The University of Bristol Explorers Club

Hik-Up: Autumn 2012

Edited by: Catie Butler and Will Costin Written by: David Bernhard, Catie Butler and Carl Scarth

With thanks to Explorers past and present for photos and fun times!

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The President's Bit

Hello! You're reading a copy of Hik-

Up, the official magazine of the

University of Bristol Explorers Club.

Whether you've just joined us or you're

back for another year, a very warm

welcome to you!

We're one of Bristol's most active

student clubs, offering a packed

programme all year, even over

summer. We go hiking to some of the

most beautiful places Britain has to

offer, from the rolling hills of the

Cotswolds to the wilderness of

Dartmoor; the rugged coastline of

Dorset to gentle Chew Valley; the

mountainous Brecon Beacons to flat

and wide Salisbury plain - and further

afield, from sunny Cornwall to

Snowdonia and the Lake District.

In a year where we've admired sporting

successes, let me assure you that you

don't need to be an Olympic athlete to

join Explorers. We're not a sports club

and you don't need to come with a

competitive spirit: we're proud of

being one of the friendliest societies,

and can be found sampling the delights

of tea-rooms, pub food and barbeques

when we're not out walking. If you're a

serious hiker looking for a challenge

however, you'll get the chance to do

things like a 30km walk on the hottest

day of summer, or the Yorkshire Three

Peaks.

Let me introduce myself: I'm David,

doing a PhD in computer science, and

President of Explorers for this year. I

joined Explorers at Fresh two short

years ago, and have loved every bit of

it since. For me, hiking is a great way

to escape the pressures of work and

spend time with friends.

Have I got you interested in

Exploring? Why not check out our

website, www.explorersclub.co.uk,

have a look at the photo galleries of

past walks or get the latest updates on

our activities this term. Or join us at

our weekly pub lunch, every Tuesday

from 1-2 at the Colston Arms on St.

Michael's Hill.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

David

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A Week in the Life of Explorers

The week's activities start with our

publicity e-mail, usually out by

Tuesday morning, giving details of the

walks and socials on that week. The

term programme is also printed at the

back of this Hik-Up and on our

website, but check the publicity for

any last-minute changes. It'll also tell

you how to sign up for the walks.

(Expert tip: don't reply directly to the

publicity. The publicity officer isn't

usually the one that takes the sign-

ups.)

On Tuesday lunchtime we have our

weekly pub lunch from 1-2 at the

Colston Arms on St Michael's Hill –

look for us around the back of the pub.

You don't need to sign up or even be a

member to come to these pub lunches,

you don't have to order food

either, but you can always

drop by to have a chat with

us, get any questions about

the club answered, and sign

up or pay for trips.

At the start of term we'll be

running a few short walks on

Wednesday afternoons to

places around Bristol. These

are either free or you just pay

the cost of a bus; not more

than a couple of pounds.

Sometime during the week

we have a social – this can be

anything from a meal to

Laser Quest, a pub crawl to a Guitar

Hero night – check the term

programme for the full list.

At the weekend we'll go walking

(surprise!). We try and vary between

Saturdays and Sundays and between

taking a minibus and public transport.

We also try hard to keep the cost of

transport for a day's walk under £10,

though this is getting harder from year

to year. If it's public transport, you

only pay the cost of your tickets on the

day and we try to get group saver

tickets wherever possible to push the

cost down further. If you use the train

regularly, a railcard is a good

investment that gets you a third off

most fares. For minibus walks and

weekends, we collect money in

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advance – you can pay at the Tuesday

pub lunch or members of the

committee can arrange to meet you at

various times and places during the

week.

Several times a term we go on a

weekend trip – there's three planned

this autumn. We announce these two

weeks in advance, and we leave on

Friday evening, drive into the night,

and arrive at a cosy bunkhouse where

we stay for two nights. We walk for

two days, coming back to Bristol on

the Sunday evening.

On these trips we provide breakfast,

dinner on Saturday evening and

ingredients for you to make packed

lunches. On the journey up we stop at

a service station (though I just take

home-made sandwiches) and on the

way back we try to find a fish and chip

shop. Saturday evening is your chance

to partake in the traditional Explorers

Slop, which has never yet failed to

taste good after a long day's hiking.

Take a look at the equipment page for

what to take on walks, and don't

hesitate to ask us if anything's not

clear!

By David Bernhard

Photos courtesy of Catie Butler

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Equipment

Walk into any outdoor shop and you can spend a fortune on gear – but here's all

you really need…

Walking Boots

Most of our weekends away and some

of our day walks go up real mountains,

where proper walking boots with ankle

support are essential for safety - NO

trainers, wellies or UGG boots. On our

weekends away where we sometimes

try out a bit of scrambling you will

particularly need good ankle support.

The cheapest models start from around

£30, how much you will want to pay

depends on how keen a walker you are

(as well as your budget of course).

More expensive boots do tend to last

longer and be more waterproof. Do try

on new boots in the shop and walk

about a bit, make sure they're

comfortable - our walks can easily

exceed 20km in a day! Don’t forget to

wear them in before setting out on a

hike too.

