AGM [18th January] - 18 members kindly attended the 2023 Annual General Meeting with 18 members sending their apologies for absence. Please check out the minutes.

Craster/Howick [Sunday 21st January] - meeting at Craster car park Northumberland at 10am. OS book walk 20 page 60. Participants = Ian Thomson, Kevin Nelson & David Ellerington.

Rothbury [Saturday 3rd February] - This is a moderate 8-mile BLUE (with 1276ft of ascent) walk including the optional climb to Cartington Hill. Weather permitting, your efforts are rewarded with stunning views of the market town of Rothbury, the Simonside ridge and of the Cheviot hills. Anne Marie Forster & Claire O'Sullivan kindly used their cars as Club Organised Transport in order to take Carol Lonsdale, Ania Retkowska, Evelyn Brown & Theresa Costello to Rothbury in order to meet up with Ian Goodman, Natalie Goodman, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison & Ian Thomson.

Waskerley Way [Sunday 18th February] meeting at Waskerley picnic site Durham at 10am. OS book walk 22 page 67. Participants = Theresa Costello, David Ellerington, Julie Rushton, Ania Retkowska & Bill Sudder.

Teesdale & High Force [Saturday 2nd March] - The River Tees is a river of contrasts beginning its life on the isolated flanks of Cross Fell and entering the North Sea surrounded by industry. Commencing from Bowlees Visitor Centre, DL12 0XE the 9-mile [BLACK] clockwise route (involving 987ft of ascent) will visit the equally spectacular Wynch Bridge, Low Force, High Force, Bleabeck Force & Gibson's Cave. The return is on little-used paths and byways along the north side of the valley and is equally enjoyable. There are several options to shorten this walk should this prove necessary. An alternative 7.5 mile [BLACK] anti-clockwise walk (involving 850ft of ascent) includes two fine waterfalls, pleasant rural surroundings, two fine examples of public art and a return across open country to the small village of Holwick. Kishor Raichura & Anne Marie Forster kindly transported Evelyn Brown, Ania Retkowska, Kevin Nelson & Lyn Boyle to Bowlees where they met up with Lynn Ford & Ronnie Willison.

Patterdale Long Weekend - Saturday 16th to Tuesday 19th March (THREE Nights) - Whilst Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Lyn Boyle, Neil Waite, Anne Marie Forster & Claire O'Sullivan will be staying in a Lodge on the magnificent Patterdale Hall Estate for seven nights (16th to 23rd March 2024) at a cost of £107 per member, the Club have also secured the booking of three chalets for a period of THREE nights (Saturday 16th, Sunday 17th & Monday 18th March, 2024 [leaving 'The Estate' by 10am on Tuesday 19th March, 2024]). This 300-acre private estate is located in the breath-taking Ullswater valley, wrapped around the southern tip of Ullswater, England’s most beautiful lake. Ideally located at the foot of some of Lakeland's most magnificent and scenic mountains (Place Fell, St Sunday Crag, Helvellyn, High Street) and, at the same time, for exploring by car the whole of the Lake District as it is within a short drive of Penrith, Keswick, Windermere, Ambleside, Bowness and Kendal. Should you wish to join Ian Storey, Natalie Goodman, Ian Goodman, Carol Lonsdale, Mike Morrison, Liz Beech & Paul Gertig in spending three nights in the chalets at a cost of £95 per member, please contact the Secretary as soon as possible. Kirkstone Pass will be closed for the duration of this event.

Alston [Sunday 24th March] meeting at Alston station Durham at 10am. OS book walk 21 page 64. Participants = Kevin Nelson, Ian Thomson, Theresa Costello, David Ellerington & Ania Retkowska.

