October News

Bill Sidlow should be with us today, following his hip operation, he won't be up the mountains but he will be out and about in Keswick, we all wish him well for a full and speedy recovery.

The trip to Leyburn, in August, proved again the popularity of the Yorkshire Dales. Despite being in a historically bad month, for attendance because of holidays etc, we had one of our best trips of the year and once again the organised walks proved popular. Personally I like to walk on paths that I have not been on before and especially with good company. It was a 'mixed group', who came with me, and ranged from seasoned members, (no offence meant!) to people who had not walked with us before, I also had some of the hardened 'mountain men' who didn't know what to do without Paul Darcy! I think that they all enjoyed it!

I would like to thank Richard, on behalf of the committee for leading the other walk which again was well attended and enjoyed by all participants.

It was also good to see more new members on the Langdale trip and most welcoming to see the return of Kathryn Haworth, an ex member who has moved away from the Burnley area. All accompanied me on a walk, designed to miss the worst of the weather. from Coniston via Tarn Hows and Skelwith Bridge and then the Cumbria Way. The weather was atrocious but spirits were good and the fact that the runners, participating in the Langdale Marathon, looked a lot worse off than we did, lifted our spirits! The walk along the road to ODG meant wading through a foot of water, but that was no problem for the die-hards who prefer their pint in a proper pub!

We returned to Grinlow Cottage, Derbyshire, for the September hut weekend and a very pleasant weekend was had by all, the weather was reasonably kind to us and most joined Roy on his walk in the Derbyshire Dales. It was a bit too soon for the full effect of the autumn colours but, nevertheless Derbyshire always has some beautiful scenery.

Carrying on the autumn theme, Roy had arranged a conker competition for Sunday morning, I am sure he thought that it would be all over in about 20 minutes but it took longer than that for the first direct hit! There was no need to harden up these conkers, they all went stale and hard out of boredom! The best moment for me was the look from Mrs Calderbank to Mr Calderbank when father and son competed against each other, are you still on the couch Dave?!!

The world conker championship has very strict rules and these were definitely not followed here. No one wore safety glasses and Max should have borrowed Geoffrey Boycott's thigh pad, the worst injuries, however were self inflicted by Roy, his arm was black and blue from whiplash! I am sure there will be more about this, including the announcement of the winner, from Roy. I did hear of an old way of 'hardening conkers, apparently they held open a pig's mouth, inserted the conker, and waited for it to pass through, no wonder you hold the conker at arm's length! Thanks Roy for another good weekend.

If ever you have been in Austria, especially on a cold day, and you arrive at a Hutte that serves Goulash soup, you know that all will be well. A good sized bowl with, some crusty bread, is very nourishing and leaves a warm glow, especially if it is washed down with a glass of gluwein. I was excited when I saw an advert for German week at Aldi and they were selling Goulash soup. I could not get down until Saturday by which time Alpine Overland had run a trip and cleared out all the stock, I did manage to find 4 tins and they are delicious. I have a feeling that Cliff Duckworth has filled his larder, in case he gets snowed in this Christmas!

I am saving the last tin for the next time they have this promotion, I will fill my flask and camp out overnight to make sure that I get a decent haul!

Whilst I am on the subject of Germany, we had an really good night last Saturday, at the Hog Roast with the Bavarian Oompah Band, £ 4.40 for a glass of beer seems expensive until you realise it is for a 2 pint glass !

Thanks to Marie for organising an excellent night and to everyone who came along, thanks for your company.

Steve Young

Autumn Social - Rivington Barn, Saturday 13th October 2007.

The Rivington Barn's Famous Bavarian Night and Hog Roast Supper with Live Band, Food, and a Disco until 1.00a.m.

All for £18.95

Annual Dinner Dance - Nelson House, Burnley. Saturday 5th January 2008.

Set menu (to be advised) and 50-50 dancing with disco. Price to be advised.

Whitby Independent Youth Hostel (By car). Friday 9th and Saturday 10th November

Places are are filling up fast so please contact Marie for availability.