Trousers

NO jeans, we're speaking from

experience here. Once they get wet

they're horrible to walk in and take an

age to dry out. You don't need special

hiking trousers, a cheap tracksuit pair

will do fine.

Rain jackets

Bring a rain jacket on every walk – just

in case! You can buy a cheap one for

under £20 and you'll get enough

opportunities to use it in this country

even when you're not on walks.

Waterproof trousers

A good investment too!

Rucksacks

We usually eat lunch out on the hills so

you'll need something to carry your

food and drink. You don't need a

special mountaineering one.

And for weekend trips…

On our weekend trips we stay in

bunkhouses where you'll need a

sleeping bag (some are usually

available to borrow from the club).

A dry bag for your wallet, phone and

other important items is a good

investment: the trip where it was so

wet that everyone's phones and

cameras packed up is the stuff of

Explorers legend. Of course you can

also just use a plastic bag.

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The Committee

We're a friendly bunch – feel free to email us with any questions you have about

the club, whether you are a member or not. To send any of the committee an

email, use the address:

[their first name]@explorersclub.co.uk

President

David Bernhard

Studying: PhD Computer Science

Vice-

President

Catie Butler

Studying: PhD Glaciology

Treasurer

Helen Thorley

Studying: PhD

Chemistry

Secretary-in-

Absentia

James Mills

Studying: Aerospace

Engineering.

Currently in Valencia with the International

Association for the Exchange of Students for

Technical Experience

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Transport Officer

Carl Scarth

Studying: PhD in Composites Design & Manufacture

Equipment

Officer

Darby Harris

Studying: Physics

with Theoretical

Astrophysics

Publicity Officer

Jasper Waller

Studying: Physics with Theoretical Astrophysics

General

Assistant

Bea Domenge

Studying: Computer Science

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Brecon Waterfalls Day Walk (March 2012)

The four waterfalls walk in the

Brecon Beacons is my favourite

day trip. Apparently most of the

Brecons National Park sits on

sandstone, but a small bit to the

south-west around the river Neath

is limestone instead, producing

spectacular valleys, caves and of

course waterfalls. (Our geologists

are more than happy to explain this

in more detail, and to stop and take

photos of rocks on the way.)

Mandatory group photo at the first

waterfall.

This walk gives you a bit of

everything. You start off in a gentle

valley walking in woods along a

river. Passing the signs telling you

not to fall in the river because it

may be cold and wet, you balance

along a narrow path, cross wooden

bridges, admire the

first waterfalls,

continue through a

gorge, have lunch at

another waterfall,

get going again

because you’re

starting to feel cold,

walk out into some

open hill country

past ancient forts

and cairns and

navigate your way

round (or through) a

bog, avoid angry

cows, see some caves and then

come to the highlight of the day: a

series of waterfalls, each one bigger

than the next, roaring and rushing

down alongside the path and almost

making you forget the smaller ones

you saw in the morning.

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Just before you get back, you reach

Sgwd yr Elra (don’t ask me how

that’s pronounced!), where the path

goes behind a waterfall. Expect to

get wet! The first time I did this

walk, it was mid-winter and the

waterfalls were all iced up making

this section of path impassable.

This time round all was well except

that our group spent so much time

photographing and scrambling

around waterfalls (there was a

perfectly good path nearby, but that

would have been less interesting)

that it was getting dark by the time

we headed back to the minibus.

However, the other group had

found a good pub in the village

though, so there wasn’t anything to

complain about.

By David Bernhard

Behind the waterfall (Sgwd yr Elra). Sadly we didn’t find the

bat-cave there.

It isn’t called the waterfalls walk

for nothing!

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Peaks Weekend (February 2012)

Not letting the cold of

February put us off,

Explorers headed to the Peak

District for what proved to

be our snowiest weekend

trip of the year. As usual we

set off in the minibus on

Friday night, arriving at our

bunkhouse with enough time

to settle in and say hi to the

horses outside before bed.

On day one, we decided to

climb up Kinder Scout, a

vast plateau and also the

highest place in the East

Midlands. The walk to the

top was a bit of a challenge

as we had to make a choice between either climbing a steep, usually lush

and grassy, slope where the snow was now up over our ankles, or taking

the regular footpath route up the valley, which would involve scrambling

over icy rocks. The snowy slope won and we made it to the top

successfully, where an

incredible snowy vista

was waiting for us.

The summit of Kinder

Scout is like an alien

landscape – very high

and flat but carved out

with little stream

channels, which were of

course all iced over. An

excellent lunch spot was

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found in one of these mini valleys, which

provided shelter as well as the opportunity to

try a little ice skating on the frozen bog and to

have a snowball fight.

As we descended the snow diminished and, via

some very friendly cats and (some might say

foolish) attempts to slide down the icy path on

our map cases, we headed back to the

bunkhouse to warm up with the traditional

Explorers Saturday dinner of slop (nicer than it

sounds!) followed by cake and custard, then

some games around the fire.

