The Wheatsheaf379 High Street,West Bromwich,B70 9QW

Join us every Thursday night from 9.00pm in The Wheatsheaf for a chat and a drink.

The WBMC meeting place

Dave Jones

Graeme Stanford

Dave Jones

Thursday 9th June – Evening Meet - ComptonSaturday 11th June – Yorkshire 3 PeaksSunday 10th July - Patterdale

Hope you’re all doing well, and enjoying what lookslike the start of summer (or have I spoken too soon?)

This month: The Meet Card for this year can be foundon page 4 – please forward to friends or family ifthey’re interested in joining us; Dave Jones haswritten about the coach meet to the Brecon Beaconsand the lead walk at Wren’s Nest; and GraemeStanford tells us about the BMC’s Training NoviceClub Members Weekend.

Huge thanks as always to this month’s contributors:,Dave Jones, John Edwards, Nigel Tarr, GraemeStanford, Jo Cheung, Alison Whitehead, and PetePoultney.

If you have anything that you’d like to be featured innext month’s newsletter – whether you’re sellinggear, looking for a climbing or walking partner, you’veseen an event that members might be interested in,anything at all – send it to me at joe.priest@live.co.uk(or through our website if it’s an article) before 20th

May.

Cheers,Joe

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Members - £4.00Guests - £7.00 (Max. two guests per member)

16 & under - £1.50

Stamped addressed envelopes are provided in the hut for payment.

Phone or email Alison Whitehead:

07530644874hut-secretary@wbmc.org

Please contact Alison before going to the hut.

WBMC members can purchase a hut key from Alison at a donation of £4

Hut donations

This weekend (the 28th – 30th May) is a Bank Holiday,but there is currently only one member booked in onSunday and Monday night, so there is plenty of spacefor last minute bookings! Contact Alison via email(hut-secretary@wbmc.org) or phone (07530644874)to book your place.

The committee would like to inform everyone thatuses the club hut that First Aid supplies have beenpurchased and restocked for the First Aid Box locatedwithin the toilet block.

Hopefully no one will ever have to use them, but incase of an emergency these supplies are available.

If anyone removes any supplies, please sign thecontents checklist so that we can replenish any stock.

If you have access to an email address and don't needa posted copy of the newsletter, please email me(newsletter@wbmc.org) and ask for the posted one tobe cancelled. Members who do this save the club aconsiderable sum and enable us to do more usefulthings with your subscriptions than paying Royal Mail.

Don’t forget: this month’s outdoor evening meet istaking place on Thursday 9th June. The menu for thepub is available at: http://bit.ly/1TCNxxR. We’ll beordering on the evening (not in advance) but you maywant to look prior.

If you would like to be part of the next team needed tounblock the hut drains carry on putting oil grease etc.down the sink – a pleasant 2 hours was spent onSaturday doing the job!

Looking for a book to take on holiday? Try Risking Lifeand Limb by Judy Whiteside – it’s the story of the first50 years of Ogwen Valley Mountain RescueOrganisation. It tells of the early days of mountainrescue, the forming of the team, and how themethods, equipment and skills have progressedthrough the years, with tales of rescues, training, andthe social side of the team. No you can’t borrow it!Next time you’re in Wales buy a copy and support theteam.

A Mountain Hardware Conduit soft shell was left onthe Braithwaite coach. Contact Nigel to get it back,but be quick – it fits me!

The club challenge walk this year will be an attempt atclimbing Ben Nevis, Scaffel Pike and Snowdonia in 24hours.

We will be leaving the Midlands area on Fridaymorning (8:00ish) to drive to Fort William in order tostart the challenge at 6:00pm on Friday night. Afterdoing Ben Nevis we will drive overnight to Seathwaiteto climb Scaffel Pike before driving to Pen Y Pass forthe climb of Snowdon. Saturday night will be spent inthe hut before driving back home on Sunday.

If you feel you would like to take up the challengeplease speak to Andy Brown (07870145026) as soonas possible so all the logistics can be finalised.