A return to The Harbour Grange, conveniently situated near the town but away from the crowds. Good access to the North Yorks Moors or for good hard coastal walking. Well appointed Hostel by the side of the River. If you have already booked Marie needs your money as soon as possible.

See Marie for availability on all the above events or call on 709332

Evening Walk - Haslingden Grane

After advertising in the club newsletter and my local paper, when I arrived at Helmshore Textile Museum I was surprised to see 14 people had turned up, including 8 club members. Mind you, as it was a glorious summer's evening, there could have been a lot more. Setting off from the museum at a leisurely pace, we passed the Robin Hood pub in Holcombe Road, somewhere we'd end up at the end of the walk. Having walked these hills extensively in that short time, I felt I knew the area reasonably well and, as we walked, I passed on some local information, gleaned from several books on available about walking in Rossendale.

The first part of the walk took us onto the perimeter one of the three reservoirs on Haslingden Grane (Holden Wood), as grassy route taking in the local birdlife, and glorious views. Heading across the area between Holden Wood and Ogden reservoirs, we climb upto the Rossendale Way at the base of Musbury Heights (a local quarry we'd soon be walking through). Taking a narrow path off the main track, we headed upwards through a wooded area known locally as Fairy Glen (renamed some time ago from Hell's Hole by a local vicar who though it sounded too ominous). As we came out of the top, near to the back of Musbury Heights, we turned to see a clear summer's night. Waiting for a while for some stragglers, it allowed us some time to take in the panoramic views and take some pictures.

As we walked through the quarry, we came across the old tramway that would have carried the spoils, and it was from here on the exposed edges that the best views of Haslingden Grane can be seen. We looked down upon the three reservoirs - Holden Wood, Ogden, and Calf Hey - as well as across to the other workings on the other side of the valley. Looking to our right, down the valley, we could see Rawtenstall, as well as various small towns beyond. There is one area in the quarry complex that has recently been rebuilt - the old chimney that was precariously standing there, weather beaten and almost falling down, now restored to its former glory. Again, we stopped and surveyed our surroundings.

Heading off the back of the quarry area, we headed down a valley with Musbury Tor (a prominent local landmark) on our right hand side, and eventually arrived back at the car park, before venturing a few hundred yards to the Robin Hood pub. The pub was busy as it always is when football's showing, but we all managed to get some good beers in. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed seeing a part of the West Pennines that has a bit of everything. Though not on the same scale as the Lakes, there is something for everyone.

Although this was a relatively short walk, I would be happy to extend this to between 8 and 12 miles and take in more of either Haslingden Grane or Rossendale in general. Members are welcome to contact me for further information.

Stuart McDonald

Fort William, Scotland, March 9th 2007 - Elaine Anderson

Nothing changes, does it? Ten years later.

We’d set off on Friday afternoon, Frank Pollard ( or should I say ‘Big Frank’) Lisa and Carl Pawson and myself. The weather was fine in Burnley, just about, but the forecast for Scotland was for gales and rain. Still, we weren’t unduly worried as we headed up north towards Glasgow. Once we were in Scotland Frank was continuously doing his impression of Russ Abbott “Hey you Jimmy” and not very well! Neither was his singing of The Bonnie Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, he only knew those few words. This was were we had tea, before taking the high road over Rannoch Moor on our final leg to Fort William.

We booked into the guest house, unpacked and yes, that’s right, we headed straight to the pub. Well we were out with Frank and Carl! “It will be fine tomorrow”, we all said, ever the optimists!

Morning dawned, still raining. Droplets of rain sped past the breakfast room window bouncing back up off the tarmac. Our objective that weekend was to find some snow so that we could practice for our holiday, well Lisa and myself needed the practice, and also maybe have a look at Ben Nevis. So after breakfast we climbed into our waterproofs and headed for the only cable car station in Britain.

