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A warm and cloudy day on which the Castle Club went to Birchen.
A good turnout of members at Emma’s slab, which was new or at least little climbed for most. A good selection of routes from easier to harder grades, with members climbing most of the routes on the slab. The namesake route was a particular favourite for Gemma & Rosie, whilst Andy preferred the lofty heights of Crow’s Nest. The crag was busy with climbers, with numbers swelling as a group of excited younger climbers passed through on a bouldering / weaselling round of the crag.
After castle numbers reduced to a few we moved across to Sail Buttress where Ratline was boldy led by Nick followed by a jaunt up Top Sail, a lovely climb.
The day was ended or so we thought until Julian appeared, bringing some glorious sunshine and some additional climbing on Orpheus wall.
A really great day, thanks all! Matt. Photos by Rosie:

Five members plus 2 dogs set off on a sunny but blustery day to complete the three hill, ten mile round.. The first and, perhaps, most shapely, Parkhouse was summited and descended within the first hour. With a narrow fin ridge, various descents were chosen, including a bum slide earth gully and the steep and more sedate tussocky grass path.A quick refreshment stop boosted the party for the next short ascent of Chrome .Again, an interesting small peak with limestone caves and outcrops.Lunch quickly followed before more ascent and descent to the pretty village of Earl Sterndale. The duck pond afforded some convenient seats, just in time to witness the feeding frenzy for the resident grey lag geese and and many mallard pairs. A rough track led us to a small lane for the final hill of the day – High Wheeldon, with a short and sharp climb to the trig point.Far reaching views were enjoyed before a knee busting descent into the valley and a short pull back up to Longnor. A great walk completed, at a shifty pace. We rewarded ourselves with tea and cakes at the local cafe. Thanks for the company and a shout out to Alison who drove all the way from Kettering! Ali

5 cyclists set off on what was predicted to be sunny with a ‘moderate breeze’ but translated into very strong winds and intermittent sun.Still a good ride on overall quiet roads in the White Peak. Route went from Bamford to Bradwell and then on to Bradwell Moor ( 1000 of ascent according to Leon’s garmin) Wormhill,Hargate Wall Millersdale, Steep road out of Millersdale to Tideswell then on to Coplow Dale , Bradwell, Bamford. 27 miles 2 cafe stops ( Oggies at Wheston and the Khazi Cafe, Bradwell for ice creams) . Good ride and very good company. Thankyou
Fiona

12 castle members, 2 dogs and 3 potential new members gathered at Windgather on Sunday. Although a little chilly and windy early on, the Sun soon made an appearance to make for some pleasant climbing. Many routes were climbed with several members enjoying the friendly nature of the crag to start leading outdoors. Thanks to everyone that turned up. Kial. Photos by Gemma:

Four of us set off from Pym Chair car park, including new member Simeon. A blustery walk along Shining Tor flag stones led us to the trig point, fine views of Shuttlingsloe, Jodrell Bank and the Cheshire plains. Next we descended into Todd Brook Valley and had a stop at some long abandoned farmstead ruins. Further down the valley, we explored the remote Jenkin Chapel built in 1773 for a local landowner. The second part of the valley offered quite a contrast to the higher moors – both in terms of temperature and scenery – with tropical sunshine,j babbling brooks, working and derelict farms, and endless green pastures. We made a brief skirt around the village of Kettleshulme , before a sharp pull up to Taxal Edge. A detour through some woods gave way to Windgather rocks, where only a few people were climbing.(Good news, maybe for the forthcoming visit!) A further 30 minutes along the edge took us to the cars. Total distance of distance of 10.5 miles (16.9km), arriving just before the weather began to deteriorate. A varied, undulating walk with plenty of interest and great company chat.
Ali

