Sat 20th May to Mon 29th May: Pabbay
Mike Tempest
The club is planning a week of world-class, adventurous sea-cliff climbing on the
uninhabited island of Pabbay at the southern extremity of the Outer Hebrides next
spring. If you need a better idea of the nature of the trip then read Jack Gilbert’s
excellent article in the June 2021 Mynydd journal (available in the members’ area on
the website) and the destination article on UKC
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/ultimate_uk_trad_pabbay+mingulay-
6162 .
The SMC guidebook “The Outer Hebrides” 2018 is excellent as is Scottish Rock by
Gary Latter Volume 2. Alternatively the logbook on UKC will give a good idea of the
best routes available https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/pabbay-3512/
10
The plan will be to gather in Oban and get the early afternoon ferry from Oban on Sat
20th May, arriving early evening on Barra. Weather permitting we will be ferried over to
Pabbay the same evening by Angus and his team at Hebridean Sea Tours. All being
well we will be picked up on Sun 28th May (again subject to weather) and taken back
to Barra and then get the ferry back very early on Mon 29th May to Oban. The island of
Pabbay is uninhabited so we will need to be self-sufficient with food and shelter. Fresh
water is available from a small stream.
Having spoken to the boat charters their prices will be going up next year due to the
present economic climate, by how much exactly won’t be known until early next year.
The price of the Calmac ferry is also likely to go up too. We plan to charter at least one
boat (maximum of 12) and also take some vehicles on the ferry from Oban to Barra to
help transport gear and people on Barra, particularly useful on the second Sunday after
leaving Pabbay – but before getting the Oban ferry back early on the Monday. We may
have some time on Barra on the second Sunday and then need to find somewhere to
stay that night.
To secure a place on the first boat a payment of £160 is payable on a first come, first
served basis (details below). This will cover the cost of the vehicles being taken on the
Oban to Barra ferry (shared out equally by everyone in the party) and the cost of the
boat charter to Pabbay from Barra. In addition you will need to pay individually either
as the driver of a vehicle or a foot passenger – at present this costs £31.80 (we will be
looking to book vehicles on the ferry in the New Year so don’t worry about booking
yourself as a foot passenger now). If you are struggling to make the £160 payment in
one go please contact me by email so that we can discuss a staged payment schedule.
If we get 12 people confirmed for a full boat I will then make this clear on the Mynydd
website and FB page. After that I will start a reserve list (just contact me and no need
to make a payment of £160) and when we reach enough on the reserve list I will then
contact you to request payment of £160 – we can then charter a second boat. The
second boat, depending on availability will have 11 or 12 places available – 23 or 24
members in total between two boats.
Please note that this £160 may not be the final cost and if it’s not we would require you
to make an additional payment on top. We just don’t know the final fuel and ferry costs
at the moment. In the event that the final cost goes above £160 and you have already
paid but are unable/unwilling to pay anything higher and you wish to drop out then you
will get a full refund. We will have to confirm numbers around Easter time with the boat
charter – be aware that if you then drop out we might not be able to offer a full or partial
refund. If we have a surplus by the end of the trip we will refund members.
To secure your place on the trip of a lifetime send £160 by BACS:
Sort Code: 01-05-51 Account Number: 40582787 Reference text: Pabbay
Email the treasurer (treasurer.mynydd@gmail.com) and cc myself
(tempestm65@gmail.com) to confirm how much you have transferred.
Also in the email can you indicate if you are willing to take your vehicle (make and
model also please) on the ferry to Barra from Oban? In the New Year we will ask the
owners of the vehicles we take to make a booking – you will then be reimbursed.
Sunset: 21:13
Dusk: 22:00
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
27th May to 3rd of June 2023
Summer feels a million miles away right now, but to get you all inspired for the sending season to kick off, Whit Week planning is now well underway. We’ll be heading to The Isle of Skye, home to some of the best multi-pitch mountain trad in the country, as well as some stunning sea cliffs. But it’s not just about the climbing. There is equally good walking and scrambling to be found across the island, with gems including The Old Man of Storr, The Fairy Pools and of course the mighty Cuillin Ridge!