We had packed all the gear, rope, ice axe, clothes, food, water and crampons. Roy had kindly lent me his crampons, for which I was really grateful, it didn’t really matter that they came in a cushion cover! And it was still raining and windy, nothing changes, does it?

Alas, the ski lift was not working, due to the bad weather, so we had to change our plans. We drove to Spee village, to do the touristy things, there wasn’t much else to do whilst waiting for the rain to stop – no chance! Although we did bump into a large group of royal Marines, going for a run, which brightened both mine and Lisa’s day!

Anyway, back to Fort William for shopping, sandwiches and beer. We couldn’t go to the pub at 11.30 a.m. could we? No, things weren’t going our way at all, we couldn’t even get in to the shops because the fire alarms were activated! So, we headed for Nevis Sport, the famous café bar and sports shop and that’s where we stayed, talking about butterflies and carrots! A few drinks later and back to the B & B to watch football and Dancing on Ice, the lads really enjoyed that!

And still it rained! So back to the pub for an evening meal and a few more drinks.

“It will be fine tomorrow”, we all said, ever the optimists. Unfortunately, Sunday morning was the same and the ski lift was closed again, so we had to abandon Scotland and return home. We were all disappointed that we hadn’t been able to what we had set out to. The sight of a stag, almost on the road side, cheered us up a bit on the way home.

So, a word of advice, if Frank Pollard suggests that you go to Scotland in March, say no. And, does anyone know the words to Loch Lomond?

Evening Walk - Haslingden Grane, Wednesday 6th June

Wednesday 6th June, meeting 6.45 p.m. Helmshore Textile Museum Car Park.
Walking at 7.00 p.m. Leave M65 Junc 5 and follow B6252 Haslingden, past Holden’s Antiques and right at Holden Arms pub onto Holcombe road, past Robin Hood Pub and Museum is ¼ mile on left hand side. Walk approximately 4 miles on Haslingden Grane, including Quarry.

A little bit of climbing, part way round, but at an easy pace.
Prospective and existing members welcome.
Leader Stuart McDonald.
After walk retreat to Robin Hood Free House, serving Real Ales.

Glen Coe, Scotland, 1st March 1997 - Frank Pollard

We’d set off on Friday afternoon, in a convoy of 2 cars, Jim Horsfall, Ken Harris, Dave Evans, Jim Holding, Joe Johnson, Mick Summers, Tim Woods and myself – past, present and future members of Burnley Mountaineering Club.

The weather was fine in Burnley –just about- but the forecast for Scotland was rain and boy, how right they were! Glen Coe, ‘The Glen of Weeping’ they say because of the infamous massacre committed there in 1692 was more like the Glen of Bawling Your Eyes Out, due to the amount of water pouring from the sky!

Still, this was furthermost from our minds as, swapping drivers, we headed north up the A74 to Glasgow. As dusk fell we stopped at Luss, on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, for a spot of food and drink before changing drivers again. Luss is the tiny village where they film the outdoor shots for the TV soap ‘The High Road’ and it was this road we took over Rannoch Moor, into sleet and snow, on our final leg to Glencoe.

We passed a four car pile-up on this section. Luckily we were pre-warned about the accident by a chap flagging us down on a wet and slippery corner, a hundred yards prior to the crash. He was wearing full winter gear – hat, waterproofs, gloves – in fact everything except trousers! I couldn’t see a kilt, so what he was doing in the car before he stopped for the accident I shudder to think! It must have been minus 5 outside – hardy people these Scots!

Booked into our guesthouse and then sat in the Glen Coe Hotel bar and watched the rain lash down. Ever the optimist, I reasoned that it couldn’t rain this hard all night. “It’ll be fine tomorrow”, I said. Dave agreed, “There isn’t enough water in the world for it to keep this up”, he said.

Morning dawned, still raining. Droplets of rain, inches long, sped past the breakfast room window, bouncing back up off the tarmac. Stair rods, banister rails, stair carpets – the lot! It was raining cats, dogs and elephants as well. Our objective that weekend was a winter ascent of Curved Ridge on Buchaille Etive Mor, a moderate grade 3 scramble, in good conditions or, failing that, a winter traverse of the Aonach Eagach Ridge, overlooking Glencoe.