Come and explore the Gower Peninsula – a place ofoutstanding natural beauty. Enjoy the wonderful,award-winning beach, the bodyboarding that willblow away the cobwebs, walking along the dramaticcoastline, or try your hand at climbing the rugged seacliffs.

We’re staying in a well-appointed hostel, and there’scamping available too.

Contact Jo Cheung on 0121 3586836 orjo.cheung@hotmail.co.uk for more information and tobook your place.

There’s still one place left on the upcoming trip toCroatia. With walking, climbing, swimming, cyclingand even sun bathing, there’s something for everyone.

Get in touch with Pete Poultney for more informationon 07779 366905. Act quickly though – there’s onlyone place remaining!

Hostel bed & breakfast is £26.95 per night. If youfancy a good day out why not try the Via Ferrata atHonister Slate Mines on the same weekend? £45 perperson, with a 10% discount for a group of 12 or more.

Book through Nigel Tarr on 07703 345729

Here are the dates from this year’s meet card, whichdetails the club’s events up until the end of May 2017.

If you know someone who isn’t currently a member,but has expressed an interest in any of theseactivities, then please give them a copy of this page ordirect them to the club website.

Thurs 9th: Outdoor Evening MeetSun 11th: Long Coach Meet –Yorkshire 3 Peaks17th - 19th: Challenge Weekend - 3 Peaks24th - 26th: Family WeekendThurs 30th: Climbing Night at Portway

1st - 3rd: Gower WeekendThurs 7th: Outdoor Evening MeetSun 10th: Coach Meet – Patterdale/Glenridding15th - 17th: Family WeekendThurs 28th: Climbing Night at Portway

5th – 7th: Youth Hostel Weekend – ButtermereThurs 11th: Outdoor Evening MeetSat 13th: Coach Meet – Cadair Idris/Barmouth19th - 21st: Family WeekendThurs 25th: Climbing Night at Portway

Thurs 8th: Outdoor Evening MeetSat 10th: Long Coach Meet – Aber/Ogwen16th - 18th: Women's Weekend23rd - 26th: Scottish WeekendThurs 29th: Climbing Night at Portway

Thurs 6th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 9th: Coach Meet – Coniston14th – 16th: Hut Biking Weekend21st – 23rd: Family WeekendThurs 27th: Climbing Night at Portway

4th – 6th: Bunkhouse Weekend – DovedaleThurs 10th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 13th: Coach Meet – Moelwyns18th – 20th: Skills WeekendThurs 24th: Climbing Night at PortwayFri 25th: Social Evening

Thurs 8th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 11th: Coach Meet – Hayfield (Circuit)Thurs 15th: Christmas Social at The Wheatsheaf

Sun 8th: Mitch’s Meet & SocialThurs 12th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 15th: Coach Meet – Langdale20th – 22nd: Scottish WeekendThurs 26th: Climbing Night at Portway27th - 29th: Hostel Weekend

Thurs 9th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 12th: Coach Meet – Llanberis18th - 25th: Nev’s Scottish Week

Thurs 9th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 12th: Coach Meet – Keswick17th - 19th: Away DinnerThurs 23rd: AGMThurs 30th: Climbing Night at Portway

Thurs 6th: Indoor Evening MeetSun 9th: Coach Meet – Ogwen14th - 16th: Scottish WeekendThurs 27th: Climbing Night at Portway

Thurs 11th: Outdoor Evening MeetSun 14th: Coach Meet – Thirlmere/Grasmere19th – 21st: Family WeekendThurs 25th: Climbing Night at Portway

Up-to-date information, including weather forecast when available, at wbmc.org/meet-calendar

coach-secretary@wbmc.org07703 345729

hut-secretary@wbmc.org07530644874

Contact

This article is available on the club website at wbmc.org/articles/2016-05-brecon-beacons

The weather forecast for this meet was predicted tobe very good, with some south easterly winds in theafternoon. However, on the way down it looked verydark at the “back of bills” and we did have a goodshower at one point. Perhaps putting on my shortswas not such a good idea after all.

