Vol: 33 Issue 10 22 nd Sept 2019 PROGRAMME OF EVENTS SEPT/OCTOBER 2019 22nd September Sunday COACH GREAT LANGDALE (return 17.50 hours) First drop off Black Bull Fulwood Leaders A Langdale Western Circuit John Parkinson B + Langdale Pikes and More Colin Manning B Skelwith Bridge to NDG Hotel via Cathedral Cave Barry Mather C Skelwith Bridge to the NDG Joyce Bradbury 6th October Sunday C Walk Darwen Tower (Jubilee Tower) with Roy Smith 5¼ miles (8.4km) with 550ft (167m) Total Ascent Meet at Roddlesworth Information Centre (The Country Café), Tockholes Rd, Tockholes, Darwen (Sat Nav: BB3 0PA), for the usual start time of 10.30am. The walk today is a circular walk starting from the Roddlesworth Information Centre. This very pleasant walk visits the deep wooded valley of Roddlesworth and then climbs to the airy heights of Darwen Moors and Darwen Tower. It takes in the ruins of an old manor house and, if you have a good head for heights and appreciate a stunning view of Lancashire, there is the 86 ft Darwen Tower to climb. We start by heading away from Darwen Tower and enter the woodlands of the T ockholes Plantation. Within the woods we will be able to wander around the ruins of the Manor House, once owned by the Hollinshead family. We now walk uphill to the track that takes us along the flank of Cartridge Hill. Towards the top of the hill we are a ble (weather permitting) to view a panorama of the Lake District mountains and North Wales. We leave this track and head north on a trail that takes us to Darwen Tower. Here if you wish you may climb the tower, which was completed in 1898 to commemorate Qu een Victoria’ s Diamond Jubilee. We now make our way downhill, along the Witton Weavers Way. Turning off the Weavers Way we complete our walk along field tracks back to our start . 7th October 2019 Monday – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING to be held at the Over 60’s Club, Priory Lane, Penwortham PR1 0AR at 7.30pm - All welcome 10th October Thursday B Walk Brinscall with Dorothy & Chris 7½ miles (12.7km) Undulating Meet at Brinscall Baths (Sat Nav: PR6 8QU), ready for the usual start time of 10.30am. We lea ve Brinscall taking the tracks and footpaths to the village of Heapey then we head towards White Coppice where there is a lovely cricket ground. Leaving here we go half way up Great Hill as far as Drinkwaters then along a good path back to Brinscall. Happy Days! 16th October Wednesday Strollers Witton Country Park with Barry Hayhurst 2 to 3 miles with little climbing Meet at 10.30am in the main entrance car park (Sat N av: BB2 2TB), then afterwards at the Hoghton Arms, Withnell (Sat Nav: PR6 8BL). 20th October Sunday COACH EYAM via Snake Pass (return journey first coach drop off Leyland) Leaders A Higger Tor and Froggett Edge Dave Colbert B + Peter and the Boundary Stones Kevin Poole B Plaglarisam Chris Cook C Eyam via the Derwent Valley Joyce Bradbury Please note that the Club now has a library of OS Maps, available to borrow Please contact Chris Cook (Tel: 01772 742998) for further information Emergency Contact numbers – should the coach be late the number(s) to ring 07972300436 or 07582620210 Please note these numbers are NOT for booking on the coach Today's Coach Walks - Starting points: A: Old Dungeon Ghyll B+: New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel B: Skelwith Bridge C: Skelwith Bridge Grade A Langdale Western Circuit (Prophetic Trance and Delight) with John Parkinson 12 miles (19.3km) with 3100ft (936m) Total Ascent "What enormous mountains are these behind me" said Romantic Lakes Poet Samuel Coleridge in 1802, "I lay in a state of almost prophetic trance and delight". Perhaps in this manner we set out from the Old Dungeon Ghyll, with a brisk hike up The Band to clear the cobwebs before we reach the summit of Bowfell with a short scramble. A short trek via Ore Gap takes us to Esk Pike. From both summits we can view every major group of fells in the Lake District. Down to Esk Hause before a climb through a boulder field to Scafell Pike, England´s highest summit. From here we take the Corridor Route to Sty Head then passing Allen Crags and Rossett Pike and onto the Cumbria Way to return entranced by the delights of our hike. Grade B+ High Raise & the Langdale Pikes with Colin Manning 6¾ miles (10.9km) with 2700ft (822m) Total Ascent Today´s walk is a throwback to the one I lead in 2011, which went down hugely well with all who came with me. Whilst more climbing than normal for a B+climbing, it is a short one, with plenty of time to contemplate, and is one of the classics of the Lake District including 7 Wainwright Hills. We start our walk from the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel and immediately begin our ascent towards Loft Crag via Mark Gate. Once we reach the base of Loft Crag we are between all three of the Langdale Pikes. We go up Loft Crag (2231ft/680m) and follow the path round to the base of Pike O´Stickle (2326ft/709m). Pike O´Stickle involves a bit of a scramble but it is only a short climb. This option can be omitted in bad weather or for anyone not wishing to do it. From here we head for the highest of the Langdales, Harrison Stickle (2415ft/736m). This summit does not require any scrambling and is a most impressive peak. This is the second highest point of our walk and the hardest work is now done. After a short stop or possibly lunch break we head down a short distance to our next peak, Pavey Ark (2297ft/700m), atop the challenging Jack´s Rake. We now cut back to head for Thunacar Knott (2372ft/723m) before our final notable ascent to the summit of High Raise, the highest point of the walk at 2500ft/762m. A stop here for photo opportunities and refreshment before turning back to head for our final summit, Sergeant Man (2395ft/730m). Now it´s all downhill. The path here starts well enough but becomes less clear until we reach the tarn, so care will be taken to keep together so that we don´t stray from the route. Once we reach the tarn it is a rocky, but scenic, descent down the side of Stickle Ghyll waterfalls to the coaches and refreshment. Grade B Skelwith Bridge to New Dungeon Hotel via Cathedral Cave with Barry Mather 7.5 miles (12.07km) with 1100ft (335.28m) Total Ascent Leaving Skelwith Bridge we pass Skelwith Force and after crossing the footbridge over the River Rothay we join the Cumbria Way to Park Farm then onto Colwith Force. Staying on the Cumbria Way we head for Stang End then visit the spectacular Cathedral Cave. After crossing Slater Bridge we have a gradual ascent passing Dale End on the way to Baysbrown Wood and onto Oak house. Crossing Great Langdale Beck we head to the New Dungeon Hotel for some well deserved refreshments! Grade C Skelwith Bridge to the New Dungeon Hotel with Joyce Bradbury 5.98 miles (9.6km) with 432ft (132m) Total Ascent We leave the coach at Skelwith Bridge and take the usual path past Skelwith Force to Elterwater. We cross Langdale Beck, then up to the quarry and along the path to Chapel Stile. A probable lunch stop here before we climb briefly away from the road to follow the Cumbria Way to Oak Howe before the rough track up and over to Side House. No need for haste as we have plenty of time. (If anyone wishes they could leave us here and follow the path down to the coach.) We now leave the Cumbria Way to follow a permissive path south westwards below Side Pike. (Two good but large stiles I´m afraid!) We then turn northwards to drop down through a wood and a camp site to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel before following the beck back to the coach. Just a reminder – NO DOGS are allowed on any walks Please remove muddy boots before boarding the coach and check that you take all your belongings with you. Thank you Please Note – Walk Details must be in ONE WEEK before each coach excursi on .