Post on 07-Jul-2020
The University of Bristol Explorers Club
Hik-Up: Autumn 2012
Edited by: Catie Butler and Will Costin Written by: David Bernhard, Catie Butler and Carl Scarth
With thanks to Explorers past and present for photos and fun times!
2
The President's Bit
Hello! You're reading a copy of Hik-
Up, the official magazine of the
University of Bristol Explorers Club.
Whether you've just joined us or you're
back for another year, a very warm
welcome to you!
We're one of Bristol's most active
student clubs, offering a packed
programme all year, even over
summer. We go hiking to some of the
most beautiful places Britain has to
offer, from the rolling hills of the
Cotswolds to the wilderness of
Dartmoor; the rugged coastline of
Dorset to gentle Chew Valley; the
mountainous Brecon Beacons to flat
and wide Salisbury plain - and further
afield, from sunny Cornwall to
Snowdonia and the Lake District.
In a year where we've admired sporting
successes, let me assure you that you
don't need to be an Olympic athlete to
join Explorers. We're not a sports club
and you don't need to come with a
competitive spirit: we're proud of
being one of the friendliest societies,
and can be found sampling the delights
of tea-rooms, pub food and barbeques
when we're not out walking. If you're a
serious hiker looking for a challenge
however, you'll get the chance to do
things like a 30km walk on the hottest
day of summer, or the Yorkshire Three
Peaks.
Let me introduce myself: I'm David,
doing a PhD in computer science, and
President of Explorers for this year. I
joined Explorers at Fresh two short
years ago, and have loved every bit of
it since. For me, hiking is a great way
to escape the pressures of work and
spend time with friends.
Have I got you interested in
Exploring? Why not check out our
website, www.explorersclub.co.uk,
have a look at the photo galleries of
past walks or get the latest updates on
our activities this term. Or join us at
our weekly pub lunch, every Tuesday
from 1-2 at the Colston Arms on St.
Michael's Hill.
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
David
3
A Week in the Life of Explorers
The week's activities start with our
publicity e-mail, usually out by
Tuesday morning, giving details of the
walks and socials on that week. The
term programme is also printed at the
back of this Hik-Up and on our
website, but check the publicity for
any last-minute changes. It'll also tell
you how to sign up for the walks.
(Expert tip: don't reply directly to the
publicity. The publicity officer isn't
usually the one that takes the sign-
ups.)
On Tuesday lunchtime we have our
weekly pub lunch from 1-2 at the
Colston Arms on St Michael's Hill –
look for us around the back of the pub.
You don't need to sign up or even be a
member to come to these pub lunches,
you don't have to order food
either, but you can always
drop by to have a chat with
us, get any questions about
the club answered, and sign
up or pay for trips.
At the start of term we'll be
running a few short walks on
Wednesday afternoons to
places around Bristol. These
are either free or you just pay
the cost of a bus; not more
than a couple of pounds.
Sometime during the week
we have a social – this can be
anything from a meal to
Laser Quest, a pub crawl to a Guitar
Hero night – check the term
programme for the full list.
At the weekend we'll go walking
(surprise!). We try and vary between
Saturdays and Sundays and between
taking a minibus and public transport.
We also try hard to keep the cost of
transport for a day's walk under £10,
though this is getting harder from year
to year. If it's public transport, you
only pay the cost of your tickets on the
day and we try to get group saver
tickets wherever possible to push the
cost down further. If you use the train
regularly, a railcard is a good
investment that gets you a third off
most fares. For minibus walks and
weekends, we collect money in
4
advance – you can pay at the Tuesday
pub lunch or members of the
committee can arrange to meet you at
various times and places during the
week.
Several times a term we go on a
weekend trip – there's three planned
this autumn. We announce these two
weeks in advance, and we leave on
Friday evening, drive into the night,
and arrive at a cosy bunkhouse where
we stay for two nights. We walk for
two days, coming back to Bristol on
the Sunday evening.
On these trips we provide breakfast,
dinner on Saturday evening and
ingredients for you to make packed
lunches. On the journey up we stop at
a service station (though I just take
home-made sandwiches) and on the
way back we try to find a fish and chip
shop. Saturday evening is your chance
to partake in the traditional Explorers
Slop, which has never yet failed to
taste good after a long day's hiking.
Take a look at the equipment page for
what to take on walks, and don't
hesitate to ask us if anything's not
clear!
By David Bernhard
Photos courtesy of Catie Butler
5
Equipment
Walk into any outdoor shop and you can spend a fortune on gear – but here's all
you really need…
Walking Boots
Most of our weekends away and some
of our day walks go up real mountains,
where proper walking boots with ankle
support are essential for safety - NO
trainers, wellies or UGG boots. On our
weekends away where we sometimes
try out a bit of scrambling you will
particularly need good ankle support.
The cheapest models start from around
£30, how much you will want to pay
depends on how keen a walker you are
(as well as your budget of course).
More expensive boots do tend to last
longer and be more waterproof. Do try
on new boots in the shop and walk
about a bit, make sure they're
comfortable - our walks can easily
exceed 20km in a day! Don’t forget to
wear them in before setting out on a
hike too.