The West Bromwich crew that normally depart at07.00am probably had an extra 30 minutes in bed dueto not been picked up until 07.20am, so roles werereversed and Penkridge members were picked up firstdue to going M5 southbound and then onto the M50for Brecon.

We picked two other members up near to Lickey,David Hind & Phil Smith to eliminate them travellingnorthbound to come back south.It was very rewarding to see the coach relatively fulland also it was good to see Jason Jones back on thecoach after a long spell away. (Perhaps this was metexting him.)

An hour in so into the journey we stopped off at theservices for a twenty-minute stop for changingfootwear or a quick cup of tea or coffee, I opted forthe MacDonald’s counter for a Bacon & EggMcMuffin, my excuse was I should be able to burnthat off later.

Over the last couple of meets, the committee have feltthat it is a good idea to put on a lead walk due to thefact that if anyone is new on the coach they can comealong and learn from fellow members and by doingthis it shows that we want to promote the club andhopefully get them to come back on future coachmeets.

On this particular meet we had arranged for Route 1to be the lead walk which takes in Fan y Big and Pen yFan, the route is (18km – 11 miles) The coach wasdropping off at Pencelli & Storey Arms and pickingback up ay Storey Arms & Tair Bull.

Nigel Tarr informed everyone on the coach that therewas going to be a lead walk and informed to meet atthe back of the coach so we could identify who we hadon the walk. David Hind and myself agreed to leadwith Nick Piotrowski supporting at the rear.

We had around seventeen individuals on the walk,plus other individuals where doing the same route butthey opted to walk with fellow colleagues.

Throughout the day we kept coming across each otherat stop off points.

By now the sun had come out and the forecast wasdoing as predicted. The majority of the coach got offat Pencelli and other members remained on the coachto be dropped off at Storey Arms.

We started the walk just after 10.30am following theroad west then turning left at the second roadjunction; we followed the road for a short while andthen started the steady climb south west up Gist Wen,some individuals not in the lead walk stopped off totake clothing layers off due to the weather gettingnice and warm.

As we got higher up there was some fantasticpanoramic views and the route ahead was clearlyvisible, one individual was having some issues due tomedication that they were taking, and David Hindcalled me to inform me of this, hence the reason on alead walk it is beneficial to have support at the frontand rear. I caught up with the rest of the group toinform them, we carried on to Bwich Ddwyallt,stopping off for a sandwich/drink following the cliffedge path and then onto Fan y Big, from here ourtarget was to the highest summit in the national parkPen Y Fan, this is quite a large summit plateau, prior tothis one of our members slipped and cut their elbow,Emily Smith was quickly on the scene and carriedsome First Aid skills.

On the way back down we came to the Tommy JonesObelisk. If anyone does not know the story here is aquick bit of information.

A visit to relativesOn 4 August 1900 a miner from Maerdy, at the headof the Rhondda Fach valley, decided to take his five-year-old son Tommy to visit his grandparents who stillfarmed near Brecon. They'd travelled by train andplanned to walk the four miles to Cwmllwch, thefarmhouse in the valley just below Pen y Fan.

Words by Dave Joneswith pictures by club members

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By 8pm they'd reached the Login - now in ruins -where soldiers were encamped for training at the riflerange further up the valley at Cwm Gwdi. The fatherand son had stopped for refreshment when they metTommy’s grandfather and cousin William, who was13. William was asked to go back to the farm and tellhis grandmother to expect Tommy and his dad, andTommy ran off up the valley with him.

When the two boys were halfway, Tommy who wasfrightened by the dark perhaps started to cry andwanted to return to his father at the Login. So the twoboys parted. William completed his errand andreturned to the Login within a quarter of an hour – butTommy hadn't returned.

His father and grandfather started the searchimmediately, joined by soldiers from the camp. Thesearch was halted at midnight and resumed at 3pmthe following day. The search continued for weeks.Every day, parties of police, soldiers, farmers andother volunteers systematically combed the area withno luck.

After reading accounts of the search, a gardener’swife living just north of Brecon is said to havedreamed of the very spot where Tommy was found.She had a few restless days before persuading herhusband to borrow a pony and trap on Sunday 2September to take her and some relatives to BreconBeacons, which they'd never climbed before.

