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The following is an abridged account of expert revelry, written by four Venture
Scouts who planned and executed an expedition during the 3rd Gidea Park
summer camp in 1995. It should be pointed out that at the time of writing all four
members of the expedition team were over 18 years of age. None of it was for any badges, they had already completed Queens Scout Award expeditions and most of them the Explorer Belt expeditions.
Earlier in the year Mark had been a member of the Romford District 4 inns
team. The 4 inns is a 45 mile (ish) in one day hike in the peek district. Unfortunately none of it is spent in any inns. Mark
felt that the RVU should enter a team and felt that the team would benefit by hiking the section of the route from Crowden to Edale, and then bimbling
back towards our camp site in Little Eaton over the following couple of days.
Narration for this report is taken from our 1995 Summer Camp Log book.
Present on the Expedition were Mark, Jeremy, Andrew and James. All three were accomplished Hikers. To set
the scene, the summer of 1995 was blisteringly hot. It was the only summer camp in living memory where not a single drop of rain fell for the
whole duration of our stay.
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Present on Expedition
Andrew "Flick Back, There's always one"
Jeremy
Mark "Slide Master
James "The Fish, "
First we had to stop of for supplies. i.e. 8 pot noodles, 6 tins (Including sonic) some aminals and a crate + a bottle of old fart beer!
Jem has just politely requested that I position my face by his rear end. Does he think I'm a complete muppet.
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| Jem Makes Dinner |
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This morningh we were climbing which was as exciting as ever, then it was time to go on our expedition. Went shopping in Tesco Glossop. As we were driving out of the
car park some daft woman starts waving at us" What does she want?"
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| Mark, Andy and James try some "Old Fart" |
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"You've got shopping on the roof of your car"
oh... um bum! - how stupid do we feel?
Andy J. dropped us at Crowden campsite.
Crowden Camp site is nice but it has well over 9 billion residents. 50 or so
humans, one dog, 7 ducks and the rest are all flies, 8 billion of which are in our tents.
JJ. Ouch - Argh, plumbs!, flies - there everywhere - swarming through the tiniest gaps
in the vents - they're all over me - argh I'm being mauled
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Monday err Tuesday actually!
Anyway the fly's are still around - we're late and cooking breakfast - bacon and eggs and mushrooms and BROWN SAUCE.
Has anyone still got the brown sauce - Andy had it last - hmm seem to have lost it somewhere. Shame.
11.50 Rucksacks very heavy and I'm loosing all my tan on the back of my rucksack from my back. It looks like I have put some putty all over it!
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| Climbing Torside in the Sun. |
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| Resting on Bleaklow |
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Andy. Still Tuesday 8.40pm
It has just been brought to my attention that we have neglected to mention that James seemed to have acquired a
mess tin belonging to MFG. Who that belongs to we don't care but we believe Malcolm has got a lot of dead wasps in brime back at
the camp site.
What does the F stand for in MFG?
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Our hike today took us across Torside Reservoir and up Torside itself. Across Bleaklow, down to Doctors Gate Culvert
and down Snake Pass to the inn of the same name. Then up to Seal stones before crossing the edge of Kinder Scout and descending to Edale.
A total of 20.08km or 12 miles in blistering heat. Its a nice and very rare to have Kinderscout to yourselves.
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| The start of the climb from Snake Pass |
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| We saw no other hikers all day apart one lone ranger... literally a national park ranger who explained that it was too hot for most people, after checking that we had plenty of water. It was so hot we only drank soft drinks at the Snake Pass Inn!!! |
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JJ. 9.30 James and Mark have just done the
washing up complaining that they have nothing to wash up with and
then some little boy runs a long distance up a mahucive hill from
the washing up place and asked if we had left a scourer behind - Er
yes thanks very kind of you - RVU are so cool they get other little
kids to nick items of importance.
Stupid Quote. MH: The railways at the station.
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| Climbing to Seal Stones |
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11.45 Tuesday night
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| View from the top |
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Andy is a complete gorgeous God. Hmm yes he is prrr! Thank you darling. We are currently discussing the use of adjectives to describe
the Ventures. Jem of course has the lovelyest legs on camp, but due to injury of the legs his crown has been transferred to little Nick.
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Mark "top bloke" said Helen from last camp (15) would only go near Jem when she was drunk.
12.05 RVU Group Pics cause were stupid (James?)
MH Wednesday morning 6.30 am.
Mark looks out and sees a lovely blue sky. But then realises that its a very dark gray shade of Blue. Plumbs!
Naff looking day so decide to get up early and have breakfast - potnoodles yes delicious (Not!)
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| A steep wall. |
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| The Boys Dump Their Load |
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JJ Set off at 9.15
Reach Castleton and have delightful dump.
12.00 - My feet hurt.
1.00 - My whatsits are chaffed I need some Vaseline on them.
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Jem 1.30 Hathersage
Sit down while other three go for some money and some food. There's a large bloke standing on the corner
either he's drunk and waving at every cab and lorry that goes by and is making a large plonker out of himself or he's the most
popular man in Hathersage. In which case he's not a nice bloke because he's got more friends than me - but then that's not
surprising really.
- opps I just threw this log at Mark.
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| Map Reading Rest In Castleton |
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Mark 3.45 Well lunch is over and we have just had a slow mellow walk. The sun has disappeared which is no bad thing, but
it is still as hot as....something inapropriate
Ohh I've just remembered a very embarrassing moment. Last night I went and walked, used the lav and washed my hands
in the Ladies - but the strange thing is, some bloke opened the door for me on his way out. Jem.
