Thank you Dave Appleton for this fine shot of a magical starry night at Garth.

Sandra Hatton

Sadly, we have a lost another of our own......Sandra Hatton passed away on Sunday 11th March 2018. Sandra had been affected by poor health for some time but until recently this has not prevented her from playing a full part in the life of our Club. On many of our Bonfire nights, the fiendish quizzes she had a hand in organising were as much a feature as Jan's hotpots and Chris's bonfire guys. She was not able to be as active in the hills as some but this did not prevent Sandra from taking up residence at Garth with her knitting needles and warm, genial presence. Sandra hailed from the wild lands of the west beyond the mountains we see from our Hut, and was a fluent Welsh speaker. Our condolences to husband Chris, to Catherine, James and Nicky. We will miss you Sandra. 

Thank you Roger Reid for the fine picture of Sandra at Garth, enjoying the struggles of the rest of us with the quiz.

George Murphy, Club President, said:

"A warm and generous club member, who can forget the chaotic evenings when she presided over the annual quiz.  And the famous trumpet playing of James.  I share your sadness".

In the picture below, Sandra is third from left, with the stick and wearing a green sweater and hat. Sandra died on the same day as Ken Dodd, and in the tributes we were reminded of 'happiness, the greatest gift that I posess'. The equal greatest gift, surely, is each other, so here is Sandra, not alone, but with others, a big group of Club members.

A great shot of Dave Appleton and Simon Green on Y Garn after they had enjoyed (they said) 

plenty of fine neve on their climb to the top by way of Banana Gully. 

Meanwhile, elsewhere two club members were enjoying the winter in another way. 'Nordic skiing for us' writes Ken Ainsworth. Els had done it once before - 37 years ago - and I had alpine skied once before - 47 years ago with George in the Cairngorms. We were both natural talents. Then! No longer sad to tell. Bucket list one item shorter however'. (Els left, Ken rght).

AGM highlights

A few headlines from the Annual General Meeting held on 20th February:

- facility for payments of Membership Fee by Direct Debit to be introduced
- reduced first year Membership Fees for people aged under 30 and joining for the first time
- pro rata (quarterly adjusted) Membership Fee payments for new members joining part way
  through the Club year
- overnight fee for external booking now £8.00
- minimum booking fees for external groups set at 6 times the overnight fees, i.e. £48.00
- various Meets discussed, details to follow
- a link to the Committee Report and Financial Statements can be found on the
  Running the Club page

News & Meets

 Great shots of our team at work  on a very icy Tryfan East Face,  thank you Dave Appleton.

 Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

  There are more pictures on our   Facebook page.

John Woods

The Club is saddened to annouce the death of John Woods, who died on Sunday 26th November,
2017. John was an active and influential member of the Anabasis in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, and remains much-loved to this day. His contribution was recognised in December 2016 when he was awarded Honorary Club Membership. Thank you Roger Reid for the pictures.

BMC organisational Review

The Anabasis is an affiliated member of the BMC and all Club Members have associate membership of the BMC. We ought there fore to be interested in the BMC Organisational Review.
The BMC day:
"The BMC Organisational Review Group has published its findings and makes a total of 51 recommendations that are designed to create a grassroots BMC driiven by members, volunteers and staff, which is fit to represent the present asnd future needs of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers". 

The full report can be downloaded here:
BMC Organisational Review Report


There is an online survey at:
https://www.warpsurveys.com/bmc2?id=076ONLB3THFIQT5&_oid=c333190fc43fd87b88784e24b52508bd

Bonfire/Hotpot Meet, 18th November 2017

A few pictures of the bonfire do on November18th with a before and after shot of the Black Pearl, another of Chris Hatton's magnificent sacrificial creations.  Special thanks to Chris and to Jan and Bill for the wonderful hoptpot, and to everyone who came along and made it such a spendid night. It was specially great to see so many young folk there. And congratulations to Dave Appleton on a fast time in the Penmaenmawr.  More on our Facebook page.

Picos de Europa

  A fine shot of the Naranjo de
  Bulnes in the Picos de Europa 
  where Mike and Margaret Hart  
  spent a couple of weeks recently.

