Entry for the
Fjallraven competition in May 2013 – runner up prize and published
Thank you Mr Hill
An overcast, grey day in October 2011, reminded me of that
day in 1964 on my first visit to ‘real hills’. Pulling the Campervan up the steep hill into the car
park at Crich Stand and walking up the hill, autumn winds finding gaps in my fleece, memories of forty eight years ago came flooding
back, the coach at the bottom of the
lane, discharging a mixed group of twelve year olds from a mining town secondary modern school –
very few of us had appropriate clothing
[as regarded today] few boots, but all had a ‘rainmac’ and a bag of sandwiches,
most of us had never seen a ‘real hill’
these were mountains.
Walking up the track to the Stand, staggered rows of hills
stretched out, with the grey gritstone buildings in the valleys, standing out
against the elements, we went close to the edge of the quarry to look over, in
those days a working quarry, now a tramcar museum. This was ‘magical’ I wanted
to see more.
From Crich, The next
objective was Stanton Moor, gaining height past Stanton Quarry my first introduction to
‘moorland’. I remember the ferns, the
smells of damp undergrowth and the
openness , walking on to Robin Hoods Stride – lunch sat on a real mountain –
the feel of the rough granite rocks as we sat and opened sandwiches carefully wrapped in greaseproof paper – little knowing
that this was the start of my affection of the mountains and moorlands. The
following year Mr Hill took us along the Edges, Baslow, Curbar, Froggatt wow! I
knew I wanted to spend more time discovering mountains - seven
years later, rock climbing in the Peak district was to become a weekly outing,
along with tramps across the Kinder moors, leading to a lifetime of visits to
the other mountain areas of Britain and Europe.
Thank you Mr Hill for taking us, having the vision in the
early 60s’ to see the value of taking a group of Secondary Modern kids to the
great outdoors and of course inspiring me and making a ‘life-changing experience’
– in return I have taken many groups walking and climbing, and my own sons have
continued to enjoy the mountains with one spending time in Antarctica and the
other climbing a Peak in the Himalayas.
Published in Great Outdoors May 2013 issue 61
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