APUG UK Spring 2006 gathering

[Leon]

any thoughts - maybe somewhere in the middle this time?

 

[Dave Miller]

Frankb has an idea for a venue in the Dales.

 

[127]

I'll second Yorkshire...

It's a bit if a trek for me, but I love Yorkshire. Frank said there was cheap and good accomodation.

Ian

 

[Leon]

that sounds good to me - I've only ever passed through the Dales so somewhere new to explore would be good.

Will there be stones there? not sure if I can go if there arent any - or maybe I could bring some of my own

 

[Dave Miller]

Only water-worn rocks; too damp to hug, but photogenic.

 

[FrankB]

Blimey, you lot are keen!

Okay, the place I thought of was Dead Link Removed, the Green Dragon in Hardraw, Upper Wendsleydale, Yorkshire. I've been there a few times in search of waterfalls (there's one at the bottom of the garden!) and to cover my sister's band (Dead Link Removed!) at their folk festival.

The food is good, the beer is very good, the female bar staff generally meets a high standard of aesthetic acceptability(!) and they do B&B at £25 per night and self catering at £20 per night (or they used to, the prices seem to have recently disappeared from the site). Also the pub is split into a series of smallish rooms, so we can keep ourselves to ourselves, should we so choose.

There has been a request that we make the Gathering in either late March or early April (so we don't emulate brass monkeys like we did at Castlerigg!).

The Dales are a stunning environment for landscape shooters. The number of waterfalls borders on the embarrassing (I know a of website that claims to list the top 30 in the area!), dry-stone walls are ten-a-penny... You get the general idea.

So what do you reckon?

 

[Dave Miller]

Sounds good. Anyone with local knowledge of the Dales able to aid our venue selection?

 

[Leon]

sounds excellent ... as long as we can avoid the few days around the 18th march. That's my 1st wedding anniversary and I'm sure "the wife" wouldnt be overly happy about spending it with a load of fixer-addicts - not that I'd mind of course

 

[FrankB]

Sounds good. Anyone with local knowledge of the Dales able to aid our venue selection?

Here's thirty, for a start (ignore the photos though, anyone with half a clue could do better in their sleep! :rolleyes: ) - http://www.walkingenglishman.com/dalesguide/waterfalls/master.htm

And, for anyone travelling via the M6 J37, here's another (like it or not, let's not go there again!) - http://www.natwindpower.co.uk/lambrigg/

 

[Bob F.]

Looks good. (I can hear the chuckles from here of our N. American friends if they see the picture of "England's highest waterfall")... Looks like a good selection of accommodation, so as long as we miss Easter (14-17th April), we should have no problems getting in at that time of year.

Cheers, Bob.

P.S. If we are going to the Dales, I wanna shoot a stunted tree in a limestone pavement...

 

[FrankB]

Malham has an excellent limestone pavement. Can't promise a tree... ...course, if you bring one of those and Leon brings his rocks we should be set!

 

[Dave Miller]

Malham has an excellent limestone pavement. Can't promise a tree... ...course, if you bring one of those and Leon brings his rocks we should be set!

Good idea. I've got a plastic christamas tree will that do Bob?

 

[Ailsa]

The food is good, the beer is very good, the female bar staff generally meets a high standard of aesthetic acceptability(!)

Well, I'm only staying if the male bar staff reach an equivalent - if not superior - standard.

Having just come back from four days in Scotland, where waterfalls come out of your ears, I'd be interested in doing a compare and contrast with the Dales. Yes, I might actually make this one - finally! Although I'm with Leon on the wedding anniversary front - mine's April 3rd, so if we could avoid any dates around that time please...

 

[Leon]

how about the weekend of the 8th/9th april then? I know it's along way off, but I need to get my dates in teh leave book at work asap to avoid a repeat of last weekend.

 

[FrankB]

Well, I'm only staying if the male bar staff reach an equivalent - if not superior - standard.

Well, I'm not qualified to assess; you'll have to come along and give us the benefit of your experience!

Having just come back from four days in Scotland, where waterfalls come out of your ears, I'd be interested in doing a compare and contrast with the Dales. Yes, I might actually make this one - finally! Although I'm with Leon on the wedding anniversary front - mine's April 3rd, so if we could avoid any dates around that time please...

It would be great to have you join us. We'll take all the bad dates out of the hat and see if there's anything left.

(Worth mentioning that I think the Green Dragon is quite popular, so booking well in advance would probably be a good option.)

Dates to avoid -
Leon has an issue with the weekend of 18th/19th March
Ailsa can't make 3rd April (weekend is 1st/2nd)
It's Easter 14-17 April.

Any more that would cause a problem for people?

 

[Bob F.]

Good idea. I've got a plastic christamas tree will that do Bob?

LOL! - Hmmmm.... now there's an idea for a surreal series - a chrissymas tree shot in unusual situations...

Cheers, Bob.

 

[BarryWilkinson]

Good idea. I've got a plastic christamas tree will that do Bob?

I think the 'fairy on the top' would complain bitterly on a limestone pavement in April!

I also hope to make it this time.

Barry

 

[Dave Miller]

Following Leon's nomination, has anyone any difficulty with the 8th/9th of April?

 

[Ailsa]

Following Leon's nomination, has anyone any difficulty with the 8th/9th of April?

Yes, I think I might have. Sorreeeeee! It's just that it coincides with the Paris-Roubaix cycling classic, which is an annual pilgrimage for the husband and me - and nothing gets in the way of it, I'm afraid! Sorry to be a pain.

 

[Bob F.]

This is a shot in the dark, but what about a mid-week meeting, say Wednesday eve to Friday? Upside is that it avoids people's busy weekends and avoids the maximum tourist days. Downside of course is that it's more difficult for people to attend as they would have to use up two or three days of holiday time...

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Leon]

I cant do mid-weeks I'm afraid Bob. It has to be a weekend for me

HOw about the weekend around the 22nd then?

 

[Dave Miller]

I cant do mid-weeks I'm afraid Bob. It has to be a weekend for me

HOw about the weekend around the 22nd then?

Same here, but I would prefer the end of March.

 

[Bob F.]

Same here, but I would prefer the end of March.

That's what I figured - worth asking though...

I have no particular preferences or prior engagements at this distance, so I'm happy to go along with whichever weekend is free for others.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Dave Miller]

Frank, get in here and organise us please.

 

[FrankB]

Wedding anniversaries? Bicycle races?!

Ye Gods and Little Fishes!

Okay, the story so far -

March 4/5 - Les's birthday. Much as we'd all like to take him out and get him... erm, relaxed the gent probably has other plans (contradict me if I'm wrong, Mr McLean!)
March 18/19 - Leon's wedding anniversary
April 1/2 - Ailsa's wedding anniversary (you know, a double ceremony would have saved a whole lot of inconvenience! )
April 8/9 - Ailsa wants to watch bicycles.
April 14/17 - Easter a.k.a "The hills are alive with the sound of tourists"
April 29/30 - I think it's Spring Bank Holiday weekend (tourists again!). Can someone confirm or deny?

So we're left with 11/12 March, 25/26 March, or 22/23 April.

And if we can't settle on one of those I'm going back to herding cats...!

How about 25/26 March? Les should have got over his hangover, Ailsa shouldn't have acquired one yet and we can feed Leon aspirin if necessary. March also has the advantage that dawn is traditionally held at a slightly more civilised hour...!