Runswick Bay & Staithes Coastal Walk [Saturday 6th April] - Runswick Bay is one of the most attractive villages on the North Yorkshire coast and a paradise for artists and photographers. Its cottages perch randomly and almost precariously on a series of hillside terraces above the beach and the streets are little more than narrow passageways and flights of steps, which continually open up new vistas as they twist and turn between the close-packed buildings. Both Runswick Bay and Staithes are highly individual coastal villages: the former a picturesque jumble of cottages above a fine sandy beach, the latter an old harbour beside a steep-sided inlet, still with a strong Victorian atmosphere. The first half of the suggested clockwise 8½ mile (with 646ft of ascent) BLACK walk from Runswick Bay Bank Bottom car park (TS13 5HT) to Staithes goes inland, following an attractive route across fields, by farms and through woodlands. The return journey is along a memorable stretch of the North Sea coast which affords spectacular views throughout. The route can easily be extended to 14 miles (with 1130ft of ascent) by adding an optional RED walk along the disused railway track-bed to both Kettleness and Goldsborough with a return to Runswick Bay being made both via the spectacular cliff-top and finally Runswick Sands (tide permitting). Paul Gertig & Dek Parmley kindly used their cars as Club Organised Transport in order to take Ania Retkowska, Evelyn Brown, Anne Beryl, Kevin Nelson & Lyn Boyle to Runswick Bay to meet up with Theresa Costello, Doris Cairns, Ellen Morrison, Mike Morrison & David Ellerington.

Staindrop and Cleatlam [Sunday 21st April] meeting at South green in Staindrop opposite the Post office at 10am. Cicerone Durham book walk 17 page 99. Participants = David Ellerington & Ania Retkowska.

Chop Gate [Saturday 27th April] - Alan Ross, Evelyn Brown, Anne Beryl, Dek Parmley, Alfie Cowell, Ania Retkowska, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Theresa Costello & Ken Johnson travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus to Chop Gate from where an exciting choice of three walks were on offer:

Three Dales to Botton Head - This is a demanding though rewarding 13-mile (with 2077ft of ascent) RED anti-clockwise walk on the quiet side of the Cleveland Hills from Chop Gate into the isolation of Tripsdale and Bransdale. Classic inscriptions will intrigue the scholar, as will the many boundary stones and crosses lining the ancient walkways to Botton Head. A way-marked journey, this route provides endless joyous miles of distant and alluring views.

Trennet and Cold Moor - Moorland tramps can be, at times, just that! Not so this classic Cleveland Hills high moors and ridgeway 7-mile (with 1407ft of ascent) PURPLE clockwise walk from Chop Gate above Bilsdale and through seldom visited Raisdale. With interest and challenge running a close second to the constantly changing vistas, this walk in the steps of the miner, quarryman and pannierman, is best appreciated when the views are distant.

Cold Moor and Urra Moor - This 9-mile (with 1605ft of ascent) BLACK clockwise walk explores the exposed moorlands of the Cleveland Hills near the head of Bilsdale. From Chop Gate, it climbs over Cold Moor to the northern edge of the Cleveland escarpment. After turning east along a section of the Cleveland Way, it heads southwards along the edge of the barren Urra Moor before a descent back into Bilsdale. Not only are the panoramas expansive, they are also varied, with glimpses of urban and industrialised Teeside in the distance contrasting with the sparsely populated gentleness of Bilsdale and the severity and bleakness of the surrounding high moorland.

Oakfield House & Cottage, Tobermory, Isle of Mull Week Trip [4th-11th May] - Anne Marie Forster, Neil Waite, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Ian Storey, Claire O'Sullivan, Ellen Morrison, Mike Morrison, Carol Lonsdale, Ailie Langston, Margaret Andison, Malcolm McVey, Jean Walker & Steve Walker spent a week in Oakfield House & Cottage which offered spectacular views over Tobermory Bay and the Sound of Mull at a cost of £243 per member.