Armadillo!
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| Lunch by the Derwent. |
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Jem. I can't believe it, now I've got gnat bites all over my legs - there's no way that I'll win the RVU lovely legs
competition now, unless I sabotage it by placing a rather hot toasting fork through little nick's thighs. This pen is naff by the
way. There's always one person that brings a naff pen. It's about as useful as a map is to John.
4.25 Derwant River water stop.
Andy. Jem drops lid of water bottle, it lands upright "That's a bit of luck" says Jeremy and promptly drops it again - wrong side up!
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| In the river |
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7.25 Mark - Just got to campsite and told Malcolm that we are in Calver and are going to
Matlock tomorrow. We lied! We have already passed Matlock. The plan is cunning and is as follows.
1) Arrive in Little Eaton Approx. 24hrs Early
2) Go to pub. Ehh?
3) go to Chinese take away.
4) Go to pub again Ahhh
5) Leave at closing time
6) Some time later end up at campsite.
7) Surprise everyone. Wont they be happy!
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10.15 At the Pub - Derwant Hotel
Day 2 was as follows. Edale to Curbar 22km (13 miles) mainly vally walking again in rather warm weather. This was followed by a bus to Bakewell and then to Matlock and a train to Whatstandwell.
AL. Sitting in the Pub garden being bitten to death by Mossies - Just got my second 1/2 pint
Any way back to the Hike. We are approaching Calver when we walk past the intended path and approach the campsite
ware we were intending to stay. I yell at Jem saying we are going the wrong way and we should have followed the road if we
wanted to find a bus stop. Walk out of campsite, there's a great big bus shelter sitting by the road (Far better than leaving it in the
field). One smug Jackson, one quiet Lannin but overall happiness from the team. Get Bus to Bakewell, another one to
Matlock, train to Watstandwell?
JJ it's smile time.
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Mark. Well it's chucking out time. We all have a go on pub slide. On the way home we are caught short by the bridge that takes the
main Derby - Matlock road over the river Derwant (A6). James lasts over an hour and is observed by many motorists. Jem then managed to hurt his arm falling off a wall (Best not to ask)
THURSDAY
Eah Its....err... what day is it? We think its Thursday.
There are flies every ware due to the fact that Jem is a Lazy and Hasn't washed up or tidied up yet.
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Andy has just blown a peek stove up in his face whilst two fire inspectors are less than 50 yards away!
Jem has caught Nick's Disease. "Forget it.. Do it later, Don't do it at all, BOTHERED!"
He has spent last 12 hours living at Snail pace.
Jems buying beers cause his wallet weighs more than a tent.
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| Jem hurt his arm falling of the wall The Night Before |
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2.30 p.m. Situation - Imperial Vault in Belper having our first drink
Basically Andy went in to buy a round whilst Jem, James and Mark sat in the blisteringly hot garden.
He brought two pints out and went back to get the last two. By the time he had returned Jem had downed his in 1 and Mark had
finished his.
So Mark and Jem were immediately sent to get the Next round
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| Its Spanker Lannin |
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| Someone loves himself |
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after quenching our thirst the route back to Little Eaton was planned with the aim of visiting as many pubs as possible. What better way to spend a sunny summer afternoon. A drink and a decent walk in between! The trouble was that it wasn't necessarily the shortest route!
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In hindsight, with big rucksacs and on such a hot day, beer isn't the safest way to stay hydrated.
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| Leaving Belper |
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| Sliding with Pacs |
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But we bimbled our way south and eventually reached Little Eaton.
Lunch stop. Mark uses log as a plate and gets butter all over it.
3.55 Mark helps solve a bar argument between three local drunkards by using our maps. "Well it was rude not to"
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Andy. Were going to have lunch in park now and have a short snooze before continuing.
4.15 Lunch time obviously - We have just had a vote and decided that we are happily merry. Very happily merry.
James. Dog appears out of nowhere. After death threats from Andy when it decides to eat our lunch, the thing decides to urinate on my
bag. Thankfully stops as puddle is inches away from my bag due to large cries "No!" from Ventures, most panic filled comes from I, the rest were
disgustingly filled with humor. Having brocken my log book writing duck, I am now eager
for more so it is with much enthusiasm and questionable soberinity that I put my prose to this most treasured book. Alas I have nothing to write about. Oh
well maybe I'll just lie in the sun after all!
Officially French bread should not be allowed to travel on the one way system in Belper however Jem allowed most of his Baguette to escape
from it's bag and nearly cause a 50 car pile up as it traveled the wrong way around the one way system.
5.10 Nice pretty shady glade water stop.
We are currently singing Stand by me. by Beny King Err... Ben E. King - a splendid rendition if I do say so myself.
6.45 - The Fox and Hounds
PLUMBS!!!
Shouted loudly. The reason being that the pub in Coxbench opens at 5.30 and not 7.00pm like most
pubs do. Well slap me round the Face with a slightly damp peppered Kipper.
Oh superb - After a boring load of rubbish about cameras a cheeky little wasp takes a sneaky little sip from Mark's drink on a blinding fly by.
2 plonkers in a thumping Ford have just pulled up both
with long flowing hair. Do they look like prize idiots - or what! (What!)
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| Queens Head Little Eaton |
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We staggered back singing to the camp site still with full expedition packs. On we climbedover the locked Gate witjhout incident. Got back and found that the rest of the RVU had done nothing for three days.
The Last day was only 17.1km (11 miles) so the total hike was about 61km of walking so about 37 miles.
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