They reached the ridge below Pen y Fan and weremaking their way towards the summit over openground when Mr Hammer, who was a few yards infront, started back with an exclamation of horror. Hehad found the body of little Tommy Jones.

No one could explain how the five-year-old hadmanaged to reach the spot where his body was found.He'd climbed 1,300ft from the Login. Today the spotwhere Tommy’s body was found is marked with anobelisk. The jurors at the inquest donated their feesafter determining that he had died from exhaustionand exposure.

It was more than 60 years later when the firstMountain Rescue team was set up in the BreconBeacons.

I’m sure everyone that reads this will feel a little sad.

The group followed the bowl shaped path skirtingaround the lake and arrived back at 17:00 hours tomeet with others at the Tair Bull.

There were some lovely shades of red and perhapssoreness on the journey back. We hope that you allhad a great day out on the hills and we look forward toseeing you on the next coach meet (a Long CoachMeet to the Yorkshire 3 Peaks) on the 11th June.

David Jones.

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This article is available at wbmc.org/articles/2016-training-novice-club-members-weekend

Organised by Jane Thompson, Clubs and Partnershiprep, from the BMC, the aim of the weekend was togive clubs support with the niceties of introducingnovice members to the hills. Answering questionssuch as “what support and advice is available from theBMC?”, “What do other clubs do?”, and the obviousquestion “where do I stand legally if leading novices inthe UK’s hills?” Not to mention all the ‘soft skills’ ofdealing with a group of beginners.

The weekend was held at Plas Y Brenin, the nationalmountain sports centre, and all the physical outdooractivities were run by Plas Y Brenin instructors. TheBMC heavily subsidised the event as the cost was only£50 per person, full board. We were housed on site inMoelwyn Cottage, which is normally £16 p.p.p.n.Hiring an instructor for the day at PYB is around £250and we had five of them. Not to mention the foodwhich is always top notch at PYB. All in all, fantasticvalue. Dave Jones and I were representing WBMC.

Saturday morning began as it should… with a heartybreakfast and collection of packed lunches. Food firstis always a good drill. Once the vittles were consumedit was into the lecture room for everyone. PYB alwaysbegin the training week with a briefing about thecentre and then various courses are introduced totheir instructors who then lead them off to theirrespective locations for their courses.

We were handed over to Kath James who was takingthe lead in our small team of instructors. We headedoff to the Gwynant room for introductions etc. Theday began with talks about case studies and supportfrom the BMC. Reviewing the experiences of otherclubs regarding training, the benefits and thechallenges they face. We then had a very informativepresentation from Andy Colbourne from PerkinsSlade, the company providing insurance services tothe BMC. This session dispelled many of the mythssurrounding experienced but unqualified walkers /

climbers passing on their knowledge to novices. Howmany of you, for instance, are familiar with the term‘Volenti non fit injuria’? I certainly wasn’t. Translatedfrom Latin “to one who volunteers no harm is done”.For this to apply you must ensure that the ‘trainee’‘freely and voluntarily enters into an agreement toundertake training’ and does so ‘in the full knowledgeof and understanding of the risk’. As long as you areappropriately experienced in the subject you areteaching (and you’re not being paid to teach it) you arefully covered by the BMC’s £10m liability insurance.There was a great deal more about informal riskassessment, Participation statements etc.

Once we’d had a break for coffee we split into smallergroups. Some went off to do single pitch climbing andthe rest of us were off to do navigation. Those of us on‘nav’ split into two syndicates, with an instructor each,and headed off towards Moel Siabod. The afternoonthat followed saw us meandering across the terrainaround Capel Curig (we walked a massive 3.5 miles)running through various scenarios and methods ofteaching novices the basics of navigation using aprocess of progression through the skills. Weabsorbed some very useful tips on how to structuretraining so that the information goes in and moreimportantly sticks. The afternoon passed at a steadypace and at 5pm we found ourselves back at thecentre for the customary ‘tea and cakes’.