How to turn one day into 3!
Five of us arrived on Friday at the campsite and were treated to an excellent sunset and for some a lovely warm wood stove, courtesy of Gemma & Kial.
The weather for Sunday looked a bit ropey so the Castle Challenge was extended to the Saturday. An excellent sunny climbing day, the five campers were joined by five other members and one dog. The CMC challenge list of 30 climbs on the Upper & Lower Roaches was presented and many took part. Some friendly competition followed with most members opting to climb on the Upper roaches. Many new routes were climbed and repeats for some, though not since the 1980’s! As the day lengthened, scores were totted up, with the most climbs being 8 by one pair. This pair shall not be named at risk of the competition being considered rigged. We didn’t make the overall challenge to climb all 30 routes as a club, though we managed to squeeze in a lot of routes between us!
Sunday was a wet start as anticipated so an alternative walk. Several members had colds at varying stages so opted for home, or a shorter walk en route leaving four (one vaguely healthy!) to complete the total 13.5 mile round from the campsite. The route took us north from the campsite, through farmers’ fields, farmyards (both deliberately and accidentally!) and alongside a wide array of animals. An old working piano took Geoff’s interest though sadly no concerto. Shortly after the meet leader was escorted out of a field by a rather intimidating sheep. Following an eventful morning we made it to Upper Hulme where a trip to the tearoom was in order. Refuelled we made our way alongside Tittesworth reservoir before looping into the outskirts of Leek and the gradual climb back up the ridge to the campsite.
Monday saw us climbing again, with 4 members joining for the day. Most climbed at the Upper & Lower roaches on various routes. A small group split off to boulder in the afternoon. A very sociable time with some delicate and bold moves on the boulders.
Thanks all for a great weekend! Photos to be added to the Facebook page. Matthew.
Gemma’s photos:

Seven of us set off from Clough House car park, near Macclesfield Forest, on a bright but fresh morning. Ascending through fields and quiet lanes, we detoured very slightly to visit the simple church, near Chapel House Farm. A short distance further on, a forest clearing, with ready cut tree stump seats provided our coffee stop, where we admired the valley below . A welcome descent led us to to Ridgegate Reservoir and lunch – where fishing cormorants were spotted. More attractive leafy paths routed us to Trentabank reservoir, a mini sculpture trail and some outdoor singers at the visitor centre. Next came the main objective of the day – Shuttlingsloe (known as the Cheshire Matterhorn), A superb short and steep burst of open hillside took us to a windy 506m summit with full circle views of the Roaches, Jodrell Bank, the Cheshire Plains and in the far reaching distance, the Wrekin. Several group photos later, we set off on a two tier descent (sedate to jogging) back down to the valley and cars. An attractive and varied 8.5 mileish round in this less visited part of the Peak for the Club. Thanks for the chat and company.
Ali

Fourteen members met at the Tremadog hut, owned by Redditch and Broomsgrove Mountaineering club, for the 15th – 18th April. Great weather allowed for lots of climbing on the Moelwyns and Tremadog. So good that by midday Monday most of us were climbed out, and had moved on to the ice cream phase of the meet, or took the early ride home. Popular routes included: at Tremadog; Valerie’s Rib and Christmas Curry; and at the Moelwyns; Africa Rib, Kirkus Direct, Slick and Chic. The hut is immediately below the Tremadog cliffs, so you can gear up and walk round the corner to routes. Other activities included walking and viewing local ospreys. Welcome to Ian, Andy and Eden for their first away meet. For Andy and Eden this was also an introduction to multi-pitch routes. The Moelwyns are ideal for this with a lot of 3 and 4 pitch routes, at an easy grade and with good stances. Thanks to all who led the communal meals, and to the Redditch and Broomsgrove club for running the hut. The hut’s location would make it a good venue for another meet and it does not seem to be used as much as it should be. Rosie is organising the pictures which will appear on social media. Thanks to all for your company. Geoff Nichols

The inaugural outdoor bouldering meet at Birchens “3 Ships” was enjoyed by nine humans and a sheepdog. The older generation set the early pace on the Victory boulder. The highlight was a rising traverse which everyone climbed in a different way but all agreed was more awkward than it looked. Club members from the newer generation then arrived bringing an enthusiasm for sit starts. Henceforth a sit start had to be attempted for every route – even if it was not included in the guidebook description. We moved on to the Defiance boulder and whilst chipped holds are generally to be deplored we discovered that the letter C carved in the rock provided a useful foothold when topping out. We finished the evening by attempting a massive overhang at the back of Defiance. Only Matt managed to get over it but valiant efforts were made by all especially Eden who was only prevented from success by a burst of premature congratulations from his spotters. Paul Embley.