The summer trip to Hathersage took place over the weekend of the 14th to the 16th of July. The summer trip was hotly anticipated by the 17 club members attending and the Old Stables Bunkhouse at Thorpe Farm came equipped with top facilities including a barbecue and an ice cream parlour. Unfortunately, the summer weather did not fail to deliver in true, British fashion and our plans for outside mountaineering activities had to be remodelled to fit around the frequent and heavy summer showers.
Five of us were lucky enough to arrive in the area early on Friday afternoon. Driving down, in the rain, we decided that a session in the Foundry indoor wall in Sheffield would be a more secure option than a cheeky, swift climb at Stanage. Dave M, Sam, Elise, Derek and Jenny managed to do some tricky routes without inflicting too much pain and quit the wall before the rush hour and traffic lights of Sheffield would most definitely sap their resolve.
In the early evening most of the party had arrived at the bunkhouse. Lucy, Charley, Rebecca N, Max, Imogen, Steve J and Emma all arrived in various cars, sharing where possible. Rose M, travelling by train, Ewart and Mel D would arrive the next day. Also Tracey and Mike, basing themselves at a campsite nearby. The bunkhouse was a good size and very well laid out. Fridges were soon full and we even managed to fit in some food. The club was dragged right up to date when Rebecca produced an ice machine for the kitchen which proved an inspired complement to the gallon of aperol spritz conjured up on Saturday evening by Steve. Some of us were found wondering how, in the tough, old days of the Empire anyone could have ever survived a mountaineering trip.
After gathering and claiming a space to sleep Friday evening found us heading down to the Little John pub in Hathersage. We were very fortunate to have a table for 12 due to a late cancellation. The pub was great, very welcoming and busy with good portions of decent food. After a couple of hours there we made our way back to the bunkhouse where socialising continued in the form of Trivial Pursuit. Some of us were found wondering how, in the tough old days………….
Game over. Dave M, Jenny and Lucy the rightful winners. Plans were made for the morning. Basically, there was a decision to see what the weather brings. Some wanted to go climbing, outdoors if possible and others were particularly interested in walking.
The weather in the morning was forecast for heavy showers, kicking off at any time for the whole day. The windspeed would pick up to 40mph in the valley. Emma, Steve and Elise made an early, brave effort to climb a real crag but found a coffee shop for breakfast instead. Rose arrived and along with Derek, Dave, Jenny, Lucy, Charley and Rebecca opted for a circular walk in the local area. Emma, Sam, Elise, Steve and Max drove into Sheffield to try out Awesome Walls indoor climbing wall.
The weather was challenging for the walking group. A torrential downpour within minutes of leaving the bunkhouse tested and defeated all brands of waterproof clothing. Thankfully it was not cold and layers dried out in between the showers. Tracey and Mike were hoping to meet up but the timing of messages and mobile signal reliability prevented us joining. The route went around the road by Stanage Edge then up to the top of Burbage Edge before dropping down to the Ladybower Reservoir dam. The walk gave an opportunity for navigation skills training and Rebecca can now reliably identify a pub on a map. The photography skills of Lucy and Rose were also tested when asked to take a picture of a young couple in a howling gale, just before a hailstorm. We had observed from a distance the young man on one knee, proposing and she, at that point agreeing. We hope the outcome was the same after the storm had blown through.
The climbing group had a full-on, full-day session at Awesome Walls. The GB climbing team were training during the day which was inspiring to watch. For Max, this was his first ever time climbing with a harness and rope. A super venue to get started. By all accounts he demonstrated skill, balance and a natural technique which would put the newcomer into a distictly separate category from some of us in the club. Well done Max. Retail therapy was on the agenda for some after climbing before recovering to the bunkhouse.
Ewart and Mel arrived in the afternoon and went for a local walk up to Stanage and Burbage. When they arrived back at the bunkhouse each were carrying handfuls of meadow mushrooms, foraged on the walk. Perhaps Ewart had thought they would bring an extra dimension to the evening’s entertainment.
During the evening the ice machine was put into overdrive while various forms of entertainment and competition were on offer. Cards or cats cradle being the most memorable. Dave and Rose sorted out dinner for the evening and others helped with clearing the decks and readying the cutlery and crockery. A big team effort and everyone, Tracey and Mike included, enjoyed a grand, social occasion undisturbed by Trivial Pursuit until much later in the evening. Neither Dave nor Lucy were on the winning team this time but apparently everyone behaved very well and there was no cheating.
On Sunday morning the weather was teasing us with sunshine at first but heavy showers and strong wind forecast again. Breakfast was an interesting feature with Ewart’s mushrooms prompting some curiosity. Everyone survived and as planned, started leaving the bunkhouse by 10am.
Max was tempted by the bright start and went for a short walk on Stanage Edge before driving home. Rose, being an energetic type went for a run because there are hills. Lucy, Rebecca and Emma had other things to do so departed to the comfort of their homes. Everyone else headed, once again, to round off the weekend at the Awesome Walls with a gentle Sunday morning session. A good effort was put in by all and it was great to see Mel getting back into the groove with her climbing, belaying and leading on her first trip to a wall in some time. Charley too excelled after a long break from activity. Tracey and Mike were in sickeningly good form doing proper tricky stuff on big overhangs and scarily physical obstacles.
Despite the weather we all had a great fun weekend. The bunkhouse was ideal for our needs and in better, less traditionally British, summer conditions would be a terrific place for easy access to crags for climbing and walking as well as barbecues and ice cream. Everyone brought something to this weekend whether by participating, supplying provisions or just laughing at the bad jokes. In some circumstances the same wild weather may have put other people off, however, it was great to see such an undiluted, enthusiastic response and a determination to get something worthwhile done even against such odds. Well done everyone, thanks for being there and making the most of it and a special thanks to Jenny for organising the trip with only a little help from Dave.
See you next time!
Dave M
Great report Dave as always! And thanks to everyone for a wonderful but slightly soggy weekend.
Derek