Mountain Section

The Mountain Section is open to all members of Reading Rambling Club who like longer or more strenuous walks with a difference.

Past trips have included the Lake District , the Yorkshire Dales, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Exmoor, the Peak District and the Cambrian Mountains.

We also organise occasional holidays, for example, spending a week in self-catering cottages in Ambleside. On another occasion, a small group escaped the English winter to explore the beautiful and rugged Anaga region of Tenerife.

So, if you enjoy hill, mountain or coastal path walking, good company and fun along the way, then why not consider joining us.

How the Wild West was tamed

Dartmoor March 2008

Saturday morning saw everybody arrive early at Brimpts farm for the 12o clock start. Rain and drizzle threatened, and some of us donned waterproofs as a precaution. We set off on the 5minute car journey, crossing the narrow bridge at Dartmeet where a quick glance to the right revealed where the East Dart meets the West Dart before meandering its way to the sea at Dartmouth. Having climbed out of Dartmeet and onto the moor, a parking area was found. Bob Bettridge guided us in a generally SE direction until the Dart, now much wider and containing many people in canoes, came into view. Following the river for a short distance we came to Newbridge where Ralph engaged his tracking skills to discover an ice cream van, and enticed a number of us to join him. Turning northwest to climb up the Dartmoor way and Sharp Tor we were accompanied by ever increasing wind and rain and were pleased, after 8 miles, to see the cars, which whisked us back to base. Our accommodation was a large farm outbuilding conversion, part of which used to be stables, above which there was a large conference room. This was the gathering place for a pre dinner drink from the honesty bar, and some deep discussion before decamping to the farmhouse for the evening meal.

Sunday's 14 mile walk started a couple of miles east of Widdecombe in the Moor under the supervision of John Ledger. We made our way back to Widdecombe via Top Tor guided by the church bells, where Ralph once again engaged his tracking skills to discover a shop which happened to sell ice cream. Despite the weather being cool and damp we decided to join him. A northerly trajectory along the Two Moors way took us to Hameldon Tor from where we turned east. The next two miles were especially interesting as we passed a monument to airmen killed in the war, a 20 feet high wooden chair overlooking a valley, and at the end of the track Jay’s Grave. This is a grave of a lady who had a child by a nobleman, was abandoned and committed suicide. To this day there are fresh flowers on the grave – not to mention some plastic ones.

A group of off-road veteran motorcycle riders were grinding across the moor as we made our way to Hound Tor and on to Hay Tor via the old stone tramway once used to service the local quarries. By this time the weather had improved and the sun shone for long enough for Margaret Brown to roll her trousers up to make shorts until a hailstorm halfway up Haytor reversed her decision. From there we made directly to Saddle Tor and Rippon Tor – except for Ralph who engaged his tracking skills etc… then caught us up. A final half mile descent saw us back at the cars. Despite the odd shower, the visibility was excellent and the views were outstanding, making the walk an absolute joy.

Overnight on Sunday the promised 80 mph wind and rains came. By the morning the drying room had flooded, and part of the car parking area had been washed away. On Monday, the farmer had to use his JCB to fill in the holes before we could move the cars. With the sound of rain, wind, and the JCB in our ears, and after some debate as to the wisdom of a walk, Charles Cotgreave led us in a north westerly direction out of the farm. The overnight rain had turned the tracks into rivers and a number of trees had blown down. For the first half mile we were sheltered by the trees and a wall, but after that the wind and horizontal hail from our left lashed us in quite a painful manner. With our backs to the wind and hail, and feet pointing in our direction of travel we must have looked like the pictures of the Egyptian pharaohs with feet at right angles to our bodies. We reached Laughter Tor, found some shelter from the elements and Peter gave his impression of Charles Penrose, the Laughing Policeman but audience reaction was muted. From there we progressed to Bellever Tor where we turned east with our backs to the weather. Following a bit of road walking we skirted Yar Tor and, unable to use the stepping stones across the swollen Dart as a shortcut, arrived at Dartmeet, thence to Brimpts farm by road having covered some 8 ½ miles. All that remained was to change into dry clothing and enjoy the afternoon tea and cakes at the farm, before saying goodbye to our hosts and wending our weary way home.

A big thank-you to the leaders who, as ever, against all odds came up with some most enjoyable walks.

Peter Knight

Bus Pass Wrinklies go green

Mountain Section Wrinklies trip to Sussex April 24-26

A happy mix of mature and maturing members of the Mountain Section arrived in lashing rain at the Avondale Hotel in Seaford for the Wrinklies’ second long weekend. However, by the time we finished lunch, the weather had relented so, in nice sunshine which persisted for the remainder of our stay, Tony Harrison led us off via the golf course to Seaford Head for fine views of the Seven Sisters. On returning to the Avondale, we found the dining room was booked for a private party: Ledger’s Lovelies. Fortunately, they turned out to be us!

Smart work with a local bus timetable revealed that the remainder of the walks programme could be achieved using local public transport; holders of the newly issued nationwide free bus passes smiled smugly! Accordingly, next morning, the number 12 dropped us at the delightfully named Crapham Hill whence Ralph led us via Belle Tout lighthouse to Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters, cutting inland at Cuckmere Haven to the Exceat Park Centre for tea and scones. The dining room was again booked for a private party: The Marauding Mountaineers. Who? Us!

The buses continued dropping us off and picking us up each day in a very satisfactory manner and, on Saturday, from Exceat, John took us through Friston Forest, up to the Trig Point above Folkington where the party divided, some viewing the Long Man of Wilmington from above while the sprightlier admired him from below. Down then to Alfriston for a walk along the Cuckmere River to Exceat bridge and the bus home. Sunday, Charles led us from East Dean via Birling Gap to the tourist trail over Beachy Head, very conscious of the many signs of serious erosion, both recently past and imminent. The briefest of icy showers struck as we headed back to Birling Gap for tea and the bus.

As our stay continued, so the dining room hosted more and more exotic parties. The Marauding Mountaineers gave way to The Red Reading More Wrinkled Wrinklies (due to the extreme heat and sun exposure in our fabulous micro climate) until finally, on Sunday, it welcomed The fabulous, food munching, cream declining, ice-cream loving, waste nothing, sun worshiping, giggling, gorgeous merlot slurping, beer drinking, raucous Reading Wrinkly Ramblers which just about says it all: we’d obviously worked hard to justify that!

Following Sunday’s dinner, the Avondale management sharpened up our minds with a quiz: some ingeniously baffling photos of the public areas of the hotel and a musical selection from the favourite discs of our hostess Jane’s youth. A hi-fi glitch meant we had live music by Jane and her sister Pam, which was much better than any CD; their hilarious rendering of The Little White Bull will live long in the collective wrinkly memory!

And finally to Monday for a gentle climb to Bostall Hill. Lunch was taken in a beautiful wooded valley whence we emerged, quite suddenly, on to Seaford golf course and, through the poshest of suburbs, back to the Avondale and the journey home. Our thanks to Lynda for the wrinkly idea and for putting it so effectively into practice; to our walks leaders for what proved a very well-balanced programme; and to Jane and Norman Home and their staff at the Avondale, plus sister Pam, who all made us so welcome and looked after us so well.

Kevin Corrigan

See the Walks Programmes for forthcoming Mountain Section weekend trips.