Halton Gill – meet report

The annual dinner weekend saw 33 of us descend on the bunkhouse in the tranquil hamlet of Halton Gill. Despite a mediocre to poor weather forecast the excitement was high on the Friday night as various bottles and cans of liquid refreshment were opened and the competitive element of some members started to express itself on the pool table. I won’t go into this in detail but if you come to the slide show in March all will be revealed.
Saturday morning dawned with damp dankness on the fells. Different walking groups formed and at least two of the groups did virtually the same walk in different directions. The point in common was a stop at the Queen’s Arms in Litton where, along with teas and coffees, beers brewed in the pub’s micro-brewery were sampled in front of a roaring fire. Another group set off on mountain bikes bound for a café somewhere over the hills. The dynamic duo of Steve and Hugh avoided the rain by heading underground.
Everyone returned safely with some making use of the sauna to relax before dinner while others made full use of the day arriving back just before and just after the seven o’clock dinner deadline. This was no problem as there was plenty of delicious food for all. Once again club members had risen to the challenge of catering for all tastes and big thanks go to Dave C, Rosy, Mary, Lin, Sue M and Marianne for their hard work in making a great three course meal.
Evening entertainment included laying down challenges for the President to complete in 2019 (these included activities ranging from learning a poem, playing golf, dancing, archery, hard climbs and multiple climbs, through to spending a night on a porter-ledge with Jez). The President, having had a couple of beers and at least one glass of wine, accepted all the challenges. Ali ran a beetle drive, Vanda led circle dancing, there was more pool and more consumption of liquid refreshment.
On the Sunday the weather remained damp but this did not stop the outdoor activities.
Thanks to all who came for contributing and supporting the meet. Now where shall we book for next year?
Andrew and Ali