This is a long report, but then again, we had lots of adventures! Probably best to grab yourself a cuppa first…
Well
what an absolute scorcher of a glorious bank holiday weekend that was!
Over
Easter weekend, 30 Scouts, Explorers, Network and Scout Active Support members
from Hampshire Scouts made the annual pilgrimage to Great Tower in the Lake
District for a luscious weekend of walking, climbing, camping and ghyll
scrambling.
Last
year, the weather was considerably snowy and had the addition of sideways hail
hitting your eyeballs. This year however, with highs of 24*, welcome breezes
and well-deserved ice cream breaks, what’s not to love?
As
always, we set off on Thursday evening, vans were packed with excitement, kit,
food, and quite a lot of naan bread, we arrived at Great tower at a respectable
midnight, with all the busses close behind- We think this is one of the
earliest times we have arrived, and our beds were calling us for a good night’s
sleep.
Friday
After
a late-night arrival, we were up early on Friday to make the most of the sun
and started with a good hearty breakfast to give us lots of energy for the day
ahead. We split into groups for the day with Chris and Rich leading four new
members who hadn’t spent much time in the hills before on their first mountain
day up a classic Lake District peak, The Old Man of Coniston. It was a hot day so they had a welcome stop at a tarn
on the route up to cool down (though not all the group was convinced that the
stream water was safe to drink!). They made the summit in time for lunch and
enjoyed the great views over Coniston Water before taking a longer route back
down (ice creams on the way home well deserved).
Jamie and Besty took other new members up to walk the Old Man
of Conistion too via the Walna Scar Road summoning on Brown Pike, Buck Pike and
Dow Crag to a very busy top at 803m. On the way down they swam in a tarn
to the bemusement of the other walkers and explored the ruins of the old
quarry.
Tom,
Rosemary and Tilly had a navigation day up to Bow Fell, the heat was a scorcher
with no shade. With crystal clear water pools on the way down, they too were
thinking about going for a dip…. Until the discovery of a dead sheep near the
pool was enough to deter them. Tom wanted to take the sheep skull home, but
Rosemary didn’t think it would go with their living room decor… Such a spoil sport.
Dave,
Chardae, Kirsten, Kieran and Josh went on a scramble up to Stake Ghyll before
climbing up to Angle Tarn, they then scrambled up to Esk Pike onto Bow Fell,
before walking back down to Dungeon Ghyll. Adamant they would stay dry all day,
they did all manage to…except for Josh.
Russ
started his day with a trip to the shops to replace the 80+ sausages that the
Robinsons had left in the freezer….
After
a long day in the sun, we descended back on GT for some dinner and debriefs.
Due to late evenings and early starts, after dinner we went round the room to
introduce everyone. It was great to have 10 new members as well as hear all
about the old HSX expeditions to Malawi, Cambodia, Patagonia, Corsica,
Nepal……….
Saturday
Saturday was another great day and after tackling The Old Man
with no difficulties Chris, Rich and the boys decided to head up Helvellyn, one
of the highest peaks in the Lake District. They spent the climb up working on
navigation skills and met up with another HSX group at the top. Even though it
was another scorcher only Chris and Rich fancied a dip in Grisedale Tarn to
cool down! They were back at the bus a bit earlier than Friday so had some time
to look round Ambleside before dinner (and fill up on ice creams!)
Jamie’s group also tackled Helvellyn via striding edge and
descended via Sierra edge. It was blisteringly hot and they tried to swim
in red tarn but it proved too slippery under foot!
After a bit too much sun the day before, Tilly, Rosemary
Kirsty and Finn decided on a smaller, less high, easier walk as Finn had
informed us he didn’t like mountains. Whilst we were ploying Finn out of bed
with fresh coco pops, Kirsty decided on a ‘small’ walk up to Eesdale Tarn in
Grasmere. Spying a pharmacy, the last bottle of sun cream, seemingly in the
whole of the Lake District was bought and off they went. Again, with no shade
the walk proved quite difficult in the sun, but a lot of nav practice was had.
On reaching the tarn, picnic lunch ensued. Back down via the ice cream man, a
good day was had. Tilly’s top tips for tarn swimming include not stripping off
while DofE groups are on the horizon and not choosing to ‘swim’ in part of the
tarn where there is a floor bog.
