19
Cioch Club Days. At and Around Stoney Middleton 1961-67
This is not intended to be a diary of Peak District climbing or even the Cioch club in the '60s, indeed, the photos are not even in chronological order but rather as I've come across them in old folders and other other unsuitable places.
Click on any images to enter the Archive Gallery that contains many more pictures.
However, to begin at the beginning, as someone famous once said. Climbing on the limestone outcrops of the Peak District began for most of us with the publication of Graham West’s little blue guide book ‘Rock Climbs on the Mountain Limestone of Derbyshire’, published in 1961, price 12 shillings and sixpence. In fact, this publication marked the beginning of my lifestyle much as it's continued to this day. With a group of friends, we explored and climbed in the limestone dales of the Peak District, bivouacked under boulders, in caves or even bus shelters both summer and winter in order to be where we wanted to be. At times we got wet and we got cold, we also drank rather too much beer and did a lot of laughing. Those were the best and most precious of times. Climbing on limestone was almost unheard of in the early sixties, most climbers frequented the local gritstone escarpments or visited the volcanic rocks of Wales and the Lake district. Limestone was regarded as loose and dangerous and not 'proper' rock. Well, there's no smoke without fire and there certainly was a good deal of loose rock that required cleaning off. There are tales a many of early climbers taking long falls clutching a large piece of detached limestone. The main problem was protection. Wired nuts had not been invented though threaded engineering nuts were used and whereas gritstone routes in the sixties would generally follow crack lines that took various forms of primitive protection, limestone routes often had to rely on pegs (pitons) for protection. These were never easy to come by and climbers returning from the Alps would often recoup expenses by selling pegs bought there. Here we were restricted to ex-WD (War Department) pitons known as dubdees or the occasional poor quality and overpriced Stubai peg from the local outdoor shop. Many climbers resorted to making their own pegs and even now 50 years on the occasional one can still be found on old routes long after the commercial ones have rusted away.
Things changed and the scene moved on; late 1963 we rented an upstairs room at the end of the cottages at Stoney Middleton from Eric, the cafe owner, our group of climbing friends became the Cioch Club and forsaking public transport and the hitch-hikers thumb many of us bought battered vans so that along with mates or girlfriends we could sleep in them and drive to North Wales, the Lake District or further afield. Eric had great plans for the cafe and was attempting to build up a B&B business. As such he had our end of his acommodation all replastered and redecorated. We redecorated our hut, i.e. Ackers, a plumber by trade fitted a sink into one corner and we built a double bunk system down one side of the room. The winter of '63 must have been cold as everything froze up but come the spring things began to thaw, including Acker's plumbing. In the middle of the night there was a great hissing and a jet of water ispurted from under the sink and where was the stop tap? In Eric's cafe. He didn't live in at the time so the decision was made to break through the corner of our hut which was Eric's ceiling in the cafe in search of a stop tap. The water continued to pour through the floor as the lads hacked into Eric's newly decorated house. The stop tap was eventually found but next morning we had a lot of explaining to do.
From about 1963 to 1969 Lover's Leap Cafe at Stoney Middleton in the Peak District ('Stoney Cafe or Eric's) was a social centre and meeting place for many climbers in the Peak District of Derbyshire. The cafe was modified in 1964 when a lorry took out the front so that throughout a cold winter most of the building was supported on props and screened by tarpaulins. Picture 1, left to right, much of the Cioch Club, back row, John (Ackers) Atkinson, Dave Nowill, ?, front row Sheila Stokes Brian (Tanky) Stokes, Geoff Birtles, Jim Ballard, Brian Starkey, behind?, Brian (The Nose) Moore.
Pic 2, bivouacking may be a romantic notion and sometimes it is a wonderful experience. The photo left shows the other side of the coin. This is in the old workings below Clogwyn d'ur Arddu, high on the slopes of Snowdon as evening deteriorated into a very wet and windy night. Experience tells that a polythene sheet so arranged only gathers a large unstable puddle and that wrapping it around an wobbly piece of wall only makes the whole system collapse onto you in the middle of the night. Co-victims were Dave Nowill and Brian Starkey. Brian has recently surfaced living down in the soft white underbelly of England. Apparently not quite the slim line racing whippet he used to be but still cutting a dash on the golf course.