We’ll be staying at The Croft Bunkhouse in Portnalong, located within easy reach of the Cuillin and west coast sea cliffs. Well behaved dogs are welcome and there’s even a pub within walking distance – what more could you want!
The accommodation includes a Bunkhouse and several cosy two-person Wigwams; there will also be the option for people to sleep in their vans (unfortunately electric hook-up is not available, but both van and Wigwam dwellers will have access to the bunkhouse facilities). 28 places are available in total. All bedding is provided for the Bunkhouse, but you’ll need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow for the Wigwams.
To secure your spot on the meet please transfer £185.00 to the usual club account, then let me (steve050@hotmail.co.uk) and James (treasurer.mynydd@gmail.com) know when you’ve paid and advise if you would like a place in the bunkhouse, a wigwam, or if you plan to sleep in your van.
Sort code: 01-05-51→ Account number: 40582787→ Reference text: “Skye23”
Your booking will be secured once the full amount has been paid. This will be on a first come, first served basis starting as of now. Email the treasurer (treasurer.mynydd@gmail.com) and I (steve050@hotmail.co.uk) to confirm payment has been made.
Steve Cox
Sunset: 21:24
Dusk: 22:13
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 21:30
Dusk: 22:21
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Sunset: 21:36
Dusk: 22:28
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Meet Organiser: Jack Gilbert
Sunset: 21:39
Dusk: 22:32
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Sunset: 21:40
Dusk: 22:30
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
June 30th/July 2nd weekend – North Wales
Unfortunately, Snowdonia Parc campsite is fully booked, so we will stay at Llyn Gwynant instead (lakeside + pizza):
http://gwynant.com They no longer cordon off areas of the campsite for groups, but we will be able to camp together if you book as ‘Unallocated tent pitch no EHU’ on their online booking portal. You can add any additional cars or dogs on the ‘extras’ page.
I got a message from the campsite manager saying: “Before making your booking please familiarise yourself with our campsite rules and ensure all members attending are made aware of these before arrival. If your numbers exceed 15 we usually take a group bond, this is to ensure that other campers are not disturbed by noise or other unfriendly behaviour.”
Let me know if you’re interested in coming!
Meet Organiser: Alice Gioia
Sunset: 21:37
Dusk: 22:29
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 21:32
Dusk: 22:22
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Ogwen Valley 14th to 16th July staying at Gwern Gof Uchaf
Do you dream of the day you’d turn up at Ogwen Cottage parking with Faith that there would be a space to park? Now, unless you plan on arriving before 7am, you have to Hope that one of the van lifers are just leaving after a night of van life surrounded by 20 other vans and you can sneak into their vacated camping/parking space.
I often put off climbing in Ogwen due to the parking. To solve that I’m organising a meet where we’ll be camping as close as possible to the climbing. Gwern Gof Uchaf is located directly underneath Little Tryfan and within walking distance of all the climbing the valley has to offer.
Campsites in Snowdonia are not as free and easy as they were in the pre-covid days (none of them accept groups over 10 people anymore). Having said that, the enigmatic Gwern Gof Uchaf still holds on to the turn up and pitch a tent/van policy by only having a landline number that they never answer. I have managed to get through and reserve some spaces for us though.
Gwern Gof Uchaf – £10 per person per night (the site does accept a limited number of vans).
Cash only on arrival.
Unfortunately the campsite doesn’t allow dogs (none of the Ogwen campsites allow dogs).
Let me know on here or by private message if you’re planning to come along.
Meet Organiser: Richard Maclennan
Ailefroide France July 2023 (15 July – 6 August)
Full details can be found in the members section of our website here….
https://mynydd.org.uk/wordpress/members-area/summer23/
Everyone who likes the Mountains & Climbing should experience Ailefroide in SW France’s Ecrin Massif. Beautiful location, generally more guaranteed summer weather & loads & loads of climbing.
