Peak region roundup 2021!
A report on our doings despite covid
After a dubious start post lockdown, and practically no events being possible in the early part of the year, 2021 has turned out to be a bumper year!
Cath Sinclair nobly filled the Peak void by organising a Zoom quiz early in March, great fun, and a chance to have facetime with old friends. But would we ever see a hill again?
We are, however, nothing if not determined. With lots of help from our comrade in contours, David Broom (see his webinar sessions in the members area) we put together an outline of events, and hoped for the best. Out first tentative outing was on April 17 up at the Snake Pass, a navigation half day entitled 'Day into Night'. Basically, you busy yourselves practising nav techniques in the daylight, and let it go dusk then dark around you, just as it would if you were delayed or benighted on the hill.
Lockdown and social distancing were then still in force, but the Snake was absolutely heaving with day trippers. This was to be a theme in the Peak throughout the year: the whole place was rammed with people who normally never go near a hill, parking was a nightmare (more below on this!) and many of the locals have turned hostile to visitors.
We resumed normal service on 5 June, with the first of our Access and Environment Days. We work through the various zones of hill ecology, changing with height. This was the gentle Lowland Day, in the White Peak around Cromford. The Submontane day on 4 September was from Edale onto Kinder, and the Montane/Fellfield day on 23 October up in the Lakes, on Dale Head, was perishing cold with a bitter strong wind all day. Chilled to the very marrow!
Planned for last year, we were at last able to hold the wild-camping weekend in the delightful Moelwynion on 3-4 July. Nice summer weather, you might think; but no, heavy rain off and on all weekend, and challenging nav conditions (and I had a mysterious sharp pain under my shoulderblade, which was like being stabbed by a red-hot darning needle every time I turned round in the coffin-like confines of my one man tent!). But the foul weather was rather the point of the exercise, come to think about it; this was a trip aimed at ML candidates preparing for Assessment, and six hardy aspirants were put through severe paces in difficult terrain and poor weather conditions. And night navving till 3.30 am. Very character-forming, and after that most assessment courses should be a breeze!
Which takes us to the 17 July, and the first of Gordon Riley's navigation days based on plane wrecks in the Dark Peak. We began from Upper Booth, where the handy free car park is normally easy to use. But I had my doubts, and slept there in my van overnight. The first of the trippers and dogwalkers arrived at 0550, and by 0645 the car park was full to overflowing. I became a parking attendant, to ensure a smooth experience and fortunately, our plans to have our people park in the village and be shuttled up weren't needed, and my impersonation of a Peak National Park ranger wasn't rumbled by the authorities. But a great day navving with a difference. The second event in this series, on 21 August, was based further north, beyond Bleaklow, and the parking was a good deal more sane.
On 26 September we went GARDENING. No, really! Peter Judd organised a joint event with BMC and the National Trust. This took place during the brief fuel panic, so well done the nine volunteers who turned out to help remove invasive species from a stretch of moorland, again started at the Snake Pass. Let us all join in a chorus of 'Humbug', because they spent their day making war on self set Christmas trees!
Our scheduled events concluded on 6 November, with a rerun of the Day into Night navigation day, making a pair of bookends to an eventful and challenging year. But there was a great spirit of enthusiasm, and we can expect great things for the future.
So what about 2022? David Broom has offered to work with us again on a variety of workshops, including reruns of the successful events of this year. We will also look at repeating some old favourites from past years, Navigation at Unusual Scales, Mass Trespass of 1932 Relived, and the Mountaineering Hut Weekend in Snowdonia. And we are hoping that people will volunteer to lead or facilitate events of their own devising – email me at the address below.
So, step forward, shy volunteers! Let me have your suggestions for workshops for 2022, and your offers to lead sessions - starting with Night Nav events over the winter, always very popular.
We had such fun in 2021, Covid or no Covid. 2022 can't help being better still!
Stephen Jones
MTA Peak Region Co-ordinator
mtapeakdistrict@gmail.com