  When I was on holiday near there
  when the kids were small we had
  some distant views of this one and
  we knew it as 'The Thumb'.

  The Picos are a spectacular range     of limestone mountains in north    
  western Spain and subject to  
  Atlantic weather and we all know
  what that means don't we? Happily
  the weather for our team was
  generally kind.   

  Makes you want to go there....

Hollows Farm Re-visited

 
  Last week, there was a Club team at an old
  Anabasis favourite spot, Hollows Farm in
  Borrowdale. Apart from the arrival of some
  Yurts, it was just as I remember it. 
 
  Above, Mike and Margaret Hart, Dave Atkinson
  Simon and Anne Letts enduring the tough
  conditions at the campsite. Middle, we were 
  introduced by Mike to this spectacular view of
  the campsite from Nitting Haws, on the way
  down from the heights of Maiden Moor.

  Left, Margaret Hart astride the Saddle stance,
  Little Chamonix, Shepherd's Crag. I had left her
  in situ, photography for the purposes of, then
  I popped down for a cup of tea. Next time I'm in
  Borrowdale I must go back and see if she's
  still there.  I last climbed this one back in 1982
  with Jackie.

  On our other day Mike found for us a charming
  route up the splendid Causey Pike, a peak that
  I had never been up before, it made a really fine
  walk. All in all, a grand few days!


I think the header picture on the history page was taken by the river at Hollows Farm.

Hathersage Meet, 23-25 June

Good turn-out for  the Meet, well done Bill and Jan and to the Committee for telling them to do it. Fortunately the mind-numbing tedium of the company was relieved by the cheerful litte robin. I don't mean that, of course, it was a joy to be there with these very fine people. Magical, as the Meet Leader would say.
 

Members Area

There is now a part of the website which is accessible to members only. You can find it by clicking on the Members tag at the right hand end of the top menu on this and other website pages. You will need a user name and a password, available for current paid-up members only. Contact me if you would like the details. 

Annual General Meeting

The Club's AGM was held on Tuesday 28th Februaury at 8.00 am, at Ditton Community Centre, Ditton Road, Widnes. The Committee Report and Fiancial Statements for the year ending 31st December 2016 can be accessed here.    

Torres del Bickerton 

          
         
A group of fully paid-up members enjoyed a fine walk in the November sunshine on Cheshire's Sandstone Trail. Torres de Bickerton? A nod to my daughter Amy who saw the sun rise on Chile's Torres del Paine last week. The second picture is of the Kittystone, which features Lesley Wheeldon's poetry in tribute to his wife, Kitty. The poems are mainly about Scotland, so, standing on English rock looking westwards to the Welsh hills, he takes you in your mind to the west of Scotland. That's me on the rock, and Simon Letts, Mike and Margaret Hart by the Kittystone.
The shadows are of the same people, but the inverse of the people in the pictures. Of course! Thank you to Amy for the video clip of the Torres de Paine.

Bonfire and Hot Pot at The Hut

       

     

Thank you to Alex Gray for these photos taken on the Saturday of the Bonfire Meet at the Hut, 19th November. These were taken before it went dark and we were able to enjoy another of Jan's Magnificent Hotpots and the putting to the fire (as seen below) of another of Chris Hatton's marvellous Sacrificial Creations.  So big thanks to Jan and Chris!

         

The View from the Top

Above, 2 fine panoramic views from the summit of Snowdon, taken by Simon Letts last week when he walked up with wife Anne, daughter Sarah and her partner Charlie. All the way from the Pey-Gwryd Hotel and back too, a fine effort. The Hut-centric amongst us may like to consider the pictures to be distant views of the Hut. It really does loook a long way in these pictures, doesn't it, with Moel Siabod being the inconspicuous bump on the right of the lower shot and and just left of centre in the top picture. It is clearly getting further away, when you compare it with the picture
in Object 44, taken only 4 years ago. 