Honister Pass to Buttermere [Saturday 18th May] CANCELLED as only five bookings received - The long ridge of high land separating Ennerdale from Buttermere is uniformly dull on its Ennerdale flanks and largely given over to conifer plantations, but the northern slopes are as exciting as the southern ones are boring. Here the retreating ice took great bites from the ridge, exposing sharp-edged glacial combes buttressed by fine crags where ravens soar - this is classic fell walking country offering a procession of uplifting views. High Stile is the centre-piece of a magnificent fell massif abruptly looming over Buttermere - brazen with all the finest qualities of the Lakeland mountain-form, and yet quite unique. The suggested 7½-mile [BLACK] linear route (with 2717ft of ascent) includes four delectable summits (Haystacks 1990ft, High Crag 2443ft, High Stile 2644ft & Red Pike 2479ft). An early descent made from Haystacks (Wainwright's favourite mountain) via Scarth Gap Pass shortens the walk to 6 miles with only 1411ft of ascent. The grand show of rugged and majestic fells commanding attention on the north side of the Buttermere valley may be a delight to the casual traveller along the dale road, but for the best effect one needs elevation! Commencing from Honister Pass, the suggested 6-mile [RED] linear route (with 2060ft of ascent) provides just that with visits to the summits of Dale Head 2470ft, Hindscarth 2390ft & Robinson 2420ft.

Barnard Castle/Cornerstone [Sunday 26th May] meeting at the market cross Durham at 10am. OS book walk 24 page 73. Participants = David Ellerington & Ian Thomson.

Borrowdale [Saturday 8th June] - Borrowdale is a gem of a valley with Derwentwater the sparkling diamond, its coronet numerous summits on offer. Beyond Derwentwater the valley is squashed into the ‘jaws’, a narrow defile, where river, woods and hills create a perfect vision of Lakeland landscape. A little further the Borrowdale valley flattens and valley broadens, the head of the valley being split by craggy fells backed by the dark half-dome of Great End. The suggested 9½ mile BLACK walk (with 2743 of ascent) will include visits to the summits of both Glaramara (2,570ft) and Allen Crags (2,580ft) and descends to Seatoller via Styhead Tarn and Styhead Gill. The walk may be shortened if a return to Seatoller is made via Grains Gill. An alternative 8½ mile linear lower-level RED route (with 1505ft of ascent) to Keswick visits Rosthwaite, Watendlath, Suprise View, Ashness Bridge, and Walla Crag. Evelyn Brown, Anne Berryl, Alfie Cowell, Anne Marie Forster, Alan Ross, Dek Parmley, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Claire O'Sullivan, Neil Waite, David Ellerington, Ania Retkowska, Kay Costello & Theresa Costello travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus.

Middleton One Row [Sunday 23rd June] meeting on Front Street opposite Devonport Hotel at 10am. Cicerone’s Durham book walk 12 page 81. Participants = David Ellerington, Theresa Costello, Julie Rushton & Bill Sudder.

Dunmail Raise to Ambleside [Saturday 6th July] - Dunmail Raise was the scene of a bloody Dark Age battle for control of Cumbria between King Dunmail, the last King of Cumbria, and the combined forces of the Saxon king Edmund I and Malcolm, the King of Scots. Taking advantage of the 781ft pass, this is the start of a suggested 8-mile linear BLACK route (with 2552ft of ascent) to Ambleside via the summits of Fairfield (2864ft), Hart Crag (2697ft), Dove Crag (2600ft), High Pike (2152ft) & Low Pike (1667ft). Lyn Boyle, Evelyn Brown, Alfie Cowell, Anne Marie Forster, Anne Beryl, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Theresa Costello, Carol Lonsdale, Paul Gertig & Cath Fatkin travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus.

Housesteads/Hadrians Wall [Sunday 21 July] 10am start Housesteads car park. Northumberland OS book. Walk 26. Page 80. Participants = David Ellerington, Theresa Costello, Helen Costello & Ian Thomson.

