NPC Newsletter 53, March 2001 - Contents, Editorial and Club news

Notes to the web edition - NPC newsletters placed on the website: As it is accessible potentially to anyone, certain items of purely internal club interest, and all members' addresses and phone numbers, have been removed. Links have been added to other web resources, where appropriate.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Editor, Webeditor, the Northern Pennine Club or its officers, or, often enough, the authors!

• Editorial, Webeditorial, Foot and Mouth Crisis, Summer Dinner (on this page)
• Old Dogs, New Tricks (Matienzo) Eski
• The Spanish Circle (Picos diving) Dani
• Car Crime in the Wilderness Dave Mountain
• Snowboarding, Digital Cameras, GPS and MP3 Wiggy

Editorial

This newsletter is substantially larger than the last. Thanks to all who produced articles. The volume of articles also indicates that there is quite a lot going on (even if it is canoeing, snowboarding or anything else to avoid potholing).

Thanks to Eski, Dani, Dave Mountain and Phil Wigglesworth for articles. Thanks to Martin Holroyd (NCC) for the photographs.

Tim Palmer

Webeditorial

Welcome to the first NPC newsletter of the new Millennium, brought to you, confusingly, just hours before the absolute last possible end date for the 2nd Millennium, 10 pm, Friday 6th April 2001 ...

Foot and Mouth Disease Crisis

After discussions with both the neighbouring farmers (Peter Richardson and Duncan Robinson), the committee decided not to formally close Greenclose to members.

However, members should note that:

• all footpaths in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and adjoining countryside are closed (potential £5000 fine !)
• the National Caving Association statement that states:
  In view of this very grave situation everyone is requested to immediately stop all caving and associated activities until the crisis is over. Indeed all unnecessary visits to the countryside should be avoided.
• Greenclose is within a MAFF-defined infected area (see MAFF website at www.maff.gov.uk for more details)
• They should comply with disinfectant arrangements put in place by the farmers

Summer Dinner 2001

A date of 10th June 2001 has provisionally been allocated for the Summer Dinner.

However, due to the Foot & Mouth Crisis, it may be difficult to organise a dinner at that time. It is therefore intended to hold an 'end of FMD' dinner at an appropriate time (and location).

Any suggestions of suitable venues or offers to organise would be gratefully received and should be made to Iain Crossley or myself. The usual requirements for a summer dinner will probably apply:

• that it is an "away" dinner (ie. not in the Three Peaks area)
• that there is a campsite within a short, and not steeply uphill, walk from the pub
• that it is in an area in which Pennine members can undertake suitable weekend "leisure" activities.

Tim Palmer

Out of print publications list
Indices to NPC explorations:
Listings by date
Alphabetical listing by cave
Author index to exploration and other articles
Northern Pennine Club Home page