Hertfordshire Mountaineering Club
Dear HMC Members
In June the HMC went to the Peak District to try out their moves on some real Eastern Grit!
Getting to grips on the gritstone!
The HMC also went to the Lake District in August for a summer camping trip and got some great weather it seems.
Left: A male Kestrel – not quite an Osprey 50L backpack as we originally thought. Right: catching those sun beams!
A definite favourite for climbers and coastal walkers is our Pembroke trip coming up on the August Bank Holiday. Camping in Pembrokeshire; tides are favourable this weekend for climbing sea cliffs. Plenty of walking & biking can be done in the area too. Campsite, Glebe Farmhouse, Bosherton. The camping facilities are basic , but normally does have a freezing cold shower which is great in summer, plus easy walking to the local pub with great food.
Great sea cliff climbing in Pembrokeshire and lots of coastal walks
The HMC pub social is at the Three Horseshoes as usual from 8.30pm in the main bar at the Three Horseshoes, 612 Hatfield Road, Smallford, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL4 0HP. Come along and have a catch up with fellow members, make arrangements for trips, talk about your last adventures and meet prospective members.
Upper Booth Campsite is situated on a working farm on the National Trust’s High Peak estate in the Peak District National Park. The site nestles in the western end of Edale alongside Crowden Brook as it tumbles down from the Kinder plateau.
Upper Booth Campsite and camping barn make an ideal base for walkers to explore the hills and moors of the High Peak. Indeed the Pennine Way actually passes through the Upper Booth Farmyard. The walks in this area of the Dark Peak originating from Upper Booth vary from leisurely valley bottom strolls to the more challenging routes onto the moorland of the Kinder Plateau via Crowden Clough or Jacob’s Ladder.
http://www.upperboothcamping.co.uk/
HMC have managed to secure one dormitory sleeping 8 in this lovely bunkhouse on the North Yorkshire Moors Abbot’s House Farm, Goathland, YO22 5NH
Goathland village is a 15 minute stroll away along the farm road or on a path across fields. Located on a farm of about 40 acres in the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, this is an ideal base for walking, cycling or simply relaxing on the farm or in the village of Goathland, 10 miles from Whitby.
In Goathland, the farm is sign-posted next to the Goathland Hotel, opposite Goathland Garage. The farm is about 800m along the lane. The lane, which is a bridleway, is the track-bed of the original Grosmont to Pickering railway, and crosses a neighbouring farm to reach our site entrance, marked with sign boards. The bunkhouse and reception are a little further on, turning left, towards the house and farmyard.
Accommodation is provided in a converted stone-built barn, on two floors. Accommodation includes a lounge with a wood-burning stove which provides heating and hot water in addition to the gas heating. The bunkhouse has a fully-equipped kitchen, dining room and first floor dormitories. Cloakroom facilities are in the adjacent connected building, consisting of one shower room with toilet and hand basin, one shower cubicle, and one toilet and hand basin.
A HMC tradition, and the most popular meet of the year. Held at the Snowdonia Hut, 3 course meal (including Bangers and Mash) is cooked by the committee for the members on the Saturday night (bring your own beverages). Fireworks are set off out the front and team games are planned indoors. The rest of the weekend is what you fancy, climbing/walking/scrambling in the local area.
Log fires, oak panelling and even its own beer and music festival – all of this makes this 17th century manor house perfect for weekend breaks or family getaways in Derbyshire. The hostel is in a lovely, unspoilt area of the Peak District National Park – just right for activity breaks and walking holidays.
Hope to see you all at the next club trip to Pembrokeshire
All the best
Steve Deaville
HMC Secretary