B.I.G Rendezvous

Lake District 2010

Photos (visionnez les photos du meeting/ see the meeting's pictures)

Texts (lisez les commentaires après le meeting/ read the feedbacks after the meeting)

left/gauche : Wrynose Pass ................................................. Up right/ci-dessus à droite : Kirkstone Pass

Comments are below like a good summary - More details in the links here Precisions&Profiles-Mauro Itineraries&Timings-Kevin Descriptions-Kevin

General english organisation/ Organisation anglaise générale : Kevin Speed

subscriptions/inscriptions + general manager meetings : Marc Desender

Payments/Bankcounts - Payements/Comptes bancaires : Christian Le Corre

Web page / Page web : Daniel Gobert

Inscriptions actuelles / Current subscriptions (28) : Jurgen Reckhaus, Marc Desender, Daniel Gobert, Kevin Speed, Peter Notten, Jean-Pierre Notten, Bernard Frogneux, Dominique Vanstiphout, Dominique Jacquemin, Gilles Jacquemin, Helmuth Dekkers, Patricia Donders, Mauro Repetti, Daniel Briollet (+ sa femme); Claudio Montefusco, Luciano Cattaneo, Steven Feys, Wim Van Els, Tineke Verkuijlen, Claudia Sommer & Karl Brenner (no rooms), François Candau, Christian Le Corre, Lopez Angel, Johanna Kovacs, Alessandro Repetti.

Prix/price (not yet fixed, because £ devise change) : 15€ (acompte, account, arrhes) NOW/MAINTENANT + [25-->30€] (deadline/date butoir : 12/03/2010) = [40-->45€] /jour/ a day

Remarks :

In Ambleside at YHA parking for 30 cars only. Camper vans can use YHA slipway. Call at YHA Reception. Group is booked as " Challenge BIG" . Ask at Reception to open up slipway gate and pay £17 per night per vehicle and use of all YHA Ambleside facilities. If unable to park at the YHA free car park then take a left from hostel and left at traffic lights and immediately turn right into Ambleside car park. Fee is £6.50 per vehicle for 12 hours.

Ambleside to Keswick , Honister and Whinlatter passes
Go left out of YHA then at traffic lights go right, continue and follow one-way system to the left then right and then left again indicated 'Keswick'. Scenic road but many bends through Rydal and Grasmere - please stop and buy gingerbread from the shop there - it's famous! After Grasmere Lake the road goes up over Dunmail Rise then down to Thirlmere. Just before Thirlmere there is a left turn for a scenic quiet road to the left of the lake but continue on along main road if time is short. In Keswick follow signs to the left for Borrowdale and continue along the valley alongside Derwent Water to Seatoller where the 3km steep climb begins up to Honister Pass. A BIG sticker has been placed on the road sign to the left next to Honister youth hostel at the summit.
Back to Keswick the same way and take main road A66 for Cockermouth and take a left indicated for Braithwaite. Park on the right in front of houses. The very steep climb to Whinlatter Pass begins immediately after passing white buildings in a narrow section of the road. It is important to take the left turn for Whinlatter here and not the right turn for Cockermouth as this returns to the A66 road and is flat.

Ambleside to Great Dun Fell
Take the road to Keswick as described above and just before the town take a right turn for Threlkeld and Penrith and soon becomes the A66 main road.
Go along here to Penrith and just before the town at a roundabout take the third turning indicated A66 Brough. Go along here until Kirkby Thore village is reached then take a left on a narrow road in Kirkby Thore, go to the end of this road and take a left turn then immediately a right turn indicated 'Knock'. Follow this road and go round a sharp bend to the right then just past a row of houses look out for a small brown sign on the left in the grass verge that indicates 'Knock Christian Centre' Take the left turn here and immediately after turning there is a car park on the right for at least 20 cars. Park then go to Great Dun Fell. BIG sticker placed on a post 1km from the top on the right as the road was blocked by snow last month!

Great Dun Fell to Hartside, Westernhope Moor and Fleet Moss
From car park in Knock turn right, go to end of road, take a right and pass through Millburn, Newbiggin, Skirwith to Melmerby. Good pub for eating on the right, open all day. Here take a right on the main road where the climb to Hartside Cross begins. Many motor cyclists on this road - and at the cafe on the top!
BIG sticker placed on the summit marker. Down the other side to Alston. Please note motorists - there is a petrol station on the left on entering Alston - there are no more petrol stations between Penrith and St John's Chapel to the east below Westernhope Moor. The roads A686 and A689 are hilly, especially at Nenhead to the east of Alston. Alston itself is a very interesting small town of cobbled steep streets. On reaching Daddry Shield take a right after a row of stone cottages that has a white railing in front, a glass telephone kiosk on the corner. The road is indicated 'Brotherlee' Go along here and after a 200 mtres take a right along a narrow lane that soon becomes steep and goes up to Westernhope Moor. BIG sticker placed on road sign to the left just before cattle grid at the top. Steeply down other side to Middleton in Teesdale, steep up again to Brough and hilly road continues for Hawes. Car park in Gayle 0.5 km to south of Hawes, £2.50 for 2 hours. Steeply up after passing over stone bridge over river, picturesque village of stone houses then the immediate climb up to Fleet Moss

Fleet Moss to Cow & Calf and Oxenhope Moor
If coming from Ambleside today take A66 from Penrith to Brough then B6259 indicated Kirkby Stephen and Hawes. From the top of Fleet Moss it is a glorious long descent through the Yorkshire Dales following the River Wharfe through Wharfedale, Kettlwell to Threshfield - a good place to meet the cars again if we opt for this recommended alternative. From Threshfield to Skipton and take right on the roundabout before the town for A65 Ilkley and Leeds. On entering Ilkley take a right and park along here for Cow&Calf that begins opposite Ilkley rail station. BIG sticker at top on left on roadsign. Go over Ilkley Moor and follow signs for Keighley then to the left for A6033 to Oxenhope. Oxenhope Moor climb begins on Hebden Bridge Road just past church on the right and just before 30mph road signs is a turning to the left and immediately steeply up to metal tower, to the left then continue until Warley Moor reservoir can be seen on the right. The road becomes a gritted surface and goes on to the windfarm car park. BIG sticker on the right on a road sign

Oxenhope Moor to Castleton
Go over Oxenhope Moor to Wainstalls - car pick up? And Mount Tabor and into Halifax. Take A629 indicated Huddersfield, continue on A629 indicated Sheffield. At edge of the city take A6101 indicated Glossop and merge into the A57 for Glossop to the west. Continue on to Ladybower Reservoir in Upper Derwent Valley and take a right at the traffic lights indicated for Bamford and Castleton A6013. At end of this road take a right at the traffic lights for Hope and Castleton. In Castleton the hostel is on Castle Road to the left. Car parking is a few metres further on to the right next to the Tourist Information Office. Parking is free after 20.00 hours until 08.00. At Castleton YHA the booking is in my name - quote 'Kevin Speed group'