Diane Murphy

 The Club is very sad to announce the death of Diane  Murphy, founder member and former Chair, at home on  Saturday October 22nd 2016, aged 72 years. We know  that Di had been living with cancer for some time but  nevertheless it is difficult to comprehend that the light of a  life so generously lived should be so suddenly  extinguished.  Di had been enjoying some better days  recently, evident from Roger Reid's visit only 4 days  before  she died ("fulll of vim and vigour.....incredibly  enthusiastic  and positive") and a card that Jackie and I  received from  her just 2 days before. 

 There was a fine turnout of Club Members for Di's funeral  on November 4th.

 Di met her husband, George, in Liverpool in 1961 at the  informal meeting which gave birth to our Club. Later, the  'giving birth' was literal, with the arrival of sons Andrew  and Daniel. In April of this year, Di and George  celebrated  their 50th wedding anniversary with family  and friends.  Individual members of the Club have their  own special memories of Di, and they include many for  whom Di and George were their gateway to the Anabasis, and consequently a key juncture in their own lives. There are several who recall that the support of Di and George was important in seeing them through the most difficult times. For Di and George, 'family' is not just blood ties, but the relationships forged through adventure in the mountains, evenings around the fire at the end of the day, and the endless ding-dong involved in running a Club comprising so many rich and varied characters. For the Club, perhaps the most significant of the many contributions that Di made was her leadership in the role of Chair of which a lasting legacy is the improvements we have been able to make to our Hut at Garth Farm. As a Club, and as individuals, we are poorer for her passing. Our thoughts now are with George, Andrew and Daniel, and all of Di's family, both here in the U.K. and in the U.S.A.

Roger expresses it so well: 'We all have stories and memories of Di, as to what she did, said and gave to us, be it as a "greater family" or to us individually. We will all miss her greatly.  She has gone, but her relationship with each of us has not'.

Di was 'old school' in some ways and so I am privileged to have a hand-written card from her, dated 19th October. And the money for those improvements at the Hut was gathered in not by e-mail and social media but by the hard graft of the hand-written letter.

In the picture, Di is in the centre (in the orange cagoule), out with Club friends in the hills, just as I am sure she would want us to remember her.   And a couple more pictures below.

       

      

Members' Messages

******************************************************************************

Under and Over the Rocks

I enjoyed a couple of nice days at Garth with Mike and Margaret Hart, Simon Letts, Dave Appleton and his friend Amy. The top picture shows us at the entrance to what turned out to be the Adit (entrance) to level 9 of the Rhosydd Slate Mine, which is above Cwmorthin (near Blaenau Ffestiniog). From the entrance a half mile long straight passage leads to a spot known as Piccadilly Circus from where it used to be possible to follow an incline up into West Twll Quarry, but this is now blocked by a rockfall. All fascinating stuff but there is an ever-present risk of more rockfalls and much of interest above the ground as well as below.  With a map, GPS, compass and three half brains we eventually found our way to the top of West Twll Quarry in the mist.
http://www.penmorfa.com/Rhosydd/ 
http://robinsonmaps.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/rhosydd-into-9-adit.html

Meets List

Tuesday evening gatherings

In addition to the Meets programme there is an informal gathering at the Lion Tavern in Tithebarn Street, Liverpool every Tuesday evening.

Thursday Climbing

Club members, associated and affiliates climb at Helsby and Frodsham on summer Thursday evenings, climbing walls in the winter months. The post-climb debriefing takes place at the Bull's Head pub in Frodsham.

Latest Addition to Facilities at Garth

Above we have Stan Eccles, Bill Murphy and Alan Jackson on the new patio at Garth, luxuriating in the comfort of Dave Barton's splendidly crafted seat. 

George and Di Murphy's 50th Wedding Anniversary

John Woods visit to the Improved Hut Facilities with George Murphy

 
 John Woods (who was made an Honorary Member in  December) recently made a visit to Garth to inspect (he has  been a builder by trade) and test the new faclites at the Hut.  John was most impressed with what has been achieved by
 the Club. Accompanying John for the trip was President  George Murphy. Neither John nor George have enjoyed the  best of health recently and it was great that, thanks to the  support of others, they were able to make the trip. In the
 same  week, the workers added a bike rack, a new path
 outside the Hut door and I am told a new bench as well. Well
 done them, and thank you.

