N    O    R    T    H       L    E    I    C    E    S    T    E    R    S    H    I    R    E       M   O    U    N    T    A    I    N       C    L    U    B

Welcome to the NLMC meets and events section, hosted by Amy Thorpe and Steve Ratcliffe, the all new meets and events department for 2011!  Over the coming months we hope to bring you an action packed calendar for the rest of 2011!  As you can see the programme is very much work in progress, but we hope everyone can bear with us while we get back up to speed, and find a couple of meets that interest them this year as we start to put forward a varied selection of regular meets.  Below is a listing of the meets planned so far, with basic information and dates/times/locations etc as we prepare them.  Once full details are available the meet title will become a link to a further info page, click the meet title or the "More Info" link for all the details, directions etc. Don't hesitate to contact us by email if you need help or further details on any of our events! meets@northleicestermc.org will reach both Steve and Amy.

29-31 July 2011

Willy's Farm - Ogwen Valley - Snowdonia

Steve & Amy

Accommodation; This will be a camping meet held at Willy's Farm (Gwern Gôf Isaf) Campsite in the Ogwen Valley of Snowdonia.  Gwern Gôf Isaf is beautifully situated on a traditional hill-farm between Capel Curig and Llyn Ogwen, close to the base of the well-known peak of Tryfan.  Set in the heart of the mountains it is ideally situated for walking or climbing the surrounding peaks of the Glyders, and the Carneddau. This site is popular with families, groups, and individuals, and provides; washbasins with hot & cold water, toilets, hot showers, electric hook-ups, chemical toilet facilities, tents, dormobiles & touring caravan areas.  Camping costs £5 per person, with Caravans £10 including hook-up.

Directions; head for Capel Curig, either by A5 from Telford, or A55 from Chester direction.  If approaching the campsite from the A5/Capel Curig route, Willy's is the first campsite on the left.  If approaching from Bethesda/A55 route, follow the A5 past Ogwen Cottage YH and Llyn Ogwen and its the second campsite on the right!

Turn off the A5 into the Gwern Gôf Isaf Lane and cross the cattle grid, passing minibus parking to the left, continue along the lane, at the fork the right is to the farm house and facilities, take the left track through the camping fields, continue through a gap in the wall to the last camping area under a large tree, this is where we usually camp, its shaded in orange on the satellite image.

Activities; A whole weekend's entertainment can be had within walking distance of the campsite.  There is a single pitch crag within the grounds of the Farm, this is where the workshop will be held on Sunday morning, weather permitting.  Many hill and mountain walking routes can be walked out of the campsite, with low level lake and valley options numerous.  Multi pitch climbing can be found at lower grades on the steep slabs of Tryfan Bach or more demanding routes on the mountain faces and ridges of Tryfan, Glyders and Carneddau.  Steve will be organising a wet weather alternative which all are welcome to join in, you will need old approach shoes/trainers/wellies, a fleece trouser and top with old waterproofs or wetsuit.  Alternatively the mountain gear shops of Capel Curig or Betws y Coed might be more appealing!

Peak District Gritstone Climbing

Steve & Amy

Accommodation; Eric Byne Memorial Campsite, Birchen Edge, Baslow, Derbyshire. DE45 1PQ.  Although the meet will be held at the campsite, there are also and number of B&B and country Hotels/Inns in and around the village of Baslow for those that would prefer more civilised accommodation.  The Eric Byne site is situated a short walk up a farm track behind the Robin Hood Inn just outside Baslow village, the site is very basic but ideal for walkers and climbers, as the walk from the road deters most others.  The camping fields are on the open hillside with fantastic views down over Chatsworth, Hassop and Calver, it all feels very wild, with sheep and horses often mingling with the campers!  The facilities are fairly minimal with toilets and cold water sinks for washing etc at best, these are at the bottom of the camping fields by the farmhouse, you pass them on the way into the site.  Those who came on the expedition weekend a couple of years ago will remember this was where we camped on the first night before we set off, a photo is kicking around of Ade trying to make a brew having put his tent up following an evening in the pub, [look up the last meet photo on FB!]

Directions; From Leicester the best approach is by travelling North on the M1 to Exit 29, take A617 to Chesterfield then following on towards  Baslow on the A619 Chatsworth Road (follow brown touroid signs to CH).  As you near Baslow look for the Robin Hood Inn on your right hand side, this is on the Junction with the B6050, if you reach the large roundabout with Chatsworth on the left and A621 to Sheffield to the right, you've gone to far!  The parking area for camping is either the Birchen Edge car park next to the pub, or if its busy the field opposite is often opened for further parking, walk a few yards down the pavement towards the main road and look for the NLMC/campsite signs and a gate at the end of a farm track.  For a more scenic alternative, or to avoid the Friday night M1 car park, head up the A6 from Derby, when you reach Rowsley hang a right and take the Chatsworth Estate Road through Edensor to Baslow, then the A619 up the hill to the Robin Hood.

