Karabiner Mountaineering Club

August 2000 Forthcoming Meets

All note the following small print when taking part in meets :-

July 22^nd - 23^rd Ty Powdyr & Snowdonia Walk - Iain McCallum

A Climbing & Walking Meet.

The walk starts and finishes at Beddgelert - Distance 10/12 miles

Route: Beddgelert - Llyn Dinas - Hafod Owen - Llyn yr Adar - Cnicht(690m) - Aberglaslyn - Beddgelert.

Meet at 9.45am. for a 10am. start in the car park in Beddgelert (GR589480- near the Royal Goat Hotel - off -A498). Some help with transport between the Hut and Beddgelert may be needed..

Evening - A hotpot supper will be provided at 7pm - The cost for the hotpot (including melon, apple strudel and cheese and biscuits) will be £3.50. A "Veggie alternative" will be available. Please bring your own drinks.

In view of the catering arrangements I really need to know the numbers beforehand. If you intend coming on this meet, please advise me whether you require a "Hotpot supper" or a "Veggie supper". Bookings for the hotpot to me - LAST ORDERS BY 10pm. THURSDAY 20th. JULY.

Best maps OS Outdoor Leisure 16 & 17.

July 30^th Millstone Grit - Dave Dillon

Meet 10am Embankment area.

August 5^th - 6^th Bryn Hafod (Cwm Cowarch) - Tony Gask

CYM COWARCH, ARNS, MID WALES

The Arans hills are south of Bala lake, north of Dinas Mawddwy, where there is good walking and climbing. 12 places have been reserved at the Bryn Hafod hut, which is very close to Cym Cowarch, with routes of different grades (eg Dream Racer E2, 175m, *** and Willow o’ The Wisp, HVD 310m, ***) My book, Paul Williams, Rock Climbing in Snowdonia, 1994 edition, includes a double page illustration showing hut and crag. Lots of walking too. So you best come. By the way the hut is about ¾ mile walk from the parking area, so Character is ensured! £3 per night.

August 12^th - 13^th Ty Powdyr - KMC Family Meet - KMC

It’s a free for all but you will still have to pay your hut fees.

August 12^th - 19^th Lundy. (8 days) - Dave Bone

A whole week’s climbing on Lundy is now on offer. A week of adventure is guaranteed, even if I can’t do the same for the weather (but it does better than the mainland!). The Details have been sorted - a week’s camping will cost you £49, the ferry £40 at present, and an allowance for long term car parking needs to be made. If all cars are filled, budget for approximately. £100 (plus travel & food/beer). The ferry is at 10am Saturday from Ilfracoombe and you return at 19:15 on Saturday the 19^th (after a bus connection from Bideford). The campsite has good facilities, there’s a not too expensive shop on the Island, the Pub does food and brews its own beer, there’s loads of 3 star routes and the tides are right. Sold? Right, I’ve booked 8 people on the Island, so far, and £49 deposit will secure your place. Places open to KMC and friends. Book real soon since if I don’t get enough people I will have to cancel the excess to keep the bank manager at bay. Also, Lundy restricts the numbers of visitors so I may not get more places later on.

August 20^th Froggatt Heather - Brooke

Meet at 10:00am, Sunday, under Valkarieee.

August 26^th - 28^th ULSTER ROCK (August Bank Holiday) - Kevin Anderson

This is basically a DRY re-run of our illustrious leader’s previous venture onto the rocks of Northern Ireland – with the added spice of a potential foray onto the cliffs of Donegal, if time, weather and enthusiasm permit.

So come on, live life to the full. Throw caution to the wind and join a merry band of adventurers testing their metal on the soaring columns (as C.W likes to call it!) of Fair Head, enjoying the Sun-soaked cliffs of Malin Beg (as in the shipping forecast), and ascending the gentle classics of the Blue Stack mountain range.

All those keen to participate in this ‘once in a life time’ chance, please contact me to register your interest. A full itinerary, including accommodation details, will be available two weeks prior to the meet, either from myself or my appointed representative.

Should the weather prove inclement, alternative ‘Irish’ pursuits will be provided.

P.S. Ulster offers not only stunning rock, but also beautiful countryside, walks, and a glimpse of what a England was like before the car became King.

September Climbing & Vie Ferrate in the Dolomites - Neville McMillan

A small loosely-connected group of KMC members and friends is planning to climb and scramble in the Dolomites in early-September. The committee asked me if I would organise this activity as a KMC meet. Since I have never been to the Dolomites before, don't know the routes, don't know the huts, and don't speak Italian, I feel that such organisation is not possible. However, I will try to co-ordinate the activities, and share information, among like-minded KMC members who organise themselves into climbing teams, and organise their own transport.