 I do not have a picture of the occasion of John's visit, nor of
 the latest improvements, but I did find this. It made me smile.
 This is from 1964. John was a Scoutmaster and he introduced
 this little chap to the Anabasis. As for so many of us, it took
 one person in the Anabasis to open the door and the result
 was life-changing - in a good way!  

Below, thank you to Dave Barton for this picture. Left to right: Stan Winstanley, Billy Murphy, John Woods, George Murphy, Dave Barton.

Anabasis AGM Highlights

This brief summary does not pretend to be 'The Minutes' but may be useful to anyone who was not there. The Committee had thoughtfully provided entertainment from Zumba-excercising females but as this coincided with the serious buisness of the Meeting it was a distraction.

It was a well-attended Meeting, and well-Chaired by Warwick. The existing Committee Members (apart from Andy Murphy) stood and were re-elected, and were joined by Chris Alston.  

Former members Steve Tonks and Stan Winstanley were welcomed back to the fold, and new member Paul Ellison was welcomed to the Club.

The proposal to increase the over-night fee from £5 to £6 (for outside groups using the Hut) was passed by a large majority. Other fees, including those paid by members, their offspring and their guests, are unchanged. 

It was confirmed that bikes are not to be stored within the Hut or the toliet block. The proposal that the Committee consider options was defeated by a large majority. A fixing for securing bikes outside the Hut is to be provided.

The present satisfactory financial position of the Club was noted, although it was pointed out that we continue to depend on income from external bookings. There had been a significant increase in income from this source during 2015.

It was noted that Mr Jones has yet to sign the Lease. Despite it being recognised that the Club's relationship with Thomas and his family does not depend on legal niceities it was thought best if the Lease was signed.

Pete Simpson's proposal for an Anabasis Trail event in Turkey in late Ocotber was discussed, and anyone intersted is urged to contact him.

A link to the Committee Report for the AGM is on the Running The Club page.

The Anabasis in 50 Objects

Click here to see our growing collection of Objects...........................

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John Woods recives a plaque and Honorary Club Membership

Hotpot/Penmaenmawr/Bonfire Meet at Garth 21st-22nd November

Above, the night before, and below, the morning after........

Reasons to be Cheerful

Reasons to be cheerful? Simon Letts here has at least three:
1. He is climbing again and climbing well.
2. The top of this Roaches route is but a couple of fine moves on perfect sunwarmed rock away.
3. It is to be the last climb of the day and next we are off to the pub.
(The website editor was cheered too: never seen the Roaches (or indeed Simon) looking better.

Anabasis in the Alps

Club Members Roger Reid and Barbara Gray were in Austria recently and I suppose anything attended by more than one Club Member constitutes a Meet!  There are pictures to enjoy on our Facebook page. Roger has also come up with an archive item from a Club Meet held in Shropshire in 1965 - so that makes 2015 a 50th anniversary year for that one.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/133270855480/

Work Meet, 8th September

More reasons to be cheerful! Thanks to Rob-the-roof-Hastings (and asssitants Mike Threlfall and Dave Appleton) we have new  guttering. As an added bonus, there is a tasty bare-chested Barton to admire on the left (calm down girls).

Below: Quick thinking by the Hut Warden averted disaster at the Hut: Robert Jones from Garth Farm kindly assisted the workers by lending his forklift tractor to take a bag of gravel down the hill to the Hut. Unfortunately the bag was breached on the ride down so that gravel was haemorrageing freely and we were in danger of receiving an empty bag and a having lot of gravel to gather. The initial suggestion was to shove a wheelbarrow under the lifted bag of gravel and have Billy trot along behind the tractor as it trundled on. This did not look sensible or safe, and Hut Warden Clive found a spare bag into which the contents of the breached bag were allowed to fall.      

Once all this mayhem was over, some good work was done: completing guttering and downpipes, building up the base of the forthcoming patio and a bit of painting inside.                 

Starry Night at Garth 

Fantastic shot of the Milky Way at Garth, taken by Dave Appleton.. Thank you to Mike Morgan for sending it to me and to Dave for letting me put it on the site (permission assumed when the photo was passed onto me by Mike!). Technical wizardry beyond my understanding involved here, and I think that the object in the centre is the Hut,,,,,,,,,not Snowdon!  Many of us will have witnessed a night like this (and perhaps lost our aim whilst so witnessing!) but not been able to photograph it.

