Author: Peter Shortt

Just read the lates copy of Summit – shows how out of touch the BMC can be. A short section about Dovestones ends with ” the ideal location for a walk without another person in sight. ” This comes at the time when all the stakeholders are putting together a strategy to manage the massive influx of visitors to this popular area. Happy to buy anyone a pint if they can ever get a photo of Dovestones with no one in sight!

Just to show I’m not idling my time away. So where’s this crag?

JUST BACK FROM A BIT OF AN ADVENTURE – CAN ANY OF YOU WELL TRAVELLED MEMBERS NAME THIS CRAG?

Now im retired (sort of ) can visit interesting places. Has anyone got any guidebooks or maps to Bulgaria – around Bansko and the Pirin Mountains and also the Zillertal/ Mayrhofen area. Happy to beg, borrow or buy. Now packing to take a walking group to Cuba

Just had an email from Geoff Bell which reminded me of all our Tour exploits. For you newer members i used to arrange (perhaps arrange should be disarrange) a trip to see stages when they were largely up north in Europe. I think Geoff and i were the only members who did them all. This years tour started in Brussels and went up the Mur de Gremont (or Gerardsbergan in Flemish). We were idling up the bottom slopes when we were passed by a young poser in all the gear, flash bike etc – Geoff got on his wheel saddlebags flapping and cruised up behind him – the guy accelerated, Geoff stayed on his well and the cruised past him to show who was boss (i suppose nobody had told him about all the long distance records Geoff had held ) Another trip Geoffs seat post bust , he was quite happy to cycle out of the saddle all day – but a bit of a trespass on a building site found an exact fix for the post. We also enjoyed sleeping with the coca cola girls one night and enjoyed Simons help in discovering gourmet food at little local[…]

See the whole scheme has been cancelled. It was funded by DEFRA – another example of our government being out of touch and wasting our money – BUT maybe it was a softening up exercise so keep vigilant.

As a club we have always wild camped from the easier High Camp to the intrepid igloo meets. Now it seems you can book to camp in the Lake District National park through UKwildcamp.org – you have to book and PAY. The site also emphasises that it is ILLEGAL to camp in the national parks. Don’t know what our so called national body is doing about this. Perhaps the committee should look at it – we might have to go back to having a mass trespass – i know some members can remember the original ones in the Peak. I guess this is all part of the present governments agenda to get us to pay to access our countryside!