We climbed into our waterproofs after breakfast then into the cars and drove, climbing up Glen Coe. It was to be the only climbing done that weekend! We parked in a layby facing Curved Ridge on Buchaille Etive Mor and peered out of the cars’ steamy windows. The route looked like it was under water. The snow was being washed off and, as we watched, great globs of slush were sliding down the mountain, into the valley.

We drove on a bit to the Kinghouse Hotel, for morning coffee, hoping against hope that the rain would cease long enough to organize a walk. No chance! Looking out of the Kingshouse windows was like looking into a fish tank! Other people in the room had been washed out of their tents during the night. Camping out in this weather! Hardy people these Scots. Still, never mind, back to the cars, back down the valley –Aonach Eagach Ridge? Forget it! The wind, which reached 90mph, that weekend, was blowing the mini waterfalls into oblivion, clouds of spray crossing our heads 1000ft up. 90cms of rain fell that weekend, the highest rainfall since records began.

Anyway, off to Fort William shopping, sandwiches and beer seemed a good idea, sod the weather! Ellis Brigham’s outdoor shop in St Mary’s Hall was the arranged place for our two cars to meet whilst we shopped and sheltered but we’d got split up on the flooded roads into the town and, after a wait and much lighter in pocket, we headed for Nevis Sport, the famous café, bar and sports shop in the main street. Everyone seems to end up there and every one of us did!

The shops were doing a roaring trade. Our bunch specializing in ice axes, umbrellas would have been a better buy. Still, everyone swapped and traded axes until we all had one that fitted us, Dave Evans and myself spent the afternoon tying ice axe leashes to axes. We got some funny looks and I think that some of the locals thought that BMC meant Bondage Men’s Club! Mick Summers wasn’t bothered, he’d bought 3 bottles of whiskey as well as an ice axe – must be essential supplies!

The Mountain Rescue Services, realizing that the bars were full of climbers coming rapidly down off the hills, must have panicked (all those hairy people, drunk and armed with ice axes and crampons!) because, suddenly, the local radio station turned up to entertain us with a sponsored quiz, (the first question must surely be “when did the DJ’s jacket go out of fashion?). An attractive blonde lady took a pound coin off me and informed me, in a sexy voice, that the prize would be a bottle of something. I thought it must be a bottle of wine or scotch and, being a gentleman, I chivalrously offered to share it with her if I won! Her face clouded over and, with a toss of her hair, she stormed off. I hadn’t realized that the prize was a bottle of bubble bath. Still, you win some you lose some and it did pass the afternoon on. I didn’t need a bath anyway, you got a cold shower every time you stuck your head out of the door.

The shop was getting full. I think it was all the mermaids from the loch queuing up to buy cagoules. The radio people had informed us that the road south, out of Fort William, was blocked due to storm damage and also that the ferries had shut down for the same reason – high winds had closed the ski-lifts too!

So it was early evening, four hours later, when the road had been repaired and the quiz had finished, that we headed back to Glen Coe. By the way, did you know that the ‘T’ in Captain James T Kirk of Star Trek fame stands for Tiberius? I’d much rather have known what it was like to go halves in a bottle of bubble bath!

Around the corner of Loch Linnhe, back over the bridge into Glen Coe and up to the Clachaig Inn, THE climbers’ hotel in Scotland. Campers, climbers, walkers and just plain tourists were packed in, eating, drinking and steaming as they all dried off. Wet clothes hung everywhere, I’ve never seen so much gortex. Still, ax the day drew into night and people started singing and more and more bevies were sunk, the atmosphere improved. It didn’t matter about the rain or the fact that no climbing was done that day or the day after if it came to that! Glen Coe is a beautiful place anyway, the rainbow had been terrific and we all had a good laugh.

Frank Pollard.

