Mum – Went to St P. at 2 mins to 11. Gerald brought me home after last hymn. Glad I went but tired. Went to Mousehold in aft. Car broke down so left it at garage. Had Tea in bed. Got up to watch TV at night. Christine Carter came to see me, brought flowers from Bowthorpe Rd.
Roger – Mum went to church this morning in dad’s car, she seems much better. This afternoon I packed for my Youth Hostelling Holiday. I rang up Ilam an order to find out if they’ve got any space, they have so I’m going there tomorrow. Went to Mousehold Heath this afternoon. That was good. P. has gone to SPOTSOC.
Notes
Post-op Recovery
Mum had recently been discharged from the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital the previous day having had surgery for a renal stone some two weeks earlier, see Chapter 116. In my diary, I noted that she seemed much better.
Church Service
Mum went to the morning at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church (St P), see Chapter 124. She noted that she went just before the service started at 11 am and left after the last hymn. Mum was glad she went but felt tired.
She noted that her friend Gerald Cooke brought her home. I noted that she went in dad’s car. My parents had separated in 1973 and my father lived and worked in Birmingham at this point, see Chapter 114, Dad was visiting for the weekend and he had come to Norwich in a work car, that is from the Norwich Union. I assume dad must have driven her to church although I do not say so explicitly. Interestingly, mum does not mention how she got to church at all!
I assume mum went to church late and left early in order to minimise any effort involved in terms of speaking to people about her surgery. However, my mother was very much the drama queen and it would have been just like her to do this to maximise dramatic effect!
Mousehold Heath
In the afternoon (aft) mum went to Mousehold Heath. This is perhaps surprising if mum found church so tiring! Mousehold Heath is a well-known heath area to the north of Norwich. We visited there many times when I was a child.
I also noted in my diary that we went there in the afternoon. I commented that it was good.
Car Problems
At this point, the car mum had was a Simca that she and dad had bought in February 1972 before they split up, see Chapter 110. Mum and my two siblings, Alan and Liz, had taken the car on holiday to Dunoon in Scotland. However, it had broken down in Glasgow on the way home and they had had to come home by train and aeroplane, see Chapter 116. The car had a burned out clutch and was brought home by AA Relay. It had been at the Reliance Garage. However, my older sister Tricia (Patricia) had collected it the previous day but it had broken down again in the city, that is in central Norwich, and they had had Reliance out for this, see Chapter 127.
I assume mum was referring to this by saying that the car was broken down and they therefore left it at the garage. Although the way this entry is written may imply this, I don’t believe the car broke down again on this day. From the context, it was already in the garage.
Tea in Bed and Watching TV
Mum noted that she had her tea in bed. I am not convinced this was fully justified by her health but was again perhaps for dramatic effect, particularly as she managed to get up later to watch TV.
Christine Carter
Christine Carter was mum’s friend. She was the wife of Methodist Minister, Malcolm Carter, and like mum, I believe, was a medical secretary. She brought flowers from Bowthorpe Road Methodist church which mum sometimes attended at this time, see Chapter 124.
Packing for Youth Hostelling
I was about to go youth hostelling in the Peak District on my own. As a child, I had been youth hostelling in the Peak District with my father a number of times. Also, the previous year, I had been with two friends, Gary Wood and Simon LeFevre, see Chapter 122. On this occasion, I don’t know if I had failed to convince friends to come with me or if I just preferred to go by myself.
Anyway, on this day, I packed for my youth hostelling holiday. I found a packing list in the back of my diary. I came across this when preparing for a nostalgic trip with my wife Jo in 2023.
Items on the Packing List
I am not entirely sure what the cape was but I think it was a long waterproof affair. I vaguely recall my dad having one on our walking trip and presumably this is what inspired me. Anyway, I did not take one in 2023 but we did take waterproof jackets, which we no longer call anoraks even though they are similar!
Neither of us took waterproof trousers as we have a love-hate relationship with them! We did both have waterproof covers for our rucksack and we packed everything in our rucksacks inside plastic bags which I think my dad had taught me to do. I am not entirely sure who puts a handkerchief on such a list but I suspect this was my mother’s influence as was probably the vest! Also, I am not sure where I expected to be able to swim. I did not take a handkerchief, a vest or swimming trunks in 2023!
