Cromwell Mountain Club
28 Feb/5 Mar 08 - Adults winter mountaineering, Aviemore, Scotland
Seven adult members of the CMC experienced some wickedly wild weather in the Cairngorms during a 4-day winter skills trip to Rothiemurchus Lodge, near Aviemore at the end of February.
70 mile-an-hour winds buffeted the group on the first 2-days of the trip during a basic winter skills course led by an old friend of the club, Mark Shewry of Mountain Inspirational. After learning the basics of walking in winter (as Mark told the group: "it's not just a case of putting one foot in front of the other!") and using the ice axe to arrest a fall on day one, the crampons came out on day two. After getting used to having 12 metal spikes on each foot the group then had an introduction to avalanche safety on the slopes of Coire an t-Sneachda whilst examining the layers of the snow pack before braving the howling winds on top of the Cairngorm plateau en-route back to base.
September 07 - Yr Hafod, Snowdonia
The weather was typical for Snowdonia - warm and sunny on Saturday (except on the highest peaks) and raining on Sunday.
Both days saw our walking parties heading out on routes set to challenge at an appropriate level; the veterans (youngest aged 49) climbed to Snowdon's cloud capped summit; the Explorers explored, heading off for a 14km circuit taking in Carnedd Llewelyn (Snowdonia's third highest peak at 1064m), while the Scouts took on Tryfan and the Glyders.
June 07 - Hiking and mountain biking in the Brecon Beacons
This was the first opportunity in quite a few years for the scouts to experience 'proper' Mountain Biking in the hills; a very different prospect from riding around the fens!
Of the 16 attending, 12 decided that they were up to the challenge of tackling the hills on two wheels under the guidance of two of the CMC's new Mountain Bike Leaders - this was the first chance for Jamie & Mark to use their skills in guiding and instructing the Scouts on bikes, the pair being amongst the first in the country to be assessed for and gain a Mountain Biking Leading permit under the new Adventurous Activities Permit Scheme.
Click on any image for a full-screen view
Aug/Sept 06 - Kandersteg, Switzerland
The Scouts, Explorers, Network, Fellowship and Leaders had a great time walking and climbing in the Swiss alps.
1st Fenstanton & Hilton Scout Group have made a fantastic collection of photographs available online for anyone wanting to share in their Kandersteg and CamJam Scouting adventure.
To see the trip diary with links to the activities visit the Kandersteg diary or for more pictures browse through the photo album
June 06 - Capel Curig, Snowdonia
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Snowdonia was remarkably quiet for the time of the year and so the twenty Scouts, Explorer Scouts and adults that went on the trip had the hills pretty much to themselves. The weather on Saturday was blistering hot and so plenty of sun cream and water was called for. The team split into three groups, each taking a different all-day route to match their experience and ability.
Sunday brought light rain and low cloud; consequently the shorter morning strolls were a little less adventurous but equally testing, particularly on navigation skills!