After dinner, at 8pm, there was a lecture at the centre.This is very common at Plas Y Brenin. The bar is publicand the lectures are also open to the public so if you’redown at the hut on a Saturday evening with nothing todo give reception a ring and find out what lecture ison. In this case it was our own instructor, Kath James,doing a talk about her climbing adventures on bigwalls in Yosemite and her ascent of the north face ofthe Eiger. Very impressive stuff. After a couple ofbeers, it was ‘up the stairs to Bedfordshire’ ready forthe next day.

Words and picturesby Graeme Stanford

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A hearty breakfast (again) and a short minibusjourney saw my small group to the foot of Tryfanpreparing for a day scrambling. Another group hadgone to tackle multi-pitch climbing and Dave’s grouphad gone to do hillwalking skills on Moel Siabod. Backon Tryfan our instructor was a lass called Sabrina(Sabby as she preferred) and we had brought helmetsand a rope to practice low level rope skills. Once againthe emphasis was on the scenario of leading a group ofnovices on a grade 1 scramble. Route and kit choice,fitness and health issues, route finding etc. etc. Weprogressed up the familiar North Ridge assessing eachleg with lots of discussion about what would or wouldnot be appropriate to teach novices accepting thepremise that, although safety is paramount, you aretrying to give an interesting, enjoyable andchallenging day.

We stopped at ‘the canon’ for the ubiquitous photosession and then continued upwards to the northtower. Once there we went through basic rope skills.This was at ML summer level and mainly to show howconfidence can be given to a nervous novice with theuse of a rope. No slings, karabiners, harnesses or anyother kit just a rope. The emphasis is on simplicity asit’s not a pre-requisite to be an ML or a climber toguide novices up a scramble so the only knot used wasan overhand knot. Simply put you secure the rope toan anchor (spike, thread whatever) and create a loopfor yourself to step in to. Make sure your loop meansyou’re tight on the rope when sitting in your chosenbelay stance then tie another loop in the end of therope for the novice and throw the rope down to them.Then you use the ‘body belay’ technique to bring themup. For nervous descents we practiced the ‘SouthAfrican Abseil’ which is a very stable high frictionmethod. I wouldn’t want to do it on a vertical cliff buton a scramble its safe and effective. Once we’dtouched the summit we headed back down the WestGully and so back to the road.

Back at the centre it was more tea and cakes, ofcourse, before a course de-brief. Jane asked for ouropinion on whether a similar course but aimed atwinter skills would be welcomed. We all said yes.

Paul Brindley and Oliver Stephenson have also beenon this course and it makes sense for the club to sendmore members on it in the future. With that in mind ifyou are fairly experienced in either hillwalking,scrambling or climbing but have little experience ofimparting that knowledge to others and would like topass on your experience to newer or novice clubmembers please let me know so I can be ahead of thegame the next time one of these courses comes up. Asyou can imagine they sell out fast. In our case andpossibly in future cases the money can be found fromthe clubs training budget so all you’d need is petroland beer money. Obviously we’d like you to use theskills you learn for the benefit of the club. We have ahuge amount of experience throughout the club andwe could be tapping in to that experience to giveessential skills to new and novice members. It’s oftensaid that one of the best ways to get in to climbing /mountaineering is by joining a club and it’s certainlyan enticement to get potential new members ‘throughthe door’.

Words and picturesby John Edwards

The first outdoor evening meet of 2016 took place onThursday 5th May with a guided walk around Wren’sNest Dudley. Bob Duncan kindly offered his servicesand had prepared a route prior to the event takingplace.

Over 400 million years ago, the area where Dudleynow stands was covered by coral reefs and tropicalseas providing an environment for the famous fossilswe find there today. Over 700 types of fossil areknown to have come from Wren's Nest. 186 of whichwere first discovered and described here and 86 arefound nowhere else on Earth.

Wren's Nest National Nature Reserve is a classicgeological site of exceptional importance.

It is one of the most notable geological locations in theBritish Isles and visited and studied by geologistsfrom all over the world.