Sheet Sleeping Bags
Mention of sheet sleeping bags brings back lots of memories, see Chapter 92. As stated in the 1968 YHA Handbook, it was mandatory at that time to use such a bag to protect the blankets and pillows provided.
I am not sure if mum was inspired by YHA or came to this conclusion herself. But, she decided that these would also be good to protect sleeping bags. This meant that I was required to use one with my sleeping bag when I went on school camping trips. While it might seem sensible, to protect the main sleeping bag, I was the only one required to do this which was not a comfortable position to be in! Anyway, there was no mention of sheet sleeping bags in 2023 and we did not take them. We did not take a groundsheet either. I am not sure what this was for in 1976 as I was not camping!
Boots
Of course boots were essential both then and in 2023. For the 2023 trip, I had a pair of boots that were already a few years old. The good side of them was that they were very comfortable. The down side was that they leaked badly! This was not particularly an issue on the 2023 trip but I have since replaced them. In 2023, Jo had relatively new boots and she suffered to some extent with blisters. Thankfully, another of the items I had carried was a first aid kit which proved useful.
Other Shoes… and Towels
The only other shoes I took in 2023 were a pair of canvas shoes which I could wear inside and for walking in and around towns. So, no trainers! Now, as then, youth hostels do not supply towels but they advertise that you can rent them. As we were only staying in current youth hostels for two nights, and in an attempt to minimise weight carried, we decided not to carry towels. This did not work out exactly as we planned! On the first night, at Ravenstor Youth Hostel, they told us that although they should have had towels available to hire, they didn’t have any!
Maps
In 2023, we did carry two O/S Explorer maps with us. We needed two as, while most of our route was on the White Peak map, Castleton and Edale were on the Dark Peak map. Part way through the trip, I was advised by friends, to download the Outdooractive software which I did. This meant we used the maps less. It shows footpaths and where you are. It is also easier to consult on a windy hillside than a map especially if you have forgotten your plastic map holder!
Mobile Phones
Of course, one thing we had in 2023 which we did not have in the sixties and seventies was our mobile phones. However, I am still not sure if I would make such a trip without a paper map. It is something that has been drilled into me! I also had an old compass and whistle with me! At one point, we did try to use the compass to orientate the map but found that it was not working properly! I am not sure why but it does not seem to point north consistently.
Rucksack
Along with boots, a rucksack is perhaps the most important piece of equipment for a trip of this nature. I think I recall the rucksack I had for the 1976 trip as a green Karrimor bag with aluminium frame. I know I had such a bag and used it a lot when I was at university from 1978 to 1983, taking it to India for my medical elective in 1981.
Tin Opener, Knives and Matches
In 1976, I noted that I needed a tin opener, knives, matches etc. I imagine this was largely because I planned to self cater. In 2023, largely, we decided not to take such things. Partly, this was because we were trying to reduce what we had to carry, partly because we thought we could find these things if we needed them and partly because we thought we would manage if we didn’t find them.
Food, Medicines and Snacks
In 2023, we did carry food for lunch most days. Also, because I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about four years ago, I had to take my insulin and related paraphernalia. I also needed to make sure that I had sufficient snacks to avoid hypos. In addition to my usual jelly babies, this meant carrying Kendal mint cake. I think the first time I tried this was on a walking trip with dad.
Get Washed Clothes
In the top righthand corner of the kit list is a note which I think says “Get Washed Clothes“. I think this is a reminder that, when packing, I also needed to get clothes that had recently been washed. My daughter read it as “get wasted” clothes, presumably clothes in which to get wasted!! However, although this expression was first used in the fifties and sixties, I am not sure it was a phrase I would have used in my teens.
Ilam Hall
It seems I had not booked anywhere but was phoning up the night before to see if they had space. So, I called Ilam Hall youth hostel. They confirmed they would have space so I planned to stay there the next night,
Ilam Hall first became a youth hostel in 1932. It continues to operate as one. I stayed there with my dad in the late sixties, see Chapter 92.
Spotsoc
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia), She went to Spotsoc in the evening. This was a youth group at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church. Its full name was St Peter’s Over Twelve Society, see Chapter 124. While here I capitalised it as SPOTSOC, mum mainly referred to it with an initial capital only, as Spotsoc.
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