              

Ana of Bilbao climbs Moel Siabod!

Rowena writes........

Just had a lovely weekend at the hut whilst introducing Ana de Bilbao to the joys of active walking and simple living.  She regaled me with her impressions all the way home, communal sleeping and the variety of breakfasts that the Brits. (and Els) eat! She loved it all including the scrambling up Siabod and what she describes as unbelievably long grass when we mistook the path home.  They don't have succulent, soggy bogs in Spain only thorny, loose ground.  Some of us felt that this further ascent of Siabod could be our valedictory visit.  We'll see. Lots of fun for the nine of us.
Vive l'Anabasis!  Vive la vie!

(All ascents of Moel Siabod are valid, valedictory and otherwise: Ed.)

Granny's Day Out

                           
                    Ben's Granny on the Knight's Move Slab, Grooved Arete, Tryfan.
'Perched on his tiny stance, the leader prays his second will not slither screaming from the holds                to fetch up somewhere inaccessible, groaning and immobile'. (Steve Ashton)
 

             
   Old enough to know better........Margaret Hart, Adam Tryfan, Dave Atkinson and Eve Tryfan.

             
    An age-appropriate activity was arranged next day - with Ken, Els and Simon at Crafnant.

Also on Tryfan........Mike Threlfall and A.N. Other (a non-member) recently climbed Snowstorm, at VS 5a.  

Pensioner's Peuterey

               
              

It may look like a roped gardening expedition but it's actually pensioners Simon Letts and Margaret Hart enjoying an ascent of Tremadoc's Poor Man's Peuterey. Great to see Simon back on the rock after a long (and rather dizzy) lay-off.  We concluded matters with a nice cup of tea in the cafe that Eric Jones still runs after all these years. 

Meets 2015  

More details on the above to follow.

Turkey/Austria – suggestions made by Peter Simpson and Roger Reid

 

Anybody with ideas for more Meets, including Day Meets, please let the committee know.

Tuesday evening gatherings

In addition, there is an informal gathering at the Railway Hotel in Tithebarn Street, Liverpool every Tuesday evening.

Thursday Climbing

Club members, associated and affiliates climb at Helsby and Frodsham on summer Thursday evenings. The post-climb debriefing takes place at a local hostelry in Frodsham.

Contact (for information about Club Meets)

Climbing in Morocco

Some fine pictures from Mike Threlfall of climbing in the Anti Atlas, Morocco.  The Anti-Atlas region of Morocco occupies a significant proportion of the country to the south and east of the Atlantic coast holiday resort of Agadir. It is a mountainous, semi-desert region, bounded on the north side by the Oued Sous valley, beyond which lies the High Atlas and the famous city of Marrakech. The oasis town of Tafraoute, at 900 metres asl, is a good base. It is situated approximately in the centre of the Anti-Atlas, some 200km south of Marrakech, and 150km south-east of Agadir.  

The fiirst picture is of the Samazar Valley, where there is a lot of fine climbing.

A Letter Home From The Hills

Recently I found some letters left by my parents after they passed away. Many were from me, written after I went to Manchester University in 1968. You might enjoy these accounts of a couple of early forays into the mountains. They predate anything in my book, Letters Home From The Hills.

Climbing by genetic proxy.......

This is Katie Atkinson (Website Editor's daughter) bouldering at Albarracin, Spain, in March.

I did like the hand of God reaching down from above to reveal the location of the crucial hold. Apparently it is a lovely area, with not so much rock that you cannot also have a nice hoilday.

Winter at Garth 

         

Simon Rogers' fine photo shows the Hut with a side serving of toilet block and a generous dollop of snow..........

Winter in Norway

........with an Anabsis member on ice for afters!  This is believed to be Mike Threlfall climbing ice at Rijukan, Norway in January. Looks awfully steep to me! 