Located in the High Dauphiné Alps, the beautiful small and rather quiet village of Ailefroide at 1515 metres is located in the 2nd biggest French mountaineering area after Chamonix, nestled at the foot of the Mont Pelvoux ( 3946 m ) in the Ecrins massif.
In the climbing world, Ailefroide is renowned as one of the most beautiful natural climbing spots. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced, whether you prefer long routes or boulders, without doubt you’ll find your ‘piece of cake’. From the campsite you will have access to more than 800 climbing lengths. Granite walls and slabs.
I took this from the link below. It tells you everything you need to know really but I’ve added more information and links bellow.
https://www.summitpost.org/ailefroide-rockclimbing-area/189844
Many of the routes are between 200m and 300m long and graded between F5a to F6c. The vast majority of the routes are well bolted. In total there are over 120 multi-pitch routes between 150m and 500m long across 22 sectors that face all directions so it is always possible to find the sun or the shade.
In addition to the multi-pitch routes, Ailefroide has a further 13 sport climbing areas with over 250 single pitch routes between F3c and F8a.
Meet Organiser: Rob Pettner
Sunset: 21:25
Dusk: 22:12
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 21:15
Dusk: 22:00
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Sunset: 21:03
Dusk: 21:47
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 20:50
Dusk: 21:32
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
If you’re a prospective member or have recently joined as an Aspirant, then this is the meet for you! The Mynydd Climbing Club would like to welcome you with open arms to our beloved club hut, Blaen-y-Nant, for a weekend of climbing and merriment.
All the information that you need to find the hut can be found on the link below. It’s alpine bunk style sleeping arrangements so bring a sleeping bag and pillow, or there’s room to pitch tents too if you prefer. We’ll be lighting a BBQ on the Saturday evening so bring something to put on the grill along with food and drink for the rest of the weekend.
https://mynydd.org.uk/wordpress/club-hut/
Don’t worry about coming with firm plans or a climbing partner – there will be plenty of Mynydd members to pair up with. We always try and make an effort to climb in the Crafnant valley over the course of the weekend and there are lots of other climbing, walking, scrambling, gorge walking and cafe options available depending on the weather and what you’re keen for.
If you’re planning on attending then please email chair.mynydd@gmail.com to let me know you’re coming or respond to the meet advert on Facebook / The Forums.
Meet Organiser: David Kirsfelds
Sunset: 20:36
Dusk: 21:16
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 20:21
Dusk: 20:59
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*Pembroke Meet 25th – 28th August 2023*
August bank holiday can only mean one thing, it’s Pembroke o’clock! This year we’ll be staying at the Upper Portclew Farm campsite, conveniently located within walking distance of both The Freshwater Inn and Freshwater East beach.
If spending all day in the pub or at the beach isn’t your thing then fear not, the main event is close by too – the stunning sea cliffs of Pembroke’s Range East are within a 15 minute drive.
We provisionally have 16 pitches for both tents and vans (though if there’s a lot of interest there’s scope to expand this) booked from Friday 25ththrough to Monday 28th at a cost of £7.50 per person per night. No advance payment is needed and to book your space, either comment down below, drop me a WhatsApp/Facebook message or email me at [steve050@hotmail.co.uk](mailto:steve050@hotmail.co.uk), advising if you’ll be in a tent or a van.
Meet organiser: Steve Cox
Sunset: 20:02
Dusk: 20:39
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Sunset: 19:48
Dusk: 20:24
Check website or Facebook for post climb pub location!
Meet organiser: James Hoyes
This will be a joint meet with the Climber’s Club, based out of their excellent hut in Borrowdale (https://www.climbers-club.co.uk/venues/grange-old-school-grange-borrowdale/). September’s a fantastic time for cragging in Borrowdale, and the CC hut is within walking distance of Shepherds, Black Crag, and many other lower Borrowdale crags. This will be a climbing orientated meet, though not necessarily elite grades! It would be great to see some others with split allegiances there, and likewise it’s a great opportunity for anyone interested in finding out about the CC, or anyone simply keen to go climbing in Borrowdale! Places are limited to 13 beds + camping – so get in touch soon if you’re interested.