Ty Powdwr Burns Night

Members: Dan O’Brien, Andy Stratford, Jo Stratford, Stuart Hurworth, Laura Bond, Tim Howarth, Sue Brooke, Pete Hughes, Yvonne Holland, Dave Wylie, Lucie Crouch, Gareth Williams, James Richardson and Graham Hasslehurst (via Video Link)

Guests: Jon Vardy, Jasper Ditton, Natasha Lucas, Greg Nunn, Sam Crabb, Anja, Richard, Afsheen and Beth.

The sixth instalment of the now legendary KMC Burns’ Night got off to a rocky start when a number of participants succumbed to that nasty bug that had been going around.  Those of us not afflicted arrived to find North Wales wet, windy and wild.  Dave and Yvonne had started early from Manchester (around 6am) and completed a jaunt in the Carneddau.  By the time the rest of us arrived Yvonne had retired to the bunkrooms.

With commendable enthusiasm Greg, Tim and Sam headed out early for a trip up Bristly Ridge.  A moist start eventually cleared to simply overcast and the team completed the route in good time with only Sam’s thighs and knees wishing they had taken a bit longer – a relic of a fall from a bike last year coming back to haunt him.  Andy, Jo, Stuart, Beth, Richard and Afsheen took a leisurely stroll around the quarries and Llanberis taking in some of the best cafes the area had to offer.  Dan met Jon and Jasper at Indy Wall for a bouldering session followed by a run around the quarries that almost put an end to them (resolution – get fitter!)

As time marched on, a motley crew of (mostly) willing volunteers began putting dinner together – it mainly required tonnes of peeling.  With the haggis in the oven and the tatties on the boil, your correspondent assumed everything was going swimmingly.  Everything came together as mashing tasks were distributed and cream was whipped.  There was a small amount of dissent as one contributor described your correspondent as “the worst boss ever”… He was probably not wrong – now get back to work those neeps won’t mash themselves!

After dinner we retired to the lounge for a dram or two.  Six independently bottled single malt whiskies (two from Speyside, Highland and Islay regions respectively) were on the menu and enjoyed by all.  A special guest (Graham on a “video link” all the way from Wellington, NZ, led us through the tasting and provided entertainment be soliciting visits to see him “down under” – apparently you can bring in three bottles of spirits. Three. Don’t forget…

The winning dram of the evening was the 15-year old Benriach bottled by Connoisseurs Choice (Gordon & MacPhail).  Purchased for the tasting at £65 per bottle it has now disappeared from most online retailers suggesting (as with many of the other drams from this year’s selection) that there are few bottles left and we were tasting something that could be considered “rare”.

For the first time o a KMC Burns’ meet, we finished the bottles before we went to bed, which goes some way to explaining your correspondent’s headache the next morning.  After cooking an excellent breakfast of Burn’s Night Omelette (basically last nights dinner, reheated with a couple of eggs mixed in) your correspondent and the rest of the casualties loitered around the hut until the last of us drifted off around 2pm. 

Looking forward to next year already.  Book early!

Daniel O'Brien