Chardae’s group also hiked up Helveynn via
Striding Edge and down swirrel edge. They went for a swim in Red Tarn while
Dave ran to Catstye Cam- bets on the closest time it took and the winners got
ice creams! After dinner back at base, they then hiked out to Rydal Water and found a new location to camp up by Buckstones Jum. A
mild night meant we could sleep under the stars, though it didn’t make the
natural plunge pool any warmer in the morning!
Back
at Great Tower, we were joined by some Old Skool HSX for dinner. Ian had spent
the day doing an 18km fell race and the Roses had all been climbing with Dan.
(I can’t remember where, sorry!) Russ and Adam had also gone bird watching,
after finding no Ospreys, they had found some grey seals…
Sunday
With
our last full day in the lakes we were up even earlier! Breakfast at 6 was
beginning to be a struggle for some, but again we headed out for some great
adventures.
Jamie
and Rosemary took the 10 Explorers Ghyll scrambling alongside an instructor from
GT. They ventured up stickle ghyll, climbing,
scrambling and swimming their way up to Stickle tarn at 403m! It was
amazing fun, however the instructor Miles couldn’t keep up and they had to keep
stopping for him!! (they think broke him) Great feedback from Miles on how
adventurous, safe, and trustworthy the group had been!
When one half of the team think they are posing for a photo… and the other half thought differently.
Tilly Tom and Kieran headed out an a nav ex learning about
ticking feathers, thumbing the map and just honing in on map skills. Top tips
from tom here included that if you’re meant to go up… don’t go down! Reaching
the top they then went down via Pavey Arch and ran into the ghyll scrambling
group having a splash about cooling off after their day. Chris and Rich shortly
followed and as a group they all made their way down together… I think Miles
was relieved that the end of the day was in sight!
Debriefs and dinner again followed for our 5:30 am start
home.
I would like to say thank you to all those who helped plan
this weekend in anyway. Rosemary and Tom for food and logistics, Russ, Jamie
and Josh for sorting the kit out and those who offered and help take groups out
on the k=hills. Your time and skill is all greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Another
successful weekend in the Lake District. We are already looking forward to out
next adventure in North Wales in June. Keep an eye on your emails as the invite
has already gone out!
Have you got anything planned for
Easter weekend? If not don’t worry!
Are you interested in a long weekend of climbing, ghyll scrambling (Abseiling waterfalls and jumping and sliding into
pools of water) and hiking in the Lake District?
Between Thursday 18
April – Monday 22nd April in the Easter Holidays Hampshire
Scout Expeditions are running our yearly trip to the Lake District, staying at
Great Tower Scout Activity Centre.
Cost: £155 all-inclusive of food,
accommodation, kit hire and transport to/from and around The Lakes.
Deadline for signup is SUNDAY 24th MARCH!
Current members please keep an eye on your emails for one wizzing its way to your inbox!
Interested in a long weekend of climbing, ghyll scrambling (Abseiling waterfalls and jumping and sliding into pools of water) and hiking in the Lake District? ( Here’s a video of last year!)
Between Thursday 29th March -Monday 2nd April in the Easter Holidays Hampshire Scout Expeditions are running a trip to the Lake District. We will be staying at Great Tower Scout Activity Centre and will have an action-packed weekend full of activities.
Please find below further information, and continue to fill out the Google form if interested.
The fun kicks off leaving Ferny Crofts on Thursday 29th March from around 6 O’clock pm. There will be pick up points at Winnal Tescos as well as Eastleigh train station, however please indicate on the form your preferred pick up point.
During the course of the weekend, we will be staying in indoor accommodation at Great Tower Scout Activity Centre. (LA23 3PQ) The weekend will follow plans of hiking , climbing and Ghyll Scrambling. A great opportunity for both those new to mountaineering wanting their first experience outdoors climbing as well as those working towards qualifications to get log books filled up that extra bit.
So the Cost: £120 including transport to, from and around The Lakes, food, accommodation and kit hire.
The £120 can be paid by BACS (see details below), or by cheque payable to: HAMPSHIRE COUNTY SCOUT COUNCIL
Bank: HSBC
Sort Code: 40-46-39
Account Number: 51260936
Payment will secure your place on the trip.
If you’re paying by BACS please put ‘HSX-Surname’ (EXAMPLE: HSX-Griffiths) as the reference.
With a new year came a chance for another year of adventures- this is 2017 so far….