Jack Street was the first amongst us to get transport, thus achieving pop-idol status. Traffic was almost fun in those days and it was possible to stop at the side of the road without being accused of being new age travelers or being choked by exhaust fumes. Pic.3 is somewhere on the way back from a climbing weekend in North wales, possibly just off the A5 on the way to Ruthin. Left to right Dave Nowill, Carol Mk1 and Jack
Pic.4, the traditional Easter climbing trip the the Ben (Ben Nevis). As usual it rained almost continuously for 4 days. We stayed in Cameron’s barn in Glen Nevis. From the left is Captain Mick, John (Ackers) Atkinson, Colin (Domehead) Crooks and Jack Street. Cameron’s barn was a bit of an eye-opener for a young lad like me. The first hurdle was the large angry turkey, previously goaded into a frenzy by the RAF mountain rescue lads and which now guarded the entrance. Sleeping accommodation was upstairs on a floor of rotting timber. We shared the barn with climbers from the Creag Dhu, a Glasgow based climbing club with a fearsome reputation as hard men of mountain and bar, and we found ourselves a corner as far away from them as possible. Predictably, they all turned up well after midnight, were drunk, made a lot of noise and muttered about some English b****** f****** climbers in the corner. Later, unable to find the light switch they stacked some old boxes up to smash the bulb which happened to be above our heads. Showered in glass and a tumbling climber we uttered not a word. We were just too good mannered (and frightened). Next day someone covered one of the holes in the boards with newspaper and straw. When Cameron came to get his money he fell through, smacking his chin on the floor. Minutes later we were all out on the road in the rain.
Pic.5 we are on a bus heading for the Lake District, probably 1963. This must pre-date any of us having transport.Back row we have Bob Roe and Marilyn Jackson, front row Jack Street and John Atkinson.
Exploring new crags and climbing new routes continually drew us into doing exciting things. Pic. 6 was taken on a sea cliff near Abersoch in North Wales that we called Cilan Head though this was not its proper name. The top of the cliff was particularly dangerous as the grass gradually steepened into vertical and then overhanging rock. There was no easy access and the only way in was by abseil for which belays were bordering on the dubious. In those days (mid 60s) we still climbed on hawser laid ropes and as we made the long free abseil to the platform below the rope made us spin so badly that we were almost throwing up by the time we reached the bottom. The original plan was to use prussick loops to climb out on the rope after exploration but as no one now fancied this and we all ended up swimming across a deep zawn to escape. Attempts to haul the dry clothes across on a rope failed miserably as the zawn was more than half the length of the rope.
Friend Al Evans recently contacted me and among the correspondence was a link which took me back to those days of climbing on Cilan Head. Yes, it was just a dangerous as that!
I’m starting to dig into a pile of dusty old negatives. So many gaps and I’m sure I used my camera fairly consistently throughout the sixties. I suspect that several house changes over the years have done their worst. Pic. 7: in September 1964 I met Dot Chadwick who became my girlfriend for the next 15 months or so. She was a trainee teacher at Thornbridge Hall near Great Longstone in the Peak District and along with other climbers such as Jim Street and Ian Conway and their girlfriends we all became part of the crowd, tripping to Wales and The Lakes for climbing, drinking a bit too much and generally having a good time. Despite this I only seem to be able to trace two photos of her, one is out of focus, this is the other - Dot in the back of my Ford Anglia van. She was my first real girlfriend and I suppose that I wasn't really ready for a long term relationship. I was planning on going on expeditions and I didn't feel that I had my life planned out. Still, that night she told me that she'd met someone else I guess that I'll never forget. Never take someone for granted is the lesson, we all learn I suppose. I often wonder what became of her and if she is still in the land of the living.
In 1971 along with Bob Conway, Tom Proctor and Bob Nunns we climbed several new routes in this rather obscure quarry below Stanton Moor, pic. 8. The rock was rather soft and required a bit of care in places. Despite our aspirations the quarry never quite caught on and it's rather gone back to nature - perhaps for the best. Right, first ascent of the traverse, me in loons. Currently it's occupied by protesters against the restarting of quarrying in that area. Quite right too, the area is far too beautiful to start all that again.