Wales

Once again we were blessed with glorious weather for our visit to Wales and, although there was only one coach I am sure that the majority enjoyed the walking.

The 3 organized walks proved popular again with 80% of the members attending going on these. I would like to thank Peter and Roy for organizing their walks and to Peter for starting the coach off from Barrowford. This theoretically meant I had an extra half hour in bed, but it never works that way!

We are back to 2 coaches for the Buttermere trip, and hope that we get good numbers attending so that we can continue with 2 coaches without making a loss!

Steve Young
Chairman

Missing Library Books

A recent audit of our Library has shown that the following books have gone missing in action, probably sometime between 2000 and 2006.

I would be grateful if you could all just have a quick check on your shelves to see if any of them have found their way into your own collections by accident. I am particularly keen to find Lancashire Rock (as we will have to purchase this very useful book again) and The Magic of Wester Ross and Skye (which is quite an expensive book).

You'll be pleased to know there are no fines, no tellings off and a reward will be given for the 2 books mentioned above.

0042 Lake District South (Rock Climbing Guide)
0048 Undiscovered Scotland (W Murray)
0093 Turn Right At Lands Ends (J Merrill)
0139 Bowland and the South Pennines (J Gilham)
0147 The Hard Years (J Brown)
0201 Lancaster Rock (BMC Guide), possibly 'Lancashire Rock'. Thick climbing guide.
0202 Walking in Majorca (Parker)
0221 National Cycle Network (Cotto / Grimshaw)
0226 Learn Rock Climbing in a Weekend
0228 Mind Over Matter (R Feines)
0255 Practical Courses in Land Navigation (T Woods)
0256 The Magic of Wester Ross and Skye (Pashley / Moran). Large coffee table book.
0296 Mushrooms and Toadstools (Collins Nature Guide)

Antony Lord
Club Librarian

AGM 2007

The minutes have been written and will be checked at our next committee meeting, we will then post them to the website and circulate copies on the May coach meet.

It is with regret that we accepted the late resignation of Chris Marshall from the position of Social Secretary. Chris retired last autumn and Sue took early retirement in March, they plan to spend the next 6 months walking to the South coast and then they are planning a cycle ride to the south of France, Chris felt that it would be unfair to stand for committee again if there were members willing to fill the places on the committee. Chris has put in a lot of hard work since he was elected to the committee and came up with some new ideas for the social functions. He also organized the camping weekends and the annual long distance walk.

We wish Chris and Sue good luck in their travels and hope to hear from them by way of newsletter reports. The rest of the committee were re-elected and the position of Social Secretary was filled by Marie Phelan, and Paul Darcy was elected to complete the team. I am sure you will join with me and welcome them to their posts.

The main discussion at the AGM was the fall in numbers attending coach meets, this of course is then reflected in the year-end accounts. We are trying different ways of attracting new members:- we have written to members who have not been on trips in the last 6 months and also to people who have enquired about the club but have not joined us.

Steve Maden has appeared on the Ted Robbins Show on Radio Lancashire and we have now an entry on their website. Leaflets have been distributed at Tourist Information Centres and at the Hebden Bridge ‘Friendly to Walkers’ event. Our efforts are being rewarded as we have had 15 new members joining us this year, it is nice to see some of our existing members, who may not have joined us on a trip for a while and look forward to seeing more of them.

Regrettably we only have one coach today (15th April 2007), and unfortunately have had to turn some members away but this was a decision we had to make early in the month to avoid another big financial loss. We will be back to 2 coaches for the Buttermere trip in May and apologise to anyone who could not get a place on this trip.

Peter Walker, Roy Haythornthwaite and I are all leading walks today, details are elsewhere in the newsletter.

