Fairy Cave Quarry mid-week meet report 11 May – 2016

The 'Fairy Cave Quarry' meet has been impressively well supported and Terry's hospitality has more than made up for the complete lack of climbing...

The ‘Fairy Cave Quarry’ meet has been impressively well supported and Terry’s hospitality has more than made up for the complete lack of climbing…

It promised to be a CC meet at which no climbing took place, despite 13 members attending. At 7am Mendip mists prevailed. Even the heron with whom we are in dispute over the contents of our fish pond was sheltering elsewhere (it was to be that sort of day). At 9am in Fairy Cave Quarry a miserable kestrel was hunched under an overhang out of the rain. But Ian Butterworth, who as BMC Regional Access Rep, negotiated our access to the quarry for climbing, turned up with a cake (it was to be that sort of day) and gave Dave Moore from Barnstable, a FCQ virgin, a historical tour in the increasing rain to the accompaniment of cries from the adult ravens trying to keep track of the four newly fledged young who’d just made their first flights to different places on the quarry rim, sporting their new rings. A mallard appeared on the Alpine Ridge (it was to be that sort of day). So we repaired to our house for coffee and cake, where Dave Wynne-Jones performed a book signing and other BT entries were inspected, as more team members appeared for the walking tour of the Holcombe quarries that somehow led to the Duke of Cumberland who provided lunch.

A return via an unused eighteenth century canal bridge and a fairy tree (there’s an infestation of fairies in these parts) led back to our house and an impromptu bubbly party for an unspecified birthday of Vice-President Viggers with a remarkably delicious candled cake (don’t count them in the photos) made by Gill. After toasts and singing, the jolly company dispersed into what was by now the merely damp day. A visit to the quarry at 6pm revealed that Mark Kemble and Gareth Palmer, up from Cornwall, having missed us at the Duke of Cumberland, had spoiled the meet record by actually climbing three routes, including, remarkably Rob’s Crack. So gathering up Tracy Rodford and Mark Faulkner, who had turned up after work, we found ourselves at the second pub of this one-day meet, the Oakhill Inn, to conclude a meet full of surprises, not least that climbing had taken place after all, despite the decidedly damp conditions. But that’s what a fairy infestation can achieve and it’s nothing to do with climate change, for a change.

Terry Gifford

Posted in Meets, News
One comment on “Fairy Cave Quarry mid-week meet report 11 May – 2016
  1. avatar Keith Sanders says:

    And a jolly good day was had by all, especially Our lady VP on her very special birthday.
    Well done for pulling it out of the hat, just show’s what a meet can be.

    keith s

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