* * * * * 2008 FILM LAUNCH * * * * *
HIGH HAZARD - Where Mountaineers are made
WATCH THIS SPACE

BRITAIN’S HIGHEST BOOK LAUNCH — No doubt considered as the most unlikely location for a book launch, the roof of England is, however, the obvious choice for this mountaineering novel. Scafell Pike (3210ft / 978m), better known in Scratch & Co. as the H.K.P., has been host to many strange ceremonies over the years. This event will add to the mountain’s list of credentials and will be a complete contrast to those booklovers used to launches in stuffy, overcrowded rooms. This will quickly become apparent as the walk from the car to the event will be a little further than usual, but the fact that complimentary red and white wine and a cheeseboard are on offer is a good enough reason for anyone to join in.

The event is set to be Britain’s highest book launch todate, so a fair level of fitness will be required to reach the summit. Clothing and footwear should also be suitable for the weather and terrain, so unfortunately the white stilettos and brown brogues must be left at home. All are welcome, see you on top! Signed copies will be available on the summit.

Scafell Pike Summit Cairn - 9th September 2006 - 13.00hrs-15.00hrs

The Friends of Keswick Museum and their winter lecture series welcomes Matthew Entwistle who will explore Millican Dalton's strange life in Borrowdale and beyond. Spaces are limited so advanced booking is recommended.

Crosthwaite Parish Room, Keswick, Cumbria - 7th February 2007 at 7.30pm - £3.00

Matthew Entwistle in conversation with Terry Gifford about his book Millican Dalton : A Search for Romance and Freedom which tells the fascinating tale of the self-styled Professor of Adventure who lived in a cave in Borrowdale . Accompanied by rare archive photographs, Matthew will encourage us to appreciate the important contribution Dalton made to climbing and to the philosophy of adventure.

17 November 2005 - 2.00pm (£3) Kendal Library, Cumbria

Keswick Museum, Station Road, Keswick, Cumbria.
26 May - 26 June 2005A display of various Millican Dalton related items - including his alpenstock.


16/04/2005
LECTURE - 'NEGLECTED CLIMBER'

The 18th International Festival of Mountaineering Literature.
16th April 2005

The following is a copy of the lecture 'Neglected Climber.'

‘NEGLECTED CLIMBER’ BY MATTHEW ENTWISTLE
INTRODUCTION:
I’m here today to answer the question who really was Millican Dalton? Mention his name and those who have heard of him instantly conjure up images cavemen, homemade clothes and hand-built rafts. Rarely, if ever, is he acknowledged as a pioneering rock climber or mountaineer, and because of this it would seem that Millican Dalton is a ‘Neglected Climber.’ Yes, he may have been a vegetarian, teetotaller, pacifist, and troglodyte, all these traits are true, but for the past half century his eccentricities have tended to overshadowed his achievements on the rock. His life as the famous ‘Caveman of Borrowdale’ has always been part of climbing folklore, and in more recent years has become a local legend for the many tourists who flock to Borrowdale and visit his ‘Cave Hotel’ on the flank of Castle Crag, but his strange way of life was purely a consequence of his search for a simple life, and so will not be mentioned today. In fact completely forget these lifestyle choices, and look a little further into the life of this Professor of Adventure, and it becomes clear that he may have had a bigger influence on the British Climbing scene than at first thought. Millican Dalton made climbing a way of life after finding the stifling existence of work within a London insurance office too much too bear. Accordingly he gave up everything to follow his dreams. These dreams quickly became true after he quit work, moved into a tent and became one of the first “adventure guides” in the country, and led tours throughout the British Isles as well as across Europe way before the name Gaspard was even mentioned in the billiard room at the Wastwater Hotel. He wasn’t the first Lakeland guide, but he did offer some of the first multi-activity holidays promoting adventures such as “dangling over the precipice,” “fording a rapid river,” “exploration of a cave,” and “varied hairbreadth escapes arranged by circumstance.”

He was a stalwart of the outdoor movement, and an early member of the Association of Cycle Campers, now known as the Camping and Caravanning Club, and was once described by George Abraham as the “genial pioneer of real mountaineering camp life.” Daltons mysterious climbing career began during the Golden Era, after several successful camping trips to the Lake District. His first classic was Napes Needle and after climbing this solo, he explored Welsh, Scottish and Irish rock along. Of course these were the places to be for the Victorian cragsman in search of more challenging climbs, offering more challenging routes unavailable in the Lake District. Millican used trips such as these to not only improve his climbing and mountaineering skills, but also to further develop his range of lightweight camping equipment, which was sold by recommendation long before it was widely available. The development of lightweight camping and the ability to carry climbing gear much easier became a passion, and was something he spent much time contemplating. It was known that he was very pleased with his achievements in significantly reducing weight into more transportable loads and much humour was had regarding his obsession for weight. Typically when camping in Wasdale he would purchase a sheet of stamps from the visiting postman which allowed him to send anything from a postcard to a parcel. On one occasion his purchase was greeted with the sarcastic comments “Yes, but think of all the extra weight you are carrying!”

