Last updated: 15/10/10

'The Tatras Again'
August 2007

Eight seasoned Club members set off from Golden Square at the unusual hour of midnight, and ended up a day or two later at Zakopane, the principal mountain resort of the Polish Tatras. Since the Club's previous visit some seventeen years ago, there has been an explosion of restaurants, shops and ice cream outlets, but the hills are still alive with crowds of friendly Poles, climbing to the top of their 2000m peaks, dressed in T-shirts, wearing sandals and carrying an umbrella in anticipation of the daily 13.00 hour thunderstorm.
 

Three days of walking in the National Park started with a steep climb from the valley floor up through the trees and eventually to the summits. Paths are well laid, but the limestone in places is as polished as marble and with the heavy rain, and mud, made for interesting descents!



 

Then it was over the border via a beautiful wooded mountain pass for eight days in Slovakia, where, although in a family-orientated holiday area, people seem to take equipment rather more seriously. Lower views are more open (much forest having been felled by a hurricane a few years ago), and the rock is granite - good and grippy, compared with the 'marble' of the Polish side.

 

During the week, we collectively did one via ferrata and managed to explore most of the main walking routes. We didn't climb the highest mountain in Slovakia, but did climb the highest one in Poland (but from the easier Slovakian side).


 

The Presidential Awards go to derek for the most chatas - mountain lodges - visited, to Willie, our up-and-coming expert on 'strong' Vodka, to Tim for his first aid skills, to Garry for the most peaks climbed and jointly to Alec and Gordon for proving that it is a myth that Scotsmen are mean. Most of all, our thanks go to Derek B. for his excellent organisation and making it all happen, despite the odd bankrupt hotel!