Geoff:
Alison arrived at the North London Mountaineering club hut, Capel Curig on Wednesday evening in time to share with Geoff listening to the second half of the Arsenal beating Real Madrid; Arteta’s best result. Great.
Thursday dawned bright and lovely. Geoff and Alison explored the east side of the Carnedds. We found Dulyn bothy which was in good nick and met three young lads finishing day 3 of an admirable DoE gold expedition. We made it up to Foel-fras, Carnedd Llewelyn, a fine ridge to Pen yr Helgi Du, and down a steep bwlch to Cwm Eigiau. In the cwm we found a mountain hut owned by Rugby mountaineering club, a good 3km from the road. 17km round trip. Kyle from Nottingham arrived that evening.
Friday was wet. Kyle went up the East ridge of Y Garn, down the sheep walk and as far up the very wet Devil’s kitchen he could get; as part of a mission to complete the N Wales scrambles. Alison visited Holyhead, Bethesda and lots of gear shops in Betws-y-Coed in a mission to completely re-equip herself. Geoff played with his grandson in Llanberis. Evening chess and cards in the hut.
Saturday was just light drizzle. Alison had to return for work, via Gwydir Castle. Kyle and Geoff did the scramble on Moel Siabod then a session in the Plas-y-Brenin climbing wall.
Sunday was good. Kyle and Geoff shared leads on four routes on Holyhead Mountain. Kyle led another two belayed by Geoff.
Monday – rain. We came home – misjudging the N Wales bank holiday exodus.

Alison:
The Hut is indeed lovely – so peaceful and off the beaten track – with a steep 5 minute “rustic” path to go up to reach the hut -. Basic and with a questionable wood burning heater – but still cosy and pleasant.
On the first day we left the hut on a frosty morning – blue sky and I was hopeful that as Geoff was still recovering from a broken tib/fib I would have a chance of keeping up with him – how wrong I was!! – not only was he on a mission to go up as many steep hills as fast he could (his normal mountain goat speed), in the quickest time, he seems to have a disdain for paths – and so we went the most direct way, across bogs, peat and moss – but to be fair, his navigation was always spot on!. And once my heart rate and breathing returned to manageable I’m so glad we did keep going up and round the mountain range– the area was stunning and we met the most lovely people on the hill and at the little Bothy. The highlight was the cup of tea at the top of Carnedd Llewelyn made with the snow that remained on the hill. For the most the walk the going was easy until Bwich eryl Farchog where we had to go up narrow rocky slope. I then said I was going to follow a fence down into the valley as I’d had enough of going up hills –not the best idea as it was very steep, boggy, and yet also rocky – but the valley below really was lovely and there was an excellent path back to the car – past Llyn Eigiau reservoir that looked as if it had broken its banks some time ago. The road home was narrow, twisty but uneventful
It turns out that Geoff is a chess champion – and I wouldn’t bet good money playing cards against him! It made for a very enjoyable evening. Sad to leave that part of Wales and the good company of Geoff and Kyle.

A rather confused start to this walk – fourteen of us left Baslow at the appointed time but after several messages and phone calls we had gained two more by the time we had reached the top of the steep climb to Chatsworth’s 16th century Hunting Tower. A delightful traverse of Stand Wood followed, with views over Paxton’s 19thC aqueduct folly and down to 17thC Chatsworth House (its 16thC predecessor, once the home of Bess of Hardwick, was closer to the river – only Queen Mary’s Bower remains of it). Next stops were the Bronze Age sites of Park Gate stone circle and the ring cairn of Hob’s Hurst House. In between we lost and regained two of the party who had back-tracked in an unsuccessful search for lost property. We had sight of a medieval guide stoop as we began the traverse of Gibbet Moor – its name a macabre reminder of crime and punishment in earlier times. We passed another stone circle, barely visible amongst the heather, before taking the tricky path above Umberley Brook. We crossed the site of Baslow Colliery, last worked in the mid 19thC with nothing remaining now to reveal its presence, and made our way along the top of Dobb (Chatsworth) Edge before descending through an old quarried area which once provided some of the stone for Chatsworth House. Passing the Jubilee Rock (commemorating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 1897) we made our way back down to Baslow and welcome cups of tea in the Cafe on the Green. Thanks, everyone, for a very enjoyable day – 4 000+ years of history in 9.5 miles..
Steve W

