CYHA News

Easter in the Lakes

What's all this? We're in the Lake District, a land famed for it's stormy clouds and frequent precipitation, it's a Bank Holiday - and it's dry? I can only suppose that someone somewhere was trying to make up for the nightmare journey on the Thursday. Most of us took 8 or 9 hours to complete a trip north that is normally about 6 hours long. Tired, tetchy and hungry we piled into Colin's beautifully prepared meal, comparing notes and coming to the conclusion that it didn't really matter which route you'd taken - they'd all been awful.

So what better medicine than to wake up on Good Friday to sunshine and a light breeze! Set up for the day by one of Dave's classic breakfasts, most of us decided to stumble straight out of the Blencathra Centre and straight up it's namesake. The initial ascent is along a well-graded track which zigzags up the hill past several pleasantly sheltered potential snooze stops (well, you wouldn't want to overdo it on your first day) until it emerges onto the first summit of the ridge. The views were spectacular with paragliders circling past us, their brightly coloured shutes contrasting against the misty hills behind. The walk continued along the rocky ridge and lunch was had just below the true summit at the far end.

Saturday also dawned dry and sunny, although again the haze was spoiling the best of the views. Most of us again decided on a walk that involved stumbling straight out of the centre and this time Skiddaw was the target. But the summit bid was almost put in jeopady by an extended tea break with the warden at Skiddaw House YH (it was only polite).

Easter Sunday was again a nice day, although by now the wind was beginning to pick up rather, threatening change. The group split up variously with many again deciding to walk from the centre (obviously an indication of a great place to stay!). But finally on Easter Monday the weather remembered what it's supposed to do on a Bank Holiday weekend and did it persistently and all day. For some this meant an early start homewards, and for those staying on it meant seeking refuge in the sophisticated bright lights of Keswick and Ambleside. Still 3 days out of 4 ain't bad……

Ali

Blencathra or Bust

Gerry and I left Watford at 7.30pm and, avoiding all the traffic that caused the earlier departees to have 8 to 12 hour journeys, arrived at the centre at 1am.

Having not been in the Lakes at Easter for 2 years, we made the most of the weather with 3 days of glorious walks.

The major achievement for Gerry and I was our first solo navigation attempt. As most of the others were staying an extra night, we decided to climb Blencathra with visibility of about 3 feet. As we could not see anything, we quickly realised we had to use our map and compass in anger for the first time without Aunty Lorna of Chief Guide Tom to hold our hands. And we got to the top and down again without falling off the edge! Dave J.

Australia Slide show

Many thanks to Marion for sharing with us her fabulous pictures of Western Australia. Stunning scenery and unbelievable rock formations left us acutely jealous and wishing we had enough holiday left to do something similar

Africa Slide Show

Thanks to Lynn & Paul for sharing their outstanding pictures of gorillas, lions and elephants.

Baby Boom ~ Congratulations!

To Mike and Helen Atkinson on the arrival of baby Nathan David, born on Easter Sunday.

To Martyn & Myfanwy Davey on the birth of baby Daniel on 15^th March.

To Darren & Dawn Fazackerley on the safe arrival of Gemma Louise, born 11th April, weighing 6lbs 8oz.

Marathon Debut

Well done to Tim Beagles who took part in the London Marathon for the first time this year. After training 6 days a week throughout the winter in some of the hillier part of Yorkshire, he finished in 3 hours and 43 minutes. But he reckons he could trim 20 minutes off if he could bring himself to do it again! His full story in the next newsletter.

Jordans Working Party

We had a highly productive and enjoyable "working party" weekend at Jordans hostel in Buckinghamshire, chopping, lopping, painting, weeding, patio-laying, bonfire-building, tea-drinking, crumpet-toasting etc etc. ....

See the story and pictures of our weekend at Jordans.

Ode to a Food Crate

There was marmalade and spam, and different kinds of ham,

In the crate, in the crate that David had forgot.

There was chocolate and tea, and something nice for me,

In the crate, in the crate that the Chairman had forgot.

There were fourteen types of cheeses and potions for the sneezes,

Lying in the crate, what a state! That the Accountant had forgot.

There were both dead and ex, and eggs with little specs

In the crate (a trick of fate!) that Mr.J forgot

There was rosemary and thyme and a much better bit of rhyme,

Right in the crate, bottom of that crate, that our chairman quite forgot.

We are unwatered and unfed - very nearly dead

Because the crate - the blasted crate - has been forgot.

Ann

Multi-Activity Holiday to the Pyrenees - January 2002

At the end of January I spent a week in the French Pyrenees resort of Luchon on a multi activity holiday. I've been back a short while now and the bruises have just about faded, but the memories haven't. It was a really good week.

On the first day we strapped on snowshoes for a walk to the top of the pass. The views were fantastic, and the sun was very bright and warm. We carried lightweight toboggans with us and after a picnic lunch we had a lot of fun, and a few spills, sliding down a gentle slope.

On the second day we headed for the ski slopes and had lessons to learn how to snowboard. I found this quite tricky, and spent a lot of time falling over!

On Day 3 we went dog sledding, or rather we didn't go dog sledding because the dog handler decided the conditions weren't right for the sleds, so instead we went for a walk with the dogs attached to us. They did help pull us up the steeper parts, but were rather a hindrance on the downhill parts and I got dragged on several occasions! My dog "Sanka" was slightly smaller and more docile than some of the dogs, but I still found her pretty strong!

The following day was our "day off", but instead of resting I hired a pair of downhill skies and took to the slopes at the Superbagneres resort, reached from Luchon via a long cable car. At the end of that day I was very happy to visit the natural thermal baths in the town, and soak my aching legs!

On Day 5 we headed over the mountain roads into Spain, and the resort of Beret. Our guide told us that the King and Queen of Spain really like this resort, and it's easy to see why since there was lots of snow, and plenty of good skiing. We were here to try our hands at "ski de fond" or cross-country skiing, and after a few early falls I got the hang of it, and liked it so much that I went round the circuit again. We stayed the night at a simple refuge in the Spanish village and spent the evening at a Tapas bar. The following morning we went back to Beret and did another walk on snowshoes to a viewpoint where we enjoyed lunch in the sunshine before heading back down for the return journey to Luchon.

Marion

Venezuela Trip

Following recent events in Venezuela, the trip is temporarily on hold until
the situation becomes clearer/safer. In the meantime I'm proposing a trip
to another destination in either Central or South America and am open to
suggestions. The dates will be roughly the same (first 2 weeks in
November) but I'll need to know by the end of June who is interested.
Venezuela may still be on and I'll be checking the Foreign Office's web
pages for the latest news.

Gerry