Kirkstone Pass to Troutbeck [Saturday 27th July] - Kirkstone Pass at 1489ft, is not only the Lake District’s highest road pass but is also the start of the suggested 9.1-mile linear BLACK route (with 2779ft of ascent) to Troutbeck via the summits of Stoney Cove Pike (2500ft), Thornthwaite Crag (2570ft), Frostwick (2352ft), Ill Bell (2476ft) & Yoke (2320ft). A lower-level 7.1-mile linear RED route (with 1312ft of ascent) to Troutbeck via Wansfell Pike (1581ft), Stockghyll Force waterfall, Ambleside & Skelghyll Wood is also highly recommended and offers spectacular views of Lake Windermere. Evelyn Brown, Margaret Andison, Ailie Langston, Kay Costello, Alan Ross, Cath Fatkin, Anne Marie Forster, Lynn Ford, Ronnie Willison, Theresa Costello, Helen Costello, Alfie Cowell & Dek Parmley & Jake Kirsopp travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus to Kirkstone Pass.

Wolsingham/Frosterley [Sunday 25 August] 10am Start Wolsingham station car park. Durham Cicerone book. Walk 34 Page 168. Participants = David Ellerington, Julie Rushton, Ian Thomson, Theresa Costello, Helen Costello & Bill Sudder.

Haweswater [Saturday 7th September] - At the head of Haweswater, the road comes to an abrupt end. In this remote corner of Lakeland, nature’s wares are laid out in perfect harmony. Those who love wander in these wild and craggy places cannot fail to find here a variety of scenery to suit their taste. The classic sculpturing of Blea Water corrie contrasts sharply with the lonely, pathless fells to the east of Haweswater. The mountain pass of Nan Bield, linking Mardale and Kentmere, is the most captivating in Lakeland. This sentinel stands guard over Blea Water’s smaller, but no less delightful neighbour, Small Water. The suggested 8.6-mile circular BLACK route (with 2,818ft of ascent) ascends via Kidsty Pike to visit the summits of Rampsgill Head, High Street, Mardale Ill Bell and Harter Fell, before descending via Gatesgarth Pass to return to Mardale Head. The distance can be reduced to 7.4-miles and the ascent to 2,333ft by missing out Harter Fell and descending via Nan Bield Pass. An alternative 7.2-mile low level RED route (with 433ft of ascent) follows the western shore of Haweswater to the tiny village of Burnbanks and onto the village of Bampton, which has a community pub, The Mardale Inn. Anne Marie Foster, Neil Waite, Evelyn Brown, Anne Berryl, Jake Kirsopp, Theresa Costello, Helen Costello, Alfie Cowell, Ania Retkowska, Roger Smith, Ronnie Willison, Lynn Ford, Margaret Andison, Ian Thomson, David Ellerington & Kishor Raichura travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus to Haweswater.

Circuit of Crook [Sunday 22 September] 10am start Crook Market Place. Durham Cicerone book. Walk 33 Page 164. Participants = David Ellerington, Theresa Costello, Helen Costello, Julie Rushton & Bill Sudder.

Honister Pass to Buttermere [Saturday 5th October] - The long ridge of high land separating Ennerdale from Buttermere is uniformly dull on its Ennerdale flanks and largely given over to conifer plantations, but the northern slopes are as exciting as the southern ones are boring. Here the retreating ice took great bites from the ridge, exposing sharp edged glacial combes buttressed by fine crags where ravens soar - this is classic fell walking country offering a procession of uplifting views. High Stile is the centre piece of a magnificent fell massif abruptly looming over Buttermere - brazen with all the finest qualities of the Lakeland mountain-form, and yet quite unique. The suggested 7½-mile BLACK linear route (with 2717ft of ascent) includes four delectable summits (Haystacks 1990ft, High Crag 2443ft, High Stile 2644ft & Red Pike 2479ft). An early descent made from Haystacks (Wainwright's favourite mountain) via Scarth Gap Pass shortens the walk to 6 miles with only 1411ft of ascent. The grand show of rugged and majestic fells commanding attention on the north side of the Buttermere valley may be a delight to the casual traveller along the dale road, but for the best effect one needs elevation! Commencing from Honister Pass, the suggested 6-mile RED linear route (with 2060ft of ascent) provides just that with visits to the summits of Dale Head 2470ft, Hindscarth 2390ft & Robinson 2420ft. Helen Costello, Theresa Costello, Dek Parmley, Alfie Cowell, Lynne Boyle, Margaret Andison, Gordon Stephenson, Evelyn Brown, Jake Kirsopp, Anne Beryl, Kevin Nelson, Ian Thomson, Lynn Ford, Ania Retkowska & Paul Gertig travelled on the Denton Travel Services’ minibus to Honister Pass.