One of the attractions of Stoney Middleton 1963-66 was the Cioch club hut. The original Eric of Eric's caf fame used to rent it out to us for a paltry sum that always seemed to be in arrears. Sometimes there were more non-members than members staying in it. I seem to remember charging 2 shillings (10p) a night. Very few photographs were ever taken in the hut, well it was only lit by a 40 watt bulb for a start. Pic.9 one of Acker's shots, have they paid?
Pic.10 is an early ascent (attempt?) in 1963 on a route called Little Capucin at Stoney Middleton. Originally graded A1 (10-15 pitons) it was soon reduced to Hard VS and 1 piton, now free of course. Here I am standing in a sling attached to a piton, belaying is John Atkinson. I'm not sure who is in the corner, possible Dave Nowill. Pic.11 is a young looking me 1964 possibly on the Central Buttress Water cum Jolly. Note standad '60s climbing gear. Large boots, piton hammer, moleskin breeches, cambric anorak, classic belay with hawser laid rope and lots of rusty old home-made pitons.
Bivouacking was a way of life between 1962 and 1964 before we had transport that we could sleep in. Pic.13 is John Atkinson at breakfast under a piece of overhanging rock known as The Cornice in Water Cum Jolly. The only route on there in 1963 was Nemesis graded Extremely Severe and A3 - top stuff. As I recall we had several epic attempts before actually getting up it. Note mashing can, primus, Stubai Berghammer and a pile of steel karabiners and pegs. There were few alloy karabiners in the early '60s apart from the Pierre Allain, a French krab that we couldn't afford even when it appeared in the shops. When climbing aid routes like Nemesis the weight of the steel karabiners and pegs was enough to give an aching shoulder all the following week. Though perhaps not quite the same line, the overhang has now been climbed without any aid from pitons. Damn!
Pic 14, another of Ackers shots taken in the Cioch Club hut. Left to right Jack Street, Jim Ballard, Colin (Domehead) Crroks, ?, Dave (Fidel) Turton, Dave Nowill, ?, Chris Jackson (me). Fifteen, yes we did do some climbing here's me tied on at the waist climbing something loose and vegitated in Water cum Jolly. Pic.16 is me on The Creeper, the girdle traverse of Central Buttress in WCJ. Note trad gear again. Pic.17 Jack Street on an early (original?) ascent of Jasper in Stoney Quarry. Pic.18, despite THe Grouse at Stoney Middleton being a local watering hole, there were few crags without a nearby pub. This looks like it was taken in the Anglers Rest at Water cum Jolly. John Atkinson and Dave Nowill playing darts.
Picture 18 has recently been passed to me and it shows our presence at a North Staffs Mountaineering Club dinner, probably 1965 or 66, note the suits that were normal attire for do's such as this. I think that it may have originated from Derek Walker who was a friend of Don Whillans. Its a grubby photo, being a copy of a copy of a print. Front right is the famous and late Don Whillans, his wife Audry is front left. Back right are Jack Street, Geoff Birtles and myself looking as if I am about to fall asleep. Centre back is Colin Foord. I am reliably informed that Al Evans was lying on the floor behind the group, clutching a bottle. Anyone recognise anybody else?
Picture 19 , a sensitive shot of Dave Nowill by John Atkinson, Dave was one of the founder members; sadly missed since committing suicide back in the '70s.
Occasionally, I find myself wandering along those familiar path below the crags at Stoney Middleton. It's out of fashion now, the track is greening and the ivy gradually regaining its lost territory. Maybe it's the time of year or the smell of the fallen leaves but suddenly there's a lump in my throat and I'm whirled back all those years to 1962 when with Jack Street and Dave Nowill I first began to know these rocks that in so many strange ways have shaped my life. My Ford Anglia van is parked on The Promanade, young faces, voices in the trees, Brian Moore, Jim Street, Dot Chadwick, John Atkinson, Ian Conway and Wendy, Jack and Dave. Ghostly, some long gone. The best of times, times never to come again.
Peak District, Climbing, Cioch Club
chris.jackson@zen.co.uk