CYHA News

This news letter is brought to you by deputy editors Jim and Dave J. We considered changing the format to a red-top scandal sheet, but the group is too clean living; despite much digging, no scandal could be found. Please create some for next year!

CYHA Southern Hemisphere Wales Tour.

Over the new year, we climbed both Table Mountain and the Sugarloaf, without ever leaving the UK. With the exception of New Year's Day, we had bright windy weather. Here are some stories from our week in South Wales.

Tuesday.

Table Mountain.

The advance party of John, Tom, Steve, Colin, Robert and I climbed Table Mountain from Crickhowell, and then walked along the southern ridge of the Black Mountains, taking in Pen Cerrig- Calch and Pen Allt-Mawr. It was bright and wintry, with frost on the ground, and a howling northerly, which we were walking into.

Wednesday

Llangorse

We parked in Llangorse, and went up Mynydd Llangorse, and Mynydd Troed, which sounds like it should be in Lord of the Rings. We think it means either path mountain, or public mountain.

Thursday

Offa's Dyke.

Walking along Offa's Dyke above Llanthony Priory, we noticed all the sheep were staying on the English side of the border. We walked south along the ridge, as far as Cwmyoy, a change from the original plan so we could have the wind on our backs.

New Year's Eve.

The Great Trolley Robbery

The hunter-gatherers, Tom and I, were sent out on New Year's Eve to secure a food supply over the bank-holiday weekend. Abergavenny Waitrose looked like it had been hit by a plague of locusts, with lengths of empty shelves.

I got the last loose bananas, and white onions in the shop, put them in my trolley, and went to get 5kg of potatoes. While my back was turned, the trolley, complete with bananas, onions, and shopping list disappeared. I can only think someone had grabbed it for the bananas.

Tom and I then had to remember what was on the list. Trying Waitrose, Tesco, and Londi's, we found there was no bread or bananas in all of Abergavenny. We had to buy best Aberdeen Angus mince, and organic carrots, so if Tom's shepherd's pie wasn't the "best meal ever", then it's not fair.

The New Year's Eve party started off a little slowly, but Carol livened it up by starting a game of charades. The usual dancing then followed, and there were no fire alarms or power cuts.

New Year's Day

The Future's Bright, The Future's Blorenge.

We saw 2005 in with a jet-wash and blow-dry on Blorenge, a mountain overlooking Abergavenny. The forecast was lousy, but we needed to blow the cobwebs away after the New Year's Eve celebrations.

Walking up to the summit from the car park, into the driving rain and gale-force winds, we received free dermo-abrasion, which gave us a lovely rosy complexion.

On the summit, where we should have had views over Abergavenny and the Usk Valley, we had a spectacular view of the inside of a Tupperware.

Sunday

Sugar Loaf.

A convoy set out for Crickhowell to walk Sugar Loaf as linear walk back to the bunk-house. The aim was to climb Sugar Loaf from a different side, and to have the wind on our backs. In contrast to the previous day, the weather was bright and clear, if cool and windy. There were fine views as far afield as the Malvern Hills (next month's trip) and the Bristol Channel. Coming down, we missed the pub closing by a couple of minutes, and so had to have tea and cakes instead.

Jim

Christmas Dinner.

The annual Christmas pig-out took place at Chignall St. James village hall. Three brave turkeys sacrificed their lives to the cause of CYHA's traditional culinary excesses.

Many people have said how well the dinner went, so thanks to all who contributed by cooking, setting up etc, and thanks to Helen for coordinating by remote control from the Antarctic.

Ian of the Antarctic

When you tell folk that you are going to the Antarctic there are generally some strange reactions, "got family over there?", "going camping?", "you'll see some polar bears" or the usual, you're barmy!, the reply is, it's not that balmy!

I've always tried to avoid tourists and beaches and even the sun - on a trip to Death Valley in 1994 in rained for 3 days - must have known I was coming!

Having been impressed by Narvik and the North Cape 10 years ago, for my 50^th birthday I decided to go South, as far South as possible. Doing the research is the fun bit and then having to decide on a way to get there. There are now some 32 different companies jumping on the extreme South Holiday band wagon, but fortunately summer in the deepest South is very short - when did you last see a Penguin with a sun tan?

There are many rules as well, the International Antarctic Treaty governs what you can and cannot do south of 70 degrees when you cross the Antarctic Convergence. Headaches, not allowed, being seasick not allowed, practically any activity you can name is barred, but it is justifiably, all in the name of conservation of the last pristine wilderness on Earth.

Fortunately, eating is allowed and the final journey solution was by a cruise ship from Puerto Mont in Chile, courtesy (well almost) of Norwegian Coastal Cruises.

More food than Robert can eat, and you DO eat, when you're at sea for almost 2 weeks there's not much else to do!

The first week was Chilean Fjords, full of native Indians and a holiday in itself, then through the Straits of Magellan to Punta Arenas and a trip to the Patagonian Estancias for a traditional lamb barbeque (basically, cut it in half and roast it whole around an open fire in pouring rain). On through the Beagle Channel, round Cape Horn and across the Drake Passage - the worst sea crossing in the world (obviously, they've not used the Woolwich Ferry recently!), ask me, I had a horizontal view point.

Well after that, we returned via Ushuaia in Argentina and I took a trip on what was supposed to be 'The Railway at the end of the World' but it isn't, and I have the photos to prove it!

Santiago saw us doing the usual tourist bit -well someone might need a Patagonia book mark? and then the flight home after an exhausting 19 day bash.

What about Antarctica? I hear you say, ah, well you'll have to see the show, "Antarctica is on ice" until the 23 February at the usual Wednesday venue, see you then?

Ian

Preview a few pictures here