Trousers
NO jeans, we're speaking from
experience here. Once they get wet
they're horrible to walk in and take an
age to dry out. You don't need special
hiking trousers, a cheap tracksuit pair
will do fine.
Rain jackets
Bring a rain jacket on every walk – just
in case! You can buy a cheap one for
under £20 and you'll get enough
opportunities to use it in this country
even when you're not on walks.
Waterproof trousers
A good investment too!
Rucksacks
We usually eat lunch out on the hills so
you'll need something to carry your
food and drink. You don't need a
special mountaineering one.
And for weekend trips…
On our weekend trips we stay in
bunkhouses where you'll need a
sleeping bag (some are usually
available to borrow from the club).
A dry bag for your wallet, phone and
other important items is a good
investment: the trip where it was so
wet that everyone's phones and
cameras packed up is the stuff of
Explorers legend. Of course you can
also just use a plastic bag.
6
The Committee
We're a friendly bunch – feel free to email us with any questions you have about
the club, whether you are a member or not. To send any of the committee an
email, use the address:
[their first name]@explorersclub.co.uk
President
David Bernhard
Studying: PhD Computer Science
Vice-
President
Catie Butler
Studying: PhD Glaciology
Treasurer
Helen Thorley
Studying: PhD
Chemistry
Secretary-in-
Absentia
James Mills
Studying: Aerospace
Engineering.
Currently in Valencia with the International
Association for the Exchange of Students for
Technical Experience
7
Transport Officer
Carl Scarth
Studying: PhD in Composites Design & Manufacture
Equipment
Officer
Darby Harris
Studying: Physics
with Theoretical
Astrophysics
Publicity Officer
Jasper Waller
Studying: Physics with Theoretical Astrophysics
General
Assistant
Bea Domenge
Studying: Computer Science
8
Brecon Waterfalls Day Walk (March 2012)
The four waterfalls walk in the
Brecon Beacons is my favourite
day trip. Apparently most of the
Brecons National Park sits on
sandstone, but a small bit to the
south-west around the river Neath
is limestone instead, producing
spectacular valleys, caves and of
course waterfalls. (Our geologists
are more than happy to explain this
in more detail, and to stop and take
photos of rocks on the way.)
Mandatory group photo at the first
waterfall.
This walk gives you a bit of
everything. You start off in a gentle
valley walking in woods along a
river. Passing the signs telling you
not to fall in the river because it
may be cold and wet, you balance
along a narrow path, cross wooden
bridges, admire the
first waterfalls,
continue through a
gorge, have lunch at
another waterfall,
get going again
because you’re
starting to feel cold,
walk out into some
open hill country
past ancient forts
and cairns and
navigate your way
round (or through) a
bog, avoid angry
cows, see some caves and then
come to the highlight of the day: a
series of waterfalls, each one bigger
than the next, roaring and rushing
down alongside the path and almost
making you forget the smaller ones
you saw in the morning.
9
Just before you get back, you reach
Sgwd yr Elra (don’t ask me how
that’s pronounced!), where the path
goes behind a waterfall. Expect to
get wet! The first time I did this
walk, it was mid-winter and the
waterfalls were all iced up making
this section of path impassable.
This time round all was well except
that our group spent so much time
photographing and scrambling
around waterfalls (there was a
perfectly good path nearby, but that
would have been less interesting)
that it was getting dark by the time
we headed back to the minibus.
However, the other group had
found a good pub in the village
though, so there wasn’t anything to
complain about.
By David Bernhard
Behind the waterfall (Sgwd yr Elra). Sadly we didn’t find the
bat-cave there.
It isn’t called the waterfalls walk
for nothing!
10
Peaks Weekend (February 2012)
Not letting the cold of
February put us off,
Explorers headed to the Peak
District for what proved to
be our snowiest weekend
trip of the year. As usual we
set off in the minibus on
Friday night, arriving at our
bunkhouse with enough time
to settle in and say hi to the
horses outside before bed.
On day one, we decided to
climb up Kinder Scout, a
vast plateau and also the
highest place in the East
Midlands. The walk to the
top was a bit of a challenge
as we had to make a choice between either climbing a steep, usually lush
and grassy, slope where the snow was now up over our ankles, or taking
the regular footpath route up the valley, which would involve scrambling
over icy rocks. The snowy slope won and we made it to the top
successfully, where an
incredible snowy vista
was waiting for us.
The summit of Kinder
Scout is like an alien
landscape – very high
and flat but carved out
with little stream
channels, which were of
course all iced over. An
excellent lunch spot was
11
found in one of these mini valleys, which
provided shelter as well as the opportunity to
try a little ice skating on the frozen bog and to
have a snowball fight.
As we descended the snow diminished and, via
some very friendly cats and (some might say
foolish) attempts to slide down the icy path on
our map cases, we headed back to the
bunkhouse to warm up with the traditional
Explorers Saturday dinner of slop (nicer than it
sounds!) followed by cake and custard, then
some games around the fire.
