A great turnout.  Good to see members making the effort to get out on these shorter winter days, and being rewarded with generally good Lake District weather.

Members present: Nick Adamson, Rob Clarke, Stuart Hurworth, Carolyn Mills, Andy and Jo Stratford, Gareth Williams, Dave Wylie.

Guests: James Barrington, Jamie Ledingham, Pablo Lozano, Beth Shearmen.

FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER

Folk arrived at various stages of the evening, with journeys from Manchester being hampered by severe traffic jams.  By the time all had arrived, the KMC easily outnumbered the very friendly and welcoming FRCC members also staying in the hut.

SATURDAY 30 NOVEMBER

Andy, enthusiastic to take a team off to tick a Wainwright, was up first - and ready last!  His team, consisting of Jo, Rob, James, Nick, Jamie and Dave, set out from the hut.  Five walked over Cold Pike, but James and Nick broke ranks early to scramble up Crinkle Gill, cutting out Cold Pike but taking in Crinkle Crags and rejoining the main team.

Any serious walker will know how crucial the all-important beer at the end of the day is. With this in mind, selfless Rob descended The Band, to verify the quality of the ale in the New Dungeon Ghyll.  The rest of the team took in Bowfell, Esk Pike, Esk Hause and angle tarn before their turn in the NDG.  Jo Stratford reported that her new boots were a very good fit. Andy, desperately hoping for winter conditions, had managed to find the only bit of ice around - first underfoot, then under the rest of him as he landed on it!

Beth decided that a solo foray was the order of the day.  She opted for a walk up Blea Rigg and Stickle Tarn, descending via a waterfall and a wall. I don't quite remember the significance of the wall, but it's underlined three times in my notebook, so I thought I'd better mention it here in case it sparks some amusing memory for others.

Raven Crag was the venue of choice for the remaining four.  Stuart and Pablo teamed up for Original Route (S 4a ***), climbing it in two pitches whilst Carolyn and myself tackled Bilberry Buttress (VS 4c ***).  To descend, Pablo made his first ever abseil, using Carolyn's belay device, whilst Carolyn and myself sneaked down the easy way.  The sun went in, leaving us with a cold crag.  Stuart and Pablo headed back, but I wanted to look at Centipede Direct (E2 6a **).  Carolyn belayed patiently as I figured out my plan for the 6a first pitch.  The crux is protected by a sole peg, and being uncertain of its condition, I decided to hang off it whilst placing a nut above it before committing to the move.  Carolyn followed the pitch without trouble, other than dropping the guidebook. No problem, we knew where the route went.  I led up to the roof, but found the crucial undercling wet.  With daylight fading, we decided to abandon the route, and traversed onto Centipede (S 4a **), topping out and getting back down just as darkness fell.

I'd offered to prepare an evening meal for all, and thanks to a large team of helpers, the first two courses came off smoothly.  Then came the custard-off, a gauntlet thrown down by Andy when he complained my custard has, on occasion, known to be ever so slightly thick, possibly even containing the odd lump.  The phrase history (or should that be the meet report) is written by the victors springs to mind.  Need I say more?  Oh, OK then, I will.  My humble offering was well received by all.  Mr Stratford put in the hours in the kitchen, but they really did seem hours, and by the time his hot water containing the merest hint of yellow custard-ness arrived, the members had already voted with their spoons.  Better luck next time Andy!

We hadn't seen Nick for a while, and remembering his fondness for climbing in the dark, I proposed a nocturnal ascent of Middlefell Buttress (Diff). Nick was enthusiastic, as were Stuart and James.  It took the four of us two and a quarter hours, back to the hut for 23:45 and a spot of single malt tasting before bed.

SUNDAY 1 DECEMBER

Plans were more fragmented today, and as most people drove straight home after their day finished, I didn't have chance to get down the full details.  Rob and Jo went off walking. Jamie preferred to take his mountain bike out for a blast.  Pablo had had to leave on Saturday night. Dave also went for a walk, I think.  James went for a long run and couldn't find the rest of us later, so ended up heading home a bit earlier than first planned.

The rest of us had headed over to Bakestone Quarry for some dry tooling fun.  Silly Mid On (M4), Left Slip (M5) and Outside Leg (M5) provided much entertainment, proving both hard work but good fun.  Roll on winter!

Thank you to everyone who came along and made this a great meet.

Please note the change of date from original meet calendar.

Rawhead (grid ref: NY304067) is a well-equipped and comfortable hut in Great Langdale, a major Lake District climbing and walking area with something to suit almost all tastes, including a pub within walking distance. We have 16 places reserved (10 male, 6 female) for the Friday and Saturday nights, £7 per night for club members and £8 per night for guests.

For walking and scrambling, you have your choice of the Langdale Pikes, not to mention slightly further afield options such as Bowfell and Great End. For the climbers, the multi-pitch mountain routes really stand out, though there are plenty of routes accessible from the valley too. And for the optimistic, winter may be in full force, in which case there are loads of winter climbing options as well.

In case you judge winter conditions in the Lakes in November a bit far-fetched, it's still worth bringing your axes and crampons, as the dry-tooling venues of The Works and Bakestones Quarry are only a short drive away. If you've never heard of dry tooling, the idea is winter climbing without the snow/ice. Great fun and great training for winter - you need axes and crampons (which really need to be mono-points) as well as your normal climbing gear. Some of the bolts at The Works were vandalised earlier this year, and I don't know if they've been replaced, but even if not, there are still dry tooling top-roping opportunities. (Please be aware that dry tooling is permitted in only a few locations. Please, no tooling anywhere except where it's been agreed. If you're not sure about this, please have a friendly chat with the meet leader BEFORE using your axes.)