The meet was moved from Castle Naze to Baslow due to the poor weather forecast. Five of us climbed and another couple turned up to watch. Short and sweet climbs on rock wafted dry by a stiff breeze between showers. Come 2.0pm all but two of us had chilled out. Josh [new member] and I wandered over to Curber and grappled with PMC1. A worthwhile day given the weather. Castle Naze awaits another time. Geoff.

Following a poor weather forecast the Wimberry Rocks meet was moved to Wharncliffe, further east and at a lower altitude. It turned out to be a good move with 14 of us enjoying generally warm and sunny conditions the whole day.
Classic routes were climbed in the Himmelswillen, Hells Gate and Long John’s Stride areas. The routes do not get any easier!
Welcome to Josh and Travis who climbed with us part of the day.
David

Four of us set off in bright sunshine from Encliffe Park, busy with Saturday Park runners, to be joined by a fifth member at Forge Dam.
Up the Porter Valley Trail onto Houndkirk moor, where we competed with a large and enthusiastic off road biking group all the way to Fox House.
Snacks and banter while awaiting the arrival of our sixth member ( plus two excited Terriers, whose clear aim was to 1. lead the pack and 2 .Try and keep us together).
Grindleford Community cafe afforded more time for banter and pots of tea before a final yomp up the steep hill from Froggatt Bridge, along the closed road to Eyam and across the fields to Foolow.
Having made such good time, a certain member of the team managed to down two scones, jam and cream before going for an early bus…which never arrived….so it was necessary to support the Foolow well dressing village hall teas next door, where the gallant band drank more tea and ate cake, in support of Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Lots of calories eaten and burned up on this 22k walk (13.67miles).
Thanks for great travel companions, good weather and always stunning views.
Hazel.

7 members attended and set out from Coombs towards Castle Naze- just after the welcoming rain had stopped.
Once on the top we were treated to panoramic views of the whole area.We pressed on along the edge towards Coombs Moss undaunted by the strong wind and the odd passing shower-however the showers were brief and no-one felt the need to don waterproofs.
A delayed coffee stop (and lengthy chat) was taken just by the locked building on the edge of Coombs Moss (the nearby refuge was not inviting).We then pressed on as patches of sunshine appeared.Reaching the western end of the plateau we took a second break/lunch stop with more expansive views .
A steep descent then led us off the plateau to join the path leading to the White Hall Centre,but with the worst mud patch of the day-fortunately with enough strategically place rocks and an escape ramp to avoid disaster,especially for those without gaiters!
Pushing on ,by now in full sunshine, we enjoyed views of Errwood reservoir and the Goyt valley before continuing north above Fernilee reservoir.Field paths then brought us to Wythen Lache farm and the return to Coombs.A small deviation enabled us to climb to the an excellent view point with dramatic views of the Castle Naze wall and Coombs Moss with the valley and reservoir below.
The day was then rounded off, by some, with a traditional end of walk drink in the pleasant “Bee Hive” pub in Coombs.
Thanks to all who came with your great company.
Mike Doyle

14 members embarked on Ailefroide in the Ercins National Park in the southern French Alp, spread over a 3 week period.
The early arrivers managed to secure a big enough area on the campsite to house us all in.
The main activity was the multi-pitch sport climbing crags which littered the area within walking distance. This was mainly on granite slabs so a few of us decided on the single-pitch crag first to get used to the rock (and the heat!). Luckily there’s enough for everyone in terms of grades and if you wanted to top up your tan or stay in the shade.
Other activities people got involved in were the local via ferrata 3 miles away and another at Vallouise which was a Grade 3 and up up up, rather than in the gorge.
E-mountain bikes were hired by Lorna and Simon for the day to test out and although they weren’t a fan of the bikes, the tracks and trails were all a must.
The local walk took you to the Alpine meadow on the way to Clapouse, this was less than 2 hours walk from the campsite and had stunning views, a small snow field, beautiful meadows and the usual chamois. Gemma ran back down the mountain but later confessed she got overtaken by 2 kids!
More adventurous hikes took you on a loop to Lac d’Euchauda which involved a bit of scrambling.
A couple of mountain huts were stayed in including the Refuge du Glacier Blanc, Refuge de Pelvoux and the Refuge du Ecrins. Different parties took on different expeditions from the huts although the overall outcome was the ground was loose and melting. The guides and hut guardians told us that many weren’t going to the summits due to the conditions being harder now due to warmer temperatures. And even those that had visited the area 15-20years ago noticed that the glaciers had receded dramatically.
All those that took part in the expeditions made it back to the campsite in one piece although it was only Gemma that took to the cold-water therapy of late afternoon dips in the glacial melt water stream that ran through the campsite.
All in all, a brilliant venue for sport climbing for all abilities as well as access to the mountains of the Ecrins. No doubt the club will be visiting again in the future (before all the snow goes?!).
We should start and have an annual summer abroad trip for mountaineering and climbing so all get your thinking caps on for a 2024 venue….  Kial

