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 Having just returned from a warm and sunny Kalymnos this miserable weather just now is not so welcome, it was frosty at home the morning after I returned. I don’t mind the frost so long as a sunny bright day follows with a day out to enjoy the Autumn colours, hopefully there will be a few of those soon.

Kalymnos this year went very well with lots of CMC members there plus friends and relatives from elsewhere, in fact someone made the comment it was the best attended meet of the year! A grand time was had by all with lots of climbing but also plenty of relaxation, swimming, good food, good company, Mythos wine and ice cream. We were all sad to leave and keen to go again next year. That keen in fact that a few of us were at Kendal Wall last Sunday training already J

Date for your Diaries

Sunday 5^th November

For those of us keen to keep the road around the quiet side of Thirlmere open, there is an organised protest. Whether it will do any good remains to be seen but at least you can feel you have tried.

AGM 2023

Don’t forget the club AGM on Friday 24^th November at 7:00 pm at Morton Manor. All are welcome it would be good to see some different faces there this year.

Until 26^th November

This looks like an interesting exhibition to visit on a rainy day

Annual Dinner 2023

Annual dinner booked for 20 people at Masala Bazaar Carlisle, Saturday 25^th November 7:30pm. Please let me know if you would like to come as I will need to confirm numbers.

Members’ Stories

Scottish suffering! By Rachel Clarke

I only went and bloody did it!!

The end of 15 and a half days of physical pain and pure exhaustion. Probably shouldn’t have started with Covid gurgling lungs (and I now know pneumonia), but I did. I also probably should have stopped when I developed tendonitis in both Achilles too!

On my own. Yes… I carried my own tent, and I pooed in the wilderness!

389km. 10,200m of ascent. 299 hours of walking. (I know, slow. my usual pace is 4.5-5.4kph. This was 2kph at best) 85% bog… probably. I spent days working out the percentage in my head as I walked. 

14 days of sopping, squelchy feet. It’s a weird experience having constantly wet feet, walking over snow covered bog and boulders. The coldest camping I’ve ever experienced. Waking every morning to a tent rigid with ice. Rivers in spate for the first 9 days, then bizarre roasting hot days for the final few, with snow still around, and the persistent deep, deadly bog. (Yes, people disappear in it)

One Minke Whale, one Golden Eagle on a nest with babies, hundreds of deer, several seals, thousands of ticks, and a hookworm called Harold in my ankle. (I named him after being unable to remove him while I walked) 

The Cape Wrath Trail. Unmarked, mostly pathless. Often treacherous (not an exaggeration). Boggy. Extremely boggy. Walking, scrambling, bog hopping, and hobbling from Fort William to the northern most point in Scotland.

If you’re thinking of doing it. Don’t. Or do it during a warm, dry spell if you are determined enough. Unless you’re into self torture. Then go for it in winter conditions. It was truly breathtaking, however the bog never allowed me to fully appreciate the scenery, as the majority of time I walked concentrating on the ground ahead of me.

On my return I discovered not many people walk it alone. As a result I now hold the fastest known time (FKT) for a solo self supported female. How bonkers is that! Imagine how fast I could go with no bog, springy Achilles tendons, and a pair of healthy lungs….

Next year I have an even longer, and much higher challenge planned. However my Achilles are both still wrecked and the attempt will only be possible with a relatively healthy, fit body. Watch this space!

Editors note – Well done Rachel for carrying on in the face of adversity. I look forward to reading about your next challenge- Rae.

Winter Weekend meets 2024

 19/21 January Newtonmore, 10 places.

23/25 February Glencoe/Corran Ferry, 10 places.

8/10 March Roybridge Little Houses, Nevis Range, 15 places. Further information and costs from Izzy Burnham nearer the time.

Also we are looking for meets leaders for each of these weekends, if you are interested please contact Izzy via email at icburnham@googlemail.com

Clip, clip, clip. By Rob Coles

I love my rock climbing but over the last few years I have broadened my horizons and started taking the odd “staircase” up the rock face, namely via feratta’s. Those of you that have been on a via feratta, or klettersteig as the Germans call them, will know that I have done a great disservice in calling them staircases. They can go through some wonderfully exposed ground and be very strenuous, to show this I will describe a couple of routes that Deb and I did this year.

The first one was at El Chorro, Many of you will have climbed there but the via feratta is a great day out. The route starts just above the Albercones parking area and is easily accessible.

You are straight into a steep set of staples to get you warmed up. We got to the top of this first section and met a guide bringing a family back down, their arms had given up already but fortunately they had enough strength to down climb and gravity didn’t take control. They had made a good decision as it took us another 3 hours from where we passed them. I always wonder what visitors from Europe who have experience of via ferattas make of being asked to pay lots of money to take a quick dash up Honister, the most I have ever been asked for over there is 3 euros.

Anyway, onward and upward. It is not just staples and pegs in the rock, there are cable bridges and zipwires that you need pulley for. I turned our trip into a mini epic by jamming my leashes midway across the zipwire and having to pull myself hand over hand to the far side.

No comments on ‘best profile’ please. Once again Deb asked the question “why do I follow him?” It is the most tired my shoulders have been in years.

The bridges were much more straightforward technically but the exposure is quite daunting when you are crossing between pinnacles and

have hundreds of feet of fresh air below you. This shot is Deb crossing the bridge to the final summit and some glorious views of the canyon. Overall, it took us the best part of 5 hours to complete the full circuit.

Next up was a later trip to the Alps. After a few days mountain biking at Val d’Isere we headed a little further north to the La Clusaz area and a via feratta at the foot of the Col d’Aravis. This col is a regular stage on the Tour de France and there were names of many of the riders painted on the road, the main advantage is that the roads used on the Tour are in excellent condition! This via feratta was not as physical as the El Chorro one but went across some very exposed rock faces with wonderful views.

At the end of the route there was a choice, Deb obviously took the sensible option whilst I went for what looked a more interesting, direct line. Ray will tell you that’s one of my more dodgy habits on the rock face. It did give me the opportunity to pose for a photo. Another fantastic day and we came across some single pitch sport climbing on the way down so came back the next day. The wonders of the variety to be found in the mountains.