9 members and 4 dogs caught the sunshine on this classic walk . The conditions and the vistas were perfect, highlighting this area of the Hope Valley in the best light. It did however, invite many others to sample these delights and it was very crowded as well being caught up in the maelstrom of an 80 member charity walk. Hike with Mike is a charity rising funds to provide crises mental health intervention, so a good cause. We suppressed any grumbling and enjoyed a convivial walk of 9.1 miles in great weather, catching refreshments at the Adventure cafe in Hope on the finish. Thanks everyone for the great company. Karen and Fiona

After the horrors of storm Eowyn,Saturday 25th was a crisp clear day with little wind.
8 of us met at Litton and were soon on our way through Cressbrook Dale after the descent through Tansley Dale.
Leaving the Dale we headed to the summit of Wardlow Hay Cop blessed with extensive all round views.The permissive path then led down to the road crossing at the start of Hay Dale followed by a short climb past a disused quarry and on to the edge of Longstone Moor,where we stopped for a reviving tea break with more views to enjoy.From there we descended the bridle way to Dale Farm and Little Longstone to pick uo the Monsal Trail.
Following the trail we crossed the viaduct below Monsal Head and took the path towards to Cressbrook Mill,leaving this to gain the high level traverse above Water-cum-Jolly.
Lunch was enjoyed sheltered from the chil wind with views of Water-cum-Jolly ,Cressbrook Hall and the village above, not to mention the Ravens Dale cliffs.
Completing the traverse we descended to Litton Mill and climbed up to Cressbrook village and the sometimes tedious path through the woods above Cressbrook dale.After a bit of slipping and sliding we left the woods with the village of Litton ahead across the fields.
An absolute ace day enjoyed by us all.
Mike D

13 members gathered in unpromising weather near the bus stop by the Fox House at the very civilised time of 11am and were welcomed by this meet leader with a “Happy New Year, you silly buggers” and an outline of the proposed walk – probably not very far if conditions worsened or the Fox House was calling strongly. Then off we set on well known footpaths walking above the crags of Burbage South and then Burbage North, where we were joined by a familiar figure (my lovely husband!) wanting to do an even shorter walk.
At Upper Burbage Bridge 5 peeled off to head directly back down the Green Drive, while the remaining 9 headed upwards to brave the elements over Higger Tor (actually not too awful) before descending through waterlogged ground to the packhorse bridge to join the Green Drive ourselves, and then used the woodland paths to avoid walking on the main road, to arrive at the Fox house, where we managed to secure a corner seating area for a convivial gathering with various drinks (but sadly none of the hoped-for hot mulled wine).
A great start to another Castle year – thank you all for turning up and your usual excellent company.
Vanda B.

With the cycling abandoned, somewhere in the region of 24 new and old members, plus three dogs, arrived at my house for the walk, though I will never cease to be amazed by the capacity of one honorary member (who arrived late) to get lost within 50m of the starting point. The wind had actually dropped a bit since the previous day, but we headed down into the Rivelin Valley with occasional bits of sleet, crossed the river and climbed up the other side towards the Hallam Golf Club. We decided to forego the coffee break at a couple of benches with a view over the Rivelin Dams as the wind hadn’t dropped that much, and there was clearly more weather heading our way. The pub was already in sight, and we reached it just as our missing honorary member caught up, and the doors opened. The Sportsman’s staff were most helpful and efficient in distributing hot roast sandwiches and home-made soup to those who wanted them, and after about 50 minutes we were on our way again. A couple of members (and two of the dogs) dropped out at this point, and the rest of us descended a steep and muddy path below the Three Merry Lads, directly to the Rivelin Dam. There was a minor diversion as one member, doubtless recalling his enthusiastic climbing days of years past, headed up towards Rivelin Edge, rather than taking the gently ascending traverse path through the woods below it, which led eventually to Woodbank Road. The fields above this provided the worst mud and strongest winds of the day, but after crossing the Riggs Road, we were able to take shelter in the woods overlooking the Loxley Valley. A rising traverse, just below the ridge, brought us back to Stannington, and the traditional tea-party, where we were joined by a few additional non-walkers.
Many thanks to all who came, the staff at the Sportsman Inn, those who brought contributions of mince pies, scones etc., and the washers-up. It was great to chat both to old members I hadn’t seen for ages, and to newly-joined ones. Unfortunately since everyone went home I have gone down with a horrendous cold (main symptoms: sore throat, hoarse voice, and total lack of energy), so I hope I haven’t given it to anyone else (Covid test is negative). Merry Christmas to all! JB