Leyburn/Castle Bolton [Saturday 26th October] - The suggested 11.8-mile BLACK walk (with 735ft of ascent) visits one of the highlights of the area at Castle Bolton. A shorter route of 9.7 miles returning from Redmire. The walk starts in Leyburn and heads west along the Leyburn Shawl Walk to Preston-under-Scar then on to the historic 14th century Castle Bolton. Heading south east to the village of Redmire then on to Wensley and back to Leyburn. Evelyn Brown, Ania Retkowska & Ronnie Willison kindly transported Anne Berryl, Cath Fatkin, Ian Thomson, Alan Ross, Lucy Topping & John Costello to Leyburn where they met up with Mike Morrison.

Sedgefield [Sunday 3 November] 10am start. Sedgefield St Edmund's church Front Street. Durham Cicerone book. Walk 11. Page 77. Participants = David Ellerington, Julie Rushton, Ian Thomson, Bill Sudder & Jean Walker.

Bolam Lake and Shaftoe Crags [Sunday 17 November] 10am start Bolam Lakes cafe. Northumberland OS book Walk 15 Page 45. Participants = David Ellerington, Helen Costello, Theresa Costello, Ian Thomson, Anne Marie Forster, Pat McCahill & Steve Wilkinson.

Ingram Valley/Cheviots [Saturday 30th November @ 8am] - The River Breamish trickles into life south of Scotsman`s Knowe on the remote slopes of Cairn Hill, an outlier of the mighty Cheviot. The narrow, upper reaches of the Breamish Valley are flanked by an 'avenue' of steep sided hills, including Cushat Law, Shielcleugh Edge, High Cantle and Shill Moor. The Salter's Road, an ancient trade route across these wild northern hills, cuts through the peaceful valley as it twists and turns its way to the Scottish border. The heather moors, way above the valley floor, stretch out towards the 'Premier League' heights of Hedgehope Hill, Comb Fell and a more distant Cheviot. Both suggested walks start from Hartside in Ingram Valley. The suggested 13-mile circular BLACK ‘clockwise’ route (with 2310ft of ascent) visits Little Dod, Cushat Law & Bloodybush Edge before dropping down to the River Breamish via The Salter's Road. The route back to Hartside visits High Cantle, Rig Cairn & the beautiful Linhope Spout. The suggested lower level 7.6-mile circular RED ‘anti clockwise’ route (with 1348ft of ascent) visits Linhope Spout, Rig Cairn & High Cantle Cantle before returning to Hartside along The Salter’s Road via Low Bleakhope, Low Bleakhope and Alnhammor. This is epic Cheviot high-level walking across windswept summits and vast, faraway views. Ania Retkowska kindly transported Anne Marie Forster & Steve Wilkinson to Hartside, where they met up with Ian Goodman & Natalie Goodman, Dek Parmley, Kay Costello, Gordon Stephenson & Margaret Andison.

Durham Riverside [Sunday 15th December] 10am start Durham market place. Durham OS book Walk 9 Page 30. Participants = David Ellerington, Julie Rushton, Helen Costello, Theresa Costello, Ian Thomson, Bill Sudder, Ania Retkowska, Carol Lonsdale & Ian Thompson.