Grand Opening at Garth

Hathersage Meet 26th to 28th September

The Meet was attended by a small but distinguished - self excepted - contingent - Bill and Jan Murphy, Warwick Waterworth, and Stan Eccles (and self). Dave and Sandra Barton were expected to attend on the Sunday. The weather was fine if autumnally chilly at times and there was even some climbing done on Stanage Edge. Below, that's Dave Atkinson (self) on April Crack and below again, Billy and Stan, Billy showing delight at his decision to stand down before this one and Stan equally showing the after affects of having decided not to! It was Billy's first outing on rock in a while and a fine comeback. Well done Stan, and from self, many thanks to the campers for the food, drink and good company.

August Family Meet Pictures

Roger Reid has posted some nice photos of his recent visit to Garth during his 'Anabasis Way' trip to the UK. That's Roger in the corner, with George Murphy (right) and Rob Hastings, Mary Hastings and Di Murphy on the left. Click on the link below to see the rest of the pictures.
https://plus.google.com/photos/118256800613365716210/albums/6050564995040357281 

Latest from Garth

Here is how it is looking inside our new facility at Garth, real progress thanks to a lot of hard work by our crack team. You may notice the absence of some key pieces of equipment, there were a couple of WCs, but one ended up in the 'patio', the other in the Swamp. The picture on the wall is hard to see at this resolution - it is of those iconic New York steeplejack guys sitting on a girder and it is inscribed 'before the fall'. What can that be referring to I wonder?

Doing the Anabasis Way the Anabasis way

Above......Enduring difficult conditions at the Old Dungeon Ghyll, Langdale, 1st August 2014.
Left to right: Roger Reid, Stan Eccles, Barbara Gray, Jan Murphy, Dave Atkinson, Billy 'two compasses' Murphy. Bowfell had been climbed (in the rain), in Billy's case with neither of the two compasses. Roger and Barbara are proceeding magnificently with their Progress through the lovely land of the Lakes.

Hut vanishes in Anabasis Bar-b-Cue Blaze Shock

 
          
This is the moment on July 5th the Hut brielfy dsappeared in a pall of bonfire smoke. Sandra Threlfall's shocking pink top is viisble on the right with fleeing children in foreground. All was well, only the sausages and burgers were burnt, the weather was lovely, the children charming and for the adults the usual soap opera of  drink, song and argument - and thanks to the lady in the shocking pink there was even some real soap (home-made, speciality).

Munroist Update

Our Munroists still alive and still members are Simon Rogers, Pete Simpson, Stan Eccles, Mike and Margaret Hart  - but every time I add a name to the list another completer pops his or her head up and says 'me too please!'' Pete has also completed all the Corbetts and Grahams and Hewitts. C'est formidable! As he says himself, it makes him a sad bagger - yes, you did read right, that was 'bAgger'!

Cape Wrath Trail

             

Congratulations to Mike and Margaret Hart who have completed the 230 mile Cape Wrath Trail up the coast of North Western Scotland. They over-nighted en route with a mix of wild camping, hotel, b&b and bothy. Just to prove it does not rain in Scotland all the time, here they are by Loch Fada with Slioch behind. If anyone fancies having a go at the Trail, I am sure Mike will be pleased to offer some tips.  Maybe the hastily donned outdoor gear and artfully dropped rucksacs  disguise the fact that this was in fact a beach holiday!

The Meet at Esther's place, by Loch Lomond

         
             


                 

Water-based activities were the order of the day for this one, just to prove it rains in Scotland sometimes!  Top, you see Club Members engaged in the hardest of hard core mountaineering and you have a new group name to add to your collection (flock of sheep, herd of cows, murder of corws, etc) - a hot tub of Anabsis Members!  In the boat, Sandra  and Dave Barton (left), then George and Di Murphy, Anne and Alan Jackson and Mike Threlfall looking serious in the green. Match some of these with the heads popping out of the hot tub, and John Padget is there too.

Other News

It is reported that the negotiations about the Hut lease have been concluded successfully. Well done our team of 4 Murphies and 1 Barton and thank you to the Jones family.

A 10% discount is now available for Cub members at Premier Pysio in Runcorn. A relief to all the creaking crocks among us! - that includes your website Editor, but I am beyond all help..............