Steve Young

Evening Walk - Cliviger, Wednesday 9th May

I will be leading a gentle walk of about 4 miles from the Ram Inn at Cliviger, 6.30pm start. Anyone who wishes to join me is very welcome, we do have permission to park at the Ram Inn (as far to the right at the back as possible) and there will be plenty of time for a swift half, after the walk. Steve young

Wee Timorous Beasties

Spring has arrived at last and I hope that you have all enjoyed the sunshine and pleasant weather that we have enjoyed since the start of British Summertime. I do not wish to put a damper on things but, it is this time of year that we begin to get unwelcome visitors. Maybe not as bad as in Scotland but, when the midges arrive they do affect us all. I have reproduced a feature, from Trail magazine, which I thought that you may enjoy reading and even have some comments or your own personal recommendations to combat the little pests. I am sure a number of our members would appreciate any suggestions that will deter the little blighters.

Natural Alternatives

If you want to avoid using DEET, there are swarms of insect repellents that use natural alternatives, most of which are based on plant oils. The best advice we can give you is to experiment with them: what works a treat on Janet in the South Downs might well be less-than-great on John in the NW Highlands. We’ve found that those products using a combination of oils are the most effective, but that’s probably only because they’re more likely to work in a broader spectrum of situations. The most important factor to remember when using non-DEET-based repellents is that they are likely to need more frequent application. For example, one set of lab tests looking at protection from mozzie bites, showed that a repellent containing 23.8% DEET provided protection for 5 hours 1 minute & 30 seconds. (I have not made this up!) However, a non-DEET oil-based repellent provided protection for 1 hr 34 min 34 secs, while a botanical repellent provided protection for less than 20 mins. So read manufacturer’s directions closely and follow them.

Left undisturbed, a biting midge will continue to feed for up to 4 minutes, withdrawing 1/10,000ml of you blood!

If you need to apply sunscreen and insect repellent, slap on the sunscreen first, then wait for 30 mins before applying the repellent.

You can try:

A NET – Lifesystems Midge Head Net Hat £10.00. Make sure it is made from ultra-fine mesh though as many are designed for use against mosquitoes, which are larger than biting midges.

MIDGE-PROOF CLOTHES – Craghoppers have a range impregnated with insect repellent but these are only effective for up to 35 washes.

CREAM CHEESE- People swear by Vicks Vaporub, Avon Skin So Soft and even Philadelphia cream cheese – according to Trail magazine, none of these works as well as DEET-based repellent.

COMMON SENSE – Tucking your trouser bottoms into your socks works a treat. [as most people walk in shorts in the midge season, this could prove difficult!]

GET REVENGE – visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/webplay and play the midge-zapping game ‘Armidgegeddon’

If anyone has there own favourite midge repellent-that works- please let us know and we will pass it on. I now need a shower because my skin is crawling just writing this!!

Steve Young

Wales - Land of Valleys, Lakes and Mountains

I always look forward to the trip down into Wales, whilst climbing I've enjoyed some wonderful days out on the rock faces that seem to have been put there purely for the sole purpose of people to enjoy themselves climbing on, for me they are second only to the Isle of Skye.

But Wales isn't only just about climbing the high mountains, there is so much more..... I've enjoyed some wonderful days out walking in the beautiful Welsh valleys and woodlands, you don't have to go up high, the rolling hills and the delightful walks around the many lakes are enough to satisfy the casual stroller or even the keenest rambler.

Which brings me to the point of this article, the Clubs' aim is to try and provide as varied a program as possible on the monthly trips and the annual trip to Wales is a good example. In the past this trip has not been as well supported as we would have wished but let me explain some points to you.

A long trip? Not really, it is about the same as the Buttermere trip. Unfamiliar area? No worries there, Peter Walker will be leading a walk from Llanrwst, on the banks of the River Conway, through woodlands and around the many lakes to finish at the coach pick-up point near Capel Curig. Steve Young is leading a more gentle exploration of the Conway Valley from Llanrwst to Betws-y Coed.

For the more adventurous, I invite you to join me on a 10 mile walk from Idwal Cottage, in the Ogwen Valley, across the Glyders starting with an easy scramble up the side of Idwal Slabs, it is a fairly hard days walking!

