Mum’s Diary
Went to St. P. in am by car & left during last hymn. Went to mums in aft. Uncle Ray & Auntie Kath there. P & A went to Salhouse in evening with Spotsoc to take service. E came home from Carolines. R rang.
Roger’s/My Diary
Left Castleton after vacuuming the dormitory. Climbed to Hollin’s Cross & walked along Mam Tor and descended on the right hand side of the scree. It was very windy. Walked down Winnants Pass which was closed to cars & went down Treak Cliff Cavern. Went and sat on a hill in Winnants Pass then at about 2 when the place got packed I left to go for a walk. On my way out a girl doing a survey stopped me and asked me some questions concerning the use of the car in the pass.
I then walked along the top of the hills between Edale & Castleton again but this time from Hollins Cross to Backtor and Lose Hill. Then went into Hope. There I had to help a lady who couldn’t manage to lift a chair to where she wanted. Then I walked to Castleton finding a flag on the way, booked in, showered, ate & then phoned mum. Am staying here again tomorrow.
Notes
St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church
Mum had had surgery for a renal stone at the beginning of August and had been home for just over a week, see Chapter 116. She went to the morning service at St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church but noted that she went by car and left during the last hymn, see Chapter 124. I assume this was because she was still taking it easy as part of her post-surgical recovery. However, knowing my mother, she would have loved the drama of leaving during the last hymn and the inevitable stir that would cause. I don’t know if she drove herself or got a lift with someone else. However, she was driving the car by this point.
Visiting Grandma
Mum noted that she went to grandma’s in the afternoon (aft) This was our usual practice throughout my childhood and teenage years, see Chapter 122.
Uncle Ray and Auntie Kath
Uncle Ray refers to grandma’s older brother whose full name was Sidney Lambert Ray Cirket, see Chapter 16.
Ray married Winifred (Winnie) Swindell in 1920 but she died in February 1969. Ray had remarried in 1972. Mum and grandma had both attended his wedding which was in Bedford where he lived, see Chapter 101. His second wife was called Kathleen (Kath). Her maiden name had been Cooper but she had also been married previously to Walter Ernest Northwood.
Salhouse
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia) and A to my younger brother Alan. They went to Salhouse with the church youth group, Spotsoc, which formally was the St Peter’s Over Twelve Society, see Chapter 124.
According to Norma Virgoe and Albert Ward’s book “Through Cloud and Sunshine“, Salhouse has always had a strong Baptist presence. The first Methodist chapel opened there in 1775. As of 1820, there was a Wesleyan chapel in the village, However, it seems it may have closed in 1849 and been converted into the Salhouse Rural Institute. Nevertheless, it seems the same building resumed its function as a chapel in 1865. The building was renovated in 1889/90. This chapel was demolished in 1967 and a new chapel built. This has itself closed. It was sold by auction in 2023.
Back from Caroline’s
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). She had been staying with her friend Caroline Douglas who lived next-door to grandma at 168 Drayton High Road, see Chapter 122. She came home, probably with mum after she had visited grandma.
I Phoned
R refers to me (Roger). Mum noted that I rang. I was away on a youth hostelling holiday in the Peak District on my own, see Chapter 122. My suspicion is that the price I paid for being allowed to do this was agreeing to phone home regularly, probably every day! It is interesting to note that this was the second of only a few times when I noted making these calls!
Date Correction
One feature of this diary entry is that I initially wrote the date incorrectly as 21st and changed it later to the 22nd. I must have lost track of days as I made these corrections from Wednesday 18 to Friday 27 August 1976.
Castleton Youth Hostel
I had stayed at the youth hostel in Castleton the previous night. At that time, the youth hostel was in Castleton Hall. I stayed here with my father in the late sixties, see Chapter 92. Castleton Hall is no longer a youth hostel. However, in 2023 when my wife and I did what I referred to as a “nostalgic walk” in the Peak District, we stayed in a place called Haddock Hideaway, a self-catering cottage which is actually part of the old youth hostel.
Vaccuuming the Dormitory
I left Castleton after vacuuming the dormitory, see Chapter 122.
Chores
This requirement, of guests doing a job or a chore, was one of the things I recall from our early youth hostelling experience, see Chapter 92. Apparently, they were phased out in the eighties.
Hollins Cross and Mam Tor
I climbed to Hollins Cross, see Chapter 92. Then, I walked along Mam Tor and descended on the right hand side of the scree. It was very windy. Hollins Cross is one of my favourite places in the Peak District. I recall going there with my father in the sixties and have been there many times since mainly when crossing from Castleton to Edale or vice versa. However, on this trip, I did not go to Edale as they were only taking people with advance bookings.
Winnats Pass
I walked down Winnats Pass which was closed to cars and went down Treak Cliff Cavern, see Chapter 92. I then went and sat on a hill on Winnats Pass. At about 2pm, when I thought the place had become “packed” I left to go for a walk. On my way a girl doing a survey stopped me and asked me some questions concerning the use of cars in the pass. I regret to note that I misspelled the name of the pass in my diary as Winnants.
Treak Cliff Cavern
Treak Cliff Cavern is one of four show caves in Castleton. My father had strong views about the relative merits of the different Castleton caverns believing that Treak Cliff was the best and that Speedwell was the most over-rated! He considered it a glorified boat ride! I don’t think he ever took us there although I have been there since. He did take us to both Peak and Blue John Caverns. I confess I probably agree with him that, of the four, Treak Cliff is my favourite.
Back Tor and Losehill
I then walked along the top of the hills between Edale and Castleton but this time from Hollins Cross to Back Tor and Losehill.
Hope
Then, I went into Hope. There I helped a woman who couldn’t manage to lift a chair to where she wanted. I confess I don’t know exactly what was going on here and it is not an incident I recall.
Back to the Youth Hostel
Then, I walked to Castleton finding a flag on the way. I have no idea what this was. I booked in, showered, ate and then phoned mum. Also, I noted that I was staying there again the next night, that is a third night. At that time, I think, YHA limited stays at one hostel to a maximum of three nights. This rule was subsequently dropped.
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