CLIMBING BACKGROUND:
Although his name is never mentioned in the same sentence as O.G. Jones, Haskett-Smith, the Abrahams’ or other great names of the day, he was still a contemporary and evidence of this can be found with only a little background research. Contrary to belief, his ability and nerve was every inch that of the Tigers. He climbed the same routes in and around Wasdale, and also pioneered new climbs. Chronologically he was not far behind the recreational pioneers of the 1880’s and had claimed a first ascent when the sport was still only 11 years old. The very concept of searching for new routes to pioneer differentiates some climbers from others and elevates pioneers into a league of their own. Pioneering requires nerve and an element of skill in reading the climb, noticing it in the first instance and having a belief that it can, more likely than not, be climbed to the top. He wasn’t a Tiger though, he was something completely different. He may have been a man of education and culture, but unlike them his climbing wasn’t restricted to Easter, Witsun or Christmas holidays. It wasn’t limited by work patterns or bad weather. He wasn’t a fleeting weekender or day-tripper, he was a seasonal guide whose time, both free and working, revolved around the outdoors, with a particular emphasis on climbing. He lived amongst the mountains and could climb whenever he felt the urge, and make no mistake he did. He was a real mountain man, and anything that looked like a mountain was deemed fair game and he wanted to climb it. And if there was no rock to climb then he would climb a tree or other vertical object.

Apparently climbing was so appealing to Dalton that he was rumoured to have once been travelling through London along the Embankment with a friend when upon passing Cleopatra’s Needle, Dalton stopped and looked up with a twinkle in his eye. With a good idea of what he was thinking the friend urged him along and the opportunity of a remarkable first was apparently missed. Sometimes it was obvious that he was a little too keen on climbing, especially when he worked for the Co-operative Holidays Association at the Newlands Vale Guest House. There he acted as “guide, philosopher and friend” to their clientele. Well he did until he decided to introduce some of the guests to the thrills of rock climbing. This was seen as far too dangerous by the management and his initiative earned him the sack. As a climber, Millican Dalton was apparently rather over cautious, but was a very safe climber who never took unnecessary risks. Competent enough to join the Fell and Rock and the Climbers Club and confident enough to guide novices up the best routes in the district, he was considered an expert climber and guide, and a measure of this was his perfect safety record with accidents unheard of, obviously an excellent achievement considering he guided many hundreds of people. Maybe critics who suggest he failed to use belays or other safety measures should bear this in mind. He must have done something right as his most famous student, Mabel Barker, became the best woman rock climber of her time. That’s not to say that everything always went to plan, and it must be said that some expeditions were rather hair-raising, and on occasions it was apparently lucky nobody woke-up dead. Millican Dalton’s climbing was not simply a pastime, it actually formed part of his philosophy of life. This philosophy, worked out early in his life, considered climbing as important as anything else. He was completely happy with his philosophy and lived up to it 100 percent. Into this unison of theory and practice of life, climbing fitted as a natural part. As with everything else in his life he climbed for his own reasons and not for the benefit for others. Having fun was number one priority.

PHILOSOPHY:
Upon realisation of Dalton’s priorities his skills as a cragsman should not be underestimated. So then you might ask if Millican Dalton was a pioneer why does his name not appear more frequently in the list of first ascents? It’s a good question, and admittedly he only has two recorded firsts to his name, but there is a probable reason for this. As a commendable achievement well worth mentioning, Dalton’s first recorded ascent of South Chimney on Doves’ Nest Crags in 1897 was only the sixth recorded first ascent in Borrowdale. As a matter of course it was common for Dalton not to record firsts, climbing and having a good day out was much more important, and in fact he never recorded South Chimney until 17 years after his first ascent when he wrote an article for the Fell and Rock Journal. His second first ascent was in 1903 when he scaled Pencoed Pillar in Wales. Details of this climb also remained unrecorded until he gave several notes to the Abraham Brothers for use in their 1906 book Rock Climbing in North Wales. When reading this book it is obvious that at this point in his life he was climbing to a very high standard. The book states that in 1897 the rock gymnast, O.G. Jones, said “See that fine buttress on the left of the gully? That’s Pencoed Pillar. It has not been climbed, and I doubt it ever will be, up this side,” to which the Abrahams’ added “Several strong parties had looked at it from below and passed on; others have essayed its ascent, leaving no record of their failure.”

