Socially Isolated Camping Meet – May 2020 – Janet Briggs. Well there were two unusual things about this meet:  Possibly there is something else unusual going on at the moment but that did not stop the Oread from having a well attended and successful meet. As meet leader I’m afraid… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 18 – 2020

40 E points!!!  – SEPTEMBER 2009 – ROGER GIBBS. Climbers always want the details. Whether it’s the exact order of the random selection of routes one has picked to try to complete in a day or the intricacies of the crux pitch of some alpine horror show. “I’m thinking of… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 17 – 2010

Reflections of Kalymnos – December 2010 – Richard Hopkinson. Its late November it’s 4 in the afternoon, its dark the curtains are drawn, its cold it’s wet, it’s depressing! My mind drifts back to early October, it seems light years away. Kalymnos – sun kissed rock, climbing in shorts and… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 16 – 2010

Wednesday Walk  Millers Dale – 12 May 2021 – Stuart Firth When I was a lad my ambition in life was to become a bread-butterer in a Subway sandwich shop. Imagine therefore how appropriate it was that I became what was known as a thick sandwich apprentice at Rolls-Royce and Associates,… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 15 – 2021

Northumberland Meet 19 – 21 May 2012 – Dave Helliwell This meet was held at the same venue as in 2010 –  the Demesne Farm Bunkhouse in Bellingham – and delightful it was. In this poor summer the forecast was changeable and this may have kept numbers down a bit. However… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 14 – 2012

Snakes and Ladders – Spenser Gray and Chris Hartshorne The March meet to Tan yr Wyddfa has not been blessed with the good weather Snod claimed he had ordered, looking out of the window I huddle down further into the chair, the rain feebly beating against the window. “We could… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 13 – 2017

Climbing the Needle – Gordon Gadsby.   March 2011 It was a warm sun dappled day in the mountains of central Lakeland with great fleecy white clouds drifting slowly above the towering rock spires of Great Gable. With Colin Hobday and George Reynolds I was climbing Napes Needle, the most famous rock… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 12 – 2011

Holiday on Ice? – Tony Howard. March 2008 ‘Good lead Youth.’ ‘What?’ ‘Good lead Youth’ came the words from below.  I thought I’d check that I’d heard correctly.  I don’t hear that much nowadays.  It was the penultimate pitch of the last route of our holiday, and the best pitch of the week… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 11 – 2008

2012 – My Climbing Year Simon Pape. March 2013          All the books suggest that setting objectives is a good thing to do to guide one’s climbing (or any other) activity. I’d done it once or twice before, and it does seem to help. It’s also recommended that if you tell… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 10 – 2013

Moonlight Symphony – An Ascent of Centre Post Direct, Steve Christian.  Feb 2011 So there we were Phil, Stu and I, three and half pitches off the summit of Creag Meagaidh, 300 metres up Centre Post Direct, at 4pm on the 6th of January. Darkness is falling as I set off… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 9 – 2011

Picos de Europa – July/August 2017, Mike Mowbray and Roger Gibbs As the summer tries to establish itself against the vagaries of our English weather, and the mixed blessings of school holidays loom closer, it is time for Oreads to prepare for Alpine adventure. This year the meet leader appears… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 8 – 2017

Who’s the ‘Barmy’est in 2000? I’ve finally been persuaded to give a result, much against my better judgement and principles!  The point of the exercise being to have an enjoyable day out and perhaps do one or two things that you wouldn’t normally do.  However, I’m pleased to report that the… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 7 – 2000

Swanage – by Royal Appointment June 2015 One was wondering what to do for the Bank Holiday weekend.  One had spent all week fondling with one’s Velocettes, ensuring they were in imperfect working order and guaranteed to breakdown before reaching Windsor.  One was also keen to get away from one’s palace before… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 6 – 2015

Alpine Meet: Val Ferret – August 2012, Pete Lancaster It was twelve years since the club last visited Val Ferret for its summer alpine meet so a return trip to this beautiful valley was due.  I was determined not to hassle Sally about booking and might have succeeded had the online… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 5 – 2012

Walk & Climb the Edges Meet – 22 September Gil Male. Let’s start at the beginning. Simon Pape, Chris Wilson, Roger and Tom Larkam, Mike, Helen and Tom Hayes and Gil Male (meet leader) were surprisingly on the starting blocks at High Neb at 8.45. Correct me if I’m wrong… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 4 – 2018

Tan yr Wyddfa Working Party, July 2016 by Snod Helliwell Even before the working party officially started Nodge was in there, slashing, strimming and burning so the garden was pristine by the time most of us arrived on the Tuesday evening. He’d spared our lovely spotted orchid, flowering for the… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 3 – 2016

 70th Anniversary Meet Report Spenser Gray The 70th Anniversary of the club had been bandied about as something which needed celebrating for some time within the committee when it occurred to me that perhaps we should experience some of the routes which would have been climbed by our predecessors on… Read more: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 2 – 2019

Reiff Rogue Meet – Jubilee Bank Holiday week 2012 Dave Mawer. “Roll up roll up, for the ultimate alpha male contest! For one night only, the Middleton Ox versus the Southwell Silver back…….” This will be one of the many memories I will treasure from the Reiff Rogue meet 2012.… Read more: 75th ANNIVERSARY ARCHIVE ARTICLE 1 – 2012