It was a lonely spot. A rustic cottage deep in the woods, distant from the hum of civilisation. Just the wind in the trees and the screech of an owl, and the darkness pressing against the windows. The whole building had a pervasive chill, as if dying, only to be …

Our February trip took us to the Jarman centre in Newmarket. The building is located in a lovely patch of woodland just to the southeast of the town. At the time of our visit, it was carpeted with snowdrops. Owned by the Girl Guides, the building is named after Alice …

The day dawned cloudy, but all things considered quite pleasant at around 5° C, the tops surrounding Castleton well clear of cloud with a north-westerly light to moderate wind. After breakfast I went to the car park and the sight of the hills to the north beckoned. I changed to …

"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote Thanne longen folke to goon pilgrimages......" (Geoffrey Chaucer, prologue to CT)

Over 600 years later, it was November rather than April, but the urge to travel to far places in CYHA has never been …

Our early October trip was to the magnificent Ravenstor hostel, between Bakewell and Buxton. As usual Friday night saw us all homing in on the hostel, some via pubs, some to eat at the hostel, George via a traffic jam on the A14.

For our Saturday walk, we decided to …

Our August trip was a visit to the hills of Snowdonia, or Eryri as it is in Welsh. It’s always a bit risky going to the mountains for August Bank Holiday and for us it was no different – unless you were Lynn. By some miracle wherever Lynn was the …

It was July and it promised to be a sunny weekend. Jim had booked a bunkhouse on the Norfolk coast at Burnham Deepdale and we arrived just as the Olympic opening ceremony was taking place in a rather damp Paris. Our warm-up for the weekend was sitting in front of …

On our trip to Claxby in Lincolnshire, we marvelled at how quiet the villages were. However, you don’t need to go back all that far to find a very different history.

All along the steep western slopes of the Lincolnshire Wolds, between Market Rasen and Caistor, there is a …

It was the end of a beautiful Spring day, but as the sun set the air took on a clammy chill. The route back from the pub took us past the deserted grave yard opposite the towering gatehouse of St Briavels Castle. Cobbles, rounded by centuries of wear, led us …

In May the club sojourned a week in Budapest and I know that I can say that without exception all participants had an absolutely wonderful time. A lot of planning and organising was devoted to making this such a splendid and memorable week and to the organisers many thanks are …