Well done former member Stuart Prince for completing the Great North Swim and raisng over £500 for the Alzheimer's Society.  
http://www.justgiving.com/Stewart-Prince.

The Anabasis Way

Roger Reid will be trekking the Anabasis Way from Ulverston to Carlisle in the style of a 'Royal Progress'  of Medieval times, from 29th July to 8th August. Along with Barbara Gray, Roger will be holding court at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Langdale the nights of 31st July to 2nd  August (inlcusive) and inviites, nay commands, his Anabasis subjects to attend - if not in the hotel itself, then in the Valley thereabouts. More details of the Progress will be distrbuted by e-mail. I am not sure whether 'Anabasis Way' refers to proceeding 'in the manner Anabasoise'  or to a physical entity linking two points along which it is possible to travel - perhaps both!

Three Club Members on a Rope

               

On Saturday 24th May we escaped the Snowdonia deluge with a trip to Roscolyn on Anglesey. A rare thing these days, but 3 club members -  Ken Ainsworth, Margaret Hart and Dave Atkinson -were on a rope together and enjoyed Symphony Crack. It is a mere (?) Difficult so not diiffiult (!) and over all too soon but for all that on this day it was a joy. We were assured by the circling kayakers that it looked most impressive from below. Also along for support and good company were George Finch (with the camera) and Els recuperating from an incident at the Hut - enough said!

Jeff Naylor

 
The Club is saddened to learn of the death at the weekend of Jeff Naylor, at the age of 73. Jeff was a founder member of the Club who made a number of important contributions in the early years. George Murphy has told me that Jeff was an architect by profession, and he drew the initial plans for turning what was an empty cattle shipping into a Hut for people that is not too disimilar to what we know today. He introduced a Crosby Scout Group to the Club, and a couple of the youngsters who joined the Club as a result are still members - Alan Jackson and Mike Threlfall. Jeff was a calm voice in the storm helping the Club to develop stability that saw it safely through those early years when rival factions threatened to tear it apart, He was a larger than life character among strong-minded individuals (who can that be referring to I wonder?), he kept a postive attitude, always had a ready smile and was a very kind person. In the first Club meets abroad Jeff was a leading participant, especially in the Chamonix area where the Aiguille de
Blatiére was one of several big climbs he completed, and he was also an accomplished pot-holer. The picture (1964) shows Jeff as those who knew him would like to remember him - with best foot forward striding up the hill, and rope across his shoulder. Our sympathies to Jeff's wife and family.  7th May 2014.

Congratulations to Club members present and past on their efforts for Charity 

Pete Simpson recently completed the Coast to Coast ride of 127 miles from Workington to Sunderland in 13 hours 13 minutes, sounds absolutely incredble to me!  In so doing, he raised nearly £1200 for the charity Early Break which offers free counselling, advice and treatment for young people and their families who have issues regarding drugs and alcohol.

A Challenge for Our Munrosits................

I have recently been in contact with John Mallinson, now in his 80's he completed his Munro round in the 1950's. In his 75th year, John made a 50th anniversary repeat ascent of his final Munro - Ben Chonzie. Now there's a challenge for our Club Munroists - repeat the last one 50 years on!

I got in touch with John as a result of work on my book Letters Home From The Hills. He had read a piece - an extract from the book - published in the Climber's Club Journal about Mike O'Hara, an old friend of John's. They were together (along with Eric Langmuir) on the first ascent of Spartan Slab on the Etive Slabs in 1954. Whenever I speak to John he recalls being defeated on The Scoop of Hammer, also on the Etive Slabs (there is a point to this, read on.......). John regrets having to attempt the thing in big boots, it being before the days of 'sticky' boots. For anyone who does not know it, The Scoop is one of those 'limits of friction' things and sustained upward momentum is essential if the downward pull of gravty is to be overcome. I had an attempt whilst on a Club meet in the 1980's - the downward pull won the day and I was duly rebuffed. It was, I think, the last occasion that there was a weekend Club Meet in Scotland - now it is good to know that thanks to Esther Threlfall's initiative (see Meets) there is to be another (first point). A few years later I called on the Scoop again and this time succceeded. My partner that day? Stuart Prince - see mention above for his Charity swim - second point! 

