One of my fondest memories of Abbotsholme was an expedition made in summer 1958 to the Pyrenees. In those days the Headmaster, Robin Hodgkin, an experienced mountaineer, led hill walking and climbing expeditions. This trip most likely took place in July, my notebook diary of the time regrettably has no dates. A group of seven boys set off with the Head and Ken Lock, the Scoutmaster, in the school Dormobile to drive down through France to the Spanish Pyrenees. The Dormobile must have been packed with tents, other camping equipment, ropes and rucksacks. I joined them en route at Montréjeau in southern France having already spent 12 days travelling to and walking in the French Pyrenees.

Once in the mountains south of Salardu, just east of Vielha, we spent time walking and climbing around the ‘Grand Tuc de Cambales’ (I have been unable to find this either online or on a 1:50,000 map, it was almost certainly Gran Tuc de Colomèrs, 2933m. I probably confounded the name with a mountain close to where I had been walking earlier in France). Our base camp (see photo) was above Banhs de Tredos where there is now a hotel!

Later we moved back to Vielha from where we walked to Refugi de la Renclusa (mountain hut) which was used as a base from which to climb the highest peak of the Pyrenees, Aneto (3404m). A party of five of us set off at 5am and, after roping up to cross a snowfield and ice, reached the top. The next day we all walked back from the refuge to Vielha and then started the long drive back to the UK. An unusual feature of our return was that we flew, with the Dormobile, from Cherbourg to Southampton.

It’s worth remarking that there was no GPS in those days. Our sole means of navigation in the mountains was by map and compass and by observing and remembering the terrain such as the shape and nature of numerous lakes. This was especially important when we were occasionally enshrouded in mist.

As far as I can ascertain from my diary the boys on this expedition were Larry McCloughlin, Tom Davies, Jon Adams, Nowell, Campbell-Keay, Fowler (‘WF’), Benjamin and myself.

Robert Whitmarsh -  'Whitty' in those days

(Abbotsholme Pupil 1956-1959)