Pencoed Pillar is still regarded as a classic amongst classics and he certainly left a mark in Wales, but it is the Borrowdale valley where he may have had a bigger influence. Knowing Dalton’s taste for exploration and adventure it seems highly improbable that he pioneered no other routes in Borrowdale. Imagine, for example, passing the cliffs on the Borrowdale Road, would Dalton, an avid climber, have cycled past and not have made an attempt? Would he have travelled high over the fells and ignored all? Would he have called himself the Professor of Adventure if he only stood back and watched from afar? In reality scores of climbs were discovered, inspected and attempted with successful achievements left unrecorded. And the reason for this? His fun loving philosophy and lack of self-glorification. Further evidence of this comes to light when reading contemporary newspaper articles, especially those which pass comment on his 1898 exploits on the Isle of Skye when his party explored the cliffs of the Cullins when, as he put it “the climbing was known to very few at that time.” In addition some interesting photos from 1919 show him on the south of Shepherds Crag, Borrowdale, with rope and boots. These photos are of interest because the south of Shepherds was not apparently discovered until 27 years later when the accomplished climber Bentley Beetham noticed the better standard of climbing there. Beetham wrote in detail about this discovery in the 1953 Borrowdale Guide, totally ignoring the fact that Dalton had been camping and climbing there from as early as 1908. Then again he never mentioned Dalton’s South Chimney either, but he did detail his own routes on Doves Nest. This highlights the difference between the two types of pioneer. One was purely concerned with climbing, the other was more interested in fame, maybe. Obviously the recording a new climb is at the discretion of the pioneer and act as the only real proof, but to be honest I believe that Millican Dalton may have been the true pioneer of Borrowdale. After all, he was in the right place at the right time. Other climbers overlooked Borrowdale in favour of more challenging routes elsewhere. Dalton didn’t, he even decided to base himself there. More than worthy of the title, he had considerable experience and a very good knowledge of all things mountainous having already climbed throughout the Alps and Dolomites taking the Matterhorn in along the way.

Later in life he didn’t always climb to the highest standards, that was too serious for this fun loving devotee of the simple life. He would rather climb something more satisfying like Napes Needle, on which he could sit astride the top block and haul up a bundle of wood to make a fire and brew fresh coffee. He said occasions like this were “the hottest times he had on there.” I’m sure that these claims will amuse some and irritate others who believe climbing history is set in stone, and shouldn’t be questioned. But look at the evidence behind the claims. After all its okay to presume that Mallory may have conquered Everest just because he had his goggles in his pocket. You may have now gathered some insight into the life of Millican Dalton, the “English Theaurea.” Do not imagine, however, that his eccentricities made him a solitary climber. When not guiding he would frequently climb with people who knew him or of him, but he would also be happy to set out on the rock on his own and ask any passer-by to tie-on and climb with him. His favourite climbs were The Keswick Brothers’ Climb, Slingsby’s Chimney, Moss Ghyll, Arrowhead Ridge, Eagles Nest Ridge, Abbey Buttress and West Chimney, and not forgetting Doves Nest and Napes Needle. He was also a bouldering advocate and was particularly delighted with the problems on Gash Rock and the Woofe Stones.

CONCLUSION:
Was Millican Dalton an expert climber? Make your own mind up, I’m sure you will, but the comments of The Beast, Aliester Crowley, maybe food for thought. He said about O.G. Jones “He obtained the reputation of being the most brilliant rock climber of his time by persistent self-advertisement. He was never a first-rate climber, because he was never a safe climber. If a handhold was out of his reach he would jump at it, and he had met with several serious accidents before the final smash.” Therefore does this comment mean that Dalton could have been a first-rate climber because he was one of the safest? I’m not trying to say that he is one of the all-time greats of British climbing, Mabel Barker made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t, but then again she also said he never wanted to be. Whether he did or not this lack of ambition doesn’t mean that his role in the development of new routes or his guiding should be overlooked. His climbing record is limited, but with some insight into his philosophy several conclusions can be made. Blessed with good health and old age, he never regarded himself as past climbing and he climbed right into his 80th year upholding his philosophy all the way. Millican Dalton was totally dedicated to his cause. He made no show of it, simply did it, then stayed with it. Whatever his lifetime achievements, whether it be dismissing Victorian protocol with the groundbreaking guiding of mixed-sex groups or his experiments with lightweight gear, he will still be primarily revered for his aesthetic appearance. At least Mabel Barker was right when she said “His picturesque figure and lovable personality have surely become part of the Heritage of Lakeland so as long as the hills endure and men love them.” For decades to come people will only remember the story of the “Borrowdale Hermit,” after all it is a great tale, but unfortunately few will remember his spirit of adventure which saw him roam the world for over 50 years searching relentlessly for thrills and danger. He will remain a ‘Neglected Climber.’ However, this will probably be the most befitting end as that is how Millican Dalton wanted it. Nonetheless a small group of admirers, or modern-day ‘Daltonites,’ will ensure his reputation as an important climber and his freethinking philosophy of life remain in climbing heritage for years to come.

We may now be living in a completely different age, but his philosophy of climbing may still be relevant, and should be taken more seriously. There could be valuable lessons to be learnt which could improve our enjoyment and experience on the rock. Have we lost something of the real sport and can the spirit of the unknown ‘Tigers’ be rekindled. Ask yourself these questions the next time you’re out on the rock.

6 & 7 August 2004 at The Moot Hall, Keswick, Cumbria.
Starts at 8.30pm and lasts 1 hour
Tickets £2.50 on the door

Moot Hall, Keswick, Cumbria
1st & 2nd November 2003