You say 'Morrocco' and you made me smile.............

I say 'Morrocco' because I remember a Jackson Browne song (know it?) and because a couple of our members (Rob Hastings and Mike Threlfall) have been climbing there recently - in the Anti-Atlas area up form Agadir. If you want to know more find out from them!  

Congratulations to our new Munroists!

Well done to new members Mike and Margaret Hart who completed the Munros wirth the ascent of Ben Hope on September 10th 2013.  I made the trek up north to witness the event, and champagne (in plastic cups!) was enjoyed in typical Scottish conditions on the top. Although this was the only one of the Munros to be completed since Mike and Margaret joined up, part of the deal by which they joined was that we get to cliam credit for the other 281 as well.  To my knowledge, the only other Munroists still alive and still members are Simon Rogers, Pete Simpson and Stan Eccles  - every time I add a name to the list another completer pops his or her head up and says 'me too please!'

Red Rocks, Nevada USA

Mike Threlfall and Dave Nicol are just back from a trip across the pond where I am told they climbed on 17 out of 18 days, mainly at Red Rocks (not far from Las Vegas), and also at Joshua Tree, near Palm Springs, California. It sounded absolutely brilliant and I am glad to say they were both quite weary when they got home.  I am sure Mike will be happy to tell more and perhaps we will get some pictures.  http://www.supertopo.com/climbingareas/redrocks.html

And while we are on the subjuect of foreign parts, as I write Rob Hastings is off climbing in Sicily. I was in Italy too recently and am able to report that I did not climb Vesuvius. I got as far as the crater rim and an official prevented me from taking the last 300 feet to the very top. He was unmoved by my claims to have been high and to know George Murphy, and insited that a Guide was necessary for the perilous (?) slope beyond.  Price of Guide? 100 Euros. With just 1 Euro in my pocket, my negotiating position was weak.

Eddie Gray

29th June 2012. Yesterday we said our farewells to our friend Eddie.  Thank you and well done to Barbara and all the family for striking just right note for the service and the gathering afterwards - the words by Thea, Will and Alex were perfectly chosen, and just the right notes were struck for a communal rendition of Hey Jude around Eddie's grave - I am sure he woud have been well pleased.
 
Eddie Gray passed away suddenly on June 19th 2012.
Eddie joined the Anabasis in 1962, being part of the caving section, but he soon switched to mountaineering. Prior to this phase of his life, he had attended Collegiate Grammar School in Shaw Street. He went on to Loughborough University where he represented them at a national level at cycling, having been an outstanding member of Birkenhead Cycling Club. After graduation, he found employment at English Electric, leaving there to work for the New Zealand Shipping Company, becoming the youngest 1st Engineer in the history of the Company. He then joined Cammell Lairds, supervising the installation of nuclear engines in Polaris Submarines.  For a period, Eddie worked in Bahrain where he was the Senior Engineer responsible for the desalination plants. When he left Bahrain, he returned to the UK overland with his young family, something he described as a 'great adventure'.  On his return, he once again became a member of the Club, taking up the duties of Committee Member and Editor.  He loved camping but most of all he enjoyed staying in the Hut at Garth Farm, in particular sitting by the fire yarning away over a beer. In recent times he was a determined hill walker despite severe pain in his legs and feet. Eddie was a gentle, peacable man who developed significant relationships with a wide variety of people, showing genuine concern for all who came in contact with him. (Over his lifetime, Eddie displayed a great capacity for spiritual and intellectual growth: his spiritual side was shown in his deep interest in the Bhuddist faith; and he enthusiastically embraced the new social media with its potential for keeping contact with friends and supporting a variety of worthwhile causes). He battled his final illness with deternination, tenacity and courage.
Eddie was firstly married to Jane - they had 2 children, Mark who predeceased him, and Thea. He is also survived by his wife Barbara and sons William, Alex and Ritchard.  
Our thoughts and condolences go out to all of Eddie's family.

George Murphy (material in brackets supplied by the Editor).  

Thank you to Roger Reid for the picture which I have added to the Gallery.