The evening started by meeting at the Park InnWoodsetton which is in fact a vibrant suburbanbrewery tap, held by the Holden family since 1915.Radiating out from the spacious main bar are a smallgames room, raised dining area and a separateconservatory. Functions are catered for andreasonably priced food is served 12-8pm (4:30 Sun).The pub adjoins the brewery which has beenextended and refurbished over the previous year.Anyone wishing to attend the new brewery centre ison the right of the car park.

I was the first to arrive at the pub, some regulars wereinside and out due to the weather being perfect for alate evening walk. I had spoken with the landlady viae-mail some days prior due to submitting meal ordersfor the event, she was very welcoming to have WBMCpresent.

We started the walk just after 18:30 hours, Bob hadkindly submitted maps and an information guide foreveryone, along the walk there are information signsas you walk around the site and by looking at theguide it gives you information at what stage of thewalk you are at.

On some of the higher rock formations there islimestone debris & erosion, protected areas aroundthe Seven Sisters caverns had to be filled in after amajor roof collapse and mine cave-in occurred in2001, to prevent further collapse. More recent workhad also began on infilling the huge Cathedral Gallerywith loose sand. The former limestone mine andadjacent vast underground canal basin, which leads toa now blocked off passage to Dudley Tunnel, containsome of what local historians claimed to be some ofthe world's most important geology and miningheritage.

This article is available on the club website at wbmc.org/articles/2016-wrens-nest

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The group consisting of 27 people & 2 dogs (yes thiswas a great number for our first outdoor meet)started to gain a little height and there was greatviews stretching vastly across the Black Country andyou could see as far as the post office Tower inBirmingham, and I pointed out another heritageCentre to Mike Smith (The Hawthorns)

Some of the caves around the site are home to variousspecies of bats, one of the members heard adistinctive bird call on route and they mentioned thatit was the call of a Green Woodpecker.

Bob Duncan had suggested that the walk would takejust over one hour, right on cue we arrived back at thePark Inn just before 20.00 hours, this was perfecttiming because the landlady had specifically statedthat we must be back for this time.

Food was very reasonably priced, and for themembers that had taken the time to e-mail me theirorder, pre-ordered food came out first.

I opted for the Holden’s Steak & Ale Pie which wasvery well priced at £4.75 followed by chocolate fudgecake and custard.

Speaking to attendees after the event it seemed thateveryone was happy with the food, and I havecontacted the landlady and thanked them for makingWBMC very welcome. If anyone is in the area andwould like a local walk, this site is well worth visiting.

Thank you to everyone that attended and we lookforward to seeing you on further meets, also a specialthanks to Bob Duncan for leading the walk and takingthe time to print maps and guide books.

David Jones.

If you’re interested on coming on this walk, please contact David Jones

Mobile: 0775 925 9163

e-mail: davidjones840@gmail.com

Nigel Tarr, Mike Smith and I did this walk on Tuesday 10th May and I think we became wetter than the local ducks due to torrential rain!

However, this is a very enjoyable route and we hope that as many of you will join us for this evening meet. Please bring along anyone that would like a nice evening walk with the option to eat afterwards or opt for takeaway.

We will start and finish at the Oddfellows, an area has been reserved for WBMC to eat afterwards, the food is very reasonably priced, please see attached menu. Anyone not wanting to eat can opt for Fish & Chips just across the road (Pep’s Plaice) or there is a Chinese restaurant House of Canton.

Food can be ordered on the evening for the Oddfellows, alternatively if anyone would like to order prior please let me know by Monday 6th June.

The walk is a journey into the 18th & 19th centuries; a time when the canals and railways preceded our modern, noisy road network. The walk follows the tow path of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and a stretch of disused railway line to Compton.

Various wildlife and some very interesting Murals on route.

We look forward to seeing everyone.