Day two took us along a pretty river with waterfalls and stepping stones,

valley walls hung with icicles, before heading back to Bristol - via a fish

and chip shop of course! By Catie Butler

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Lago Sorapis

makes an

absolutely stunning

lunch spot

The Cinque Torri’s distinctive form

visible on descent of the Nuvolau

Summer Trip 2012: The Dolomites

Each summer Explorers swap

minibuses for plane tickets and

go hiking further afield: this

year it was the turn of Italy and

the Dolomite Mountains. Based

in a campsite in the popular ski

resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo,

towered over by Antelau (‘King

of the Dolomites’), we were

treated to ten days of hiking

through awe-inspiring landscapes.

The Dolomites is a surprisingly fertile mountain range: lush green grass

and alpine wildflowers fill the valleys and forest extends high into the

hills. Above the treeline the landscape alters drastically, with dusty

plateaus separated by steep scree slopes plummeting down to the valley

floor or the occasional lake. Dramatic rock formations tower over the

footpaths at every turn, described in guide books as 'towers', 'steeples',

'chimneys' and 'cathedrals'. These chunks of rock are often too steep to

hike up but are an absolute treat to walk among.

Notable highlights were the Tre Cime (three peaks) and Cinque Torri (five

towers). These rocky outcrops featured in a couple of walks as well as

being visible from much of the region, although we were not brave enough

to even contemplate scaling either ourselves.

In my view the

unquestionable

high point of the

trip was the sublime 'Lago Sorapis', a lake entirely worth the long uphill

slog through forest to reach it. Suspended particles of limestone from

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glacial meltwater give the lake a

luscious turquoise colour, making it

the perfect spot for lunch and of

course a cheeky espresso before the

final ascent of the day.

The region has a fairly bloody

history: being on the front line

between Austria and Italy in WW1,

the mountain tops were disputed and

in some cases the mountains

themselves were blown to

smithereens. Perhaps the most

famous leftover of the war are the

Via Ferrata (iron roads), which now

attract thrill seekers the world over

who use them for sport, clipping

themselves onto the iron rungs and

chains to help climb some of the

trickier faces. Sadly there wasn't time

to properly try this, but we invented a

sport of our own in the form of 'Beer Ferrata' after a generous serving of

Weissbier in a mountain hut above the Cinque Torri.

Aside from the landscape, one of my favourite discoveries were the

Rifugio, mountain huts primarily targeting those doing long distance 'alta

via' routes, and a drink served in the huts. 'Radler' is a 50/50 mix of

German beer and cloudy lemonade and is perhaps the most refreshing

thing imaginable in the baking mid-day sun in which we found ourselves

walking on a daily basis.

I would highly recommend the Dolomites and the Explorers summer trip:

a truly unique and beautiful landscape, fantastic weather, glimpses into fun

new sports and of course yet another addition to my own personal

encyclopaedia of delicious alcoholic drinks.

By Carl Scarth, photos courtesy of Nicola Love and Dan Levell

A short, exposed section at the

start of the Via Ferrata

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Socials

Every week, Explorers get

together for a social, to catch

up on the week’s adventures

and meet up with friends.

A few favourites, and

traditional Explorers staples

are Burns’ Night (at which we

sample haggis, neaps and

tatties, and attempt to deep fry

Mars bars), Laser Quest (running

around in the dark shooting your

friends is always fun!), and the

night walk (usually near to

Halloween, we explore Leigh

Woods by the light of the moon…).

These, along with a plethora of

meals (out and in), pub visits,

parties and other gatherings, keep

us busy and active through the year.

My favourite social this year,

however, was pancake night.

Twenty-two Explorers crammed

into Bea’s house, while a genuine

Frenchman (thanks Maxime!) made

us genuine French crepes with all

sorts of toppings.

And of course, a highlight of the

year is the Christmas dinner, where

we gather at our traditional pub, the

Colston Arms. But instead of the

usual Tuesday lunchtime pub fare,

we sit down to a three course

dinner, the tables and walls

are decked out with holly,

candles and tinsel, and

crackers provide much

amusement (generally via the

medium of throwing little

toys at Jasper!).

By Catie Butler, photos

courtesy of Deborah

Durbin

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Term Programme

All our walks and socials in the Autumn term….. (socials subject to change)

Sat 6 October Cheddar to Wells

Sun 7 October Dartmoor (minibus)

Week of 8 October Laser Quest

Wed 10 October Blaise Castle

Sat 13 October Abergavenny

Week of 15 October Pub Crawl

Wed 17 October Dundry

Sun 21 October Long Mynd (minibus)

Week of 22 October Meal

Wed 24 October Frome

27-28 October Snowdonia weekend

Week of 29 October Halloween social

3-4 November Lakes Weekend

Week of 5 November EGM

Sat 10 November Wye Valley

Week of 12 November Night walk

Sat 17 November Cheltenham/Cleeve hill

Week of 19 November Cheese and Wine evening

24-25 November Cornwall weekend

Week of 26 November Guitar Hero night

Sat 1 December Pewsey Down

Week of 3 December Christmas meal

Sun 9 December Brecon Waterfalls

Week of 10 December Film night

Sat 15 December Glastonbury Tor