It should also be noted on the Ailefroide Meet Report that club members accomplished many successful summits – Montagne des Agnaeux, 3664m (Geoff, Pete and Phil), Mont Pelvoux, 3946m (Kial, Adele, Mark, Geoff, Pete and Phil), Roche Fario, 3730m (David, Pete and Kial) as well as numerous multi pitch rock routes above the campsite. Phil, a friend of Geoff’s aged 70+, was a lovely guest on the meet who showed that age is no barrier to achievement and good humour. If we get the weather we deserve, then we surely did. My apologies for missing the other peak the intrepid Geoff, Pete and Phil did, within barely 24 hours of arriving at camp, as I don’t recall it’s name! Thank you Kial for organising such a truly successful alpine meet. Mark Proctor

Despite persistent drizzle, 7 of us set off down Cressbrook Dale from Wardlow. We made an early scramble ascent of Peter’s Stone – also a gibbert stone that displayef locally executed criminals as late as 1815. Tried to listen to a local folk song about the history of the area (supplied by Dave C). We continued down dale, overshot turn off, retreated and then ascended to a higher level path with fine views. In a brief let up of the rain we sat for food and drink before the onward summit bid of Wardlow Hay Cop. Photos at trig point completed, we retraced our steps for about half a mile before exiting back to cars. Much needed coffee in a warm cafe ensued. Thank you fellow explorers for an enjoyable Saturday adventure.
Ali

Seven of us defied the rather dire forecast of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Fifteen minutes after leaving Biggin this seemed a tad foolish as the heavens opened and waterproofs were hastily pulled from rucksacks. Nevertheless we enjoyed expansive views northwards over the upper reaches of the Dove as we descended to Hartington. The rain stopped before we reached the village and we were able to enjoy the riparian delights of Beresford Dale and Wolfscote Dale with only occasional light rain and plenty of sunshine. Swathes of harebells imparted a pale blue haze to the steep valley sides and the angular outcrops of limestone provided a stark contrast. Lunch was taken at Coldeaton Bridge with thunder rumbling around the dale and another short-lived shower. We followed the narrow side dale to climb steeply to the farming hamlet of Coldeaton and on to the road from where we had a good view of Liff’s Low. This late neolithic burial mound was one of the very few intact sites to have been excavated in the 19th century, its skeleton and grave goods having lain undisturbed for four thousand years. From there it was a short stroll through the fields to return to Biggin.
Cheers everyone, for making a potentially poor day into a very enjoyable one.
Steve W

Three members, 2 prospectives, and 2 dogs benefitted from the cooler walking temperature today.
Completed 14.8 miles, taking in the best of the peaks varied terrain , bilberries almost ripening, and foxgloves still with their heads above the parapet. Stopped in Hathersage en route to scoop up a CMC member and sample GALA Charity Tea and Scones at Moorland House. Very enjoyable walk, great company. Thankyo. Fiona

Ten of us and Weaver the dog braved the rather wintry conditions in the Sanctuary area of Harpur Hill quarries today. We found most routes quite hard for the grade – or perhaps sports climbing in Mediterranean sunshine has made us all soft! The bolts were quite widely spaced so there was some deft use of clipsticks. Biggest challenge of the day was retrieving a quickdraw left halfway up a route after a failed attempt. It was eventually reached by an impressive pendulum when lowering off an adjacent route. Typically the sunshine arrived just as most of us had run out of strength and were about to leave. Paul.