Moor and Mountain Club

1966

This year saw the beginning of a new club dedicated to outdoor pursuits; something this school has previously lacked. Despite the fact that the membership is limited to the senior forms of the school - and that a small fee is charged, there has been a promising start and membership now totals over 120. The club's aim is eventually to arrange facilities for all outside hobbies and it is hoped to increase the funds so that the school can have its own supply of equipment and maps.

Thanks must go to Mr. Bavister who has given much of his time to organising the club. At the end of last summer term he ran a census to determine the demand for such a club and after a successful, if not uneventful, camping and trekking holiday in Arran with a party of boys, decided to make the scheme a reality.

The first outing arranged was a youth hostel house party during the October half-term to Ingleton led by Mr. Bavister with his fiancée and Mlle. Passols. This was very much an experimental holiday to see how various ideas worked in practice. We were based at the youth hostel but did most of our own cooking which proved rather amusing as the kitchen was small and our number - 28, rather large. During the day we had the choice of accompanying Mr. Bavister and the staff, or going in groups as long as he approved the route.

The first day we climbed to the summit of Ingleborough. Later in the day, some of the more adventurous of us briefly explored Douk cave wading in the stream bed with water well above our knees to do so.

The second day a walk was an arranged around the picturesque waterfall walk by Thornton Force and it gave the chance for some rock scrambling and swimming for those who were brave enough to enter the water at that time of year. Other places visited by some members of the party included Clapham Cave, Trow Gill and Gaping Gill, Whernside and White Scar Caves.

The experiment proved very successful and two further ventures have been planned, the first to Moffat at Whitsuntide. This will be a camping and trekking holiday in the Tweedsmuir and Lowther hills. Surprisingly no girls were interested in this but the second venture to Chepstow in the summer was more in demand. In contrast this is a youth hostel house party and activities will include walking in the Forest of Dean and nearby Black Mountains and swimming at the coast.

The main activity of the club throughout the year has been the training for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. This began in January and was limited to fourth formers studying for their Bronze award. The response was far larger than expected: 31 boys and 14 girls. The course includes an expedition - some of which have already been accomplished in the Pennines - a hobby or pursuit, homecraft for girls, physical fitness for boys, and an aspect of social service, the one chosen being First Aid. The hobbies are varied, ranging from mountaincraft, stamps and music to natural science and photography, and many of the staff have helped with these. There has also been a large demand from the older members of the club for introduction of the Silver and Gold schemes and it is hoped that this might be arranged in the future.

The club as a whole meets to discuss the various ventures suggested and there have been two lectures on mountain safety one by Mr. Bavister and by Mr. W. Keay a lecturer from Bingley Training College.

As a whole the club has had a very successful and encouraging first year and it is hoped that it will continue to expand and perhaps include some of the more adventurous ideas such as building and then sailing our own canoes.
Margaret Beaumont. U.6.S. Price

 

1967

Our second year has proved successful, but we have had some problems arising out of the fact that we still have not managed to get our own tents.

The main activity for the year has been our training for the Bronze Award of The Duke of Edinburgh's Scheme. The expedition for the boys is a fifteen-mile journey, while the girls have to complete a six-mile effort.

During the summer holidays two outings were planned, a week's camp at Moffatt and a week in Chepstow Youth Hostel.

At Moffat we enjoyed good weather and were able to cook outside. It was in Moffat's surrounding hills that some of the candidates for the Award undertook their expedition. Our party of five boys was four hours overdue and the police forces of three counties had been alerted and were searching for us, but they were, luckily, very understanding. We had a lot of fun; there was bathing in the river and the dam, and camp-fire gatherings.

During the Christmas holidays a mixed party of forty accompanied by Mr. Bavister and Mr. Owens walked from the Flouch Inn to Ladybower Reservoir across snow and mountains.

For all these activities and the hard work he has done for us we thank Mr. Bavister.
Owen, G., Normans 4.

 

1968

Expedition to Snowdonia
During the October holidays, a group of fifth and sixth formers revisited the Christian Mountain Youth Centre, Beddgelert, N. Wales. Although some travelled by train, the van was still full and has not gone since we returned. We were all looking forward to enjoying ourselves as much as we had done last year, and we were not disappointed. Although the weather wasn't quite as fine (50m.p.h. gales were quite common) we went out every day and discovered we weren't as fit as we had thought. The first day, usually an easy one, found us climbing Moel Siabod; great fun although very exhausting (wading through swamps usually is). The easiest day was when we went round Cwm Idwal. This involved no climbing, but we must have looked very funny, fifteen of us trying to hide behind two big rocks trying to get into our Helle Hanson waterproofs, while 70 m.p.h. winds lifted spray off the cwm and threw it straight at us. We never did recover all our lost belongings.

One never-to-be-forgotten incident took place when we were descending Snowdon. It had been raining heavily and the path was just thousands of little rivers. A certain Prefect slipped and, sitting, travelled several hundred yards downhill, ending up in bushes at the side. The expression on his face just cannot be described. Several of the party then decided this way was much the easiest way to descend the slope. I'm sure there must now be many stories going around Beddgelert about orange-and red-clad figures who come screaming down the Snowdon Ranger path on rainy afternoons.

We would like to extend our thanks to Mr. Bavister, without whose help and time, the visit would not have been possible, and without whose guidance we would not have been here now!
L. Collingwood, LVIS