own. There is also a full list of S.A.C. publications to August 1967. The price is SFrs. 4.25 to members, SFrs. 5 (10/-) to non-members. The only criticism one might make is that the folder is not very robust when one realises that it will normally be used in a rucksack or the pocket of an anorak. There is a copy in the Y.R.C. Library.
H.G.W.
THE WOLDS WAY. Arthur Gaunt, in Country Life, 2nd May, 1968, page 1104, describes the proposed 66 miles walkers’ route through the chalk Wolds of the East Riding. Starting at North Ferriby on the Humber and finishing at Filey Brig, this route runs along the escarpment which forms a crescent shaped link between them. Following mostly along ancient rights of way or minor roads it passes through the Millington Dale and Thixendale valleys and the mediaeval village of Wharram Percy, deserted since the Black Death, to Settrington, which affords splendid views over the Vale of Pickering. The highest point reached is just over 700 feet, there are many delightful villages and a wealth of fine churches. The Ramblers’ Association has put forward the idea as a basis for discussion and it has the support of the National Parks Commission and of the East Riding County Council who are now making studies of the route.
H.G.W.