My own aim is to spend about a week on vie ferrate in the Brenta area, followed by a week climbing in the Rosengarten and Sella areas. I do not plan to do very hard or very long routes, as I do not wish to be benighted! Pit Schubert of the German Alpine Club has agreed to join me, and he brings a good knowledge of the routes in this area, over more than 30 years. Several linked routes on the Violett Towers are planned. Activities in the Brenta are due to start around 2 September; climbing on the Violett Towers on 7 September; return to UK around 17 September.

Would interested KMC members contact me as soon as possible, so that information on dates, places, routes, huts, transport, etc., can be passed around, and ideas and intentions discussed.

Neville McMillan – NOT the meet-leader, only the co-ordinator.

September 2^nd - 3^rd Willersley - Chris Williamson

Note change of date from Handbook

‘The routes are extremely good, comparable with Welsh climbing in many ways. From the belays on top of the crag can be seen Black Rocks brooding in the distance behind the bushes, eclipsed by the more interesting routes offered by the limestone crags.’ 1965 Guide.

A step up the grade ladder from its near neighbour Wild Cat - more starred VS routes than you can shake a big rack of nuts at! Some pretty good HVS lines, too, by all accounts. After that - everything to E5 6c **

From Buxton, suggest approach by A515 / A5012 to join A6 in Cromford (or, if you like, crawl all the way down the A6). As you reach the lights you’re facing the back of the crag! Make a right / south onto A6 followed by immediate left turn off. There is then a pay and display car-park on the right (or a rope length further on, a free one – ed) in the vicinity of the church on the left. Once on foot, crossing the road and going through a gate by the church takes you to the crag.

And an important point to note from the guidebook for those who, like the meet leader, are apt to force routes of an awkward nature into submission through gratuitous valediction and verbal abuse....

‘The whole area is owned by Methodist Guild Holidays, which uses Willersley Castle, the imposing building facing the crag, as a holiday home. Climbers are all too obvious when on the crag and in the past have caused great offence to Christians both on the crag and at the Castle - as a result of multidecible oaths of a blasphemous nature... It is vitally important that we do nothing more to antagonize the owners or their guests.’ Dave - you have been warned!

See you at the crag between 10:30 and 11:00.

September 9^th - 10^th Lakes Camping Weekend - Graham Harkness

Enjoy the majestic beauty of Buttermere in early Autumn. Grand rock towers, lakes and trees touched by gentle sunsets. After a challenging, but satisfying day, in the last red rays of the sun, from the door of your own tent, mug of tea in hand, gaze upon the beauty around you (or look at the hills, suit yourself).

Camping in Lakeland on the campsite just behind “the Fish” right next to the Bridge Hotel (I think it is) Buttermere Village.

NGR 174170. Turn into a small road leading to the pub and turn right between the pubs to a small car park. Cross a wooden foot bridge to the camp site.

On the Saturday I will suggest a route for a KMC stroll and maybe set foot on some easy rock on the Sunday Local attractions include Grey Crag in Burtness Combe. Gillercomb Buttress and Pillar Rock.

Information and approximate numbers to Graham Harkness.

September 16^th - 17^th Lancashire "Hole in the Ground" - Rick Kruze

Anglezarke Quarry

Well I’ve had enough of taking you to wonderful Yorkshire crags such as Almscliff, Cookrise and Ilkley, now it time to “savour” some of the best that Lancashire has to offer. Now that the massive new Lancashire guidebook is out it may have enticed some to these dismal holes in the ground and got rid of their back-to-nature feel.

Here’s a crag that faces in every direction which should make it fine if it’s too hot to climb in the sun (as if, this is the Red Rose county!). At least the walk-in isn’t too arduous being only a minute from the car park. So if you get there and think, “What a pile of .....” you can still bail out and nip over the Pennines to some decent rock.

Have I sold it to you yet?

OK, Anglezarke is a great place to climb at all grades. It has fine views, and the rock is some of the best hereabouts. I’m not guaranteeing sunshine though!

See you there from 10.30am onwards.

September 23^rd - 24^th Bowderstone Hut - 12+ places - Joe Flynn

An old favorite set in the heart of Borrowdale in the Lakes. Ring Joe to make a booking.

Sept 30^th - Oct 1^st Working Party Meet - Dave Wylie

We’re down to one major ongoing project now - the refurbishment of the lower RHS dormitory, plus improving ventilation in the rest. We plan to finish installing the insulation round the walls, with wood panelling over the top.

Undoubtedly, various other jobs will come to light - so extra helpers will be needed in addition to the usual crew. Please contact me nearer the time if you are thinking of coming along.

October 8^th Laddow - Ken Beetham

Traditional climbing at a traditional venue. Meet at the car park in Crowden around 9:30am and help Ken carry up the tea-shop.

October 14^th - 15^th FRCC Joint Meet - Ty Powdyr - Bob Anderson

Last years joint meet at Rawhead was a great success with over 30 in attendance over the weekend

Lets try again for a good turn out, come and mingle with your kindred club members. (the mind boggles)

See you in Wales

August Newsletter Index.

Copyright © 2000 Karabiner Mountaineering Club