Action; It is possible to walk to Birchen Edge from the Camping Field, although its easier and still less than half an hours walk via the car to collect your gear.  Also within reasonable walking distance is Chatsworth Edge, probably one of the least frequented of the edges these days.  Curber and Froggatt are a five minute drive away, Stanage, Burbage, Laurencefield (photos above) and Millstone are a few minutes further.  The camping location on this side of the peak is ideal for BH traffic avoidance in hotspots such as Hathersage and Bakewell!  If you would just prefer some peaceful hill walking there are a multitude of possible circular routes right from the camping field.

Annual Club Dinner - Plas y Brenin, North Wales

Accommodation; This has been the most awkward part of the package to arrange, as it is PYB policy not to sell rooms in the main house for bed and breakfast in advance, because they obviously aim to keep accommodation available for course bookings.  Statistically this never happens in November and this year has been quieter than ever, so we are pretty certain to have ample accommodation in the main building for those that want it, rooms in the main building are hotel style twin rooms with some single rooms also, all with en-suite facilities and cost £27 pppn b&b.

We have also negotiated accommodation in one (possibly two if demand requires) of their on site cottages for £22 pppn b&b (£10 for kids 10 and under). The cottages sleep 16 in pairs of bunks up to 6 people per room, each cottage has bathrooms, wash rooms, a dining room, lounge area and kitchen. We have booked the first of the two cottages and places will be offered to people in the order they signed up, if enough interest is shown in the cottage accommodation we will book the second.

Menu

Starter

- Roast butternut Squash Soup -

- Chicken Liver Parfait -

- Smoked Salmon Mousse -

Main

- Braised Top Rump of Beef -

- Lamb Rack -

- Sun Dried Tomato & Goats Cheese Puff Pastry Pie -

Dessert

- Sticky Toffee Pudding -

- Lemon Tart -

- Crème Brulee -

Please email your accommodation preferences to steve.ratcliffe@northleicestermc.org  The options are to take the cottage accommodation on a first come first served basis or to go on the booking list for an en-suite room in the main building which will be allocated to us as priority as soon as they become available.  For those looking for Friday night accommodation, we are enquiring with CMC as to availability at T'yn Lon in Nant Peris. If they are able to accommodate that Friday night, beds will be available in their plush alpine bunkhouse style cottage for up to 20 of us at £8 each.

Directions; Capel Curig is on the A5 (London to Holyhead Road) and PYB is about 400 metres from the village along the A4086.  For full directions and a post code for your Tom Tom (other mobile navigation devices are available) please see the following link; http://www.pyb.co.uk/find-us.php

Action; We have a top secret adventure planned during the day on Saturday, all we can tell you is that it will involve some scrambling, a lot of dark wet tunnels, ladders and some scary abseils into the underworld.  Places will unfortunately be limited due to the sensitive environment in which this activity takes place, and the length of time it would take with an excessive number of people.  With this in mind this activity is best suited to adults or young people who are reasonably confident with abseiling and via ferrata style self arrest techniques.  For those that don't fancy such an adventure, or who have youngsters, a more relaxed half days walk will also be organised, please advise if you would like to join the adventure, which for the benefit of those travelling up on Saturday, will begin at around 11am.

The Chairman's Trail

Peak District Winter Walk

The Roaches - Don Whillans Memorial Hut

Accommodation; Rockhall Cottage (Don Whillans Memorial Hut), The Roaches, White Peak. Derbyshire. SK007622.  Albeit in a more primitive form than today, without mains water, electricity or drainage, Rockhall Cottage was built in 1862 as the gamekeepers cottage.  In the 70’s the whole estate was put up for auction, this was the time when Doug Moller, self-styled ‘Lord and King of the Roaches’, and Annie bought Rockhall Cottage.  In 1990 the derelict and primitive Rockhall Cottage became vacant as the Peak Park re-housed Doug Moller and Annie into a modern property a few miles away. The Peak Park Board then approached the BMC to see if a joint venture could convert the cottage into a climbing hut, they would provide the architectural planning, design, and building expertise while the Memorial Fund would supply the money.

Today the cottage sleeps a maximum of 12 people in 2 first floor rooms reached by a spiral staircase.  The 2 bunk rooms sleep 4 and 8 people respectively on “alpine style” bunks with mattresses.  Places on this meet will be therefore limited to 12, although camping is available near by for any late comers who also wish to attend, accommodation in the cottage costs £16 per person for the weekend, please book your place ASAP as they will be dished out on a first come first served basis!
 

Action; Rockhall Cottage could not be any better placed for climbing, nestled in the trees at the foot of the crag, you could almost lean on the back of the hut whilst belaying!  The Roaches is a great Peak Gritstone venue with a multitude of routes at various grades.

Isle of Skye

Anglesey Annual Family Meet

French Alps Summer Holiday

If you have any questions or queries about any of our meets or events, please email:

meets@northleicestermc.org

N    O    R    T    H       L    E    I    C    E    S    T    E    R    S    H    I    R    E       M   O    U    N    T    A    I    N       C    L    U    B

Home | About NLMC | News | Meets & Events | Articles | Joining NLMC | Contacting NLMC | Links & Downloads | Member Login

IT Package provided by The Business IT Company