January- Dartmoor
The weekend started with a drive down to a scout hut in Dartmoor. We were very excited to receive our first Patagonia team kit. We were each given a light blue t-shirt which had our Patagonia 2017 logo on it, which the team had designed previously. After a few hours of patchy sleep, we headed out into the moors. As soon as we started walking we saw that all the water on the ground was frozen. This meant that Tilda managed to take out Nathan on the ice, nearly jeopardising the whole trek. After hours of trekking through frozen bogs we ended at the chosen wild camping spot for the night. We made dinner and played cards in the freezing tent until we dragged our bodies out into the cold and dark for some night navigation. Finally, we went to bed for some well-earned sleep.
The next morning, we were up, ate breakfast and were out by 08:30. We started by spending half an hour attempting to cross a river. We then trekked back to the vans through more bogs and practicing more navigation. Overall the Dartmoor weekend was…an experience.
February- Scotland
The Scotland trip gave us, as a team, a good feel for how life will be, when hiking in Patagonia. With crampon skills, ice axe arrests, navigating through the valleys and the peaks, and long treacherous hikes we are feeling very prepared.
The week started with a very long arduous journey up to Scotland via mini bus. We had a top of night at a scout hut in Carlisle, where we learnt some judo skills with Rob as the instructor. Once we had reached the lodge in the Cairngorms, we sorted out what rooms we were staying in and then set off for our introductory walk. It was a gentle walk around a scenic loch. After taking lots of photos, we returned for a well needed uninterrupted sleep.
The first day of proper hiking (the Sunday) was spent hiking up the ridge towards 1141. We stopped half way up and learnt our first load of snow skills. We learnt ice axe arrests and had some spectacular fails but mostly just good practice and success. The most spectacular display of what not to do, was Tilda trying to do an ice axe arrest head first on her back and just panicking, dropping the axe and coming to a messy halt because of her heels digging into the snow. After sufficient practise and some lunch, we continued traversing up to 1141, then along the plateau and over Cairngorm. It was a tiring first day but we learnt lots and felt very skilled for tackling mountains!
On one of our rest days we still woke up for breakfast at 07:45 still but then instead of heading out to the mountains we had a talk about packing an expedition pack. It was very useful and we all learnt a fair amount. We then went out for a short hike to a bothy. A bothy is a small hut, sometimes with a fire place, to get out of the elements and sometimes to sleep. We went to see what one is like as we will hopefully be staying in one on Thursday night on our overnight expedition. We headed back for lunch and then went for a distillery tour about an hour away from our lodge. However, sadly, we couldn’t drink. It was a great day and lovely to have a break from such tiring daily activities, usually.
April- Lake District
Over the Easter weekend, we drove up to the Lake District for a weekend of hiking, climbing and scrambling.
We kicked off our adventurous Easter weekend with a hike, sharing navigation (Friday). After reaching the base of Pavey Ark we manoeuvred around Stickle Tarn to the bottom of a scrambling route called Jack’s Rake which is a grade 1, 3 star scramble. We kitted up with helmets (and snacks) before beginning the ascent. Most Jack’s Rake was enclosed however some parts were exposed to the elements which worried. Nevertheless, after a slow scramble, we emerged at the top of Pavey Ark where we had lunch. We then did some micro-navigation across the ridge lines to High Raise before heading back to Great Tower for the evening.
On Saturday we drove out to Bowderstone where two climbs were set up for us. We rotated around between climbing, belaying and tailing. After that a long, much harder line was set up with a top belay. Everyone tried their hardest to complete it however some people didn’t manage it. Later on, we moved to a long abseil before driving to Keswick where we had an ice-cream and a cup of tea then headed back to the activity centre for some well-earned rest.
After Saturday night’s dinner, the team were driven out by Alan to the base of a valley. We hiked up it in the dark and although it was hard going and steep, it was enjoyable as it was something different. We skirted around Grizedale Tarn and set up camp next to the shore. After a satisfactory night’s sleep, only interrupted by Dan’s snoring, we were walking out by 09:00. We took turns navigating and our navigating skills had definitely improved since Scotland. We slowly trudged up the ridge to Fairfield’s peak and as we got higher the visibility got worse because it had started snowing. At the top, we got out the cold wind and snow in a small wind shelter. We struggled to navigate off Fairfield as the visibility was so poor but once we got on our way we made good time. After a tough and very damp day we made it down to Ambleside where we were picked up and driven back to Great Tower. We had a great group singalong on the way back and then got straight in the lovely hot showers. After showering, we met as a team and had a debrief and then got on with organising our July fundraiser. All in all it was a fun weekend with lots learnt and experience gained.
We are still not done yet for this year!
