We have had a few walk reports from civilised and sensible members of the WARTS walking group of late. However, although they have been very descriptive as regards the landscape and well written, they failed to describe the attendees in an abuse and banter style that amuses me if no one else. Therefore, to redress the balance, I have written a report about a few days in June this year, when four of the WARTS stayed in a hostel named the Peter Brook Centre in North Wales.
The Peter Brook Centre: dedicated to a mountaineering teacher
Peter Brook was a member of the teaching staff at Colne Valley High School until his tragic death whilst climbing the Matterhorn in 1973. The centre’s cottage, where we stayed, is dedicated to his memory, his courage, leadership and spirit of adventure.
The centre was originally managed by a group of trustees attached to Colne Valley High School but is now completely independent and is run by a new group of trustees who are committed to continuing with the legacy originally intended.
The cottage lies just north of the A5 near the tiny village of Cefn Brith, near Cerrigydrudion. It has three dormitories and an ensuite leaders’ room, a well-equipped kitchen, dining room, a small lounge/snug, two toilet and shower rooms and the Ian Roberts lecture room. Ian Roberts was another teacher at Colne Valley who also met with a tragic accident whilst climbing in the Alps just a few years after Peter Brook.
I don’t know what was going on at that time for two of the teaching staff at Colne Valley High School to meet with their tragic demise whilst climbing, but the little I know of the head mistress now, I’m sure she would not tolerate such malarkey.
Splendid, scenic, relaxing isolation
Eventually the cottage will be capable of accommodating parties of 17 and is intended to be a hostel for school children with their leaders, scout groups, walkers and cyclists and other mobile groups seeking an outward-bound adventure. On our visit we didn’t seek nor need any public transport, and I suspect that this is almost non-existent anyway, particularly up to the Peter Brook Centre, but this isolation is part of its appeal.
The hostel lies between Pwellheli and Llangollen and is in close proximity to Snowdonia National Park, the Conway Valley, Llanberris, Ffestiniog, the National Slate Mines, Bangor, Llandudno, Ryle, the Portmeirion Pottery and the Dee Valley National Landscape. It is an ideal centre for groups wishing to expand their educational knowledge or just enjoy the wonderful views and countryside. Also Ideal for a few days of just pottering about in a relaxed carefree environment.
The WARTS expedition to Wales: dramatis personae
Now for the four WARTS, with all observations obviously intended in a kind and loving way.
The attendees were The Colonel, one of her previous husbands The Corporal, a new probationary member who was given a nickname more appropriate to his nature during our stay, and of course myself, without whom the whole time we spent there would have been complete chaos.
We travelled there in two cars, New Member driving one with The Corporal as his co-pilot. I had The Colonel as my navigator, advisor, co-pilot and all round guru. I didn’t think the new member was ready to be in a confined space with The Colonel just yet. However, on our arrival, New Member pointed out that The Corporal never stops talking, which led eventually to his own nickname.
Living ‘the highlife’ in rural North Wales
During the time when we weren’t walking, we soon discovered that if it was the highlife we were seeking we would have to make our own. Back at the hostel we played cards and dominoes in the cosy snug with an open fire. New Member taught us the rudiments of bridge which we all enjoyed with enthusiasm, and I taught fives and threes dominoes. This is a simple game, where the object is to add each end after a domino has been played and divide by five or three and sometimes both and then your peg on the crib board is moved forward that corresponding number.
Fairly simple, one may think, but if The Corporal, who was my partner was to ask me just one more time if double three is three or six, or double two is two or four etc, I would have gladly killed him dead. He eventually got it, mainly encouraged by the other two team members screaming, shouting, high fives, back slapping and dancing around the table when they won. However, The Corporal and I won the final and deciding game by a very large margin and, as one would expect, we were magnanimous in our great victory.
New Member gets his nickname
The nickname of our new member came about during a moment when The Colonel was off doing her own thing and I taught the other two 12 card brag, another simple game where, from 12 cards each, four three-card priles, runs, flushes and pairs etc would be arranged. Then each set of three is pitted against your opponents’ hands. As I watched the other two sorting their hands, I noticed that they were both mumbling to themselves about what they were doing and thinking. It was fascinating – both completely oblivious to the other’s mumbling.
On the return of The Colonel it was discussed at length, and it was decided that despite his earlier comment about The Corporal never shutting up, it was New Member who was much worse. It had been noticed previously that he mumbled to himself all the time. He said it was because he lived alone, which of course is a perfectly reasonable explanation, but from that a nickname developed.
New Member was offended by one suggestion, so of course I said to him that we would usually not deliberately offend anyone – but in his case we would make an exception. However, I was voted down and the nickname he is now known by is ‘Shop Steward’ because he never shuts up. A name that he was happy with, not least because he was glad to point out that he actually was once a shop steward, which must say something.
An enjoyable trip (and nobody died)
The hostel is undergoing some renovations which are almost completed and the WARTS were invited to test the facilities as an independent group and report back with our thoughts and findings. There was some finishing and snagging to complete but, on the whole, there were no major problems. As such we were able to report that it was a very enjoyable few days.
We all got on very well and nobody fell out, apart from being just one step away from me killing The Corporal, but I wouldn’t have really, not really, really.
