Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

matter!"
One Saturday in May l941 I climbed Coniston Old Man and Brim Fell, with
Charles Hay, and five other boys. We took the Ferry to Hawkshead and Coniston,
where we left the bikes and made a very quick ascent of the Old Man by a quarry
road as it got hotter and hotter. But, at last we were able to have a wonderful bathe
in Low Water - deep and clear and cold. We scrambled to the top; then along to
Brimfell, and down the steep slopes to Levers Water and so by old copper mines
(with some scree-running) returned to Church Beck and cycled home via Coniston
and the Ferry. It was a very pleasant day in good company - all good walkers. There
were plenty of other excursions like this.
For Christmas and New Year, l941, the Woods took me to Buttermere, where we
stayed in the Fish Hotel. Bill had gone home to Newcastle. The former Buttermere
Hotel nearby, now a Youth Hostel, was then a ‘Fell and Rock Climbing Club’ Hostel
and there was a meet over the holiday. Freda Woods was a member of the club,
though not active, but she knew some of the older members through her father and
introduced me to them. As a result I was taken up my first rock climb - by Bentley
Beetham (an Everest climber!), Dr Burnett, A T Hargreaves, and E G Sutton, all well
known climbers of those times.
We walked around the shore of Buttermere, up through the wood and across the
screes to Burtness Coomb, enjoying the superb reflections in the calm lake. The first
climb we did was Harrow Buttress. I was third man and after climbing up the first
pitch in an unorthodox fashion, was initiated into the practice of belaying and took
up the following man. So the climb went on until we reached the top, all too quickly,
and I wished it wasn’t over. We went across to the foot of another climb - the Mitre.
This was more difficult and, with only studded shoes I found it tricky. At one point
my foot slipped, the adrenalin flowed and I thought I was off, but the rope held - and
so on to the top. The day passed very quickly; we found our way to the ridge in
thick mist and went on over High Stile to Red Pike and down by Ruddy Beck,
getting back to the ‘Fish’ after dark.
On New Year's Day I went with E G Sutton and another Fell and Rock member,
Miss Winch, to Fleetwith Gully, where we climbed up a very wet stream course,
straddling water, scrambling in the bed of the stream and then climbing up by a
chockstone. After this I tried chimney techniques for the first time, and then up to the
top. Next day I went to Burtness Coomb again where we did Chockstone Slabs, a
face climb ending in a chimney. Again my shoes proved to be unsuitable and one
pitch I only just managed. I really enjoyed this gentle introduction to climbing and
felt very privileged to be in the company of such experts. Later I acquired my first
pair of climbing boots, from Hawkins, Keswick; they were very heavy, with triple
hobnails and clinkers around the welt, but I was thrilled with them.
On the next Half Term holiday I went up the Claife Heights with ‘Thos’ Walker
and a few others. There were large patches of snow about and we walked over
towards Three Dubs Tarn and played some Scout tracking games for the younger
ones. We lit a huge fire near a pine-wood and roasted potatoes in their jackets.
Afterwards we scrambled about on the small crags near the top, with lovely views of
the lake and hills to the west above Coniston. Fairfield was invested by mist. There
was quite a lot of wildlife including near views of red squirrels.
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