Finally I urge everybody, especially those who haven't in the past been on a Welsh trip, to support this venue. Last time was a stunner, beautiful weather and everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves, any questions, have a chat with Steve, Peter or me.

Roy Haythornthwaite.

Mid Week Walks

We are frequently asked, by prospective members, if the club organises walks locally and also whether we meet regularly. To encourage new members I will be leading some local evening walks so that we can meet them before they come on the trips. Stuart McDonald has also volunteered to lead a walk in the Haslingden area. These walks will be about 4 miles and possibly finish near an establishment serving refreshments (pub).

The invitation to join me is extended to all members and I will publish the date and venue in the next newsletter and the local papers.

Steve Young

Welsh Meet

This trip could be the opportunity to bring a friend or the family for a day out and take advantage of a longer day by alighting at the top of the Conwy Valley and spending the day in Conwy (walk around the town walls) or even Llandudno (Great Orme).

As you will read in the newsletter, Peter Walker is leading a walk from Llanrwst, Roy Haythornthwaite will be walking back to Capel Curig from Llyn Ogwen and I shall be leading a walk from Llanwrst, in the Conwy Valley, and boarding the coach for the return journey at Betws-y-Coed. This will give us a longer day and the time for a short stop in Betws-y-Coed.

The walk will be approximately 8 miles (there will be some road walking at the start) and will take in Grey Mare's Tail waterfall and Gwydir Castle.

Club Holiday 2007 - Soldeu, Andorra - Pyrenees

8th July 2007 to 21st July 2007 (14 days)

Accommodation is at The Sport Hotel, Soldeu. An excellent Hotel with top quality food and service. The Hotel also boasts an outdoor swimming pool and indoor sauna and gymnasium.

This venue is highly recommended by a number of club members (including Peter Walker and Steve Young, who were leaders) who travelled with Alpine Overland in 2005.

We offer Executive coach travel, use of the coach in the resort, 9 days walking with 3 grades of walk all with competent leaders. 2 full day excursions.

Situated high in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain, Andorra, away from the towns, is a traditional, romantic principality of independent character with a cheerful contempt for other people's frontiers. It is a country full of smugglers' paths, high mountain passes, medieval villages, thousands of lakes, tumbling torrents, towering peaks and splendid vistas. The meadows are full of wild flowers that will challenge the Tyrol and there are some of the finest paths in the Pyrenees!

For the strong walker there are good ridges and several significant summits, with good paths and superb views. For the adventurous there are via ferratas! For the moderate walker there are easier tops and mountain lakes with a good network of paths. The valleys and lower fells are all interesting with an abundance of Alpine meadows. The hotel is situated at 1800 metres so any walk from the hotel has a good advantage.

The en route hotel will be in the outskirts of Paris.

Further details and booking form can be obtained from Steve Young 01282 702637. Prices are as follows:

Cost based on 25 people.........£688
Single supplement.........£108
Insurance.........£28.50

Annual General Meeting 2007

7:30pm Monday 19th March 2007
Old Band Club Nelson

The Old Band Club is situated at the top of Netherfield Road, Nelson.

There is at least one position that needs to be filled - Neil Collins has moved to Leeds and, although Stuart McDonald has stepped into the breech, the position still needs voting for.

This is an occasion when you can have your say. Make use of it - suggestions are welcome, criticism is expected and proposals for change are normal. If you wish the committee to consider items for the agenda before the AGM then speak to a committee member or pass it to them in writing.

Seat Belts

Please note it is now compulsory to wear seat belts on coaches and is the individuals responsiblilty to make sure that they are fastened! This was introduced in September of last year and in the aftermath of the recent coach accident I think that we all need to be safe!

Welcome to the new look Burnley Mountaineering Club Website.

Happy new year and welcome to our new look website. Hopefully you will find everything you need, however, if you have any suggestions for future development please feel free to email us here. If you have any articles that you would be of interest to other members please send then to newsletters@burnleymountaineering.co.uk for inclusion in our monthly newsletter and/or on our website.