Meet at: Oddfellows, Compton, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV6 8AA (large car park)

Time: 18:45pm for a 19:00 start

Distance: 7.3 Km - 4.53 miles

Walking Time: ~1 hour 30 minutes

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Paths: Canal Tow Path, disused railway track, and field paths

Landscape: Open countryside near urban residences

Dog Friendliness: Off lead along tow path and disused railway, otherwise under control

Public Toilets: None on route - please use Oddfellows

FaresMembers £22.00 Guests £24.00Under 16’s and full-time students – £10.00

To book ring Nigel Tarr on 07703 345729

£5.00 pp cancellation charges apply: you must cancel at least 7 days in advance.

Head east on the Crina Bottom and climbIngleborough. Descend to Sulber Nick and Horton.

You can also combine routes 1 and 4 – Distance 20km(13 miles)

Follow route 3 from the viaduct, then follow route 4from Horton.

Clock in at the Pen-y-ghent cafe to register your time,climb up to Pen-y-ghent (838734) via Brackenbottomthen down via the Pennine Way before, near Hull Pot,heading West over boggy ground to rejoin thePennine Way at Sell Gill Holes (813744). Choose thePennine or Ribble Way to reach the Blea Moor Roadthen take the tarmac to the Ribblehead Viaduct(765793). Follow the track North before crossing it,heading NW to a wall which you follow West thenSouth to the summit of Whernside (738814).

Continue South to Philpin Farm. Head up the roadpast The Hill Inn and take the path South toIngleborough (741746) from where you have a simple6 miles eastwards to Horton. Don't forget to clock off!

If you fancy a shorter day head for Brackenbottomand pick up the path through Brackehbottom Scar tothe ridge which leads to Pen-y-Ghent. Return toHorton by heading north and picking up the PennineWay.

Head South out of Horton along the Ribble Way toHelwith Bridge (812695). Cross over the river usingthe road then take a left. When the road turns Northgo straight on at a track signposted Dale Head. At apath junction take the left path which climbs to thesummit of Pen-y-Ghent (838734). Head North thenWest off the summit on the Pennine Way. A shortdiversion will take you to impressive Hull Pot(824745) before heading South on the Pennine Wayto Horton.

Depart07:00 – West Brom. Edward St Car Park (B70 8HU)07:20 – Penkridge

Drop offIngleton (695730)Ribblehead Viaduct (765793)Horton in Ribblesdale (807726)

Pick upHorton in Ribblesdale (807726)Ribblehead Viaduct (765793)Ingleton (695730)

Required mapsOS 1:25000 Outdoor LeisureNo2 Yorkshire Dales Southern and Western Areas

Suggested routes

FaresMembers £20.00 Guests £22.00Under 16’s and full-time students – £8.00

To book ring Nigel Tarr on 07703 345729

£5.00 pp cancellation charges apply: you must cancel at least 7 days in advance.

Try climbing north-west from Kirkstone Pass to RedScrees. Continue north-west, descend to ScandalePass and go past Little Hart Crag and onto Dove Crag.From here follow the ridge over Hart Crag and ontoFairfield. Leave the summit northwards and descendvia Cofa Pike and St Sunday Crag down intoPatterdale and a short walk into Glenridding and thecoach.

Staying east of the Kirkstone Pass, go via St RavensEdge to Stony Cove Pile. Descend to ThreshthwaiteMouth and ascend Thornthwaite Crag then HighStreet. Go north to the Knott and descend past AngleTarn into Patterdale and a short walk into Glenriddingand the coach.

For Patterdale to St Sunday Crag then onto Helvellyn,descend Striding Edge and then over Birks down intoGlenridding.

For a not so high route: Patterdale Common, possiblytaking in Place Fell and/or High Dodd. If fit enoughyou could get to Sandwick Bay, returning via Boredaleor the path that skirts Ullswater. Approx. 9km,depending on route taken.

Depart07:00 – West Brom. Edward St Car Park (B70 8HU)07:20 – Service road just off M54 Junct. 2 island

(Brief toilet stop at the M6 Services)

Drop offKirkstone Pass (401081)Patterdale (391161)Glenridding (386189)

Pick upGlenridding (386189)Patterdale (391161)Kirkstone Pass (401081)

Required mapsOS. 1:25000 Outdoor Leisure Maps Nos. 5 & 7(The English Lakes NE & SE)

Suggested routes