We have fundraising days planned for our expedition, as well as a trip to the Peak District in June,
-The Patagonia Team
As always…
Don’t forget to take a look at our website!www.hsx.org.uk
This Easter 47 Explorers, Network and Scout Active Support members returned to Great Tower for an amazing weekend walking, climbing and ghyll scrambling in the Lake District.
Arriving on Thursday, some at a respectable time, others at 1:30 am after getting lost near (not in) a ford, everyone’s beds were calling for a good night’s sleep.
Friday started with a fabulous hearty breakfast and everyone getting split into groups for the day.The Patagonia team lead by Chris, Rich and Ellis went for a day’s scrambling at Jakes Rake on Pavey Arch providing some quality team bonding as they prepare to head off on their expedition this Christmas.
Dave, Matt, Dan and The FC All Stars took to Multi pitching at Guillecombe Butress and walking group one started from Dungeon Ghyll car park and headed over Angle Tarn.
After dropping groups off, Nick and Tilly headed to Shepards Crag. With a first attempt at Kransic Crack Direct (HVS 5a) which didn’t go to plan, they then moved to Brown Slabs area for an attempt at something ‘a little less scary’. This took longer than expected so after a 8 hour day at the crag Tilly only managed to get one climb completed, and an abseil in a rescue attempt to collect Nick’s gear from the rock. However, she did get to play with a husky puppy for about 4 hours so all was not lost.
The walking group lead by Alan spent the day conquering Stickle Tarn ending up in Ambleside where Ed bought a lovely red coat and Ross was forgotten.
On Saturday the Patagonia Team plus some new HSX members, I think they were from Andover? Climbed at the Bowder Stone Maximum effort was had all around with newcomer Emma completing a climb she was convinced that she couldn’t do. Well Done!
Everest Dave and everyone else headed back to Shepard’s crag to learn about gear placement, and have a go at lead climbing. Florence and Bradley successfully completed their first Trad lead climbs and Dave found out what ‘being a snake’ meant from the youngun’s. Every day is a learning day after all.
Matt and Lucy trekked further down the crag over everyone’s favourite scree field of doom to Brown Slabs to make easy work of the one climb Nick and Tilly completed the day before. Dan and Tilly also headed out to Brown slabs completing Brown Slabs Crack (VS 4c) and also smashing their way up Kransic Crack Direct, much to Dan’s delight.
The walking team, getting in much needed quality mountain days for ML assessments went to Keswick, completing the Dollywagon and Neathermost Pike routes. Not only did they find an epic bothy full of cakes, they also stopped momentarily to pose like a 90’s boyband, overall the team had a pretty chill day out.
Easter Sunday came around too soon, and the Easter bunny was nowhere to be seen. Probably held up in some traffic in Ambleside. After a wild night camping on Helvellyn on the Saturday and no sightings of the Easter Bunny either, the Patagonia team’s Sunday started with a walk out with the day ending up in Keswick for some shopping and a mooch round the market.
Dave, Lucy and Dan multi pitched Troutdale Pinnacle, a respectable 6 pitch Severe 4a, however due to the rain turned into an E 50 equivalent.
On Sunday, the last two surviving members of the Cambodia Leader Team and ten other brave souls confronted the cold minus temperatures of the water to go Ghyll Scrambling at Church Beck. Ghyll Scrambling if you don’t know it, is working your way up a scramble, that scramble however has a river running through it, which sounds lovely if it was 30 degrees and not -3. After 2 hours in the water jumping into plunge pools only resulting in instant brain freeze, some rather spectacular dance moves and slowly loosing sensation in every part of our bodies we completed the scramble and returned back to base for warm showers and copious amounts of tea.
With the weekend drawing to an end, there was time for one last bit of fun. One of our resident chef’s Karina had spent the day making some lovely vegan friendly Easter nests for us to nibble on while Ian briefed us on the rules of quizzmania. After a purchase of a quiz book during the day Ian decided it was time to unleash some facts. Many have said that this could be a new tradition for the Lake District… We shall now wait in anticipation for quiz night next year… with prizes…
An early start on Monday leaving before 7 meant for early nights all around. The Easter Bunny came over night, meaning treats for the bus journeys back.
Thank you to everyone who helped organise this trip in any way, especially Steve and Karina on doing a marvellous job with the food and keeping us from going hungry.
Our next trip is to the Peak District in June for a weekend of climbing. Keep your eyes peeled on our website for details soon.
We hope to see you there!
Don’t forget to take a look at our website!www.hsx.org.uk
