The Club took over the YHA hostel at Hawes for this November meet and I must say that it was a very pleasant and well laid out hostel. Friday was a beautiful day and the forecast for Saturday was wet and windy and even up until midnight the moon was shining brightly and I thought that forecast had to be wrong but I was wrong and the forecast was right.

Even with the awful weather on Saturday everyone went out although John and Enid McPartlin and Alan Maitland decided not to go up but down and went to visit White Scar Caves.

However, most of us decided to face the rain and wind and these are the walks that people did on Saturday:

Gill, Arthur and John D went up to Great Scunner Fell, oops sorry, Great Shunner Fell

Alan and Kate Stewart climbed Pen-y-Ghent

Dave, Alice and Rodger Noble started at Buckdon car park to Pike and then to Kettlewell

Mary Cox, Sue and Gordon went up Great Coum/Crag Hill

Colin, Phyllis and Elizabeth went up Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent (the only group to come back in the dark)

Margaret Noble, Connie, Fiona A and Elspeth’s route was Hawes, Cross Rigg, Thorney Mire House, Thorns, River, and back to Hawes

Stella, Caroline, Alan, Jon Barnes, Stefi and Daniel went up Dodd Fell Hill

David Foster, James Smith and Harrold went up Great Shunner Fell

The biggest party was David and Mary Reynolds, Shirley Gould, Henry, Janet, Monica, Fred, Chris and Dave, Sally, Caroline and Alan. They all planned to go up Dodd Fell but some turned back because of the really strong winds and driving rain.

There were three minor casualties due to the strong winds:

Harrold bleeding shin

Elizabeth bleeding nose

Sue did get blown over but no obvious damage

Mary had organised a great meal in the hostel on Saturday night and there was certainly no one going hungry as the portions were very generous.

Sunday walks with good weather:

Gill, Arthur, Sue, Gordon, John D and Francis all went up Dodd Fell

Henry, Fred, David Foster and Stella went up the Calf from Cautley

David and Alice went up the Calf from Sedbergh

Monica, Colin, Chris and Dave, Enid and John, Elspeth, Mary, and Janet went up Great Shunner Fell

This was my first visit to the Yorkshire Dales and I think the Club should consider another visit to the area in the not too distant future.

Elizabeth Maitland