Day two took us along a pretty river with waterfalls and stepping stones,
valley walls hung with icicles, before heading back to Bristol - via a fish
and chip shop of course! By Catie Butler
12
Lago Sorapis
makes an
absolutely stunning
lunch spot
The Cinque Torri’s distinctive form
visible on descent of the Nuvolau
Summer Trip 2012: The Dolomites
Each summer Explorers swap
minibuses for plane tickets and
go hiking further afield: this
year it was the turn of Italy and
the Dolomite Mountains. Based
in a campsite in the popular ski
resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo,
towered over by Antelau (‘King
of the Dolomites’), we were
treated to ten days of hiking
through awe-inspiring landscapes.
The Dolomites is a surprisingly fertile mountain range: lush green grass
and alpine wildflowers fill the valleys and forest extends high into the
hills. Above the treeline the landscape alters drastically, with dusty
plateaus separated by steep scree slopes plummeting down to the valley
floor or the occasional lake. Dramatic rock formations tower over the
footpaths at every turn, described in guide books as 'towers', 'steeples',
'chimneys' and 'cathedrals'. These chunks of rock are often too steep to
hike up but are an absolute treat to walk among.
Notable highlights were the Tre Cime (three peaks) and Cinque Torri (five
towers). These rocky outcrops featured in a couple of walks as well as
being visible from much of the region, although we were not brave enough
to even contemplate scaling either ourselves.
In my view the
unquestionable
high point of the
trip was the sublime 'Lago Sorapis', a lake entirely worth the long uphill
slog through forest to reach it. Suspended particles of limestone from
13
glacial meltwater give the lake a
luscious turquoise colour, making it
the perfect spot for lunch and of
course a cheeky espresso before the
final ascent of the day.
The region has a fairly bloody
history: being on the front line
between Austria and Italy in WW1,
the mountain tops were disputed and
in some cases the mountains
themselves were blown to
smithereens. Perhaps the most
famous leftover of the war are the
Via Ferrata (iron roads), which now
attract thrill seekers the world over
who use them for sport, clipping
themselves onto the iron rungs and
chains to help climb some of the
trickier faces. Sadly there wasn't time
to properly try this, but we invented a
sport of our own in the form of 'Beer Ferrata' after a generous serving of
Weissbier in a mountain hut above the Cinque Torri.
Aside from the landscape, one of my favourite discoveries were the
Rifugio, mountain huts primarily targeting those doing long distance 'alta
via' routes, and a drink served in the huts. 'Radler' is a 50/50 mix of
German beer and cloudy lemonade and is perhaps the most refreshing
thing imaginable in the baking mid-day sun in which we found ourselves
walking on a daily basis.
I would highly recommend the Dolomites and the Explorers summer trip:
a truly unique and beautiful landscape, fantastic weather, glimpses into fun
new sports and of course yet another addition to my own personal
encyclopaedia of delicious alcoholic drinks.
By Carl Scarth, photos courtesy of Nicola Love and Dan Levell
A short, exposed section at the
start of the Via Ferrata
14
Socials
Every week, Explorers get
together for a social, to catch
up on the week’s adventures
and meet up with friends.
A few favourites, and
traditional Explorers staples
are Burns’ Night (at which we
sample haggis, neaps and
tatties, and attempt to deep fry
Mars bars), Laser Quest (running
around in the dark shooting your
friends is always fun!), and the
night walk (usually near to
Halloween, we explore Leigh
Woods by the light of the moon…).
These, along with a plethora of
meals (out and in), pub visits,
parties and other gatherings, keep
us busy and active through the year.
My favourite social this year,
however, was pancake night.
Twenty-two Explorers crammed
into Bea’s house, while a genuine
Frenchman (thanks Maxime!) made
us genuine French crepes with all
sorts of toppings.
And of course, a highlight of the
year is the Christmas dinner, where
we gather at our traditional pub, the
Colston Arms. But instead of the
usual Tuesday lunchtime pub fare,
we sit down to a three course
dinner, the tables and walls
are decked out with holly,
candles and tinsel, and
crackers provide much
amusement (generally via the
medium of throwing little
toys at Jasper!).
By Catie Butler, photos
courtesy of Deborah
Durbin
15
16
Term Programme
All our walks and socials in the Autumn term….. (socials subject to change)
Sat 6 October Cheddar to Wells
Sun 7 October Dartmoor (minibus)
Week of 8 October Laser Quest
Wed 10 October Blaise Castle
Sat 13 October Abergavenny
Week of 15 October Pub Crawl
Wed 17 October Dundry
Sun 21 October Long Mynd (minibus)
Week of 22 October Meal
Wed 24 October Frome
27-28 October Snowdonia weekend
Week of 29 October Halloween social
3-4 November Lakes Weekend
Week of 5 November EGM
Sat 10 November Wye Valley
Week of 12 November Night walk
Sat 17 November Cheltenham/Cleeve hill
Week of 19 November Cheese and Wine evening
24-25 November Cornwall weekend
Week of 26 November Guitar Hero night
Sat 1 December Pewsey Down
Week of 3 December Christmas meal
Sun 9 December Brecon Waterfalls
Week of 10 December Film night
Sat 15 December Glastonbury Tor