During the week there were around 11-16 from each club; most arrived sometime around the start of the meet and many left early because the rain became disappointingly persistent towards the weekend. Two hardy Rucksack folk cycled from Exeter over a couple of days, managing routes on Haytor and the Lizard en route. The meet organiser (Rob) disappeared before the majority of RC members arrived on the Monday, having been donated the dreaded virus by a visiting schoolteacher over the weekend. A few others subsequently succumbed during the week and after, but thankfully most didn’t, so keeping the windows and doors open is still a good tactic, even if it means the weeny froglets start to come in the front door out of the rain. Walking down the path to the crag was a hip-hopping affair to avoid standing on the tiny critters.
The weather was quite fickle, switching from rain to sunshine at the drop of a hat, but despite that we all managed to get sufficient climbing in over the course of the week. Special mentions to: Andy T and Parminder (RC) for the furthest climb – Archangel at Black Crag, almost the last page in the Lizard section of the guidebook; John (RC) – for a smooth ascent of Bow Wall at Bosigran; Mark A (CC) for wriggling his way up the delightfully awkward Aireline at Aire Point (see the picture of his hand groping for the final holds).
Apologies to the Penzance residents, who didn’t get the usual invitation to share a BBQ with us; the weather forecast was so erratic we couldn’t decide on a suitable evening, so Andy T organised a pasty night on the Wednesday, buying in a big box of delicious, part-baked pasties from McFadden’s at St Just. Because of a hasty departure on the Friday (driving north through ‘biblical’ rain and monster queues of traffic), it was probably my first trip to the hut for decades that I didn’t have a Rosemergy cream tea, but at least I’d got my fix at Easter.
We were all suitably impressed with the building work, as we watched the final touches progressing during the week. Many thanks to Rob, Dave, James, Bob and friends for all their hard work (and to the builders, of course).
Thanks also to Andy Tomlinson for helping me as substitute meet coordinator. A successful meet, which we all decided was worth repeating in future.
Hilary Lawrenson
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