Mix and Match Meet – 2020

Rikki Price leading Cave Buttress, High Neb, Stanage –
Photo Jill Sumner

A good turnout in the Peak last weekend for the Mix and Match Meet, with 14 people enjoying the grit (and a bit of limestone too). Full thermals needed for a cold and windy Saturday, then T-shirts for a sunny Sunday. Once we’d got past the risk assessment and Covid declarations all round to comply with the BMC guidelines for meets it was great to meet up with old friends and make some new ones.

With Helyg occupancy currently limited to one ‘bubble’ it was obviously not going to be possible to do much mixing and matching so Rikki and I came up with a plan of two day meets in the Peak instead. The BMC’s interpretation of current government guidelines permits formal club meets of up to 30 people providing the club conducts a risk assessment and collects a Covid declaration of good health from participants – so we did all that and were good to go. A few people who had planned to come fell by the wayside for one technicality or other, but we ended up with a manageable group of 14, meeting up at Stanage Plantation car park and scattering to a variety of crags both days. Some camped at the Downes hut, some at a campsite near Hope and obviously a fair few came daily from Sheffield.

The Scottish contingent savoured their first experience of grit with chilly, windy classics on Stanage on Saturday and contrastingly sunny delights at Rivelin on Sunday. Other teams joined the crowds sheltering at Lawrencefield and Stoney Middleton on Saturday and were also rewarded with warm sunshine at High Neb on Sunday. It was great to meet up with old friends and new after such a long period of abstinence from meets and we all look forward to the next time.
Hilary Lawrenson